RAE’S READS

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This year (2025) finds me with 53 years of teaching “under my belt.” I have taught all levels from pre-K “(library lady” or “book lady”–volunteer) to juniors, seniors, and graduate students enrolled in my Advanced Writing class at the university where I have just completed 34 years. My first paying teaching job was junior high, and I spent 13 years with ages 12-13, the “difficult years.” I had some of the “funnest” experiences with this age group. When I was no longer the “young, fun teacher,” I taught in an elementary school setting before sixth graders went on to junior high, teaching language arts blocs, an assignment that was a “dream-fit” for me. After completing graduate school in my 40s, I went on to community college, then university teaching. This past fall I accepted a part-time teaching job at Apogee Gulf Coast Schools in its first year at the Alvin campus. After my Better Half died n 2022, I achieved a lifelong dream: opening a bookstore of my own, Rae’s Reads. A year later, I sold the house we had lived in for 47 years and moved into the bookstore. My goal is to circulate and repurpose books. Just as teaching is “in my blood,” so is a passion for reading, writing, libraries, and everything bookish. This blog will be open to anyone who loves books, promotes literacy and wants to “come out and play.”

  • WHAT IS A REGENCY ROMANCE?

    As I was shelving books at Rae’s Reads (my bookstore) the other day, putting out romances, I came across a book described as a “Regency Romance.” It is something I have purposely avoided reading until now, historical fiction with romance at its core. The plots are “standard” in these romances, no surprises, with clipped “veddy British” dialogue, and almost no character development occurring in the novel. (definition my own)

    I did a bit of googling and came up with the name Georgette Heyer as the “queen of Regency Romance.” Fortunately, I had one of her books on the shelf, so I took it home to read it to see what all the hoo-ha was about.

    Frederica, a 2018 publication, is, according to Nora Roberts in a blurb on the front, “A lovely and affectionate study of a family.” It tells the story of Frederica and the Marquis of Alverstoke, a thirty-seven-year-old very eligible bachelor, and how they found true love in each other.

    Frederica’s little brother, Felix, who has become the object of the Marquis’ attention, falls ill at the Marquis’ house, and of course, his spinster sister, Frederica, is called to come and live in the house and nurse Felix back to health. Frederica is described by another character as ” strong and independent but she never thinks about herself.” During this time, there are many encounters and miscommunication between Frederica and the Marquis. These progress and then hinder a budding attraction and romance as the plot progresses.

    The novel has been described by critics as “witty,” “lighthearted,” and “a treat.” I found this to be true to a degree but must confess I did a bit of skipping and skimming throughout my reading of this large book. Now that I can say I have read and enjoyed a Regency Romance, I do not wish to repeat this experience any time soon.

  • THE PARIS APARTMENT by Lucy Foley: A Review

    This 2022 published novel was a real thriller. It was set in a Paris apartment building which was as much a character as the many residents who inhabited it. “Every resident has something to hide” says the back cover blurb: Jess, sister of the missing Ben shows up at his apartment building only to find that he has disappeared, and no one knows anything about it.

    “The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has.” Her startling clues found and the evasiveness of those who knew him sends Jess on a journey where good guys are revealed as bad, and clues and help come from the most suspicious characters. Because there are multiple characters, there are multiple suspects, which leads to many twists and turns in the plot, some of them very surprising.

    “Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.”

    I enjoyed this mystery and was surprised, yet satisfied at the ending. I recommend it for enjoyable, entertaining reading.

  • Uncover the Awesome You! | Utkarsh Shukla | Book Review

    Uncover the Awesome You! | Utkarsh Shukla | Book Review

    Khyati Gautam's avatarBookish Fame

    • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BEEJA HOUSE (13 January 2023)
    • Language ‏ : ‎ English
    • Perfect Paperback ‏ : ‎ 171 pages

    Book Review

    Uncover the Awesome You! by Utkarsh Shukla is a self-help book that aims to inspire its reader to discover their best selves. Through a bunch of anecdotes and introspective questions, this book propels the readers to think through their experiences and grow beyond their self-imposed limits.

    Divided into 10 chapters, the book follows through the author’s life events as he talks about a variety of experiences. Be it years of his childhood, at school, and more, each experience teaches a lesson to him which is refined in the chapters of this book. The primary intention of the book is to move in the direction that makes you your most awesome self.

