![]() It is a text art from questions bordering on religious piety that portrays a zealous adherent awash in the revelatory light of self-examination, and contemplation of intent naturally prone to wandering off divine will. The first poem is significant in the way it sets the tone for the others as if we are shown into a cluttered room, that is both the poet’s and ours. “While we can still smell ’em” speaks of the inevitability of the end of life, and how living is worth it when rewards of seed-sowing are being present to actually reap them. ![]() The “flowers” in this poem are figurative of accolades, awards, validation, and the intoxicating sense of self-worth that comes with accomplishment. “But God”, the poet cries, “is it wrong to want my flowers while I can still smell ’em” reveals the origin of his ambition from God as, “this…you’ve planted in my soul”. ![]() ![]() The title of this poem derives its context from the last two lines, where he confesses mistaking God’s voice with his own desire. “Pride” is mentioned here as one of those flaws the poet calls “the root of this disease / That rots a man from the inside out”. ![]() It begins by engaging the mind with admittance of the flawed human condition using a model persona, “a man”, and his seemingly endless “inadequacies”. The beginning poem in Brandon Leake’s Unraveling, “Confusion”, is the paving stone on which the first footstep is placed towards liberation, self-reflection beside, along with its attendant costs of guilt, acknowledgement of fault and pain. ![]()
0 Comments
![]() How can he tell his story when he's left so much behind? ![]() Though his daughter, Lily, is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood in China. Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. On the perilous journey that follows, across a China transformed by war, they find comfort and wisdom in their most treasured possession, a beautifully illustrated hand scroll filled with ancient fables. Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, flee their burning city as Japanese forces advance. ![]() ![]() A "beautifully rendered" novel about war, migration, and the power of telling our stories, Peach Blossom Spring follows three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home (Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author).Ī country at war. ![]() ![]() ![]() And then, as if regretting her generosity, she had pitted the one against the other. She had peopled this, her richest land, with a myriad of living things-plant, beast, bird and fish. And the beasts of the earth snarled and spat at each other as they wrangled over their kill.ĭarkest Africa, where Nature had been prodigal and profligate. Vividly plumed birds screamed hoarsely as they flitted from tree to tree. The air was sullen, brooding, oppressive.įrom a thousand giant trees, matted and festooned with an impenetrable tangle of vines, the lemurs scolded querulously at one another. From the floor of the primeval jungle a miasmic mist steamed slowly upward. The brassy sun showed its molten face again, hotter than before. It was the first rain, marking the beginning of the rainy season. It fell steadily in a silver sheet for five minutes, then as abruptly stopped. The Congo-heart of darkest Africa-two degrees south of the Equator.Ībruptly the sun was blotted out and a sudden deluge descended from the heavens. ![]() ![]() ![]() An epigrammatic style also lends itself to graceful shifts in time: “One day, years later, my mother would tell me that no marriage makes sense to the outside world because, she would say, a marriage is its own world.” The pacing is exemplary, the ups and downs of Martha’s life giving a natural flow to the narrative. ![]() What follows is a look back through Martha’s life from late teens onwards, a deep dive into a chaotic, troubled family whose love for each other ultimately cuts through the darkness. The plot centres on Martha Friel, an Englishwoman approaching 40 whose marriage to her long-suffering husband, Patrick, has recently come to an end. Sharp, stylish and revelatory, this novel is sure to be one of the big success stories of the year. It is that rarest of things, a book that a professional reviewer doesn’t want to end. The title Sorrow and Bliss is entirely fitting for a book that skilfully charts the life of a woman living with mental illness, her days spent treading the fine line between humour and despair. This is the driving force of Meg Mason’s stellar new novel. Sometimes the funniest people are the saddest. ![]() ![]() ![]() With Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn,ĭistracted by a cold case of his own, and ex-husband Matt Result of a random mugging-the conclusion of the police. That Alfred’s death was something more than the tragic When she finds him brutally gunnedĭown in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince her Place in such a pretty picture, until now.Ĭoffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has grown very fond ofĪlfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jollyĬharity Santa who’s been using her Village Blend as a place Like powdered sugar on Christmas confections. Boots crunch alongĬobblestones, and a layer of snow dusts historic townhouses Streetlights shimmer through icy flakes.Ĭafés glow with welcoming warmth. There’s nothing cozier than a winter evening in Hardcover (November 2009), Paperback (reprint - November 2011) Welcome to the Village Blend, where coffee and crime are always brewing. The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller, October 2018 The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait, May 2021 Mass Market Paperback / e-Book / audiobook (reprint) ![]() The Ghost and the Stolen Tears, October 2022 ![]() Mass Market Paperback / e-Book / audiobook ![]() ![]() ![]() “Ghost Story” is a slow burn horror-thriller in the vein of “The Shining” and “Paranormal Activity,” but without the latter’s found footage aesthetic. I’m a horror film connoisseur, and someone who swears by the holy trinity of horror cinema: “The Exorcist,” “The Shining,” and “Alien.” Although horror is my genre of choice, I’ve also secured paid gigs writing a crime-thriller, and a Hitchcockian suspense-thriller.