Readerbuzz

Cultivating My Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

From Candide by Voltaire:

“As Candide went back to his farm, he reflected deeply on the Turk's remarks. He said to Pangloss and Martin: "That good old man seems to me to have made himself a life far preferable to that of the six Kings with whom we had the honor of having supper."

"Great eminence," said Pangloss, "is very dangerous, according to the report of all philosophers. For after all, Eglon, King of the Moabites, was assassinated by Ehud; Absolom was hanged by his hair and pierced with three darts; King Naab son of Jeroboam was killed by Baasha..."

"I also know," said Candide, "that we must cultivate our garden."

"You are right," said Pangloss, "for when man was put in the Garden of Eden, he was put there ut operaretur eum, to work; which proves that man was not born to rest."

"Let us work without reasoning," said Martin, "it is the only way to make life endurable."

All the little society entered into this laudable plan; each one began to exercise his talents. The little piece of land produced much. True, Cunégonde was very ugly; but she became an excellent pastry cook; Paquette embroidered; the old woman took care of the linen. No one, not even Friar Giroflée, failed to perform some service; he was a very good carpenter, and even became an honorable man; and Pangloss sometimes said to Candide: "All events are linked together in the best of all possible worlds. for after all, if you had not been expelled from a fine castle with great kicks in the backside for love of Mademoiselle Cunégonde, if you had not been subjected to the Inquisition, if you had not traveled about America on foot, if you had not given the Baron a great blow with your sword, if you had not lost all your sheep from the good country of Eldorado, you would not be here eating candied citrons and pistachios."

"That is well said," replied Candide, "but we must cultivate our garden.”

Cultivating our garden

Books That Have Helped Me Cultivate My Garden

Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim (Adult Fiction)

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Children's Fiction)

Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy (Nonfiction)

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.

The Sunday Salon: Reading Nonfiction

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 09 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

We are glad that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Welcome!

What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a spot to link up and share what we have been doing during the week, and it's a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

We went to Dallas last week and spent time with our granddaughter, Bailey, and our great-granddaughter, Lucy. We went to the Perot Museum and did yoga and ate ice cream and went to the park. Happy days!

What I Read Last Week:

Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance by Richard Powers (Fiction)

What I'm Reading Now:

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Macfarlane (Nonfiction)

What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds

by Jennifer Ackerman (Nonfiction)

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts (Nonfiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: A Nature-Filled Week: City Nature Challenge and Migration Celebration, What the Owl Knows and The Book of Birds

Authors I Wish Were Still Writing Today

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Harvest from our garden

Good Thing #2:

Glass art I brought to Bailey as a housewarming gift

Good Thing #3:

We enjoy dinosaurs at the museum with Lucy.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Fri, 08 May 2026 01:53:00 +0000

Today's Featured Book:

The Ride of Her Life:

The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last Chance Journey Across America

by Elizabeth Letts

Genre: Nonfiction

Published: June 1, 2021

Page Count: 337 pages

Summary:

In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn’t even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness.

Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, the three travelers pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities—from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers—a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television’s influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world.

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

In November 1954, Annie took her dog and got on a horse and started riding. Destination: California. From a modern perspective, her journey seems almost bewildering—imagine trying to navigate without the benefit of GPS, to travel with no cellphone, no credit or debit card, not even a bank account to draw from. In fact, when she first set off, Annie didn’t even have the kinds of tools that were available in 1954: road maps, a flashlight and batteries, a waterproof raincoat. Annie headed south, a Quixote in the company of her Rocinante, a run-down ex-racehorse, and her Sancho Panza, a little mutt. Society has called these people by different names: vagabonds and drifters, pilgrims, hoboes, and hippies. She called herself a tramp.

Letts, Elizabeth. The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America, p. 1. Kindle Edition.

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky.

Annie fed Tarzan and fastened two blankets over him to keep him warm. Depeche Toi was so tired that he settled his nose on his paws and fell asleep. She had to wake him up to feed him. After they’d all eaten, she stretched her bedroll out and lay down under the stars, and fell sound asleep.

Sometime later, she was awakened by the low sound of Depeche Toi’s growl.

“Keeping holding that dog,” a man’s voice called out. “We’re officers of the law.”

Annie held tight to Depeche Toi, who didn’t stop growling. “We have the owner’s permission to be here,” she called out, her voice unsteady.

Letts, Elizabeth. The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America (p. 56). Kindle Edition.

The Ride of Her Life is our book club selection for May.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

If you designed a cover for a beloved book, how would it look, and how would it reflect the story? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I'm working on the cover for my own book, the story of the summer I spent at Yellowstone Park in 1975. It will have elements of that summer---hiking, playing guitar, a bear, the natural wonders of Yellowstone, and the last remnants of the hippie days of the 60s and early 70s.

