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review
Abailliekaras
Small Rain: A Novel | Garth Greenwell
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Pickpick

I loved this. The writing has a propulsive energy as sentences wind their way to interesting ends. It‘s strong and assured, driven by curiosity. There is a beautiful rhythm that keeps you reading. I found the hospital setting strangely comforting: time slows down and the narrator focuses on small details, observes a sparrow, reflects on Kathleen Ferrier singing Mahler. It‘s also a love story, with ups and downs that feel authentic.

BarbaraBB I was so surprised by this one. Really good. 4w
squirrelbrain This was so good! 4w
Abailliekaras @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain I‘m glad you liked it too! 4w
27 likes3 comments
blurb
vivastory
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I just received an email from LOA about a documentary about Gary Snyder, one of the last surviving Beats, & a character in one of the grimmest novels I have ever read in my life (Kerouac's Big Sur). This will be streaming this weekend. Think this will be of interest to you @leftcoastzen
https://email.loa.org/h/i/8AB1ACAB53E732ED

vivastory Also tagging @thespineview as I see that you posted about this book before. 1mo
TheSpineView Thanks for thinking of me! 1mo
Leftcoastzen Thanks so much ! Will be checking that out ! 1mo
52 likes3 comments
review
TrishB
Small Rain: A Novel | Garth Greenwell
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Pickpick

Brought this after @squirrelbrain review and then bumped it up the list after @BarbaraBB review this week.
Thoughtful, reflective, detailed musings on life,death and poetry after an emergency medical event. Beautifully written.

squirrelbrain It‘s such a beautiful book! ❤️ 1mo
Cathythoughts Lovely review ❤️ 1mo
BarbaraBB Glad you loved it too! 1mo
69 likes3 stack adds3 comments
blurb
LitsyBirthdays
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And rounding out the month of April, we‘re celebrating all things double…double the fun, double the #birthdaylove, and double the cake and balloons!
That‘s right! We‘ve got TWO parties to attend! 🥳🥳

We‘re sending our best wishes to you both @Branwen and @Oryx and hope that however you choose to celebrate, it‘s a fabulous day from beginning to end.

Happy, Happy Birthday Rebecca and Emma! 🎈🎈

🧚‍♀️🎉🧚‍♀️🎉🧚‍♀️🎉🧚‍♀️🎉🧚‍♀️🎉🧚‍♀️

robinb Happy Birthday @Branwen ! 📚🎉 Enjoy your day. 1mo
robinb Hope your day is fabulous @Oryx . Happy Birthday! 🎁🎈 1mo
julesG Happy Birthday @Oryx @Branwen 🎉🎂🎈📚 1mo
See All 28 Comments
SarahBookInterrupted Happy Birthday 🥳 1mo
kezzlou85 Happy birthday to you both. Hope you have wonderful days 🎁 🎊 🎉 📚 1mo
squirrelbrain Happy Birthday @Oryx @Branwen - have a fabulous day! 🍰🎉📚🍰🎉📚 1mo
CarolynM Happy birthday @Oryx @Branwen 🎂🎈🎉 Have a wonderful day! 1mo
Deblovestoread Happy birthday! 🎂🎈🎉 1mo
BethM Happy birthday! 1mo
Cupcake12 Happy birthday 🥳 1mo
JacqMac Happy Birthday! 🎉🌸🎉 1mo
TheSpineView Happy Birthday! @Oryx and @Branwen Party like it's 1999! 🥂🍾🎉 1mo
JenReadsAlot Happy birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 1mo
Jas16 Happy Birthday @Branwen @Oryx 🥳🎂🎈 1mo
AmyG Wishing you both a very Happy Birthday! 🎂🎂 (edited) 1mo
youneverarrived Happy Birthday @Oryx 🩵 1mo
youneverarrived Happy Birthday @Branwen 🎉 1mo
Branwen Thank you so so much, everyone! 🥳🎉🎉🎉 1mo
Oryx Thank you everyone! 1mo
Birdsong28 Happy birthday @Oryx. 📚📖 1mo
Birdsong28 Happy birthday @Branwen 📚📖 1mo
mrp27 Happy Birthday! 🎉📚🎂 1mo
AnneCecilie Happy birthday 🥳🎂🎁📚 @Branwen and @Oryx 1mo
JessClark78 Happy Birthday! @Branwen and @Oryx 🎊🎂🎉✨ 1mo
dabbe HB! 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
BookmarkTavern Happy birthday! 🎁🎈🎂🎉🎊 1mo
MaureenMc Happy birthday! 🎈🎉 1mo
Ddzmini Happy belated birthday 🎊🎂🎉🎈🎁 🥳📚 1mo
33 likes28 comments
review
BarbaraBB
Small Rain: A Novel | Garth Greenwell
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Pickpick

