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.”

  • NEVER STOP WALKING by Christina Rickardsson: A Review

    This autobiography/memoir, translated by Tara F. Chase, is subtitled “A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World.”  The title originates from advice Christina’s birth mother gave her, “Never stop walking.” In the dedication, the author states, “I dedicate this book to the three women in my life (both her biological and adopted mothers and her best friend) who made all the difference, and to all the street children in Brazil and around the world.” Rickardsson’s story begins on the streets of Brazil and continues the saga as she and her brother Patrick are adopted by a couple in Sweden.

    After the adoption, Christina suffers from culture shock and responds by closing herself off from all others in as a protective strategy. At school she fights, bullies and generally acts out. She says, “The pages you turn here are my scream…my struggle to survive.” Like most adoptees, she wonders, “Who are my biological parents and why did they give me up”? When she begins as an adult to search for her birth mother, she concludes “There is a big difference between choosing not to take care of your children and living in a society that doesn’t give its citizens the resources so you can take care of them. ” As she worked through her feelings toward her birth mother on the trip back to her native Brazil, she discovered her mother had bouts of schizophrenia which caused her to leave her children unattended on the streets of Brazil.

    The author faced much emotional trauma in her life. As a street child, her best, and only friend, is gunned down by the police in front of her in an alleyway. When her adopted mother died of cancer, she decided to search for her birth mother whom she found living with the mother’s sister, Christina’s aunt. Although there are still questions about her family and her identity in the writer’s mind, many issues have been resolved, or at least brought out into the open. The style is raw at times, always honest, and straightforward as Rickardsson finds her voice. The author’s search continues today as she explores her background, her current feelings, and her future.

  • HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick: A Review by Savanna Sanchez

    Rae Longest's avatarLiteracy and Me

    Literacy projects which count 15% of the course grade in my Advanced Writing class this semester is due next week.  We have a slide show and a video by two students who are presenting their personal Literacy Narrative. Others will be turning in signed contracts by themselves and other persons involved for establishing and maintaining Little Free Libraries and Take One/Leave One shelves at their places of work, apartments, neighborhoods and schools. A few will be turning in reports/descriptions of their projects which involve reading aloud to students on a scheduled basis at pre-schools and kindergartens. One girl is teaching her Vietnamese parents how to speak, read, and write English, which they have not attempted yet in spite of their being in the US for several years now. Their creativity amazes me, and their enthusiasm for this project (and my personal passion) has been overwhelming. I took on a few…

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  • SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS

    Today’s book is an older book, published in 1996, by the renowned children’s writer, Patricia Polacco. Aunt Chip and the Triple Creek Dam Affair, deals with modern issues like time management, public apathy, and conformity.  As the story opens, nothing is happening in Triple Creek because its population does nothing but watch TV. This town is so addicted to TV that often a picture of a family’s TV set appears on the fireplace mantel along with pictures of family members. Young Eli’s Aunt Charlotte is the only objector to this takeover; she is so upset that she “takes to her bed” and refuses to get out of it. Eli visits her often and one day asks her where the stories she tells him during his visits came from. Her reply, “books,” reveals the fact that Eli and the other townspeople have lost the art of reading and are only using books to prop up wobbly table legs, use as a doorstop, sit upon, and other reasons. NO ONE can read a book, for they are too busy watching TV. Even the public library has been closed for years. After Aunt Charlotte teaches Eli to read and use books for their proper function: relay stories, take readers to far-off lands or other times, entertain, distribute information, teach skills and more; Eli reads to the other children, who are enchanted and begin reading themselves.  Aunt Charlotte lends her books to them, and when those run out, the children attack a huge pile of stacked up books outside the library. “If’n we were meant to read, there surely would have been a sign,” the town soothsayer says, At that moment, all the TV’s went dead because the dam that had provided electricity blew apart, sending books high in the air and falling to earth again. It looked like it was raining books! The townspeople were amazed and agreed it was “surely a sign.” Children taught parents to read, and pretty soon the whole town was reading.  Nobody even noticed when the TV’s came back on–they were too busy reading!

    Polacco’s book is categorized as a “contemporary fantasy,” and is the perfect read for “anyone who believes in the power of books.”

