Friday, September 29, 2017

October Reading Challenge: Thin Mints

Once again, October is rolling around, and I'm behind on my Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge. So I thought I'd bring back the "Skinny Books Reading Challenge". I pulled together a nice stash of books that will help put a dent in my "completed" pile. Some were from the library, some I bought, some were sitting dusty on my shelf, and some were recommended by my children. I'll take *almost* anything; variety is the spice of life.



Last October I read 4.75", so this year I decided to bump it up to a solid 5". My reading pile consists of childrens books, classics, humor, writing wisdom, middle grade, and inspirational.

The Thinner The Better

Here's the breakdown:
3.) Tex by S.E. Hinton* - Young Adult Classic
5.) Yiddish Wisdom Compiled by Chronicle Books - Humor and Inspiration
8.) Itty Bitty Animals by Joan Emerson* - Early Reader
9.) Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt* - Middle Grade Classic
12.) Super Structure by James Scott Bell* - Writing Wisdom

* A recommended read!

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"Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be." ~ Unknown

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

From Bulgaria with Love: Etsy Shop Open!

A Bulgarian Summer

I spent a wonderful summer abroad with immediate and extended family. We were in Aachen for a week, Paris for a week, and Bulgaria for six. We stayed in Sofia, Bansko, Plovdiv, Sinemorits, Tryavna, and Lovech. There was plenty of inspiration but no quiet time for writing. Instead, I did a little reading and a lot of blackout-poeming.

Home Again - Lake Washington!

42 New Illustrated Blackout Poems!

I came home with forty new blackout poems, leaving two behind in Sofia, Bulgaria. One I gave to our new friend, Stefan, and another I left with my mother-in-law, who likes cats.

Mountain Roads
Listen to my name on those mountain roads.
If I need to go somewhere, I drive.

Respect
Before you enlighten me about respect,
Flick the TV back on.

I uploaded several to my Etsy shop, ESPIALdesign, which is now open for business. 50% of the proceeds will go to a charity near and dear to me, the American Heart Association. Buy a blackout poem and support a good cause!