Tag: reading

• Pocket Delights: a Day Mostly ‘Unplugged’ and a Surrealist Sketch I Drew

  

  After my nap in the sunlight, I continued reading and completed the book I had mentioned, a funny memoir by Jen Lancaster, but I won’t say anything more yet, I am looking forward to discussing it with the Book Club in person. It’s been a refreshing (I did actually put down the blog today 🙂 […]

  01/24/2023 7:43 pm

  art, art supplies, authors, books, gifts, gratitude, jen lancaster, light, literary salon we keep, love, lovingkindness, memoir, memoir stories, my sketch, philosophy, positivity, reading, relaxation, retreat, sketchbooks, sun, supportive, surrealism, unity, writers

• Sunbathing at the Library with Poetry

  

  It’s Wednesday, it has been a week of busyness and creations that I cherish, and I slow down midway, read poetry in the sun, have a few small books to share, but for now it’s just sun, sit the other way, sun against my neck, a drink of water, rest, stretch, read, listen, associate, smile, […]

  01/20/2023 1:20 pm

  alarie tennille, antique, art, books, fun, library, massachusetts, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, reading, relaxation, rest, retreat, self-reflection, silence, sun

• Just Two More Things: A Secret Story to Gift and a Novel Read

  

  (This is my fortune cookie today, featured photo: I could have written it! You know 😅And maybe I did, indirectly, with “algorithms.”) I said I would go on my blog vacation, then I left on a sad note and with my original blog theme needing to be restored, and it is working fine now…that has […]

  12/20/2022 4:48 pm

  19th century, angels, authors, birthdays, boston, childrens books, creativity, english education, english literature, fairies, gifts, literary salon we keep, louisa May alcott, massachusetts, memoir stories, novels, reading, short stories, vacation, wellness

• Long Car Ride, I Am Reading Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

  

  😊💓and I don’t even know the year of publication yet of this book! On the way to Western MA, to a railway. 😊🎄🚃 After I threw all my books off the shelf gently and arranged them, I picked a reread and I am reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Men. I loved her Little Women book […]

  12/19/2022 10:41 am

  books, classics, english education, english literature, fun, holidays, local events, louisa May alcott, love, lovingkindness, massachusetts, memoir, my photography, reading, relaxation, rest, self portraits, uplifting, vacation, wellness

• A Day in Pictures: A Creative Literary Morning

  

  morning sencha tea, dreaming eyes, letting light into my eyes and face, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847) for later on. after tea, may read Jane Eyre: I partly lived inside this book in my current life and did not remember that?😅 my novel printed draft so far, first 6 pgs, 3000 words, and handwritten […]

  11/29/2022 10:42 am

  19th century, antique, art, bath, beauty, charlotte bronte, dreams, handwritten, literary salon we keep, love, lovingkindness, morningtime, my photography, novel, photo series, poets, psychology, reading, relaxation, rest, self portraits, self-care, teatime, uplifting, writers, writers events, writing process

• Re: Deleted Posts, Dear Reader

  I was reading after dark last night by my library window, lamplight, I started with this nursery rhyme of my own… ‘I sit quietly in this chair, I will comb through my hair, and I will read Jane Eyre.’ I am sorry for these pretty hastily deleted posts; I remind myself writing is free, and in […]

  11/24/2022 8:11 am

  books, charlotte bronte, classics, fashion, fun, home, letters, lounge, night, novels, philosophy, poetic, reading, relaxation, rhyme, sadness, writers, writing theory

• My First Novel in Progress, Finding the Genre and Audience: YA Fantasy, and On ‘Point of View’

  November 15, 2022, night I feel like I have more info now that my story completed could fit into the popular Fantasy genre for Young Adults. I wrote about 200 words tonight typed, and I am going to rest awhile at 2328 words total. 🙂 I read my typed draft, then I wrote at the […]

  11/16/2022 9:57 am

  books, english education, english literature, fantasy, gratitude, letters, library, literary salon we keep, memoir, my first novel, my novel, nanowrimo, night, point of view, reading, relaxation, writing process, young adult

• My Books

  

  November 12, 2022 I arranged them nicely and now I actually wish to read a book when I go in. And I have 2 books I gifted to myself on the way, soon…:) 💕Jade P.S. Oops 🙂 I have a couple of things to fix…The angel has no bookend next to her on one side […]

  11/12/2022 11:41 am

  artists, beauty, books, catholic, flowers, fun, gifts, home, interior design, library, love, lovingkindness, may ziadeh, memoir stories, my photography, philosophy, poetic, pressed flowers, reading, relaxation, secrets, spirituality

