Books | M. Suzanne Terry

Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

Friday Five – Favorite Stories from Childhood

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Friday Five, Shelfies on October 2, 2015| 4 Comments »

My Friday Five this week consists of five stories I have loved since childhood:

Mediopolito (The Half-Chicken) – There are two versions of this Spanish folk tale that I have heard. The dual-lingual book I own is the nicer version, where little Mediopolito helps the wind and the fire and the stream and thus does not end up scorched like a cinder in a soup pot. The version my family told (and it is telling that I can’t remember which family member liked to tell me this story – the love of a good warning tale runs rampant throughout our clan) is the sadder version, where Mediopolito is selfish and unhelpful and leaves his mama to continue to be selfish and unhelpful, and terrible things that give children with vivid imaginations nightmares happen to him.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis – The first time I read The Chronicles of Narnia, this was my favorite book in the series. At different times in my life, my favorite has changed, but this one is the one that I associate most with the wonder of childhood.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell – First given to me by my Aunt Gale in hopes that through reading (my favorite pastime of choice) about horses, I would become more interested in riding them (her favorite pastime of choice), I fell in love with the stories. I’m not sure it made me want to ride horses more (it DID make me want to race them, for I am competitive), but I enjoyed it.
The Crooked Banister from the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene – Speaking of one of the many things I wanted to be when I was a child, I loved Nancy Drew. I recently re-read this one, and oh, the nostalgia! I have read enough mystery stories since that I was expecting some sort of twist, but no. That’s not how Nancy mysteries roll.
Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson – Technically, these didn’t come out until I was in junior high, but I’m still counting it. The author visited the elementary school where my mom worked, and she got me a signed copy. It’s a super cute series, especially for new readers or for reading aloud.

What are some of your favorite stories from childhood?

I’m posting shelfies (and yes, I am counting the top of the table where my books are posed above as a shelf) and writing about them for 31 days.

Read Full Post »

31 Days of Shelfies

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Fun, Shelfies on October 1, 2015| 5 Comments »

My project this October is going to be 31 Days of Shelfies. A shelfie, as defined by MacMillan Dictionary, is “a picture which is taken, usually by a smartphone or a similar device of somebody with a bookshelf or bookshelves behind them,” or just a picture taken of bookshelves. I am going to take broader liberties and define shelfie as “any picture I take that has a shelf in it.”

Don’t worry – it’s not just going to be shelves. Not that there would be anything wrong with that.

The way I usually put together a blog post is to write the post and then find or take a picture to complement the post. This month, I am practicing the reverse. I am writing posts from photo prompts. Picture-taking (and the visual arts in general) don’t come naturally to me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t improve what tiny skills I have. This month, I am going to practice taking better pictures and noticing what makes each picture better. This month, my content will be at the mercy of my pictures.

These photos (and their subsequent posts…ideally) will fall into four basic categories:

A bookshelf + me. I thought of doing just 31 days of selfies, but I couldn’t get excited about it. I don’t really understand selfies. I mean, I support other people’s choice to take them for whatever reason they want to do so. But for myself, I’m usually left thinking, “Why?” Unless there’s something new that I’m doing with my hair or something I’m wearing, I look pretty much the same as I did the last time I took a picture. People know what I look like. They don’t need a daily selfie from me, and I don’t require it for myself. But myself plus a bookshelf? I can make that interesting.
A bookshelf by itself. Who knows where this will lead? I anticipate that I will be writing book reviews and telling stories about specific books that have meant something special to me.
Friday five – a stack of five different books each Friday that I have read or am reading and why I recommend them.
Non-book shelves. Because books – while wildly important – are not the only things in life. On the weekends, I will be showing other shelves to remind myself to take my nose out of the books every once in a while.

I hope you enjoy it!

Master list of posts:

Read Full Post »

What I’m Into – August 2015

Posted in Books, What I'm Into on September 1, 2015| 2 Comments »

Right now, I’m into anything that keeps me cool. I’m dreaming of boot weather and soup while wearing sandals and eating sherbet. I feel like I’m living multiple lives.

