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.”

  • MANHATTEN BEACH: A REVIEW

    Jennifer Egan is definitely an author I want to read again. Her 1917 novel, set in WWII, has many appeals: excellent characterization, accurate and fascinating peeks into the era, family mystery and dynamics, a coming-of-age-story, and many more “touches” that make it a “darned good read.” I literally stayed up late reading it.

    Anna Kerrigan, the protagonist is twelve at the beginning; she is with her father, whom she idolizes, when she first meets Dexter Styles, the mystery man with gangster ties. Lydia, her crippled sister, is the center of her mother’s love and attention. Anna eventually becomes one of the first female divers at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, and she repairs ships, making them battle-ready in wartime. The “under-stories,” the father’s story and the mother’s story, and Styles’ story are equally as interesting as Anna’s.

    The writing in this novel is outstanding. At times, Egan makes us shiver with apprehension; at times we smile or chuckle at a funny passage; always, we keep reading, wanting to discover the next thought or plot twist. We care about the characters and what happens to them–and plenty does. It is a wonderful story that would make a great movie, and I recommend you “read the book first.”

  • HIDDEN HEROES: EVIDENCE THAT GOD IS AT WORK: A Review

    This is an old (1995) title that came into my hands from a friend who was donating it to my Little Free Library; however, it is full of “new” ideas and very inspiring. Don Moore and Lorna Dueck have collected short examples that prove, in Billy Graham’s words from his forward, “…God is still at work using ordinary people to do extraordinary things” and “…amid the apparent chaos and conflicts of our world, God is still at work through the lives of…men and women committed to Christ and seeking to serve Him.”

    The examples chosen are mostly from Canada, but could be applied anywhere in anyone’s lives. There are a great deal of inspiring examples that might help the reader choose his own ministry/service as she/he sees needs arise in his/her location and life-situation. Heroes from sports figures to educators, to housewives and moms, to professional, trained leaders are given with each turn of the page. The stories often occur after the “hero” has taken a beating–losing a job or having to downsize, and turns it into an opportunity to serve in a way that is helpful to the Lord’s work and totally fulfilling.

    This is an inspiring book for someone who wants to “do something.” Sometimes it is something that makes a difference in one life; sometimes it is something that “takes off” and makes a big difference in a big way. Regardless, the book is full of examples of people who took action, not just paid lip-service.

  • 9 Things Non-Book Lovers Just Don’t Understand…

    9 Things Non-Book Lovers Just Don’t Understand…

    Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

    by Natasha Orme

    We’ve all been there. When a non-book lover makes a comment or just gives you a strange look.

    In fact, I have a great story to share with you. I get the train to work – not for lack of a drivers’ license, it’s just easier all round. Winchester is a nightmare for parking and the station is ten minutes from my house. So I get the train.

    When you do commute by train, you begin to recognise certain people who travel at the same time as you. Most of these people you’ll never speak to – us Brits don’t like nagging in conversation with strangers, it’s why we don’t make many friends…

    Except there was this one guy who would start chatting to me. He was nice enough, it was harmless. The awkward joke of ‘I always see you on the train’ etc. and the occasionally…

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  • SUNDAY (EVENING) POST

    How quickly Sunday came around again! It has been a full and busy week. I did manage to work in some reading, however.

    What I finished this week:

    Hillbilly Elegy by Vance, my Third Tuesday Book Club selection/ The Beekeeper’s Daughter  I need some help with this one.  When I recommended this title Monday to a friend, she said she found three novels with this title. The one I read was by Montefiore, but it was in large print from our local library, so there was no information about the author and what other things she had written. Someone recommended this book to me by just the title, and I know nothing about two other authors who have used the same title.If someone has read a novel titled The Beekeeper’s Daughter, please leave a note in the comments section and either give me the author or a little about what the book entailed.

    What I began and continued reading this week:

    Playing With Fire , a novel by Tess Gerritson, author of the Rissoli and Isles TV series, which I can hardly put down/Boy, Snake, Bird by Helen Oyayemi, a strange but fascinating book

    What I am still continuing to read:

    Reading the Bible from the Margins, my non-fiction selection/Finish Strong, also non-fiction.  In both books, I’m approaching the end and hope to complete them this week.

