changes

Past Log Updates

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Death's Country

Forgot what a smart follow up this is; it builds so well on the first book while exploring so many more ideas.

And the meeting with the maker loomed so large in our minds; we misremembered that that happened at the end of the first book, and so were waiting forever for it, but also didn’t want Roz to get caught. Couldn’t remember how it all came together.

Past Log Updates

2024-08-03: Started Reading

Read aloud with my son at bedtimes some nights; a re-read for both of us. We previously finished our re-read of The Wild Robot and intend to read the full trilogy. Also feel a bad hipster’s need to clarify that we started these reads without knowing about the upcoming film release; wouldn’t want to be misconstrued as following a trend. I was a Wild Robot fan before it was cool.

2024-08-11 : 29%

Resources

Standalone post link: Reading Log: The Wild Robot Escapes

All fours is a hell of a book. Hilarious, ridiculous, not infrequently gross and also not infrequently profound. Feels like it was probably a lot fun and freedom to write this way, but with a huge amount of thought and work under the surface.

Past Log Updates

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The Yale Review | Miranda July on Emotional Honestly, Art-Making, and…

Standalone post link: Reading Log: All Fours

What happens next?

Past Log Updates

DATE : 2024-09-11

This book is at least as fun to think about when I can’t be reading it as it is to actually read it.

I guess what I’m saying is the world and the ideas and pretty much everything is very appealing, but I’m not desperate to rip through it to find out what happens. Vibes.

DATE : 2024-09-07

Put this aside for a little while but now I’m back to reading it actively.

DATE : 2024-08-21

Looking at Robin Sloan’s latest newsletter today inspired me to finally start reading his book over any and all other possible choices…such as reading any number of other books I’ve started or meant to start soon, re-watching Dune and Dune, Part 2 because for some reason I can’t get them out of my head, playing any number of video games, or continuing to putter around in my email, the News app, etc.

Resources

Standalone post link: Reading Log: Moonbound

Took so many notes and quotes from this today, which I always think I am going to do with books like this but rarely ever do. Learning to be more deliberate and thorough about my reading and writing, I hope.

Having a lot of thoughts from this book in regards to writing: why and what I should write, and the intersection of her framing of writing as a way of life or a spiritual practice with me feeling a push to get back into blogging here on this website or get involved with social media again. Her framing of writing as a life practice feels right to me, it is a religious practice I could join; so then the question becomes not whether to write but whether to share my writing, and where, when, and why. Hopefully I can sort it all out through writing soon, and I might share it here, depending on how it turns out?

The first key is that I need to be patient with myself and do it all on my own time, not get caught up in the need to generate “consistent content” or such nonsense. Not publish the first words that come over the keyboard onto the screen, though I am doing that right now.

Past Log Updates

DATE : 2024-11-07

Started reading Body Work by Melissa Febos. Read the first essay, in defense of navel-gazing…great arguments for personal writing, that it is actually political writing, that it is belittled and suppressed for real reasons, speaking truth to power, bearing witness, etc.

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Body Work

Past Log Updates

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Modern Poetry

Tearjerker.

This was presented to me as a “novel in verse” but it feels like it barely qualifies. It is definitely lyrical and spare writing, and has some line breaks here and there, but I really wonder about the whole “novel in verse” distinction the more I read of them. If this is a novel in verse (as prose poems) then probably almost every Kate DiCamillo book could be called a novel in verse, or perhaps a “novel in prose poems”, and a lot of other pared down, well written books…Need to explore this idea more.

Past Log Updates

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Telephone of the Tree

I’m trying to actually do this “Homegrown National Park” thing in my yard, so I have a lot of notes, but I’m not ready to share them. (Today I’m just trying to get my 2024 reading log filled out and updated.)

Past Log Updates

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Nature's Best Hope (Young Readers' Edition)

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Very generous in its number of pages and prompts (40+), language concepts shared, writing techniques and tricks, and activities. These would of course be good teacher or librarian-led activities, but I feel like the book is written in a way that a kid could totally pick it up and try these things on their own if they are interested. It gives plenty of information and examples, and doesn’t get too technical about how the poems need to be. In fact, there is a refreshing refrain throughout of “do it however you want, this is for fun.”

There are a lot of typos and missing words in the text.

None of the prompts address rhythm or meter other than syllabic count for haiku, etc.

Feels weird that it gets to the 41st prompt and just ends. There is no conclusion, glossary, “Further Reading and Resources,” boring small print note for teachers, or anything like that. Not even “Visit my website,” “Follow us on Instagram,” “share your poems with the hashtag,” etc. I guess the intended audience is legally too young for all of that, so they are being responsible.

This one is on that poetry longlist so I need to rate it there. 4 or 5, I’m not sure. I will know better once I’ve read more of the books, maybe…

Past Log Updates

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Poetry Prompts

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Meh. The idea is cool. Some of the illustrations were cool, some of the ten-word tales were cool. Would be good for a classroom writing activity. This reminds of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick but doesn’t quite add up to that. When they are this brief and this few, every single one needs to be phenomenal. Or maybe I want it weirder. Or maybe I’m just jealous.

Past Log Updates

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Ten-Word Tiny Tales