In face-to-face life, the sister has started physical therapy and is progressing. We may take tap lessons when she’s up and jumping again. School has started, and part-time staff is hired and trained (HALLELUJAH). I have finished slicing off the unnecessary parts of Feast, and now I’m writing new words again. I am teaming up with two other folk from my supper club to write/read/edit. It will be my first primarily in-person writing group (if you don’t count English classes in college, which I don’t).

In reading life, I’ve been working on the reading challenge (very slowly) and have become enamored with The Goldfinch. I have also read two friends’ books this month, and you should check them out – L.V. Smith’s Remember Us and Andi Cumbo-Floyd’s Writing Day In and Day Out.

In Instagram Life, I’ve been participating in Susannah Conway‘s August Break Challenge. Here are some of my favorite shots from the month:

In online reading life, here are some of my favorite pieces:

“This table is large enough for every one of us. There’s space for you and for me, there’s room for my quirkiness and space your solemnity. Even our messy, big, sometimes embarrassing emotions can’t rob this table of its nourishment. Jesus’ is never scared away by our truest selves.” There’s Room at this Table. Come – Osheta Moore

“But then I shook hands with the woman who tore hate from the sky, and I knew that I didn’t have a choice. I knew that I would have to take a stand.” Grit Calls Out to Grit – Abby Norman via SheLoves Magazine

“Governor Kasich thinks the problem with teachers is the teacher’s lounge. The problem with teachers is this: we are having to deal with laws that are being passed by people who have not one single clue as to what our job entails or how we do it.” What Teacher’s Lounge? Some Information for Governor Kasich by Abby Norman (who is on fire this month)

“I am an angry, black woman. What I am not is irrational, fickle or immoral because of my anger over oppression. I am an angry, black, Christian woman and proud of it. I am proud of all those who are angered over injustice and oppression. I am proud of all those who resist, protest, write, march, rap, organize, and advocate out of a deep belief that no one is worthy of oppression. May we be as angry as God at the powers and principalities that let injustice thrive.” God is Not Sad – Austin Channing

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – come tell us what you’re into!

Read Full Post »

Friday Five – The Residents Arrive

Posted in Books, Friday Five on August 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Fridays mean the biggest cup for my coffee and the sweetest jazz for my speakers)

Life this week:

This week was move-in week for the majority of our residents. By the end of the day on Monday, I had worked 18 hours already. I thought yesterday was Friday until about noon, and I almost cried when I realized it wasn’t. But today – today IS Friday. And it’s a beautiful Friday. The sun is out, but it’s still cool from our “cold front” (which in Texas in August means mid- to upper 80s), and I just had a honey bun. No regrets.
I met with church folks a lot this week. We had book club where we discussed Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson on Tuesday. Then I joined the choir on Wednesday, which is a bonus to not having class on Wednesday nights. And Thursday was out outreach committee meeting. It’s been one of those weeks where everything happened.
Rest in peace, Julian Bond. Thank you for your legacy.
Oh, Hilary. That second video. My, how uneasy this makes me feel. This is going to be a really intense campaign for everyone.
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PIECE. I love optimistic late night. I like the satire as well, but authenticity charms me like nothing else.

How has your week been?

Read Full Post »

Summer Reading Challenge – The Master List

Posted in Books on August 11, 2015| 2 Comments »

I am participating in Hood County Library’s Summer Reading Challenge, and I know that if I don’t make a plan, saying, “I’m participating,” is about as far as it will go. Even with a plan, this is a lot of books, some sections have two titles (because I couldn’t choose one), and it doesn’t include a couple of friends’ books I’m looking over this month, so odds are slim. I may have to extend it beyond September 28. But here’s the master list. You will know I’ve finished a book because there will be a hyperlink to it either directing you to my review (where there will be links to buy) or to a link to buy it somewhere.

Anyone want to join me? This is going to be fun.

