I Am Not a Musophobist

How's that for a word? I will save you the trouble of consulting your dictionary and tell you it means I am not a person who dislikes or mistrusts poetry. Au contraire!

Admittedly it is not my go to area of reading but I have come to appreciate it more in  recent years. Back in 2013 my beloved dog, Ivy passed away. Here she is:

Not long afterwards I came across a book of poems called Dog Songs, The writer was someone I'd never heard of before called Mary Oliver. Little did I know I was about to read the works of a Pulitzer Prize winning poet! Dog Songs is a love letter to our four-legged friends and speaks to the special relationship we have with them. I used the book as a grief journal, sometimes simply penciling in "Yes!" at something Ms. Oliver wrote. Other times I wrote more. It was very cathartic for me.

(Sorry if this is illegible - it's a personal indulgence to put it here in order for me to remember that I did this on that day when my memory is totally shot.)

I have gone on to read more of Mary Oliver's poetry.

I will end with a quote from Mary Oliver's Dog Songs. 

"What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this be like without dogs?"

Isn't reading a wonderful thing?
Penny

The Hangover

Yes, I recently suffered a book hangover. The funny thing is I feel like the book consumed me and not the other way around! A really delicious novel like this one inclines the reader to chew on the plot, savor the words and enjoy the characters as if they were delectable morsels.

The book at fault was A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara. Although a little dark and depressing at times, and deals with some distasteful subject matter, it nonetheless swept me up into the lives of the characters, particularly Jude and Willem. I won't give anything away but I have to say I found the ending oddly satisfying. I don't know if others would agree? A true book hangover enveloped me and it was a couple of days before I could pick up another novel to read. Even then I had to make sure it was a lot lighter than A Little Life!

This book gave me a lot to think about. It is indeed a bonus if a work of fiction can teach you something. Before reading A Little Life I knew absolutely nothing about the  practice of 'cutting'. I'm not sure one's life is enhanced with this knowledge but I have to admit that I found it fascinating and in the context of the novel somewhat understandable.

Another thing I experienced from reading Yanagihara's novel was an insight that struck me personally. The character Harold tells us, "You have never known fear until you have a child" and goes on to say that every day after you become a parent you live with fear for them, the biggest one of course being death. When that horrible event occurs "you feel everything you'd expect to feel" and then something else happens.

Having dealt with the death of a son, an only child, I sat up and took notice of what Harold says next. My husband and I have often wondered how we have survived and why we continue to find some moments of happiness in life despite our terrible loss. While I know there is more than one reason that accounts for this, the author's words for what happens to a parent, upon the death of a child, rang very true for me:

     "But here's what no one says - when it's your child, a part of you, a very tiny but nonetheless                unignorable part of you, also feels relief. Because finally, the moment you have been expecting,

     been dreading, been preparing yourself for since the day you became a parent, has come.

     Ah, you tell yourself, it's arrived. Here it is.

    And after that you have nothing to fear again."

Penny

A Two Star Read

Hello readers,whoever you are,

Here I am back after a month long holiday hiatus! And grumbling again to boot!

I wrote previously about my stingy star ratings when it comes to appraising books. I feel somewhat guilty about giving a book only two stars. Perhaps I'm afraid the author may get wind of it and wonder what they did to displease me. Dream on Penny! I think not!

I recently read an e-book that doesn't appear to be available in print. That possibly accounts for the fact that though it was spell-checked, it was never properly edited. The title is Domestic Departures - A Mid-Life Crisis Safari, written by Dana Atkinson.

I do wish I hadn't read about the lack of editing before I tackled the book. I think I noticed each and every grammatical error and I am hardly an expert in that field! Sorry to say but this accounts for my low rating.

I suppose this makes you want to run to your device of choice and download this book without further ado? I thought not! But if you can get over the grammatical shortcomings it is actually a pretty interesting read on a subject near and dear to me - African safari. It is also a personal journey for the author seeking some clarity in her life and I do think she ultimately finds that.

I believe that it is not possible to visit Africa and not have your life changed in some meaningful way. Sure the wildlife viewing and natural beauty are unforgettable but interacting with the African people is also inspiring. I have travelled a little in my life and no location has ever touched my heart and soul as much as the African continent. I suspect there may be more blogs in the future that touch on my love of all things Africa!

Penny

Bogani Camp, Kenya, October 2014