Poetry – Page 130 – Cannonball Read 17

More than five letter words in the English language

The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith

March 11, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I say The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith is a five but is more of a 4.8 due to a little hiccup for me. Which is the fact that Brooke is the name of the child of the story and the author. This seems a bit heavy handed. However, regardless if this is based on a true story or not, maybe naming the child Robin, Willow, Rose (etc.) might have been less daunting. Of course, it also could be while Brooke is a […]

“I don’t know what’s so scary about zombies. … ” said the author in her hit graphic novel

The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson

March 10, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures is not for everyone. It took me some time to get through Noelle Stevenson’s memoir. Before I go into the details, I will say, read this book as many times as is needed. This is not an easy read, not just because of the themes, but because of how it is written. A graphic novel is not always the best way to present yourself but also, what better way for an artist to do just that? […]

I rather not, but thanks all the same

I Hate Reading: How to Read When You’d Rather Not by Beth Bacon

February 25, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I Hate Reading: How to Read When You’d Rather Not seemed like it was going to have a lot of potential for “I cannot put this down!” and “Look how fun reading is!” moments. Perhaps because I am a reader and not Beth Bacon’s young sons (Arthur and Henry who have been reluctant readers in the past) who helped her to write this let us say, we are not amused. This book is to help reluctant readers read but to me it seems like it […]

They paved paradise But she paved the way

Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell by Selina Alko

February 25, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Our musical tastes are formed by a variety of ways. My first influence was my mother. I knew who Elvis was before I could shake my hips and dance in my blue suede shoes! I even knew old school and (then) contemporary (nowadays “classics” and the classics “that old stuff”) country music. One day my I was gifted some 45s of one of my uncles and it was all over. The Beatles were the thing. And musical experimentation of an odd teen (i.e.: I was […]

“Guys, Auden is my man”: it’s hard not to love W. H. Auden

Selected Poems by W. H. Auden

February 24, 2020 by tiny_bookbot Leave a Comment

I’m teaching a course on twentieth century British poetry, and we’re whipping through six poets in about fifteen weeks. My students appreciated T. S. Eliot, and enjoyed Robert Graves, but we are halfway through W. H. Auden, and he has enthralled them, hitting them square in their hearts with brutally accurate yearning and empathy. We’ve taken a thematic approach in working through the Selected Poems: quotidian life, war & politics, and most recently: the love poems. (We’ll hit the transcendence of art & religion, and then touch […]

Save the Flower Vampires

Tiny Bird: Hummingbirds’ Amazing Journey by Robert Burleigh

February 18, 2020 by BlackRaven 2 Comments

I think I was in love with Tiny Bird: Hummingbirds’ Amazing Journey before I even opened this picture book. The illustration that was the cover was as eye catching as the hummingbird itself. I knew that Wendell Minor would not disappoint with the art (or so I was hoping) but could Robert Burleigh create text that would be interesting and as bold as the illustrations? And they did. The result of these two artists was an accessible for multiple ages and levels picture book that […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

Help Our Mission