Monday, January 29, 2024

Arranging Words: Poems by Fran Abrams - Review

What a clever little collection! Abrams knows how to use words precisely to bring out a chuckle, or even to make that light bulb come on in your head..."Hey, I've always thought/wondered that myself." As in, On the Tip of my Tongue, she talks about how when you talk to someone with a pierced tongue, you really have to work at not looking at it the entire time. And then there's this one, which touches on something I've always wondered myself. Why do we have names for some things and then just don't for others? From We Have No Name for Them...

When a parent loses a child, 
we have no name for that. 
When a boy loses his sister, 
there is not word to label him. 

Whether his sister died a victim
of car crash, shooting, or illness, 
we have no vocabulary 
for those who remain.
The poem Three Little Words showcases how powerful just three little words can be. A stanza from the poem:
Knowledge is power
Just do it
Nothing is impossible

And the hilariously funny All Ears. Seriously, the image in my head on this one. It also reminded me of a Shel Siverstein poem. 

This is such a fun collection. Things are so serious in the world right now. Sometimes it's nice to read something lighthearted to take us away from it all. This collection does just that.

About the collection:

Arranging Words is Abrams’ second chapbook collection. It is a series of light-hearted poems that asks the reader to look at words from a new perspective. These poems approach letters, words, and everyday phrases in a way that pokes fun at the eccentricities of the English language.

For example, her poem titled “K Knows How to Hide and Seek” begins with the line “Kknocks twice, but we only hear him once,” reminding us how often “k” is a silent letter.

The poem “Poetry Exercise” plays on the meaning of the word “exercise” with the line “Brain cells stretch, lift your arms, reach for words.” Phrases are deconstructed into literal meanings, such as in the poem “Beside Myself” that asks, “Am I myself or the one beside myself?”

This collection illuminates the quirks of the English language in a lively, humorous way while demonstrating a love for words themselves.


About the Author:


Fran Abrams lives in Rockville, MD. Her poems have been published in literary magazines online and in print and appear in more than a dozen anthologies. In July 2022, the title poem of this book, “Arranging Words,” was a finalist in the 2022 Prime Number Magazine Award for Poetry. Her two previous books are: I Rode the Second Wave: A Feminist Memoir (2022) and The Poet Who Loves Pythagoras (2023). Learn more at www.franabramspoetry.com and Connect on Facebook at Fran Abrams, Poet.

Add to Goodreads:

arranging words


Available on Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble.





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Thursday, January 25, 2024

Cat Thursday - Can I come in?


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and often hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.






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Saturday, January 20, 2024

Classics Club Spin #36

And the spin landed on #20...Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster
Guess the universe really wants me to read this one (it was my spin selection for spin #33 which I didn't get to). Let's see if I can finish it by March 3rd.





CC Spin #36 - A new year of spins...let us see how well I do. 
  1. Complete Ghost Stories - M.R. James
  2. Collected Works (short stories) - Algernon Blackwood
  3. The Witch of Ravensworth - George Brewer
  4. Murder in the Cathedral - T.S. Eliot
  5. The Collector - John Fowles
  6. The Centaur - Algernon Blackwood
  7. Grendel - John Gardner
  8. Collected Works (short stories) - Nikolai Gogol
  9. The House on the Borderland - William Hope Hodgson
  10. The Human Chord - Algernon Blackwood
  11. The Devils of Loudun - Aldous Huxley
  12. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
  13. In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires - Raymond T. McNally, Radu R. Florescu
  14. Dead Souls - Nikolai Gogol
  15. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
  16. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
  17. Vampires and Vampirism - Montague Summers
  18. Werewolf - Montague Summers
  19. Mastering Witchcraft - Paul Huson
  20. Where Angels Fear to Tread - E.M. Forster


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Thursday, January 18, 2024

Cat Thursday - Cats get us


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and often hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.








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Thursday, January 11, 2024

Cat Thursday: Authors and Cats (125) Gwen Cooper


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come acros s, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.

The second Cat Thursday of each month is Authors and Cats Thursday. Each time I will feature an author, pictured with their/a cat(s), or guest posts by cat loving authors who also (sometimes) write about cats.