Checked out from the library – More than half this list, actually. But for the purposes of the challenge, two Thursday Next books that are due soon –

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

From the FOL Bookstore – Not specifically from Hood’s Friends of the Library store but from Fort Worth’s. That’s close enough.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant by Jenni Ferrari-Adler

Set in Texas –

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

#WeNeedDiverseBooks – From what I can gather, this looks like a challenge for children’s books, but I’m gonna go ahead and read some for the grown ups.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Translated from another language –

Venerin Volos (Maidenhair) by Mikhail Shishkin

Collection of short stories –

Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver

Out of your comfort zone – Jesus, be a cocktail…

A Queer Thing Happened to America by Michael L. Brown

Set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit – Argentina ❤

Long After Midnight at the Niño Bien by Brian Winter

You own but never have read –

Inés of my Soul by Isabel Allende

Award winner –

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Banned or challenged book –

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Local Author –

Surrendering Oz by Bonnie Friedman

Recommended a book to a friend – This is supposed to be the freebie square on the bingo card, but I’m going to take the opportunity to finish two books that I’ve started, loved, recommended to others…and then never quite finished myself.

Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey

Quiet by Susan Cain

Author under 30 – at least, at the time of publication (she turns 30 this September)

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht

Turned into a movie – One I’ve been dragging my feet about…

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Graphic novel –

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

Collection of poetry –

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Night Cycles by Beth Morey

Young adult book –

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Memoir –

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

Published the year you were born –

Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow

Re-read –

Why Girls are Weird by Pamela Ribon

Recommended by a friend –

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Your choice of nonfiction –

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

From your childhood – Nancy Drew ❤

The Crooked Bannister by Carolyn Keene

You finish reading in a day –

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

Read Full Post »

What I’m Into – July 2015

Posted in Books, Music, TV, What I'm Into on August 3, 2015| 4 Comments »

This is going to be short and sweet. I’m not that into July. Because OMG hot. I’m into July being over.

Y’all. Y’ALL. You know how much I love Nina Simone.

Well. WELL:

Here, there was originally a great video of Lauryn Hill singing Feelin’ Good on the Tonight Show, but it has been taken down. If you haven’t seen it, you’re going to want to Google it. If you have seen it, you know you’re going to want to Google it again.

God bless Lauryn Hill. I need that album. NEED.

(I will make real sentences soon.)

To watch (other than that video, of course):

My sister and I have been watching White Collar. I just love this show. My heart cannot accept that it was canceled.

I blame the charm of Neal Caffrey for my sudden need to watch old Robert Redford/Paul Newman movies (think The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) this month.

To read:

My favorite thing I’ve read this month is Tiny, Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. If I were to be an advice columnist, this is exactly the advice I would give. I have never agreed so fully and adamantly with pretty much everything someone said in a book as I did with this one.

To do:

It’s been a busy month, but I’ve been into the usual things – book clubs, supper club, random outings with friends. I did make time to enjoy this glorious thing:

It’s a cold brew from Harvest House with a little vanilla bourbon tucked inside. HAPPY.

And that’s pretty much been the month.

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – join us and tell us what you’re into!

Read Full Post »

Summer Adult Reading Challenge

Posted in Books on July 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »

As a child, I always participated in library reading challenges during the summer. Imagine my nostalgic glee when a member of my book club posted this gem on from the Hood County Library’s Facebook page.

!!!

I’m going to do it. I mean, I probably won’t hand it in or anything, as I don’t live there, and I think local events should belong to the locals. But I’m going to do it.

Book number one? Long After Midnight at the Nino Bien by Brian Winter. This will satisfy the “set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit” category, as it’s about learning tango in Argentina.

I’ll keep you posted about my progress (or the derailing thereof). Also, you know you want to join me. Do it!

Read Full Post »

Vegan Ice Cream – A Review

Posted in Books, Vegan on July 17, 2015| 2 Comments »

Since I have become intolerant of the lactose, one of the things that I miss most is ice cream. Non-dairy ice cream is so expensive. What I used to spend on a gallon, I now spend on a pint.

