All Hallows Poem: Witch Ghost

Witch Ghost

Tonight I come out from under my cold,
mossy gravestone to haunt you.

I am a real Halloween ghost
disguised as a pointed-hatted,
black-catted witch
with snarling mark,
painted dead black,
blood red and rotten green,
so when your doorbell rings
on this creepy night of Halloween,
I dare you, ope the door,
look me in the eye and let me in.

-John Lyons
courtesy Poetry Archive

Summer Reading, Had Me a Blast!

The summer whipped by so quickly, I was positive I hadn't read a single book. How in the world can anyone get into the pages or bits in the blink of an eye?

Well, I did manage to get one or 30 under my belt. Here is the definitive list of books I read between the weekends of Memorial Day weekend and the autumnal equinox.  

The list is heavily populated with thick, heavy books of fiction and non-, but it also is peppered with a couple of re-reads and shorter reads (juvenile fiction and short stories).  The way I figure, it all evens out.

1. The Borrower
2. The Dalai Lama's Cat
   
3. Prisoner of the Devil
4. Everything I Never Told You
5. Kindred
6. The Four Agreements
7. A Dirty Job
8. 52 small changes: one year to a happier, healthier you
9. Interred With Their Bones
10. The Cats in Krasinski Square
11. Daily Rituals
12. Earth (DK)
13. Stepmonster
14. the life-changing magic of tidying up
    
15. The Husband’s Secret
16. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
17. Puff the Magic Dragon
18. Story of the Nile
19. Arcadia
20. The Light Between Oceans
21. The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter
22. Orphan Train
23. She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey Through Poems
24. The Martian
25. Start Late, Finish Rich
26. Picturing Grace
    
27. The Death of Me
28. Divergent
29. As You Wish
30. The Three Monarchs
31. Moriarty
32. Station Eleven
33. Good Omens
34. What If

  
Favorites — My favorite reads of this list include Station Eleven (read on a Kindle, ironically), the life-changing magic of tidying up and The Martian.  I liked Divergent, but if the writer told me again how short the protagonist was, I was going to go find her and discuss the issue with great vigor. 

I discovered Octavia Butler through Kindred, and if you haven't read any of her books, this is a wonderful introduction. Kindred hearkens to The Handmaid's Tale with a common narrator (as opposed to an omnipotent one), which is a great option for any book, but particularly science fiction. I already have another of her books on reserve at the library.

Least — Among my least favorites are The Husband's Secret (too light and fluffy for its subject matter) and The Four Agreements (glossing across the top of the subject with no substance).

As always, my summer reading will benefit my community: I will donate $5 per book read to Main Street Child Development Center and I will buy three new books for the Fairfax County Public Library from its Amazon Wish List. (Update: I donated H is for Hawk, The Witches and The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up.)

So, my fellow readers, how did you do this summer? I've heard from Karen, but I am sure there are a few more of you out there who'd like to compete for a free book of your choice! 

Wait, what?

You — yes, YOU — can win a book if you read the most books this summer.

Please send your reading list by October 30 so we can compare lists and you can get your new book all that much sooner. (Of course you will win. You read a lot, didn't you?)  Remember, the time frame is May 22 (the Friday before Memorial Day) through September 27 (the Sunday following the autumnal equinox). E-mail your lists to me, or post it in the comments below. Good luck, and I can't wait to see what you read!

(Also, start you brain power on what you'd like to designate for the 2016 Polar Book Club. It will be here before you know it!)