Reading Room Blog

by Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006

Ah, yes, the mid-life crisis. And there's a lot of mid-life in which it can happen. Jerry Lee Lewis sang of it so well in "He's thirty-nine and holding, holding everything he can." And here's a fine poem by Matthew Vetter, portraying just such a man.


Wild Flowers

At fifty-six, having left my mother,
my father buys a motorcycle.
I imagine him because
it is the son's sorrowful assignment
to imagine his father: there,

by Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006

Memories have a way of attaching themselves to objects, to details, to physical tasks, and here, George Bilgere, an Ohio poet, happens upon mixed feelings about his mother while slicing a head of cabbage.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

by Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006

Memories form around details the way a pearl forms around a grain of sand, and in this commemoration of an anniversary, Cecilia Woloch reaches back to grasp a few details that promise to bring a cherished memory forward, and succeeds in doing so. The poet lives and teaches in southern California.

Anniversary

Thanks for e-mailing the Central Rappahannock Regional Library for a Book Match. You did not specify a book, but you did mention that you were looking for suspense/thrillers. Since there are bunches and bunches of different kinds of suspense/thriller books, if you could give us a specific title to match, or let us know what elements you like, we can give you a better selection! As is, since your request is general, I can give you some general recommendations:

Hello!  Thanks for your request for a Book Match. If you like the "Abhorsen" and "Harry Potter" series, you may enjoy these books:

 Sandry's Book
by Tamora Pierce
Four young misfits learn how to use their unrecognized magical powers.
Part of the Circle of Magic series.

The Lives of Christopher Chant
by Diana Wynne Jones
A young wizard with nine lives is destined to become the Chrestomanci, or head sorcerer, of the world.Part of the Chrestomanci series.
 

Other books by Elizabeth Berg

    The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts Of Liberation 
A compelling anthology of short fiction, including eleven never-before-published pieces, explores the lives of women breaking free of the convention that controls their lives, in a collection that includes "Returns and Exchanges," "Over the Hill and Into the Woods," and the title story, about a woman who goes on a happiness binge after ditching Weight Watchers.

The Reading Guild meets the third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. The group's members pick a theme like Shakespeare or travel every other month; the other months are open discussions of your favorite book or current reading. Everyone brings a dish to share! Call the Cooper Branch (804-224-0921) or check our program listing for this month's topic.

Join Bobbie Borman, staff, and other readers to talk about books. There is no required reading; different types of books are explored like science fiction or just your favorite book. The group meets the third Monday of each month from 2-4pm at Newton Branch.

by Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006

To read in the news that a platoon of soldiers has been killed is a terrible thing, but to learn the name of just one of them makes the news even more vivid and sad. To hold the name of someone or something on our lips is a powerful thing. It is the badge of individuality and separateness. Charles Harper Webb, a California poet, takes advantage of the power of naming in this poem about the steady extinction of animal species.

The Animals are Leaving

One by one, like guests at a late party