Short Riff

God help me, I’m broken –
Again I wanted, but found,
My presence was bound
To things which I wished
Less remembered, oft-forgotten.

_____________________________________

You will not recall
What happened on such a day;
Rain gets in the way.

_____________________________________

No one understands
Walking these many long miles
When pain arises.

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The library is
Spurned, all books now there returned;
Hands for paper yearn.

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The number hidden
In our soul, how long we have –
So, love we must share,
Mete out kind encouragement,
And needful inspiration.

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I have a longer piece in my journal which goes beyond the first bit. Unlikely, it, the public shall see. I hide, to save the heart of being me.

If you have not read the Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine lately, you should check it out. Relentless by Dean Koontz which came out some years ago is also worth reading.

One day I will return to reviewing books I have read this year. This list grows long.

As a prompt: Use these words in your composition – concert, guitar, mug, closed window, ghost, fairing, shower, ultimately, lake, tetradactyl.

I am thankful, sometimes when it all falls apart, God puts it back together better.

Simple Reviews – Books

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August – by Claire North, has 417 pages. Harry keeps living and dying, and the end of the world is coming sooner. Finding the problem becomes a needful thing. Five Stars.

The Miniaturist – by Jessie Burton, is 419 pages. I initially checked this book out from the library when it was new. I finally got around to reading it on Kindle. The story follows a household headed by a shipping magnate. Many strange and interesting incidences occur. Five Stars.

Heaven and Hell – by Bart D. Ehrman, has 346 pages. Not what I was looking for, but the research is relatively solid. The statements at the end of the book tainted the thing for me. Still, it is well-written and information-packed, so I give it Five Stars.

The Witching Hour – by Anne Rice is a hefty tome at 1043 pages. I am a big fan of Vampire Chronicles, but I have avoided the Mayfair Witches for years. I finally read them. Anne’s style with detail and character development is top tier, and the story is enthralling. Five Stars, but yeah, it should have more.

Piranesi – by Susanna Clarke, is 243 pages. This book I read in June, and recently it has won significant accolades. I read this author years ago, and she always delights. The story is between magical realism and puzzling horror. Five stars or you could give it all the gold ones in the package.

Reviews are strictly my opinion. Your experience may vary. Reading is an art, like writing, that illuminates the soul—approach books with care. What is within can be like a tsunami to your notions and your life.

Old Tech, New

I have used a wireless keyboard and mouse for many years, probably since they first arrived in the technoverse. Last week my son, Alex, got a new keyboard having neon colors, tactile keys, and a cord.

I was suitably impressed with the keyboard, and the price seemed doable. I went to Amazon to find my own magical tech. I found both a keyboard and mouse for less than he had paid.

Today the equipment arrived. There was some concern over USB ports on my computer, but I made it work with minimal rearranging. I had so forgotten the speed of a wired mouse. Speedy, speedy. The keyboard will take some adjustment because I have used an ergonomic one for so long.

I am so glad I did this. The speed of the keyboard is an upgrade, as is the mouse. The fun thing is the sound of the keys. I did not realize how much I had missed it. The neon glow is a plus.

Sometimes we lose when we go with the new technology. Retro can be the way to go.

A VERY OLD BOOK

Riffing off an Amazon review title, I so propitiously encountered.

A VERY OLD BOOK

Reader beware, herein lie
Monsters of dastardly mien,
You may be captured, captivated,
Made prisoner for the space
Of these many pages.
I would not read it were I you,
I did not, in truth, finding its words
Many syllabic, poetic, strange
To my modern eyes and sensibility.
It seemed akin to Dickens, Emerson,
Perhaps Poe and Thoreau, whom
I thought all left in the distant past
When what I read was for lessons,
Not for pleasurable entertainment
Initiated on my fancy whim or choice.
No, dear reader, hear, hear,
This tome is best left shoved
To the back of the shelf, covered
In ages, layers of sooty dust,
Let it be, let it lie, you have no need
Of it, nor would ever I, it is a burden
To be left without perusal alone.
Do not open the covers, do not see,
What treasures I could not ascertain,
Join me in my startling refrain
This is a VERY OLD BOOK,
Herein lie dastardly monsters
Of highly developed vocabulary,
Read At Your Own Dire Risk.

Five Reads Reviewed

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson is 880 pages and engrossing. It is a space odyssey written by one of the most engaging writers of our time. Ever thought about what would happen if the moon ceased to exist in wholeness?

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair was a book I read 75%. My reason was graphic and gratuitous sex. I cannot go for that.

Mine by Robert R. McCammon is 516 pages. A book by a horror virtuoso that some may have missed. His work is in the same league as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice.

Writing the Life Poetic by Sage Cohen is 301 pages and has excellent exercises which will get one writing. She covers a lot of material in this short treatise.

Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann is 353 pages set in the time of kings, queens, knights, and jesters. Tyll is an interesting character with a bit of magic attached.

I read these books in June and give all of them five stars except A Touch of Darkness which did not suit me. If you like that sort of thing, it is a fine example.

I have read sixty-eight books this year, and I have to catch up with posting them.