    What I can hardly wait to begin, but will probably not start this week:

    Emerald City, a book of short stories by the author of Manhattan Beach, Jennifer Egan

    My reading time will be limited this week, not only because of Wednesday’s class (Send me in, coach, I’m ready!), but because I have a lunch engagement Tuesday and a book club meeting that evening. I plan to do nothing Monday, MLK Day, but read, read, read!

     

     

  • Two Books Read During the Holidays: Reviews

    A grammar handbook and a magnificent children’s book written by a global hero couldn’t be more different, but those two books were two I read over the holidays.

    Thomas Parrish’s The Grumpy Grammarian was laugh-out-loud funny. It’s subtitle is “A How-Not-To-Guide to the 47Most Common Mistakes in English Made by Journalists, Broadcasters, and Others Who Should Know Better.” The author, Parrish pretends to have an older friend who has saved clippings full of errors from writers who “should know better.” Some of these come from prestigious newspapers and magazines (The New Yorker, Newsweek, USA Today, Washington Post to name a few) Some of the errors that make the grammarian friend grumps are “picky”; some are outdated, but others are just W-R-O-N-G.  The malapropisms and dangling modifiers often make the reader chuckle . It is not a book for all, but it was a delight to this grumpy grammarian. I gave it to two grammarian friends, father and son, who are anything BUT grumpy and decided to let them enjoy it as I did.

    A children’s book by Malala Yousafzai,the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, which is  beautifully illustrated by the husband and wife team who go by the pseudonym KERASCOET was another fascinating reading “experience” I had this holiday season. It begins:
    “When Malala was a child in Pakistan, she wished for a magic pencil.  She would use it to…

    ‘…draw a lock on her door to keep her brothers out.

    …stop time so she could sleep an extra hour every morning.

    …erase the smell of the trash dump near her house.’ ”

    It tells how Malala, more than anything wanted to attend school, but in Pakistan this was forbidden because she was a girl. The book tells and shows in pictures how Malala found a pencil and wrote about the challenges she faced as a girl/young woman in Pakistan, a war-torn region.  Worldwide, people read her writing. The horrible attack she suffered is handled in a sensitive way (It is a child’s book, after all.) and points out that she saw the “magic of hope” through it all. As the cover states, this spectacular book is “The true story of one girl’s wish for a better world.”  It would be the perfect birthday book for a child or grandchild.  I was thoroughly enchanted by the illustrations and intrigued by the story.

  • ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING: A REVIEW

    This inspirational book by Max Lucado was one of the books I read over the holidays. It is a 2017 publication provided by my church library. Lucado has been my favorite inspirational author for twenty-something years, and this is not a reworked, revised, updated older publication, but a BRAND NEW “take” on an idea Lucado has not tackled before.

    The book’s theme is anxiety, described as “…a meteor shower of what-ifs.” He defines the difference between anxiety and fear. “Fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one.” The writer bases the book on Phillipians 4:4-8 and directs the passage admirably, using the passage’s structure as the structure for his book.

    “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. Be anxiousus for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving , let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds through Jesus Christ.”(KJV) (italics mine) What, don’t worry? How is that possible? Lucado gives the steps to achieve the promise listed in the end of the passage–peace of heart and peace of mind.

    The book is easy to pick up and put down, reading it at odd moments for short periods of time. There are only a total of ten chapters, divided into four sections, so while waiting for kids at the orthodontist, one can read a whole section, or at least come to a stopping place at the end of a chapter before the appointment is over. Questions for Reflection are presented for study groups, and there is a handy reprinting of all scriptures (in more than one version) at the chapters’/ book’s end(s). This is a  very applicable book to one’s attempt to improve his/her Christian walk.  It made me think and evaluate myself, and I intend to apply Lucado’s suggestions as I try to carry out my New Year’s goal of drawing closer to God.

  • Enchantment #midnighthaiku

    Sue Vincent's avatarSue Vincent's Daily Echo

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  • I Am a Very Small Fish in a Big, Massive, Confusing Ocean.