Gwen Cooper is the New York Times bestselling author of the memoirs "Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat" and "Homer: The Ninth Life of a Blind Wonder Cat," and the novels "Love Saves the Day" and "Diary of a South Beach Party Girl."

Her latest project is "Curl Up with a Cat Tale," a first-of-its-kind monthly short-story series, featuring an all-new--and all-true!--humorous and heartfelt tale each and every month about life with her world-famous fur family. (See my website, www.gwencooper.com/cat-tales, for more details and a 60% discount!). Her work has been published in nearly two dozen languages.

Gwen lives in Manhattan with her husband, Laurence. She also lives with her two perfect cats--Clayton the Tripod and his litter-mate, Fanny--who aren't impressed with any of it. (Goodreads)




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Saturday, January 6, 2024

2024...Reading Challenges, First Book of the Year, and my One Little Word


Another new year! My, but how time flies. Time for a new year of plans and reading. I fell only five books shy of my goal of 50 books last year so I have set this year's goal for 50 again. Hopefully, I will reach it, or perhaps even surpass it. You can read about my 2023 reading year here.


First Book of the Year - They Lurk by Ronald Malfi
If you know me, then you will know that Malfi is one of my favorite horror authors. I'm already over halfway finished with it (I started on January 2) and it is a 'cannot put down' for sure.


My word for the year and my vision board
Last year, my word was Brave and let me tell you, I had to be just that. I experienced empty nest syndrome in a major way. I know many parents can relate. I had a very hard time and it still hits home even now. I wrote an essay as a kind of catharsis (read it here), but still struggled. I'm a dweller and an overthinker. I tend to grab hold of things I can't change, and mull them over again and again. Therapy helps, but I want to learn to work things through myself too. I decided my word for 2024 is Release. Learning to let go of things I can't change and move on. It will be hard, but I know I can do it.

My main goal for 2024, and for my life in general, is to make writing my top priority. With my boys no longer at home, and no significant other to deal with (😂), I have a lot of time to devote to doing just that (besides working, that is). 


The new year for me always comes with a fresh start at reading challenges. This year I'll once again be doing Book Challenge by Erin (which is twice a year), in addition to the four challenges I host. 

Challenges listed below:
Book Challenge by Erin 20.0
2024 I Read Horror Year-Round
1000 Books Project 2024: Collins/Dickens
2024 Book to Movie (and TV) Challenge
2024 Read Your Shelf Challenge

First up...the twice a year challenge - Book Challenge by Erin 20.0 (Facebook group)
First round of the year runs Jan - April.

Freebie - The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

Book that was made into a movie - I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Book by a favorite author (not a reread) - They Lurk by Ronald Malfi

Book originally published over 100 years ago - The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Book with winter in the title - A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons

Book of short stories - Out There Screaming - Jordan Peele, Editor

Animal on the cover - Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Picture of a Building (House) - The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

Name of a character in its title - The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Set in your state (Michigan) - Inspection by Josh Malerman

This is a private Facebook group. You can check it out and join here. You can join in at any time during the four months. Second challenge of the year starts July 1st. Categories announced in June.

Now on to the challenges I'm hosting...


I host this challenge at my sister (horror) blog, Castle Macabre. This is year four!

I have some ideas on what I'll be reading, but not sure on all of them yet. I'm going for the Chilling level again this year. I didn't quite complete the level last year...only three books shy...so I'm going to try again.

Here are the prompts and levels...
  • Witch, dark, blood, bone, or body in title
  • Nature gone wild (when plants or animals attack)
  • Creepy character/object (House, doll, child, etc.)
  • Holiday horror (Christmas, yule, etc.)
  • Short story anthology or collection
    Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele, editor
  • Takes place during Halloween season
  • Winter theme, or winter on cover
    A Winter Haunting, Dan Simmons
  • A book that is also a movie
  • By BIPOC author
    Lone Women, Victor LaValle
  • Classic horror novel
  • Dark Academia novel (here's a list on Goodreads)
    Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
  • Gothic novel
Levels:
Spooky: Read 6 books from 6 categories
Chilling: Read 12 Books from all 12 categories
Frightful: Read 2 books from each category for a total of 24 books
Horrifying: Read 3 books from each category for a total of 36 books

Full details and sign up here.