The narrator is hospitalized with a rare vascular condition. For days he‘s at ICU, not really knowing what‘s happening, though he knows it‘s serious.
Each medical detail is described, as is the narrator‘s view on life, his past and future.
And it‘s 2020 and COVID is everywhere. In the hospital, in people‘s attitude, in the protests in the streets. It took me back to those days and although it frightened me I loved this about the book. Very good!

TrishB On the pile! Will get to soon. 2mo
BarbaraBB @TrishB I think you‘ll like it too! 2mo
Lesliereadsalot I‘m in! I‘m on vacation or I‘d run over to my library and pick it up. Thanks for suggesting. (edited) 2mo
See All 6 Comments
BarbaraBB @Lesliereadsalot Enjoy your vacation! I guess you have lots to read so this one can wait a bit longer 😜 2mo
Lesliereadsalot Exactly 50 on hold at the library! Will get busy when I get home 2mo
sarahbarnes I‘ve been curious about this one! 2mo
75 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
dabbe
Selected Poems | Edwin Arlington Robinson
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TheSpineView 🖤🖤🖤 2mo
dabbe @TheSpineView 🖤♥️🖤 2mo
38 likes2 comments
blurb
Sleepswithbooks
Happyland | J. Robert Lennon
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Misty!!! What an amazing box of Happy to return home to after a looong week!! I adore everything so much and I can‘t tell you how much I‘m looking forward to reading “The Women!!!” Thank you for being the sweetest man ever, wonderful Friend that you are! Love you!

#Litsylove #BookLovers #HappyMail
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You‘re so welcome! Love you 🥰 2mo
42 likes1 comment
blurb
DGRachel
March Book | Jesse Ball
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I finished 13 books in March. Lots of middle grade and graphic novels, because that‘s all I could mentally handle. The Spear Cuts Through Water was my favorite, even though it took me two months to read. It was so worth the effort. Both of the Swifts books by Beth Lincoln were delightful. #marchwrapup

review
BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

Years ago, I came across the poem “The Taxi” by Amy Lowell, and its final line has lived in my brain ever since: “Why should I leave you, / To wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night?” I‘ve meant to read a collection of her poetry ever since, but we all know how the TBR intentions sometimes go. So when it became apparent that in spite of my best intentions in January, I definitely wasn‘t going to get around to reading any (let alone all ⤵️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …three volumes) of Dante‘s Divine Comedy by the end of March for the #ClassicsChallenge2025, I decided to read some Amy Lowell instead.

This collection, published in 1919, is made up of two halves. The first is filled with tiny, exquisite poems that play with Chinese and Japanese forms, creating gorgeous crystal-clear images in word pictures. I had a hard time putting it down, savoring bite-sized poem after poem. ⤵️
2mo
BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) The second half is more lyrical, moving away from the Asian-inspired images and into English cities and the countryside. While I preferred the imagery of the first half, there were still some gems in the second half. I‘m glad I finally immersed myself in Amy Lowell‘s poetry, and I‘ll definitely be seeking out more of it!

Link to her poem “The Taxi” (which isn‘t in this collection): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42984/the-taxi
2mo
MommyWantsToReadHerBook Such a beautiful poem. Lovely post 💙 2mo
36 likes4 comments
quote
BarbaraJean
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SEPTEMBER, 1918

This afternoon was the colour of water falling through sunlight;
The trees glittered with the tumbling of leaves;
The sidewalks shone like alleys of dropped maple leaves,
And the houses ran along them laughing out of square, open windows.
Under a tree in the park,
Two little boys, lying flat on their faces,
Were carefully gathering red berries
To put in a pasteboard box.
⤵️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d)
Some day there will be no war
Then I shall take out this afternoon
And turn it in my fingers
And remark the sweet taste of it upon my palate
And note the crisp variety of its flights of leaves
Today I can only gather it
And put it into my lunch-box
For I have time for nothing
But the endeavour to balance myself
Upon a broken world.
2mo
25 likes1 comment