Zodarax
  • Books
  • Poetry
  • Books
  • Poetry
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Books on the Shelf

8/30/2017 0 Comments

Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck

Picture
How I Found: There are few classics I have read as many times as The Great Gatsby. I have an affinity for the 1920s and all the possibilities it opened for our lives and culture. It was a time of change and progress despite much backwards thinking followed by a striking regression--perhaps too hauntingly similar to the present. This book delves into the life of the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald revealing just how dark and twisted the glittering times really were.
Why You Might Read:  The author reveals that Fitzgerald used parts of Zelda's diaries to write his books. Although this book is historical fiction, the parallels are striking between what we've read a thousand times and what the author adds to reality with her imagination. I have yet to see the Prime show Z, but I have a sneaking suspicion if you were intrigued by that show, you'd be intrigued by this book.
Picture
0 Comments

8/23/2017 0 Comments

Out of Wonder by Kwame Alexander

Picture
How I Found:  There are a few people I personally know who love poetry and poets as much as I do.  One of these treasured humans came to me with that gleam in her eye, "look what I found!" Out of Wonder is a vividly illustrated (children's) book with poems about poets.  Giving a glimpse into the lives and writing styles of 20 poets ranging from Robert Frost who "walked on ice through starless winter nights" to Okat p'Bitek that teaches we can "learn to love ourselves full like the pregnant moon."
Why You Might Read:  This is the perfect (re)introduction to a myriad of poets for both young and old.  If you like the poem about the poet, I'd even venture to say you'll like their poetry.  If you don't know where to begin, this is the place.  Authors Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth and illustrator Ekua Holmes have created a tabletop classic to get lost in.  
0 Comments

8/16/2017 0 Comments

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Picture
Picture
Picture
How I Found:  A girl very much like the protagonist with golden locks and a gift for illuminating ideas first introduced me to Ani and Selia.  When I saw another book by Shannon Hale listed among 15 Books as Enchanting as the Harry Potter series in my never-ending Pinterest search for a series as fulfilling for readers of any age, I felt compelled to give the author a try for a summer read.  Turns out it was the perfect fit:  A breezy read because the plot pulls you in and pushes you through all of Ani's trials, and when she says, "But right now I'd like all my troubles to stand in front of me in a straight line, and one by one I'd give each a black eye,"  I wanted to sucker punch the first as I was entranced by characters and the settings of Kildenree and Bayern.  
Why You Might Read:  It reads like a fairy tale as Ani matures over the course of the novel.  The story is not convoluted or complex, a simple read that left me wanting more from this series which I have already recommended to anyone who likes a bit of magic.  Is it series I have been searching for?  To be determined, but I didn't know what Harry Potter would become after the Sorcerer's Stone either.  

0 Comments

8/9/2017 0 Comments

MaddAddam Series by Margaret Atwood

How I Found:  Margaret Atwood is my poet girlfriend. Her words ring true for my poetic soul. I had read The Handmaid's Tale when I was in college and was awed, but her poetry has stuck with me. Curious as to what other novels she had been up to recently, I went searching the shelves and came across Oryx and Crake. This speculative fiction is particularly on point, every issue presented seems all too scarily possible in a future (hopefully) to never exist. Of course, after reading the first, I had to know who Oryx and Crake really were and what happened next, so I continued with The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam.

Why You Might Read: The three books actually take place simultaneously which held my attention in a way unique to most trilogies.  Seemingly independent characters become intertwined in a story that haunts you as you notice more and more of Atwood's speculation in the daily news. Finally, in her acknowledgments Atwood reveals: "Although MaddAddam is a work of fiction, it does not include any technologies or biobeings that do not already exist, are not under construction, or are not possible in theory." Woah.
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

8/2/2017 0 Comments

Tinkers by Paul Harding

How I Found:  You know that guy who has a sister who is an English major that in turn is a voracious reader?  This guy let me borrow Tinker. If you lend me a book, that means it sits on my shelf, in the giant pile of books others have recommended.  There's not really any reason to how I select what I'll read next but after about a year, I picked up this book in particular.  Tinkers is a debut novel Pulitzer Prize winner, so I already knew I was getting a book of literary merit.  As such, I was prepared to think deeply and critically as I read, but I was not prepared for the depths into which It would reach into my soul.  I love a novel with multiple characters whose stories intertwine--this is that, but in such a poetic way it felt like reading an epic.  
Why You Might Read:  If you're looking for a rich read, that makes you ponder more than life itself, Tinkers will pull you in.  The symbolism of the the clocks hold it all together while reminding that from generation-to- generation we are intertwined like the mechanisms that make the minutes and hours turn to days and years.  
Picture
0 Comments

    S.M.(M).L

    I am a reader who was brought to the world of books by being read to as a child, a wonderful librarian, scores of dedicated teachers, and the friends who still talk to me about books.  This page is dedicated to all readers as a way to help you find books for you and yours as they were found by me. Let their pages turn your life into a world of magic, reality, and possibility.  

    Archives

    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Contact 

Proudly powered by Weebly
We are a participant in the Amazon LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This does not affect the views expressed in any reviews or posts.