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.”

  • THURSDAY THOUGHTS

    TODAY I was thinking about gratitude and about all I have to be grateful for. My word for 2022 was

    Gratitude is not a daughter of Happiness; instead, having gratitude brings happiness. This has been a roller coaster ride of a year so far. But, in spite of the way 2022 has played out and what it has brought, I am grateful for life in general…and happy.

    One of the books I read early this year was Living Life as a Thank You.

    I vaguely remember at least mentioning this book (or maybe reviewing it) on PWR.

    Today, in cleaning out some old files I came across these notes from the book. Much of it is good advice.

    1. “…embrace the light that can be found [even in the] darkness.”
    2. Be grateful for simple pleasures.
    3. Pay attention to “small moments.”
    4. Pay attention to the extraordinary people in your life.
    5. Practice saying ‘thank you’ to those who join you in embracing gratitude.
    6. Give thanks to those who have made you smile.
    7. Appreciate family, friends, and coworkers.
    8. Wear a “gratitude bracelet.” Buy or make a simple bracelet and wear it on your right wrist. When you gripe, switch it to your left wrist. See if you can go the whole day with the bracelet ending up on the right. Once you have mastered this, try to go a week without switching; 21 days; a month.
    9. Take a midday break. Go outside and appreciate Nature.
    10. Establish a nighttime routine. Make sure you go to bed with a smile on your face. Think about all you appreciate in your life. Turn down/out the light. Breathe deeply and relax, thinking of what you are grateful for.

    Books like this one I came to read thanks to my blogging friend, Deb Nance of Readerbuzz. In her study of happiness, she came across many books on being grateful and shared her list with me. A big shout-out to Debbie!

  • Wednesday weirdness

    bluebird of bitterness's avatarbluebird of bitterness

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  • CHALLENGE UPDATE

    I took on this 2021 Challenge in January of 2022 because it was short, and I found the selected categories interesting. We are halfway through the year, and I am halfway through the challenge. I finished this week the first prompt, a book whose title contains a compound word. Barbara Kingsolver’s Homeland is a collection of short stories which showcases Kingsolver’s unique, captivating writing style.

    An excellent collection of stories which showcases the author’s writing style

    The short story that the collection is named after, “Homeland” was my favorite because it is extraordinarily “different” from other stories I’ve read, It recounts the story of Gloria St. Clair and the things she learned from her “Great Mam,” her great-grandmother who came to live with Gloria’s family the last two years of her life. “…Great-grandfather Murray brought Great Mam from her tribal home in Hiwassee Valley to live in Kentucky, without Christian sanction, as his common-law-wife. According to Mother, he accomplished all this on a stolen horse. From that time forward Great Mam went by the name of Ruth.”

    It was from Great Mam that Gloria learned about the “small people,” the mischievous clan that lived in the woods and were responsible for many unexplainable missing objects and strange pranks and happenings that occurred in the community. Kingsolver’s imagination and exquisite writing style shine in this story and in the collection itself. I thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering this author through the collection.

    The other two categories I checked off earlier this year were:

    …a book whose title included a person and their description–The Dependents by Katherine Dion, and …a season, Summer by Eudora Welty.

  • Thanks to the Purple Booker for this fun meme.

    Today’s Tuesday Teaser is from a novel I finished last night . Anne Tyler is one of my favorite contemporary authors, and I have read most of what she’s written over the years.

    Definitely one of Tyler’s best novels yet. She just keeps on getting better as the years go by.

    The teaser is from the two main characters, Mercy and Robin recalling their sweet, innocent wedding night. Robin says…

    ” ‘…And then you came out of the bathroom in your slinky white satin nightie.’

    ‘And you looked away,’ Mercy said. ‘You looked off toward the bedroom window.’

    ‘I was trying to get control of myself, ‘ he said.’ “

    Tyler is at her best doing what she does best here–describing the lives of ordinary middle-aged people. The book has been described as a “journey into one family’s foibles from the 1950s up to our pandemic present.” It deals with family complexities and the “kindnesses and cruelties of our daily life.” Even in the smallest details, Tyler captures the dailyness of our lives. Take for example when Mercy and Robin’s grown kids would come to visit, the first thing Robin would ask was, “How was the traffic on the beltway?” It reminded me that each time we would go to visit our folks in Virginia after marrying and relocating in Texas, the first thing everyone would ask was, “How long are you here for?”

    Mercy and Robin Garret and their children Allie, Lily, and David are the well-developed characters in this 2022 novel. Their development and changes in character are demonstrative of Tyler’s forte, characterization. Of any contemporary author, Tyler does this best. Personally, I choose characterization over plot any day to peak and hold my interest, and perhaps this is the reason I enjoy Anne Tyler’s novels so much.

    I highly recommend this “darned good read.”