Authors I Wish Were Still Writing Today

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

I keep a list of my favorite books on Goodreads. The list currently has 247 books on it. Happily, many of my most beloved writers are still alive and writing including Clint Smith, Maira Kalman, Bill Bryson, Erik Larson, Anne Lamott, George Saunders, and Elizabeth Strout. But there are also some of the writers whose books I have loved most will write no more books. Those are:

Émile Zola

Sid Fleischman

Terry Pratchett

Italo Calvino

Hermann Hesse

Franz Kafka

Truman Capote

George Orwell

Alexandre Dumas

John Steinbeck

Charles Dickens

Edith Wharton

Leo Tolstoy

Carol Shields

The Sunday Salon: A Nature-Filled Week: City Nature Challenge and Migration Celebration, What the Owl Knows and The Book of Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 02 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome, everyone! We are glad you joined us at the Sunday Salon.

What is the Sunday Salon?

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

I spent two days chatting with visitors as I ferried them in a golf cart from the parking area to the wildlife refuge for the Migration Celebration. We had over nine hundred visitors at the event where kids and adults enjoyed hearing speakers on nature; seeing a raptor show; taking a swamp buggy tour; feeding butterflies in a butterfly tent; examining pond water through a microscope; holding snakes, turtles, and alligators; climbing a rock wall; and sifting through sand for nature treasures.

I went with friends to hear Yann Martel speak about his latest book in Houston.

I chased butterflies and birds and other living things (mostly plants, but that does not sound like something you have to chase, does it?) for the City Nature Challenge. I managed to photograph 141 species over four days.

Now we are headed to Dallas to visit with our granddaughter, Bailey, and her daughter, Lucy, for a few days.

What I Read Last Week:

The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History by Sam Kean (Nonfiction)

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (Fiction)

What I'm Reading Now:

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Macfarlane (Nonfiction)

Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance by Richard Powers (Fiction)

What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds

by Jennifer Ackerman (Nonfiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: Migration Celebration at the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

The Biography of Things

What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

A new-to-me species

I found during the City Nature Challenge:

Turk's-cap White Skipper

Good Thing #2:

A new-to-me species

I found during the City Nature Challenge:

Wild Indigo Duskywing

My photos: First place (blue) and honorable mention (green) for Invertibrates of Texas.

My photo: Honorable mention (first green ribbon in second row), Birds of Texas

Good Thing #3:

Some of you asked to see my nature photos

from the Migration Celebration Photo Contest.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Fri, 01 May 2026 01:23:21 +0000

Today's Featured Book:

What an Owl Knows:

The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds

by Jennifer Ackerman

Genre: Nonfiction

Published: June 13, 2023

Page Count: 351 pages

Summary:

With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls? Some two hundred sixty species of owls exist today, and they reside on every continent except Antarctica, but they are far more difficult to find and study than other birds because they are cryptic, camouflaged, and mostly active at night. Though human fascination with owls goes back centuries, scientists have only recently begun to understand the complex nature of these extraordinary birds.

In What an Owl Knows, Jennifer Ackerman joins scientists in the field and explores how researchers are using modern technology and tools to learn how owls communicate, hunt, court, mate, raise their young, and move about from season to season. Ackerman brings this research alive with her own personal field observations; the result is an awe-inspiring exploration of owls across the globe and through human history, and a spellbinding account of the world’s most enigmatic group of birds.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

Owls are probably the most distinctive order of birds in the world, with their upright bodies, big round heads, and enormous front-facing eyes—hard to mistake for any other creature. Even a young child has little trouble identifying them. The same is true for a range of species, including other birds—chickadees and titmice, ravens and crows—which can spot the shape of an owl instantly and single it out as an enemy. But beyond the basics of that telltale form, what makes an owl an owl? And how did these extraordinary birds get to be the way they are?

Ackerman, Jennifer. What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds, p. 1. Kindle Edition.

Once scientists manage to find their owls, capturing them for study can be a magician’s trick. Owls are wary, and researchers often have to be highly inventive.

Ackerman, Jennifer. What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds, p. 56. Kindle Edition.

L to R: Burrowing Owl in Galveston; Eastern Screech Owls: Adult in my friend's nesting box; babies in the same box.

We are listening to this audiobook as we travel this week and next week. I've only seen an owl in the wild a couple of times in my life, and I am eager to learn more about these fascinating birds.

Is there a book you've been meaning to read forever but haven’t gotten to yet? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I keep a list of books I want to read before I die (there are 627 books on the list to date). Some of the books I've been meaning to read the longest are probably: Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez; The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham; Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance by Richard Powers (I'm reading this right now); Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes by Robert Louis Stevenson; and Lost Horizon by James Hilton.

The Biography of Things

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

MaryZee was a longtime member of BookCrossing who passed away in 2012. She loved to share her books with others through themed bookboxes, and one of her favorites was the Biography of Things Bookbox.

Here's MaryZee's definition of what she what she wanted to see in the bookbox: "This box is all nonfiction, and more specifically biographies of things. Many books will be classified as science, and some will be history. If the book does not qualify as science or history it may not be right for this box. (If in doubt, don't hesitate to check with me.) No reference books, please."