• A New Lamp Shade (To Be Shown Next Time)

  

  The missing part with the very dim lampshade: a metal fastener that goes right around the light bulb socket and now allows a lampshade with the corresponding washer size to attach to this current lamp base! A frosted lightbulb is another option to use for a calmer light, and I will also look for a […]

  10/31/2022 8:52 am

  art, artists, ayurveda, home, interior design, love, my photography, night, peeko, reading, relaxation, self-care, uplifting, wellness

• Indoors, Mostly Forget the Sky for Now, Pt. 1

  October 29, 2022, 8 pm night For tonight, let’s be indoors…Close and roll down the blinds, open partway, the stars are lit just a little, lamplights for relaxation and silent reading. I raced you to the chair: I think I got there first, am very fast. I like how you have better jokes. 😉 last […]

  10/29/2022 7:36 pm

  free write, free writing, fun, home, letters, love, night, poetic, prose poetry, reading, sensual, spirituality, writing prompt

• 3 in One

  2. The bright autumn trees view in my living-room makes me feel that my graphite-pencil drawings must be on a pause for now, that the trees demand color. I will pick the pencils up again; I want to draw again sometime. I have a painting started on canvas, worked one day at The Gallery on […]

  10/15/2022 2:02 pm

  books, creative process, fun, georgette heyer, memoir, memoir stories, moon, music, night, peeko, poetic, pop music, reading

• Poetry Day

  

  I think I might have told you that I would be sure to write a new poem on Poetry Day, today, Thurs. Oct. 6. I didn’t. 🙂 I didn’t plan to, I’d realized after. (update: —But that night, one came on its own that I wanted to write: “Autumnal,” and I wrote it first by […]

  10/06/2022 6:15 pm

  bath, england, fairies, fun, library, massachusetts, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, novels, poetry, reading, self-care, teresa leo

• A Portrait of Peeko, Reading The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James as Much as I Want To

  

  “What would you like to say to your fans?” I said to Peeko, and snapped this photo.😊🐱^ * The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James is so funny. I’d found myself more irritable overall though when I was following strictly the schedule for the Goodreads group, Old Books, New Readers, and I thought I […]

  07/12/2022 7:27 pm

  19th century, art, creative process, english literature, literary salon we keep, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, novels, peeko, poets, reading, wellness, writing process

• “Friday Night Line of Wisdom”

  I am all out of wisdom I could tell you; I could almost lift off the floor in flight for that: let’s read books and comb our hair through and place coconut on our skin and calves, can apply a little to the eyelashes on a clear mascara brush too…Let’s paint, look through all of […]

  07/04/2022 10:39 am

  apostrophe, bath, beauty, books, boston, friendship, fruit, letters, literary salon we keep, love, meditative, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my poetry, poetic, poetry, prose poetry, reading, soulmates, tea, wellness

• Meeting My Nephew who Loves Stories and the Books I’ve Found to Read Myself

  July 2, 2022 8:32 pm (with my sister, my nephew Jordan, and their dog Isabella) I got to meet my nephew today! He’s 4 months old and has already read (heard) so many books! (I’d told him, ‘Me too.’) He goes to the library for story-time and already dances too, and sings sometimes. So he […]

  07/02/2022 8:32 pm

  books, christina rossetti, ed sheeran, fun, henry james, library, memoir, memoir stories, new york city, novels, poets, reading, rest, self portraits

• Stepping Into a Novel Set in 1000 AD Like I’m In It Already

  

  June 13, 2022 A beautifully unfolding novel I find myself at ease in the place and am amused to find myself sharing so many interests with the characters in this historical novel (set in Scotland about 1000 years earlier than our current time): Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser King. I share with the characters interests […]

  06/12/2022 6:45 pm

  21st century, angelic, art, australia, beauty, benevolence, books, catholic, classical, classical music, ed sheeran, england, english, english literature, fiction, full moon, garden, inspiration, inspiring, library, love, lovingkindness, medieval era, meditation, missouri, moon, morningtime, music, nature, novels, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, scotland, secrets, spirituality, susan fraser king, tea, uplifting, virtue, wellness

• An Intoxicating Book, A Bird Tries to Break into My Window, and More Recent Life Stories

  

  this flower was scented like strawberry and sugarcane 📰📻📚🌸 Intoxicated by A Book and Some Flowers I’d found a book recently called The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand, and I noticed before I read the book that it was scented so beautifully like the beach by the sea and a sweetly potent suntan fragrance…I breathed […]