  • WWW WEDNESDAY

    This fun meme, hosted by MizB at the blog A Daily Rhythm is one several of my blogging friends participate in. Since I haven’t posted a Sunday (Evening) Post on PWR in some time, I thought i’d use this shortcut to update friends on my reading lately.

    WHAT are you currently reading? Raising Lazarus by blogger and author Aiden Reid, whom I’ve been following for some time. His novel introduces us to a troubled young man named Lazarus; yes, that Lazarus.  It is a fascinating read from a very creative mind./ In the Shadow of Statues by Mitch Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans. This non-fiction selection is the November choice by my Third Tuesday Book Club at the Alvin Library. /Max Lucado’s (my favorite inspirational writer) Jesus,which is a compilation of many of his books I have read before, but they are arranged thematically and brings back to thought some of the best of his helpful, lovely writing.

    WHAT did you recently finish? Compulsion, a YA romance/mystery/semi-paranormal novel that was a good, fast read, the first in a series that will appeal to many readers on many levels. I do not intend, however, to read the other two books in the series. I also finished an audio book, For One More Day by Mitch Albom, which was a heart-wrenching    novel that had me sobbing as I was getting ready for school. (Try putting on makeup while the tears are streaming down!)

    WHAT do you think you’ll read next?  I really want to get back to the alphabet challenge I abandoned last summer, promising to pick it up again in the fall. I hope to read soon Nightbird (for “N” where I left off) by Alice Hoffman. From the cover I would guess it’s aimed at a YA audience, and I can already tell it has Hoffman’s signature touch of the supernatural. I also promised Jay of “This is My Truth Now” that although I could not participate in his Cozy Mystery Marathon, I would read a cozy mystery sometime in October. I missed the deadline, but I will start Assaulted Caramel, the first book in Amanda Flower’s new series, “An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series” this weekend.

    I just have not had that much reading time this month or even in October, for that matter. But, as the holidays approach, I am going to make a concentrated effort to slow down and spend some time reading. I am hoping to get in my own little marathon to clear out a few books on my TBR shelves before the first of the year. Wish me luck with that!

  • SATURDAY MORNING FOR KIDS (On Sunday)

    Late again! This is beginning to be the default story of my life. Today, I want to review two kid’s books, just in time for Thanksgiving.

    Today is Thanksgiving, written by P.K. Hallinan, deals with Thanksgiving Day from the morning preparations through the last guest departing under the harvest moon. All, however, is told from the kids’ point of view and features the Rainbow Kids (Hallinan’s creation). Just as engaging as the Peanuts crew, the Rainbow kids tell their story in rhyme. Parents and kids alike will enjoy this read-aloud which shows the kids playing football on the front lawn, gratefully gathering around the Thanksgiving table, and all the American traditions observed on Thanksgiving Day.

    Over the River: A Turkey’s Tale  by Derek Anderson is loosely based on the song “Over the River and Through the Woods…” by Lydia Maria Child, and is delightfully cartooned, telling the story of a family of turkeys setting out to see Grandma. On the way they encounter a hunter and his ferocious dog, who are anticipating a big, fat turkey for their Thanksgiving table. The hilarious way the turkeys outsmart the dog, who is hot on their trail, leads to a satisfactory and laughable ending for all. The drawings are priceless, and the story is told through the cartoons.

    Either or both of these are the perfect reads for parents and kids or grandparents and grandkids on Thanksgiving Day.

  • TUESDAY TEASER for October 30, 2018

    This little “game” was started by “The Purple Booker,” and several of my blogging friends participate. Open a book you are currently reading where you left off, or at random, and copy a few lines that might tease other readers, making them want to read it themselves. Be sure to give title and author. No spoilers please.

    Mine for today is from Raising Lazarus by Aiden Reid:  “Piergianni’s was a family owned restaurant on Mayor Street, the jewel of the crown when it came to fine dining options in the area. Owner Carl Piergianni was also head chef, a duty he excelled at, and if truth be told, a role he preferred given his lack of tact and soft skills of communication. Customer facing roles were delegated to the maitre d’hotel, and then in turn to a server–a slick line of cogs that moved in tandem to sweeten a client’s experience.” This description is the setting for the main character, only known as Lazarus and his party to dine two Saturdays before Christmas. Who is this very mysterious man? Is he the Lazarus, over two thousand years old?