    The lessons on self-awareness, self-expression, uncovering one’s natural passion and more, sound simple but are extremely important in…

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  • SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS, LATE SATURDAY NIGHT

    TODAY’S RECOMMENDATION, “I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down.

    AGE APPEAL: fifth graders and up

    ACTION: “Roy drew a deep breath and dashed after them. He heard a honk, but he kept on going, hoping that the police officer wouldn’t jump out and chase him on foot…”

    MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE: “If you can get a picture…all we need is one lousy picture of one little owl…”

    HUMOR: “Mr. Muckle, looking drained and defeated, and suddenly very old…’This is over! Done!…The councilmen …and the man from the Chamber of Commerce stealthily retreated to their limousine…” It was a rout and a riot! What a hilarious scene.

    THE BOOK:

    WHO COULD RESIST THOSE PRECIOUS EYES LOOKING UP FROM A HOLE IN THE GROUND? “Mother Paula’s All American House of Pancakes,” That’s who!

    Read this for the strong environmental message and the pure entertainment it offers!

  • Salvation Army

    Salvation Army

    Annette Rochelle Aben's avatarAnnette Rochelle Aben

    She

    Went with

    Her brother

    To the food bank

    They were so hungry

    In between food stamp days

    Her stamps were cut by two thirds

    Because she dared to take a job

    That pays her but ten dollars an hour

    They can only use her twelve hours a week

    She is also her brother’s caregiver

    For which she makes one hundred dollars

    So, they stand at a desk waiting

    To see if they qualify

    For a bag of free food

    Anything will do

    Meat, butter, cheese

    Veggies, fruit

    Grateful

    Tears

    ©2023 Annette Rochelle Aben

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  • IT’S LATE

    Although I awoke at 4 a.m. to watch the coronation, I am up late reading a good book, Circe by Madeline Miller. I have always loved myths and stories about Greek and Roman deities, having read Edith Hamilton’s classic, Mythology, in seventh grade.

    I have neglected my reading for several weeks, finishing the semester at my university and preparing for an author event at Rae’s Reads, my bookshop taking place tomorrow.

    After standing, making cookies and finger sandwiches all evening after a 5 hour stint at the.bookshop, I am ready to read and relax.

    I think since the topic of this book is classic, I will bend the “rules” a bit and count it towards my goal of reading six classics during 2023. It could also count toward my goal of reading books from my TBR shelves for the “Back from the Backlog” Challenge.

  • Castellan the Black and his Wise Draconic Musings #BrainfluffCastellanthe Black #WiseDragonicMusings #PickyEaters

    sjhigbee's avatarBrainfluff

    Even if he flaps around the skies like a drunken harpy, no lord worth the name will ever admit to being a bad flier. So be prepared to follow up a slur on a lord’s flying ability with a fight. Probably to the death.

    Castellan the Black, mighty dragon warrior, or Casta the Grey as he used to be known as, features in my short story Picky Eaters, written to provide a humorous escape from all the stuff that isn’t happening on Wyvern Peak… All proceeds for the duration of its publishing life are donated to mental health charities.

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  • HOW I CELEBRATED NATIONAL AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH/April 2023

    Looking back at April, one of the best things I did was celebrate National Awareness Month. I had promised myself I would read a book about autism, preferably a non-fiction one, maybe a memoir, and I found just the book in Ron Suskind’s Life Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism.

    This 2014 publication by Suskind, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is the story of a family, a family turned topsy-turvy by autism. With Owen, Suskind’s son, autism struck at the age of three. Ron and Cornelia, Owen’s parents went from having a typical, “normal” three year old to being the parents of a child who did not speak, often exhibited strange physical acts, and just seemed not to “be there.” Owen’s older brother, Walt, contributed to this book (as did Owen, himself), giving the reader a handle on how autism affects the entire family. Strangely enough, Owen’s parents were able to take his obsession with Disney animated movies, and turn it into a tool used to communicate with their “lost son.” Spoiler Alert: Owen goes on to meet several Disney animators, falls in love, and starts a special Disney Club that acts as a support group for special needs students in college, demonstrating “the true meaning of the words, ‘happily ever after’ .”

    Another thing I did was to donate to Autism Speaks after researching the organization that provides research and even assistance to the autism community, something that made me feel good.