  06/08/2022 7:08 am

  16th century, 21st century, beach, books, boston, edgar allen poe, edna st. vincent millay, england, english literature, fairies, fiction, fun, garden, greece, home, library, literary salon we keep, longing, love, medieval era, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, narrative, nature, night, novels, peeko, plays, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, rumi, sadness, scotland, sea, susan fraser king, tea, uplifting, william shakespeare, yoga

• Books and Art: Sifting Through for the Best of Rumi, Kahlil Gibran Scare, and My Creative Plan for the Day

  

  I do this too…(I liked finding this illustrated at The Boston Fine Arts Museum, my own photo of this artwork I saw there)…with my silver aluminum water canteen and poetry book, and a rock to sit on. Friday, May 27th, 2022 Sifting Through for the Best of Rumi I think I’d really confused and worked […]

  05/28/2022 7:24 am

  17th century, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century, abstract expressionism, arab renaissance, art, art museum, artists, azima melita kolin, beach, books, boston, bruce degen, childrens books, classics, creative process, egypt, english, english literature, french, garden, home, Kahlil gibran, lebanon, library, longing, love, may ziadeh, medieval era, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, music, my photography, narrative, nature, new york city, novels, ocean, philosophy, poems of may ziadeh, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, psychology, reading, rumi, sketch, soulmates, spirituality, tea, wellness, yoga

• It’s Monday and the Right Rumi Has Arrived

  

  May 23rd and continues a few days It’s Monday and the right Rumi has arrived. I’d sorted through editions, I found this pocket-like book containing that same 800 yrs ago poetry, but this time presented by various translators, the main editor’s aim to preserve Rumi’s original rhythm and conciseness. I could see that coming true […]

  05/23/2022 10:55 am

  arabic, beauty, book reflection, books, classics, england, english, english literature, fairies, farsi, gratitude, literary salon we keep, longing, love, love poetry, medieval era, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, peeko, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, reading, rumi, spirituality, translations, turkey, william shakespeare

• Shakespeare Gets a Bath

  

  (kind of) I have enjoyed the spa-like activity of lounging my legs and feet in the bathtub with warm water and soaps, not as a relaxation goal but it makes the skin softer and fragrant. In the meantime, I thought I’d bring Shakespeare’s play I got from the library, called Cymbeline, in to read with […]

  05/23/2022 10:29 am

  art, beauty, boston, classics, creative, english, english literature, gratitude, home, inspiring, interior design, library, medieval era, meditation, meditative, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, narrative, plays, poetic, reading, wellness, william shakespeare

• A Note Found and a Bookmark and A Great First Art Show

  

  I found this bookmark in a library book I’d taken out and read yesterday, a slim blue copy of literary insight with a little biography of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. From that book, these lines of a poem by Edna I’d not heard of spoke to me most poignantly: The stone the angel rolled […]

  05/17/2022 7:57 pm

  19th century, 20th century, 21st century, angels, art, art shows, artists, books, boston, catholic, charlotte bronte, classics, creative process, creative writing prompt, edna st. vincent millay, english, english literature, fairies, fiction, fruit, gratitude, home, inspiring, interior design, library, literary salon we keep, may ziadeh, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, narrative, nonfiction books, novels, peeko, poetic, poetry, poets, psychology, reading, spirituality, t.s. eliot, writing prompt

• A Flowing Poem, Picked from an Anthology: “Upon Julia’s Clothes” by Robert Herrick

  A poem to enjoy from the second anthology I’d been reading through, The Norton Book of Light Verse edited by Russell Baker. UPON JULIA’S CLOTHES Whereas in silks my Julia goes, Then, then, me thinks, how sweetly flows The liquefaction of her clothes! Next, when I cast mine eyes and see The brave vibration each […]

  05/14/2022 6:47 am

  17th century, anthologies, england, english, english literature, gratitude, library, meditate, meditative, morningtime, philosophy, poetry, poets, reading, Robert herrick

• From Love Sonnets of Proteus, poem by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt

  I am reading through poetry in a pair of anthologies I’d found at the library…here’s one, the first in the book. * From Love Sonnets of Proteus by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt I see you, Juliet, still, with your straw hat Loaded with vines, and with your dear pale face, On which those thirty years so […]

  05/13/2022 2:06 pm

  20th century, anthologies, creativity, english, english literature, garden, inspiring, library, mythology, nature, nonfiction books, philosophy, poetry, poetry books, poets, reading, sonnets, spirituality, traditional form, traditional forms