    I am on chapter sixteen, and the book is getting GOOD. One thing that is blowing me away is Aiden’s wonderful writing skills, especially when he uses descriptions to draw out the suspense, as he does here.

     

     

  • ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell: Review, guest post by Savanna Sanchez, Advanced Writing Student

    As an avid reader of love stories, I knew I must read Eleanor and Park once a friend gave me the suggestion. The story alternates between the two characters as they figure out the complicated matters of their first love. Eleanor is the new girl in town and struggles with a bad home life. Park, a half-Korean comic book lover, is just figuring out his life and himself. Eleanor, her mother, her abusive step-father, and her four younger siblings live in poverty. The stepfather terrorizes the entire family. Eleanor’s mom wants to pretend everything is fine, even though Richie is violent and abusive. Park’s home life is much more welcoming than Eleanor’s; the parents have a loving relationship, and they have a comfortable lifestyle. Still, Park faces tensions at home since his dad wants him to be more masculine, and Park always feels he’s letting his dad down. When Eleanor sits down on the bus next to Park, they are both resentful of the situation. Soon, however, this changes radically. Eleanor and Park slowly begin to form a connection over the course of their bus rides. They first build their relationship silently by listening to music and reading comic books together. Eventually, their relationship grows; they start talking, and their bus rides become the best part of their day. As the story progresses, these two are smart enough to know that first love never lasts, but are brave and desperate enough to try.

    Note from Rae: Please leave a comment in the response box and let Savanna know if you have read or are tempted to read the book by her review.

  • Monday Message: Spread Light

    Monday Message: Spread Light

  • THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR: A REVIEW by guest author Savanna Sanchez, student in my Advanced Writing class

    As a huge fan of the TV show, Law and Order:SVU, The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena is a novel that held my attention from the very beginning. The Couple Next Door is a riveting tale about a seemingly ordinary couple. While at a party next door, Anne and Marco Conti’s baby, Cora is kidnapped. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents.  But the truth is a much more complicated story. The detective assigned to case, Detective Rasbach, believes the couple is hiding something. As he works to discover the truth of Cora’s disappearance, Anne and Marco discover they are both keeping secrets from each other. Are the Conti’s actually responsible for Cora’s disappearance? What unravels in this novel  is a story full of secrets, deception, and lies.

    Shari Laperna writes from the point of view of all the characters, revealing details to the reader that the other characters do not know yet. This keeps the reader constantly on edge, waiting for the other characters to discover the secrets you just read. Unfortunately, this also makes the book a bit slow-moving.  Scenes often occur twice, from the viewpoint of two different characters. However, the conclusion of the novel was not at all what I expected, and a chill still runs down my spine when I think about it. Does Detective Rasbach find Cora? Are the parents responsible? What are Anne and Marco hiding? Next time you are at the bookstore, be sure to pick up The Couple Next Door. You will not be disappointed.

    Note from Rae: Please use the “leave a response box” to comment on Savanna’s review and encourage her to possibly begin a book review blog of her own. Thanks.

  • SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS: Two Chapter Books

    Today’s post is a recommendation for two books I recently read, which were given to me for my LFL (Little Free Library). Both books are about kids in America’s earlier years.

    Patricia McLachlan, author of the wonderful Sarah, Plain and Tall, has written (in 1993) a heart-wrenching, heart-warming story, titled, simply, Baby. It tells the story of twelve year old Larkin, who finds a year-old baby in a basket in his front yard. She has a note attached to her clothing saying the baby’s name is Sophie, and her mother will return for her when she can. Sophie quickly loves her way into the heart of the family. Of course, the inevitable day arrives, and what happens to Sophie and the family’s reaction constitutes the rest of the awesomely written novel.

    Just Juice is Karen Hesse’s successful attempt to describe what it was like to be a child during The Great Depression. The book’s heroine is very empathetic to others, especially her father, both of whom can’t read and hate schooling of any kind for that reason. Nine year old “Juice” is hounded by her school’s truant officer, and eventually not being able to read causes trouble for Juice and the entire family. It is an interesting page turner that will cause the reader to wonder and worry about the outcome enough to finish it in one sitting.