Early Book Review: indiscernible elements: Calcium by Korynn Newville
Book Review: The Late, Great Endlings: Stories of the Last Survivors by Deborah Kerbel, Aimée van Drimmelen
Book Review: Deep, Deep Down: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench by Lydia Lukidis, Juan Calle
Book Review: Can You Spot the Leopard? An African Safari by Karen B. Winnick
Audiobook Review: Magnetic North: Sea Voyage to Svalbard by Jenna Butler, Narrated by Marysia Bucholc
Book Review: Who Lives near a Glacier? Alaska Animals in the Wild by Susi Gregg Fowler, Jim Fowler
Early Book Review: Why Longfellow Lied: The Truth About Paul Revere's Midnight Ride by Jeff Lantos
Book Review: Plants on the Move by Émilie Vast
Early Book Review: Beyond: Discoveries from the Outer Reaches of Space by Miranda Paul, Sija Hong
Beyond: Discoveries from the Outer Reaches of Space, written by Miranda Paul and illustrated by Sija Hong, is currently scheduled for release on April 6 2021. Journey far beyond our solar system and explore the marvels of interstellar space. A wonder-filled poem and spectacular illustrations bring readers across the observable universe to encounter dwarf planets, black holes, brand-new stars, and other incredible phenomena.
Beyond: Discoveries from the Outer Reaches of Space is lovely in text and artwork. The use of space as a muse for both poetry and artwork worked very well here- and I spent a good amount of time studying the images on each page. The poems flowed well and were perfectly paired with their corresponding artwork. I think the inclusion of science facts on each page made each page more impactfull. I also liked that the book included resources for further reading and a limited bibliography for readers the book inspires to study further on space in general or a specific subject mentioned in the book. I think this will appeal to many.
Early Book Review: The Secret Life of Trees: Explore the forests of the world, with Oakheart the Brave by Moira Butterfield
Book Review: Can I Touch Your Hair by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, Sean Qualls and Selina Alko
Book Spotlight with Excerpt: Night Ringing by Laura Foley
By: Laura Foley
Blurb "I revel in the genius of simplicity" Laura Foley writes as she gives us in plain-spoken but deeply lyrical moments, poems that explore a life filled with twists and turns and with many transformations. Through it all is a search for a fulfilling personal and sexual identity, a way to be most fully alive in the world. From multicultural love affairs through marriage with a much older man, through raising a family, through grief, to lesbian love affairs, "Night Ringing" is the portrait of a woman willing to take risks to find her own best way. And she does this with grace and wisdom. As she says: "All my life I've been swimming, not drowning."
-Patricia Fargnoli, author of "Winter, Duties of the Spirit, " and "Then, Something
"I love the words and white space of poetry. I love stories even more. In this collection, Laura Foley evokes stories of crystallized moments, of quiet and overpowering emotion, of bathtubs and lemon chicken. The author grows up on the pages, comes of age, and reconciles past with present. Almost. Try to put the book down between poems to savor each experience. Try, but it won't be easy.
-Joni B. Cole, author of "Toxic Feedback, Helping Writers Survive and Thrive"
Plain-spoken and spare, Laura Foley's poems in "Night Ringing" trace a life story through a series of brief scenes: separate, intense moments of perception, in which the speaker's focus is arrested, when a moment opens to reveal a glimpse of the larger whole. Memories of a powerful, enigmatic father, a loving but elusive mother, a much older husband, thread Foley's stories of childhood, marriage and motherhood, finally yielding to the pressure of her attention, as she constructs a series of escapes from family expectations, and moves toward a new life. In these lucid, intense poems, Foley's quiet gaze, her concentration, and emotional accuracy of detail, render this collection real as rain.
-Cynthia Huntington, author of "Heavenly Bodies"
Foley's voice rings with quiet authority undercut by calamity, examining a life so extraordinary, she seems to have lived several people's lives, setting a high bar for poetic craft she meets, in great mystery perfectly expressed in the tiny, quotidian, "spent matches pressed on wet pavement," to soulful beauty, "as wind lifts/every shining wave"; in wisdom rooted in humor, from the deliciously funny "Flunking Jung," to self-deprecating wit, misreading "poetic" as "pathetic," reminding us wisdom is love, grown from self-compassion.
-April Ossmann, author of "Anxious Music"
Excerpt