  • Today I revisited notes on Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection: Your Guide to a Wholehearted Life. Here are some of the thoughts contained in this lovely book:

    “A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life. (quoted by Brown from Christopher Germer in his 2009 book)

    Brown continues to tell us to “DIG DEEP.” I find these “checks” on my life especially helpful at the end of the day.

    Check on your vowels: A, E, I, O, U, Y

    A Have I been Abstinent today? (However you define that– I (Brown) find it a little more challenging when it comes to things like food, work, and the computer.

    E Have I Exercised today?

    I What have I done for myself today?

    O What have I done for Others today?

    U Am I holding on to Unexpressed concerns today?

    Y Yay! What is something good that’s happened today?

    This week resolve to go over this checklist at the end of each day, measuring each day against the previous one. See if this helps you attain the wholeness of life Brown studies in this exceptional book.

    HAPPY MUSING…HAPPY READING!

  • SUNDAY NIGHT READING ACTIVITY

    I read part of the day…

    Anything by Anne Tyler is G.O.O.D. !!

  • SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS…

    SATURDAYS ON PWR, LIKE TV PROGRAMING IN THE 50s AND 60s WHICH SHOWED CARTOONS BETWEEN 6:30 AND 9:00, IS DEDICATED TO KIDS.

    …ON SATURDAY NIGHT.

    Late again! It has been an eventful, productive day, but I failed to post one of my much anticipated things in a long while.

    This past spring, one of my favorite children’s authors paid me a visit at my home in Alvin. She brought her fabulous kids and we had a lovely visit. She even stopped and brought lunch–now, that’s the kind of company to have!

    Alda, Annabel, and Nate look at the books I had been Saving for them since Christmas.

    Alda P. Dobbs wrote the Bluebonnet nominated The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna, a wonderful tale of a Mexican ten-year-old, caught up in the Mexican Revolution. Her adventures are based on stories Alda’s great grandmother told her when she was young.( Use the search box to find my review of this excellent book.) In September, 2022, Alda Dobbs will publish the sequel, The Other Side of the River. She signed a copy of the book for me, and I greedily read it in one weekend.

    This book continues the story of Petra Luna as she becomes an immigrant in the U.S. One would think when she managed to cross into the States, her problems would be solved, but they are only beginning . How she deals with and solves these problems leads the reader to a very satisfying ending.

    I am always happy to tell people that I have a friend who is a well-known, well-respected children’s author, but even happier when she and her lovely kids come to see me. Soon I will review On The Other Side of the River, so you can pre-order and plan the time for a pleasant weekend of fantastic reading.

    Until later…

  • The Real Issue

    Laura Jinkins's avatarA Scribbler & A Shutterbug

    My husband and my daughter are both teachers who love the kids in their classes as if they were their own. I fear and pray for them in their roles as educators, and for the kids they teach. The heartbreaking tragedy in Uvalde has shaken the world yet again, leaving people to grasp desperately for answers, for solutions to protect the most vulnerable of our society, and those who dedicate their lives to those kids. Teachers’ first thoughts are not for self preservation when something like this happens. They think “how do I protect my kids?” There’s tons of stuff flying around the internet right now and I was particularly moved by this post shared by a former teacher, who is a friend and taught my now grown daughter when she was in first grade many years ago.

    The Messy Christian

    20hrs·

    Forty…thirty years ago, we didn’t have school…

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  • Dwell 🌫

    Now that I’ve received a negative biopsy, I can make plans again. Thank You, Lord.

    The Starry Night Elf's avatarStarry Night Elf

    Image Source:
    Deb Garlick Art via
    Garden of Bright Images | Facebook

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  • THE CITY WE BECAME by N.K. Jemisin

    This book, which I ordered from an independent bookstore, complete with a bookplate signed by the author and virtual attendance at an interview/event held by the bookstore was one of my favorite reads of 2022. Published in 2020 by my favorite science fiction writer, N. K. Jemisin, this sci fi novel takes place in New York City. Many of you who have followed my blog know about my fascination with NYC, so you can imagine how fast I ordered this book after reading about it coming out. It was everything I had hoped for and more.

    The opening chapters alone are enough excitement and thrilling action for any sci fiction novel!

    The City We Became is Jemisin’s first book in The Great Cities Trilogy. Neil Gaiman declares it to be “Glorious,” and, indeed it is.

    “Every city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths; others are as new as children. New York? She’s got six–and all six will be called to arms in the greatest battle the city has ever fought.” The story opens with an exciting, terrifying scene where a young man, later identified as Manhattan, encounters monsters and catastrophic activity in “The Battle of FDR Drive” in chapter one. Each of New York’s boroughs makes up a team of individuals who must fight creatures from an alternate universe who seek to destroy NYC and eventually the Earth.

    Set in contemporary NYC, this “modern masterpiece of culture, identity, magic, and myth,”has just whetted my appetite for the second book in the series, presumably set in Paris; then I think it’s on to London for the final book in the series. I can hardly wait!

    WRITE FASTER, N.K. JEMISIN !