    At school, I had my classes follow my lesson plan for an “Autism Awareness Day, where my freshmen discussed their original thoughts/opinions/feelings about autism. In the nine o’clock class students discussed in small groups siblings/friends/people they knew who had been diagnosed with autism. In my ten o’clock, we had an autistic young woman, who had shared this diagnosis when she did her Literacy Narrative with the whole class, and her group was blessed with having access to personal experience. All in all it was a good experience for both classes.

    I hope to do more next year for Autism Awareness month, but I am warmed with what I learned and shared about autism with others.

    Autism awareness card or background. vector illustration.

    KEEP READING ABOUT IMPORTANT THINGS–LIKE AUTISM.

  • REVIEW OF NATIONAL POETRY MONTH: April 2023/ Part One

    This year I celebrated National Poetry Month in all aspects of my life, not just in my teaching. It was a rewarding immersion into poetry and a growth experience for me in so many ways.

    In my personal reading, I found myself reading old favorites and exploring new poets. I did a “study” of Emily Dickinson’s poem,

    “He ate and drank the precious Words–

    His spirit grew robust–He knew no more that he was poor,

    Nor that his frame was dust–

    He danced along the dingy Days

    And this Bequest of Wings

    Was but a book–What Liberty

    A loosened spirit brings.”

    As a bookstore owner and a passionate bibliophile, this previously unknown poem brought great pleasure and pensive thought to me as I went on the internet to discover about this poem the critics answers to often asked, minute-detailed questions and interpretations of such obscure lines as, “I taste a liquor never brewed.” from another Dickinson poem, related to the first line of this poem. I spent two hour-long sessions re-reading my much-worn, very marked-up copy of Emily Dickinson’s Poems, selected and introduced by Thomas H. Johnson, which includes much information about “The Belle of Amherst.”

    I had planned to re-read my favorite poetry collection, home body by rupi kaur, but time ran out. I did use money earned through professional growth courses to buy three copies for prizes in the Poetry Contest held this month in my Freshman Composition classes (more on this later).

    I acquired a new collection of poetry The Hurting Kind by Ada Simon, Poet Laureate of the U.S. which I will read soon, and took down from my TBR shelf and enjoyed, This Poem is a Nest by Irene Latham and art by Johanna Wright.

    Overall, I invested my personal time and energies into poetry to the best degree I have since I first started observing National Poetry Month in April.

    RAE 5/1/23

  • Choosing the “Newbie” category and not being good at following audiobooks, I took on the 2023 Audiobook Challenge around halfway through 2023 to read seven audiobooks before December 31st, 2023. This is the second book I have listened to.

    Zoe Klein has written a debut novel that keeps the listeners attention, provides excitement in adventuresome scenes, and is lyrical in its word choices and phrasing. The novel introduces us to the main character, Page Brookstone, an archeologist/anthropologist , who meets a couple, Ibrahim and Naima Baraket, who beg her to excavate their living room to discover the source of ghosts/spirits who “haunt” their home. Risking damage to her professional reputation, Page visits the couple and has an “experience” she cannot name that causes her to take on the project amid taunts of being a ghost hunter and kook.

    Although Page has doubts, soon an ancient cistern is dug out, the excavation expanded, and finally the discovery of a lifetime–two lovers buried in one casket arranged in an eternal embrace. Also in the coffin are scrolls attributed to the woman, titled “The Scrolls of Anatiya” full of exquisite poetry. The author begins each chapter with these imaginary chapter and verse quotations from Anatiya which bring delight to the reader. Even more exciting, the scrolls identify the male in the coffin as Jeremiah, the Hebrew prophet, the “Weeping Prophet.”

    During the excavation, Page becomes involved in a forbidden romance, then is pursued by religious zealots who do not want the casket exhumed, professional cohorts who want to steal Page’s glory, and “relentless critics” who question the authenticity of the scrolls. All this turmoil puts Page’s “dig” and reputation in question, and she and her best friend go “on the run” with the scrolls to translate them and hide them from authorities who demand them. Danger and flying bullets and explosives follow them, leading to an exciting conclusion and a satisfying epilogue.

    This novel has been compared to The Red Tent and The People of the Book because of its Hebrew origins. I have read both of those, and Drawing in the Dust far surpasses both of those novels. I highly recommend it to listen to/read for a literary experience.