• A Serenade by Ameen Rihani

  

  May 1, 2022 a poem for waking up…anytime A Serenade by Ameen Rihani b. Nov. 24, 1876 from Myrtles and Myrrh (1905) The moon hath said her sad good-bye,     My sleeping queen; And all the stars are wondering why    Thou art unseen. Behold! abashed, they take to flight, As through the casement breaks thy light.     […]

  05/01/2022 7:10 am

  20th century, ameen rihani, arab renaissance, creative process, dreams, english literature, form poetry, garden, gratitude, italy, lebanon, meditation, meditative, moon, morningtime, my photography, nature, new york city, octet, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, reading, romantic era, sky, spirituality, traditional form, traditional forms, wellness

• A New Pansy Flower, Creative Days, and a Pair of Literary Salon Tuesdays

  

  April 27, 2022 This purple and yellow pansy flower on my balcony was born just today, and I kissed it gently this morning when I woke and saw it there…😘 and again this afternoon. Welcome to the world. 😊💕🍃 And this ‘Birds’ print chair made me smile when I saw it at the furniture store […]

  04/27/2022 7:15 pm

  20th century, 21st century, ameen rihani, art, books, boston, catholic, creative, creative process, edna st. vincent millay, egypt, english, english literature, garden, gratitude, Kahlil gibran, kate chopin, literary salon we keep, maine, may ziadeh, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, narrative, nature, nonfiction books, novels, peeko, poetic, poets, reading, spirituality, wellness, writing process

• “The Castle Tower”

  

  April 25, 2022 The Castle Tower a pantoum by Jade Nicole Beals You’ve said I am entwined with the numberless. The castle tower trades its lace for the sky. All night, the tower climbs in secret, spinning its uppermost lace into the finest clouds. Please place your hands upon mine. The castle tower trades its […]

  04/25/2022 7:36 pm

  21st century, boston, creative process, creativity, dreams, english literature, fantasy, form poetry, french, fruit, gratitude, haiga, literary salon we keep, literary theory, magic realism, malaysia, memoir stories, morning, morningtime, my photography, nature, pantoum, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poetry month, poets, reading, sky, sun, writing process, writing theory

• Many a Thing…(A Trip to the Antiques Shop)

  

  Tues. Apr. 12, 2022 photo from Tues., Apr. 5th—“Pants by Peeko 🐱,” a perfectly good hemming this time, Peeko helping on his own when I got the pants ready (just ‘loungewear’, shown in previous post.) He was proud of both the task and his own joke: sitting like this holding the pants in place and […]

  04/12/2022 7:28 pm

  19th century, 20th century, alarie tennille, ameen rihani, antique shop, antiques shop, art, art history, beach, book reflection, book review, books, boston, childhood, dance, dreams, egypt, england, english, english literature, free writing, fruit, fruits, garden, gratitude, herbs, home, interior design, j.r.r. tolkien, Kahlil gibran, kansas, lebanon, literary salon we keep, literary theory, longfellow, may ziadeh, meditate, memoir, memoir stories, missouri, morningtime, my mystical experiences, my photography, narrative, nature, new york city, novels, peeko, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, prose poetry, psychology, reading, tea, wellness, writing process, writing theory

• More Poems and Even More Poems, Bringing Out the Purple Wizards…with Jason Preu

  

  📰Fresh off my Goodreads Press, the poetry book whose title and cover had been hidden by the first book on my coffee table, for suspense, included with that first one generously as complimentary bonus book by author—revealed now that it’s read, my introductory thoughts about the book: More Poems about Purple Wizards and Neon-Bright Exceptionalisms […]

  04/04/2022 1:10 pm

  art, book reflection, book review, books, creative process, english literature, fantasy, handwritten, kansas, magic realism, philosophy, poetry books, poetry month, poets, reading, wellness, writing process

• Morning Tea in Honor of My Grandma on Her Birthday, New Flowers and Poetry

  

  *** Flowers found and brought home this weekend from local garden shop, purple pansies and white fragrant climbing blossoms scented with a little more honey than florally; I received care directions from the garden staff for this potted variety…I will find out the fragrant one’s name today, flowers in time for spring and my grandma’s […]

  04/04/2022 9:04 am

  20th century, 21st century, birthday, books, boston, brooklyn, catholic, english literature, food, garden, grandma jean, gratitude, italian, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, nature, new england, novels, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, sky, sun, tea