No more. Enter Vegan Ice Cream: Over 90 Sinfully Delicious Dairy-Free Delights by Jeff Rogers.

On some level, I feel like I should have been able to figure out these things on my own. The general premise for all the recipes is the same: non-dairy milk + whatever you want to flavor it + a sweetener of some sort, chilled and then churned/frozen in an ice cream maker. In fact, once you figure that out, the recipes seem a little repetitive, but that’s the only criticism I really have, and I think it’s a minor one.

The introductory material was fantastic. He introduced all the ingredients he would be using and gave substitution options for those with taste preferences or allergies. He also gave a straightforward account of how to make coconut milk from both fresh and dried coconut (that was my favorite tip, because I don’t have time to mess with a real coconut).

The recipes are so easy. This is an especially excellent book for beginner ice-cream-makers (the people, not the machines), because it will teach them to learn proportions and how to recognize when the mixture is the right texture for each step of the process.

Now let’s get down to business. I made some of the recipes just like it says to make them, but I also played around with it. My favorite thing that the book did was build my confidence to experiment with the recipes. I also enjoy that, of all the recipes I tried, there wasn’t a dud. They’re all delicious, and you need them in your life.

You’ll have to get the book to get his recipes, but I’ll tell you some things I did. I tried the following recipes his way, but I also did a tweaked version. My four favorite recipes in this book:

1. Espresso (of course) – I made it with hazelnut milk. RECOMMENDED. It was like eating a hazelnut latte.

2. Pumpkin – I don’t really like the taste of cashews. I get why they’re featured in a lot of the recipes, though. Because of their unique texture, they’re the simplest to use to achieve the consistency ice cream needs. The simplicity doesn’t solve my taste issue, though. Except with the pumpkin. When I added the pumpkin and the pie spices, I couldn’t even taste the cashew. It was delicious. And the texture was indeed perfect.

3. Peach – Armed with peaches recently plucked from Mom and Dad’s trees, I used almond milk and Grade B maple syrup. It tasted like peach cobbler. Bliss.

4. Peppermint – Peppermint ice cream is my most favorite ice cream ever. It’s a marvel – it’s crisp and creamy at the same time. Because I believe that you just can’t mess it up, I went full-on rogue with this one. Coconut milk (homemade really is best, but use the full-fat version in the can if you must), pulverized candy canes, and one squeeze of agave nectar (a little dab will do). It was so good I am tearing up just at the memory. I froze it in popsicle molds. Happiness on a stick.

Basically, if you want the joy of ice cream without the dairy, you need this book.

FTC Disclaimer – I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Read Full Post »

Life-Changing Magic

Posted in Books, Getting It Together on July 9, 2015| 4 Comments »

I recently devoured Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.

I have a dilemma.

I found the book useful. The method described – as the subtitle promises – makes decluttering and organizing feel like art. As a result, although I am merely one week into the process, my apartment is already reaping the benefits. My closet and my files (which previously looked like a rabid badger had a fit and then nested in them) are the neatest they’ve ever been. I did that! AND I WAS HAPPY TO DO IT! I am my mother’s daughter after all!

Incredible.

However, I don’t know whom to recommend it to, for parts of it are strange. In this culture, at least. For all I know, talking to your belongings is a perfectly sensible thing to do in other parts of the world.

Fortunately, strange is not a deterrent for me. I have a pretty large inner world, and there are some weird things in it. So really – what’s one more? Especially when the one more is one that is so helpful! I already say, “Hi, house,” when I come home and “Bye, house,” when I leave, so it’s not too much of a stretch to say, “Thank you,” to all the bags (23 and counting – and yes, you read that right. Twenty. Three. God bless Marie Kondo and her nutty ways.) that I am getting rid of.

