Poetry Bee: Rekindling the Lost Art of Recitation

When I was a young girl, I fell in love with poetry. I read it quite a bit, and I wrote some of my own poetry. I didn't memorize poems myself, but I was in awe of those that did. I remember reading books in which the characters memorized quite long poems and wishing that this practice still existed. I knew a few people that had memorized poetry, but they were the minority.

Earlier this year our family joined a poetry club as part of our homeschooling experience. I have seen my children grow and make connections through memorizing poems and reciting them. I have been privileged to learn and memorize poetry along with my children. We have begun to recognize specific poets in other venues, and we have learned a lot of new vocabulary. The biggest benefit of poetry in their lives has been somewhat intangible. My children and I "own" these poems because they have become a part of us. This wonderful benefit is not a part of most modern curriculum, but it can be. The book Poetry Bee: Rekindling the Lost Art of Recitation lays out a plan for setting up a memorization group in your school, homeschool, community, or home. It also has a great collection of poems to enjoy reading or memorizing. I recommend this book to all parents, teachers, and other people interested in poetry.

The Night Circus

I recently read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I had been hearing about this book from several places, but wasn't really sure what to expect. It was a delightful read, with a unique magic system and intriguing twists. The night circus is more than just a circus, it is a venue for a contest between those that can really perform magic. This book is part love story, part tragedy, and part fantastic magic.

I look forward to more books by Morgenstern, because she has crafted this book beautifully. If you enjoy fantasy based on tweaking the rules of our world you will love this book. If you enjoy love stories, especially those with complexity, you will want to read The Night Circus.

NaNoWriMo 2011 Update 3

I'm behind, but I am still writing. I am still spending about the same amount of time each day on writing, and my actual number of words written is slowing down. But...I have still written more this month than I normally write. I can actually see this book coming together and becoming what I want it to be. I am very excited about how the book is coming together. Because this is a nonfiction project I am having to slow down to make some decisions and do some research. My word count is 30000 which puts me about a day and a half behind where I should be on my word count.

NaNoWriMo 2011 Update 2

It's another week. I didn't do quite as well this week at staying on top of my writing. Earlier this week, I was starting to think maybe I didn't have as much to say on my topic as I originally thought. However, with effort and a fair amount of slogging through the writing process, I was able to end Sunday the 13th of November with 21,674 words. The end goal for the 13th day of the month is 21,671 words so I have three extra words. I am ecstatic! I am actually doing it, and I made it through the first slump. I even have a plan for tomorrow...

NaNoWriMo 2011 Update 1

Last night I finished the day with 12,053 words written so far on my book this month. I feel like it is going quite well. The official goal for the day was 11,669 so I am actually ahead. I have been trying to get a bit ahead because I am concerned about getting much writing done Thanksgiving weekend. We are spending the weekend with family and I will be surprised if I get to do any serious writing. Just checking in to update, now back to writing...

NaNoWriMo 2011

  It's November, and that means National Novel Writing Month has come again. This year I am working on a nonfiction project. I really think that I can reach my 50,000 word goal this year because I have been thinking about this idea for a while now, although I hadn't written a word on it until yesterday. This is day 2 and I have reached a word count of 4,009. The daily goal if you write daily and plan to achieve 50,000 words is 1,667 words. I realized that because of Thanksgiving and family time, I have to get a bit ahead of that number if I am going to make it. So, I hope to reach 2,000 words a day for the first week. So far, so good. Yeah, me!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This is Ransom Riggs first novel, and I can't wait to see what other fiction he will write in the future. This book is a strange mix of history and fairy story, but it works. The story begins with a boy disillusioned with his grandfather's childhood stories. After his grandfather's death, Jacob sees something that disturbs him and makes him wonder if his grandfather's stories were actually real. Jacob and his father travel to Europe to uncover the truth.

What I really, really loved about this book: the photographs. Most are the beginnings of trick photography, woven into this tale. I also enjoyed the weaving of history and fairy story. It was an enchanting, grown up fairy story. Also, the father to son to grandson relationships were complex and intriguing.

You will like this book if you enjoy fairy stories or fantasy. It is also a great read for those who enjoy something unique in fiction, and the book would be great for discussion groups. The parallels between World War II Nazis and monsters, refugees and Peculiar Children will make for some interesting discussions.