    Joanne Sarginson's avatarSome Words That Say What I Think

    When I was in school, I used to feel quite important.

    My social circle was quite small and I was confident that I was going to achieve all of my goals and everything was going to go swimmingly.

    I was essentially was a big fish in a small pond.

    However, as I have moved up through the educational system, I have gradually come to realise that this is not the case.

    It turns out that I am a teeny tiny fish in a significantly larger body of water.

    img_0016If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check out some of my other posts. For more blog posts and drawings, you can also follow me on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.

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  • SUNDAY (EVENING) POST

    Tonight’s post needs be brief because I have my fingers in several pies at the moment. We spent the morning at church and heard a great “State of the Church” sermon by our interim pastor, which stated what we had done well in 2017 and gave a stirring challenge for the year to come.  It made me want to “get out there and ‘serve’ .”

    Books I am currently reading: My Life With BOB (which stands for Book of Books” and was a gift from a friend.  So far it is a delightful philosophical discussion of books and life in general, each concerning a specific book.

    Hillbilly Elegy, our Third Tuesday Book Club selection for January, which I’ve just begun and am not sure yet how I feel about it.

    The Beekeeper’s Daughter, a novel that has kept my interest throughout.

    A Book I Can Hardly Wait to Start: Emerald City, which was a gift from a friend for Christmas.

    I have not done much reviewing since Christmas, but I have entered most of the books I’ve read into my reading log, and shall review them eventually. (Think, “Coming Attractions”)

    This coming week is my last chance to invite people over and to socialize by meeting for coffee, lunch or supper before next week, which brings the start of school.  I am ready–sooooo ready. I was so eager to get out of school after Thanksgiving that I can’t believe I am so eager to go back.  I can’t wait to meet my new “crop” of writers and get them started on taking ownership of their writing, plus seeing how my new additions to the course go over. The syllabus is written, and paper copies are ready to hand out; I have pretty well made a (flexible) lesson plan for session one of Advanced Writing.  I have a new group, a new room in an old building I haven’t been in in a long time, and a new start all the way around.  Bring on the new semester!

  • Two Reviews: Books finished over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s

    When I was flipping through my Book Log (stenographer’s notebook #5), I found several books I’d mentioned but not reviewed here on PWR:

    A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrik Backman, our Third Tuesday Book Club selection, was a huge hit with all the members and a book I enjoyed.  I had seen the movie first (with Finnish subtitles) and LOVED it, so I was a bit skeptical about reading the book.  Evidently the reason I liked the film so much was because it followed the book so closely.

    It is the story of a curmudgeon, recently forced to retire, who kept to rigid routines and often demonstrated a short fuse.  The opening of the book is different from the opening of the movie, so to ensure I don’t give anything away, I will deal with the plot sparingly. The book is described as a “word of  mouth bestseller,” and that is what it is.  I must have been the last in my group of friends to actually read the book. The lesson to be learned from this novel is that “Life is sweeter when it’s shared with other people.” Kirkus review called it “hysterically funny–” well not in my opinion, “hysterically…” but it is as Publisher’s Weekly labels it, “…a reflection on loss and love.” We had excellent study questions, and I would definitely recommend this as a good book club selection if your group has not already found it.

    A book that definitely left me wanting to read part II was Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book one). Talk about a cliffhanger ending! It is set in Mississippi in 1922, the era of the Harlem Renaissance.

    Nora White is a daughter from a Negro family, has graduated from high school, and everyone expects her to go to college.  Instead, she runs away to explore Harlem. She has heard of the Cotton Club and the literary renaissance going on there. Her parents, Gideon and Mary, who have issues of their own in their backgroundes, can’t believe any Negro child would ever run away from home and fear their daughter has been snatched. Nora’s adventures in the North and her parents’ efforts to find her in the South, lead to adventure, revelation of family secrets and a “give-me-more” ending.  I can’t wait for Book Two to come out.  I heard about this book from a blogger who featured the author, Yecheilyah Ysrayl, on her blog and purchased it through Amazon. I plan to contact her this weekend to see when I can purchase Book Two.