The next three challenges are hosted by me at Gather Together and Read, my reading community site.


Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone - January through April 
In honor of his birthday on January 8.
We have already started reading. The reading schedule is posted here.

Charles Dickens' The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby - June through September
In honor of his friendship with Collins.

Full details and sign-up here.


My main level...
The Enthusiast: read 1-3 books
Also, additional levels...
Not Ready to Let Go: read at least one (1) book made into a movie or series in 2023
Living in the Past: read at least one (1) book made into a movie in previous years
The Movie Was Better (What?!): watch the movie(s) for the book(s) you read.

Potential books:
The Watchers, A.M. Shine
Wicked, Gregory Maguire
Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
The Witching Hour, Anne Rice (reread)
The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard
The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay
Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann
Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin



Pretend your house is a library: A strategy for actually reading the books you own. 

My "holds shelf" (which has grown exponentially since last year)...


My full list of books on my holds shelf will be listed on my 2024 Reading Challenges page located in the blog menu above.




Finally, last year I started sort of an independent project called Backlist Challenge. I'm keeping track on a separate page which you can see up in the blog menu. As always, there are also links in the menu to my long term challenges like the Classics Club, etc.

That's it! What is (was) your first book of the year? Do you have One Little Word this year? What are your reading plans? Doing any challenges, or perhaps thinking of joining one (or more) of mine?
Whatever your plans are, I wish you a Happy New Year of peace and prosperity, and great reading of course!


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Thursday, January 4, 2024

My 2023 year in reading

I did not do too badly. My goal was 50 and I ended up reading 45. All 45 books read are in the graphic.

My top favorite of 2023: Dracul by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker
Runner-Up: Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi

I didn't complete any of my challenges, though I came close on some of them.

8 out of 12 on the TBR challenge

The Loney, Andrew Michael Hurley (2015) finished February 23
The Maidens, Alex Michaelides (2021) finished March 12
Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard (2015) finished May 4
Dracul, Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker (2018) July 2023
Subhuman, Michael McBride (2005) finished June 15
The Green Man, Kingsley Amis (1969) finished April 2
The Princes in the Tower, Alison Weir (1994) finished February 17
The Last Duel, Eric Jager (2004) finished May 29

8 out of 10 on Book Challenge by Erin 18.0

The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir February 17
The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin April 29
The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley February 23
Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi April 21
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard May 4
The Green Man by Kingsley Amis April 2
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones January 15
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides March 12

4 out of 10 on Book Challenge by Erin 19.0

The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende
Devil’s Day, Andrew Michael Hurley
Geist, Philippa Ballantine
Dracul, Dacre Stoker & J.D. Barker

9 out of 12 for I Read Horror Year-Round

Dracul, Dacre Stoker July 2023
My Heart is a Chainsaw, Stephen Graham Jones - finished January 15
The Dead Path, Stephen M. Irwin finished April 29
The Fall of the House of Usher October 2023
The Greeen Man, Kingsley Amis - finished April 2
The Vessel, Adam Nevill finished June 29
The Loney, Andrew Michael Hurley - finished February 23
Subhuman, Michael McBride - finished June 15
Black, red, or white cover Black Mouth, Ronald Malfi finished April 21

1 out of 4 for the Main Level of Book to Movie

The Fall of the House of Usher October 2023

5 for the Living in the Past level (Book to Movie)

The Green Man, Kingsley Amis April 2
The Last Duel, Eric Jager finished May 29
The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende October 2023
Beloved, Toni Morrison December 2023
If It Bleeds (Mr Harrigan's Phone), Stephen King November 2023

And I watched one movie and one series for the movie/series level of the challenge: The Last Duel and The Fall of the House of Usher (series)

I did not do great on my Read Your Shelf Challenge, only reading five books from my hold shelf. Hopefully, I will do better this year.


Stay tuned for my 2024 Reading Challenges post!

How did your 2023 reading year go?


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Cat Thursday - They cat...we don't know why, and we don't care


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and often hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.


I may have shared some of these before, but they never get old.








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