Books are next, which is problematic, because the book section is offensive. Do I ask you to get rid of your children, Marie Kondo? This will be my greatest challenge yet. I mean, I already get rid of books when I read them and discover that they don’t really belong in my house; I feel that all books should get to be with people who love them. So maybe that’s why this section seemed like overkill to me. I already only keep the books that give me joy. They get to stay.

Kondo says that it’s not unusual for this process to take six months to a year, so I’m going to relax about not being done yet (it turns out I have a lot of crap).

I didn’t know my closet could give me joy. Discovering that is itself worth the price of the book.

Read Full Post »

What I’m Into – June 2015

Posted in Books, Church, Dance, Food, Fun, What I'm Into on July 2, 2015| 4 Comments »

Every year, June tries to make me love summer. It doesn’t succeed, but it’s persistent in its effort. This summer it almost had me.

I mean – just look at it –

June, you gorgeous thing.

Of course, now the temperatures are climbing, and I’m in a constant state of being a snack for bugs, so any potential goodwill I had toward summer is now out the window. But June tried. Oh, it tried!

I started the month off at my parents’ farm. I originally planned the trip to help with their planters, but they had already finished the ones they are going to put out this year by the time I got there. So I helped them watch TV and eat a lot of food. I am very helpful in both those regards. It was such a relaxing week.

I saw two movies in the theater this month. Of course, I had to go see Pitch Perfect 2. It was pretty funny. Before I went to see it, my friend Kim said, “I just want to say two words – We Belong. Best part.” It really was. I laughed and laughed. I also went to see Spy. It was hilarious, but that’s not even the thing I liked most about it. When I read that Melissa McCarthy was cast as an agent, I expected the movie to make her out to be this bumbling, lovable character who succeeds despite her incompetence. But no. She kicked ass. They specifically cast someone who doesn’t fit the physical stereotype of the role and then make her awesome at it. Also, Jason Statham is adorable and funny. Favorite thing I’ve seen in a theater in a long time.

It has been a roller coaster of a news month. Between the police incident in McKinney and the shooting in Charleston and all consenting adults actually being able to marry the consenting adult of their choice in all 50 states and black churches burning…whew. I really have to get a computer at home again, because my poor little phone just can’t keep up. I’m going to write more about this tomorrow, but this month, I’m really into my church. The way they have brought these stories to the foreground of our discussions and have not shied away from the parts that make us uneasy and constantly ask what work we have to do – I just love it there.

Another wonderful thing that happened this month is a little cherub named Savvy turned three:

She started out pretty subdued at her party, but before long, she was a little burst of joy:

I just love that giggle.

I read so much this month. Most of the things I read has some sort of justice theme running through them, which seems fitting. My favorite novels were Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (AMAZING end to this trilogy) and Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris. I also bathed in the poetry of Nayyirah Waheed – Salt was my favorite collection.

My dad and I bond over The Chew, so I took a couple of Carla Hall’s cookbooks with me when I visited. I liked Cooking with Love, but I liked Carla’s Comfort Foods better. I blame her for my newfound obsession with tarragon (particularly in a lemon cream sauce). And if I ever meet her, I’m going to thank her for teaching me what no one else in my life has before – how to get perfect rice by baking it. Did any of you know how to do this and just not tell me? It’s so simple, and it makes so much sense (basically, bring water and rice to a boil and then cover it and put it in a 350-degree oven to steam). How have I lived this long and not known this?!

You can see more of what I’ve read this month (and this year, for that matter) at my Goodreads page.

My favorite thing about this June is that it has been infused with dance.

I read Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit, and seventeen pages of notes later, all these stories of dance have kicked my writing life back into gear. I am going to be processing it for a long time.

As always, I am loving So You Think You Can Dance. I haven’t made it through all the auditions yet, because I keep rewatching the ones I like. I get so excited for them when they get that ticket to Vegas!

And I don’t know if you heard me squealing with delight all the way from where you are, but Misty Copeland, one of my favorite dancers of all time, became the first black female principal dancer of the American Ballet Theater.