• Happy Poetry Month, Gothic Novel Read, Poetry Collection by Jason Preu

  

  two books by Jason Preu upon table, morningtime, captured within bright flashes of sun After I’d completed reading a new poetry book from author Jason Preu, one I’d picked to read first, The Avocado Among Other Fruits and wrote down my immediate impressions, I realized then it is April 1st and so begins Poetry Month! […]

  04/01/2022 12:49 pm

  18th century, 21st century, ann radcliffe, book reflection, book review, books, boston, english literature, fairies, france, fruit, gratitude, home, italy, kansas, literary theory, morningtime, music, my photography, nature, novels, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poetry month, poets, prose poetry, reading, sun, wallace stevens, William Carlos williams

• A Mid-Literary Salon Mystery and then the Cats Close This Post

  

  photo by me taken at the Fine Arts Museum, Boston. I liked this porcelain tea set out of the ceramic pottery. No, I cannot afford to buy it! At the Tuesday literary salon hosted at my home often we’ve enjoyed a segment of ”silent reading.” I’d imaginatively considered for fun if the salon host, May […]

  03/31/2022 8:08 am

  18th century, 20th century, 21st century, ann radcliffe, art museum, boston, edna st. vincent millay, egypt, english literature, fiction, french, gratitude, home, literary salon we keep, maine, may ziadeh, meditation, memoir, memoir stories, museum, my mystical experiences, my photography, narrative, novels, peeko, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, tea, wellness

• Mysteries and Spa Days

  

  Today is Spring Day Six! And Spa Days at Home continues…I’d combed my hair throughout the day on different occasions and with my fingers…and stood out on the balcony letting the daylight touch my skin. Looking out over the railing, I could see a gathering of water on the ground in the forest on the […]

  03/25/2022 10:46 pm

  18th century, art, books, boston, dance, english literature, france, handmade, italy, memoir, memoir stories, music, my photography, narrative, nature, novels, peeko, poetic, reading, sketch, wellness

• Spa Time at Home and a Couple of Phrases to Mend

  

  Feb. 11, ’22, needs improvement 🙂 March 22, ’22 I have taken out my newly-written ghazal poem (on my laptop) ‘tho I’d first thought it might still be too hot to my touch but it wasn’t and was ready to read. Reading it aloud I can see it is almost complete, but just one line […]

  03/22/2022 7:57 pm

  book reflection, books, boston, english literature, frances hodgson burnett, ghazal, home, inspiring, literary salon we keep, meditate, narrative, novels, poetic, poetic forms, poetry, poetry three, reading, self portraits, sky, wellness, writing process, yoga

• The Tea’s Ready

  

  The tea is ready (Sencha green) and the book is ready too: a reread of mine, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 🍃😊🌺🗝🍃☕️

  03/18/2022 7:44 am

  20th century, angels, books, boston, england, english literature, frances hodgson burnett, garden, gratitude, home, india, inspiring, interior design, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, nature, novels, poetic, reading, tea

• Peeko’s Photoshoot with Fiction Pick of Choice

  

  There’s nothing like the thrill of pulling a random book by unknown yet to you author off the library shelf one day…😊and this novel happens to take place “in the Mediterranean on an island off the coast of Italy” (country of my ancestry)…And it looks like Peeko approves it…He’s been really taking pride in his […]

  03/11/2022 6:31 pm

  books, english literature, italy, library, magic realism, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, novels, peeko, poetic, reading

• The Prairie Post: Willa Cather’s Set of Novels, O Pioneers!….

  

  I will be reading my poem tomorrow, Friday, March 11th at Indelible’s online Poetry Launch event that will take place at 10 AM EST. This scene, from my balcony in Massachusetts, of at first, very thickly-frosted pine trees all morning giving way to dripping and trickling onto the melting ground with such warm winter sun, […]

  03/10/2022 11:37 am

  20th century, book reflection, books, boston, colorado, dubai, english literature, fiction, garden, inspiring, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, narrative, nature, nebraska, novels, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poetry reading, prose poetry, reading, sky, sun, willa cather, writing process, writing theory

• Willa Cather’s Prairie Two— “May E” Writes A Long Lost Short Story

  I will share a Prairie post to come and one that leaves all suspense in the books and with just a glimpse in from my perspective, for your interest. I’ve read the first 2 from Willa Cather’s Prairie 3. As for her prose, it is wonderful, with long, very clear sentences and a style of […]

  03/05/2022 4:08 pm

  20th century, 21st century, books, colorado, england, english literature, fiction, may edginton, memoir, memoir stories, narrative, nature, nebraska, reading, short stories, short story books