#FeelinTheLove Day 4: #Roses

#FeelinTheLove Day 3: There are #LoveIsBlind elements here between Daniel and Susannah as I find the latter insufferable at 200 pages in. I finished two other titles for the #ToB25 while reading this and I haven‘t even reached a third of the book - does it get better and is it worth slogging through? The characterization is on point but not in love yet with any of the characters.

#FeelinTheLove Day 2: My #FaveLiteraryLove is Estelle‘s “affair” - unconsummated though it may be - with her neighbor as they exchange books with their own personal scribblings/markings in them. Imagine an illicit love wrapped up in book exchanges, so pure and so beautiful.

#FeelinTheLove Day 1: #LovePoem or its failure, ostensibly.

#PoetryMatters Day 31: #Want

#25Alive! Day 31: These were our Jolabokaflod #Gift(s) - college kid and myself‘s - last Christmas. Book #Gift(s) are the absolute best.

#PoetryMatters Day 30: #Wane

#25Alive! Day 30: What a glowing #Bright cover for this Newbery Medal awardee and National Book Award Finalist. Haven‘t seen this book at all anywhere here in the Emirates. I must find myself a copy soon.

#PoetryMatters Day 29: #Wand

#25Alive! Day 29: There was much #Laughter as college kid and I read this aloud in our book club of two during the December holidays. As noted in my review: There is a tenderness to his writing that feels almost like a hug – but more perhaps like clinging to a liferaft, the act of writing the words his way of preventing himself from sinking – that he holds on to the reader – in beauty, in supplication, in wonder. More here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-qZ0

#PoetryMatters Day 28: #Walnut

#25Alive! Day 28: The Universe in Verse to give us #Hope in these dark dark days.

#PoetryMatters Day 27: #Wallet

#25Alive! Day 27: #FaveNewSong is any new discovery from this Spotify playlist.

#PoetryMatters Day 26: #Wall

#25Alive! Day 26: My #GuiltyPleasure that I have not even started reading yet since practically all of the young people I know have been raving about #Acotar. Is it really worth all the hype, fellow readers?

#PoetryMatters Day 25: #Walk

#25Alive! Day 25: A sense of deep #Gratitude washes over me as I read this book. Had to discontinue though for awhile as I go through the #ToB25 titles.

#PoetryMatters Day 24: #Wake - this was one of the poems I asked family members to read during my mother‘s cremation service and my college kid read it aloud again during the December break when we finally released mother‘s ashes into the Persian Gulf. Found the poem in the exquisite tagged book that gave me comfort during my time of grief.

#25Alive! Day 24: A great deal of #Positivity all around as my co-authored book chapter is finally published in this important edited book by good friend and former colleague from Singapore. Received a physical copy from the publisher yesterday. How amazing that our 2025 professional development text is listed here on Litsy! Awesome!

#PoetryMatters Day 23: #Wait

#25Alive! Day 23: The #Dreams of teenage female boxers are on display here with their feints, jabs, hyper-self-awareness. Gradually going through the #ToB25 shortlisted titles.

#PoetryMatters Day 22: #Waist

#25Alive! Day 22: Each day we find ourselves breathing is a reason to #Celebrate. I adore Maria Popova‘s bird divinations - unfortunately they don‘t ship here in the Emirates. So sad. 😭

#25Alive! Day 21: My #FaveWinterFood is seafood ramen - or any kind of soup, really. 💕

#PoetryMatters Day 20: #Wail

#25Alive! Day 20: My #FvWinterDrink is peppermint rum chata - but this one is a close second. Thoroughly enjoyed our final book for the #EuropaCollective. Scheduled my post at GatheringBooks in two weeks‘ time. 💕

#PoetryMatters Day 19: #Waif

#25Alive! Day 19: #AuthorYouLove is tagged and found in my new reading corner and working space - picturebooks now neatly categorized and shelved in this new space where our giant Christmas tree used to be.

#PoetryMatters Day 18: #Wagon

#25Alive! Day 18: #SnowyCover(ed) mountains in Mjelle Beach, Bodo Norway where husband and I went to visit middle of last year.

#PoetryMatters Day 17: #Wag

#25Alive! Day 17: My #1stBk25 #FirstBook25 is a reread of tagged book - as college kid and I read it for our book club of two this December break. It lends itself well to reading aloud, and I find it even more hilarious and soul-filling in my second reading. Finished it one day before our college kid flew back to Seattle. Full review is forthcoming.

#PoetryMatters Day 16: #Waffle

#25Alive! Day 16: #FaveBk24 or my #Top24Of2024 - how about you? Here‘s my post: https://wp.me/pDlzr-qU9

#PoetryMatters Day 15: #Wade

#25Alive! Day 15: I am sure there must be #LastingLove somewhere here with this kind of title. Starting this #ToB25 title today because man it is a chunkster!

#PoetryMatters Day 14: #Waddle

#25Alive! Day 13: #Possibility - still from Maria Popova‘s labor of love - deck of illuminated cards inspired by Audobon‘s art - too bad the full deck of cards doesn‘t ship all the way here to the Middle East - will just have to see glimpses of what she shares through Brainpickings.

#PoetryMatters Day 13: #Vulture

#25Alive! Day 13: #Memory of her mother is what Japanese astronaut, Chie, had to remember as her mother died while she was on orbit. Finished reading this novel over the weekend for #ToB25 and will hopefully share my thoughts soon over at GatheringBooks.

#PoetryMatters Day 12: This poem is from Mary Oliver‘s first ever book, No #Voyage, apparently published in 1963 when she was only 28. Found this gem in an IG account with the handle YearWithMary - I could do with a year of Mary Oliver - http://bit.ly/4gaFXJv

#25Alive! Day 12: Here is my #BookHaul for the #ToB25 - and this is just half of what had already been delivered - plus a few more titles besides. I blame @BarbaraBB for tagging me. Lols.

#25Alive! Day 11: Belle‘s #TakeCharge attitude when it comes to JP Morgan‘s collections totally impressed the brilliant man - and the rest is history. Review is forthcoming. Finished reading the book and absolutely loved it. #ReadTheWorld2025: France (translated from French) - although setting is mostly US based. #EuropaCollective

#PoetryMatters Day 10: #Vow

#25Alive! Day 11: the unlikely #friendship among the hostages and the bank robber is quite unforgettable in this tale that I reread for my book club of two with my college kid who came to spend the December holiday at home here in the UAE. Rereading this made the story even more powerful and profound for me. I will read anything that Backman writes. Perfect for #ReadTheWorld2025 - Sweden.

#PoetryMatters Day 9: #Vote

#25Alive! Day 9: This is a #FreshStart for me for the #ToB25 - it is the first time I am joining and I feel like I am crazy for even attempting. The books I ordered are arriving shortly, four have already arrived. This is really turning out more to be a reading tournament, lols. Let‘s see how much I ultimately end up reading. 🤣😂🤩

#25Alive! Day 8: Our #ReadingGoal for 2025 over at GatheringBooks is #ReadTheWorld2025. This was inspired by my reading around eight countries in 2024. See here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-qUy - do join us, and feel free to use our widgets. I have a few more in my linked post. Just use the hashtag #ReadTheWorld2025 and tag me. My goal is to read 30 countries across 15 languages.

#PoetryMatters Day 7: #Voracious