What I Read -- Love Her Wild

My March selection for the 2024 Reading Challenge was Love Her Wild, by Atticus.  The category for March was "a book that will stretch you," and poetry always does that for me.

Poetry is one of those genres that seems to have a pretty broad definition, so I suppose this all does count as poetry.  But if you asked me to describe this book to a friend, I would describe it as a cross between poetry and one of those page-a-day collections of inspirational sayings.  Why does it feel that way?  For one thing, most of the poems are quite short, often not more than a few lines.  For another, many of them are positive, or at least could be interpreted that way. 

I've lent the book to a friend, but when I get it back, I probably will go back and read it again, but one poem at a time rather than in the drinking-from-a-fire-hose style that I read it in for my first go-around.  I think it will be a good one to keep around and dip into when a tiny breath of goodness is needed.

And if that's not high praise from me for a book of poetry, I'm not sure what is.

Isaac's Storm -- Take 2

Have I been gone so long that you think I washed away in the surge caused by a hurricane?  It would be a reasonable assumption, despite the fact that I live a long way from hurricane country.  Alas, work has just been kicking my butt and I have consequently neglected both reading and blogging -- and likely will do so for another couple of months. 

But I will take a few moments to get you up to speed on where I am with Isaac's Storm.  

I finished it.  That is all.

Kidding, kidding.  I mean, I did finish it, but that's not all.  I liked it.  And now that I've been finished with it for a couple of days, I like it even more.

The good: the descriptions of the weather phenomena and the strange things that were happening were quite evocative.  I really enjoyed the background pieces about the development of what was then called the Weather Bureau, and how a lot of these guys, and sometimes even the forecasts, were just pawns in a political game.  (I thought the National Weather Service was the one thing we could count on to just give the facts and likelihoods as best as they can be estimated!)  

The bad: perhaps because I took such a long break in the middle of the book, I really had trouble remembering who was who.  Isaac is obviously our titular main character, and his brother Joseph was pretty easy to keep track of.  But the various friends, neighbors, and other Galvestonites whose stories were featured were hard for me to keep straight. 

But all in all, it was a good read, and pretty quick once I set aside a bit of time to devote to it.  And what a story.