Starred Books
What I’ve Read in February
I didn’t get nearly as much reading done in February as I did in January — and I’m hiding my face in shame about the scarcity of blog posts on both my blogs, as well as the scarcity of my presence on others’ blogs in February. I will try to do better in all areas…
Read MoreWhat I’ve Read in January
In December, I did a post listing the best of the books I’d read during 2014 – the ones I hadn’t had time or space to review over the course of the year. Rather than waiting until the end of the year, I’ve decided to do a mini-list at the end of each month, instead.…
Read MoreA Gift of Reading
This year I have read many, many books. I’ve reviewed a few here on By Word of Beth, but my varied blogging schedule hasn’t allowed me to review them all, or anywhere close to them all. Even this post is by no means all the books I’ve read this year. I would like to tell…
Read MoreAugust Augmented Fifths — 2/5 — Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
As a reminder of what these “augmented fifths” are all about, I quote from last Friday’s post: For the five Fridays of this month of August, I’m going to introduce you to some middle grade novels that to me are particularly noteworthy, that have augmented my life and led me to growth and discovery. I…
Read MoreAugust Augmented Fifths — 1/5 — The Keeper of the Trees by Beverley Brenna
The word spelled a-u-g-u-s-t has at least two meanings. The most obvious is the month we are currently in, the eighth month of the year. August. But “august” can also mean something particularly noteworthy, something esteemed. In music, an augmented fifth is a type of chord that uses a note slightly higher than a normal…
Read MoreImagination — Springboard into New Worlds
Something that has been lost, I think, in this era of online dictionaries, is the browsing, glancing, serendipitous discovery of a word that takes a person off on a flight of imagination, that sends one into another world, a world of the imagination, of “what if,” of “suppose it was this way.” If an online…
Read MoreJulie Andrews Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies
A wonderful way to encourage children’s enjoyment of reading and being read to is to share poetry with them from an early age. My mother and I loved to recite poetry to and with each other, and we shared poetry together until her last days. In the last couple of years of her life,…
Read MoreRaising Bookworms — And A Giveaway!
This is the first post in what will become a regular monthly feature on my blog, “In The Spotlight.” During the last full week of each month, I will devote all three regular posts to spotlighting the work of one particular author or organization, or will focus on one particular topic. This inaugural “In The…
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