įollowing months of depression after failing to get my first horror screenplay produced, I went about writing a story which was far more contained, thereby cheaper to produce, and thus “Ghost Story” was born. ![]() ![]() Why you should read (from writer): I’ve been making a living as a screenwriter here in Mumbai for the last five years, before which I studied film in Los Angeles, and even worked on a few movies as a production assistant. Premise: Soon after moving into their new apartment, a young couple’s idyllic life begins to unravel in the most horrific ways due to the presence of a malevolent spirit. ![]() ![]() Inspired by Hannah and her acceptance of the nomination for homecoming king, Waylon takes control of his story and decides to stay in the competition. Although senior Waylon has the support of his family, including his twin sister, Clem, and her girlfriend, Hannah, he has to deal with more homophobia at school when he’s nominated homecoming queen. Before it’s taken down, it garners some support-and some attacks. Life can be difficult for a fat, flamboyant, gay teen, but it becomes even more difficult when Waylon’s mostly-not-serious video entry for a drag queen reality competition is accidentally shared widely on social media instead of being posted only for members of the school’s queer club to see. ![]() In this installment, they’ll be introduced to Waylon “Pumpkin” Brewer, so nicknamed for his bright orange hair and freckles. Fans of Puddin’ (2018) and Dumplin’ (2015) can rejoice, as they’re off to visit Clover City, Texas, once again. ![]() ![]() This is the selected book for our first ever Big Read. Here you will find extra information about the book, and a discussion space where you are invited to share your thoughts. ![]() There will be many opportunities to get involved in numerous events and activities. During your first year at Sheffield Hallam University we would like to encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences with each other. These will include book clubs and discussion groups and activities relating to the themes of the novel which include: mental health issues, the care system and racial inequality. As the book addresses some themes which may resonate with some of you personally, there is lots of support and advice available - see the support section for further informationĭuring Semester 1 (2019/20), there will be activities relating to the novel for students and staff to get involved in. ![]() ![]() We hope that you enjoy reading My Name is Leon. This guide will introduce you to the project, what we have planned, how you can get involved, further leisure reading suggestions and much more. ![]() Welcome to the Big Read! This initiative will see all new students receive a free copy of 'My Name is Leon' with the hope that it will allow for first discussions and social interactions to happen more easily as all new starters will have a common topic of interest. ![]() ![]() There is such a fine line between meanness, social isolation, and bullying. Sometimes that includes letting kids be a little meaner than they should be. I think parents are so eager to see their kids not on the bottom of the totem pole, as they perceive things socially, that sometimes they’re willing to turn a blind eye to whatever they think their kids need to do to not be on the bottom. Jaramillo : One reason I wrote Wonder was to anonymously address how I wished other parents would behave. And allow him the possibility of a little bit of an epiphany. I wanted us to understand what was motivating Julian’s anger and hostility toward Auggie. And always with little kids, there is something redeemable. ![]() Jaramillo : I was researching 365 Days of Wonder, another companion book that will come out in August, and I came across one quote I loved so much: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” If you look at people that way, with a little compassion and tenderness, you come away with a better worldview. ![]() Slate : Like me! And I think this e-book is the perfect format. But so many people really, really wanted to hear from Julian. It was too long, in proportion, to include in the book. But it was pretty negative, and I felt like it would have hijacked Wonder. ![]() Raquel Jaramillo : I always had a backstory for Julian. Why did you decide to write in Julian’s voice now? Slate: Julian’s perspective isn’t included in Wonder, even though some chapters are narrated by characters other than Auggie. ![]() ![]() ![]() Coerr also shared the story of Sadako in Russia and Latin America when she accompanied her husband, a U.S. For example, the book has been used as a supplemental reader in junior high and senior high schools in English-speaking countries, and has been translated into a dozen languages. publisher and the book helped convey Sadako’s name and wish for peace around the world. Coerr’s “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” was issued by a U.S. When she returned to Hiroshima in 1963, she learned about the life of Sadako Sasaki, who died at the age of 12 from radiation-induced leukemia ten years after her exposure to the radiation emitted by the atomic bomb, and the Children’s Peace Monument in Peace Memorial Park, which was raised as a result of the effort of her classmates and others after her death. During that time, she visited Hiroshima for the first time. As a foreign correspondent for the Ottawa Journal, a daily newspaper published in Ottawa until 1980, she lived for a year in the house of a Japanese farmer on the outskirts of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture in 1949. Coerr was born in Saskatchewan, a Canadian province, in 1922. A memorial service for her will be held shortly in the United States. Her family shared this news with Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum on January 12. ![]() Japanese legend holds that if a person who is ill makes a 1000 paper cranes, the gods will grant. Eleanor Coerr, the author of “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” died on Novemin the U.S. Buy a used copy of Sadako book by Eleanor Coerr, Ed Young. ![]() |