Even after her death, her books and boxes continue to circulate among BookCrossers. GoryDetails sent out the latest iteration of the box in April. He writes, "So, what are biographies of things? Non-fiction books dealing with the history, science, and/or cultural aspects of a single (non-human) topic or a group of related topics. We're not looking for reference books here - no "catalog of saw-blades," for example - though a book about the history and culture of saw blades would definitely count. [Is there one? I want it!] These are sometimes called "micro-histories" for their (relatively) narrow focus."

I see a biography of things book as one that takes on a topic that initially I would have said that I had little interest in reading about. Oranges by John McPhee is a classic example, and it might have been one of the first biographies of things when it was published in 2011. A biography of things should also be written like a novel, not like a textbook.

The Biography of Things Bookbox arrived at my house last week, and that inspired me to write this post.

So what have been some of my favorite Biographies of Things?

Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond.

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean

Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases by Lydia Kang.

Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori.

American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee.

A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca: The Extraordinary Tale of a Shipwrecked Spaniard Who Walked Across America in the Sixteenth Century by Andrés Reséndez.

Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy by Stephen Carter.

Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green.

Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat.

The Common Good by Robert Reich.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson.

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel.

The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea by Jack Emerson Davis.

Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore.

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson.

Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis.

And here are some I want to read:

Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky

Butter: A Rich History by Elaine Khosrova

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel.

Have you read any biographies of things?

The Sunday Salon: Migration Celebration at the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome! I am very happy that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon.

What is the Sunday Salon?

The Sunday Salon is a spot to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to stop in at other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

What I Read Last Week:

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (Novel)

The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler

by Cameron Hewitt (Travel)

Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis (Science Fiction)

Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limón

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Fantasy)

The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life by Arthur C. Brooks (Happiness)

The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly (Memoir)

What I'm Reading Now:

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Macfarlane (Nonfiction)

The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History by Sam Kean (Nonfiction)

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (Fiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: Little Women, Project Hail Mary, Shades of Gray, Spring Fling, Emily Dickinson, and Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon: April 18-19, 2026

April Showers: Eleven Books That Made Me Cry

The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History by Sam Kean: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I'll be at the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

all weekend with Migration Celebration,

a huge outdoor activity event.

In years past, I've done face painting

and I've worked in the butterfly tent.

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

I read for 16 out of the 24 hours at

the readathon last weekend.

I finished a total of 9 books.

Good Thing #2:

My husband and I learned about pollinators and

plants at UTMB's OLLI's Gardening Symposium last week.

Good Thing #3:

I won three ribbons for my nature photographs

at Migration Celebration.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

The Museum of Lost Things: True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History by Sam Kean: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Today's Featured Book:

The Museum of Lost Things:

True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and

Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History

by Sam Kean

Genre: Nonfiction

Published: September 15, 2026

Page Count: 400 pages

Summary:

Discover the astonishing story of the world’s greatest lost treasures in this enthralling narrative by a writer with "the anecdotal flourishes of Oliver Sacks and the populist accessibility of Malcolm Gladwell." (Entertainment Weekly)

Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in these pages include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have bedeviled seekers for centuries.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

After amassing one of the largest empires in history, Alexander the Great died unexpectedly at age 32 in Babylon in 323 BC. His retinue reported embalmed him with honey and spices and placed him in a golden sarcophagus draped with gaudy purple tapestries. But rather than let him rest in peace, his successors turned his body into a pawn in a power struggle so complex that George R. R. Martin himself would have been baffled.

Whatever his (many) failings, the amateur Schliemann had taken on thousands of better-heeled, better-read, and frankly smarter scholars---scholars who thought him a boorish ass and lying scoundrel---and proved every single one of them wrong. He never tired in pointing this out. It was the best story he ever told, and it was completely true.

A friend recommended The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements (my review is here) in 2021. I discovered Sam Kean is one of those marvelous writers who can explain complex ideas in a way that makes them easily understood by regular people. So when I asked a publisher's representative at the Texas Library Association Conference about new nonfiction, and she pulled this advanced reader copy out and gave it to me, I was delighted. And it's a captivating read.

Imagine creating a book-themed board game—what kind of gameplay would it have? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I would love to play Book-opoly or The Little Bookshop or any other bookish game that might be out there. I'd like to play some of the bookish games that have already been created before I try to make my own.

April Showers: Eleven Books That Made Me Cry

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Note: I like books that make me cry. All of these are books I highly recommend.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

The Sunday Salon: Little Women, Project Hail Mary, Shades of Gray, Spring Fling, Emily Dickinson, and Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

I am happy that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Welcome!

What is the Sunday Salon?

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

I saw a play, Little Women, at the college in my town. We heard our nephew play guitar and sing with his group, Shades of Gray. I went to see the movie, Project Hail Mary, with friends. A group of us enjoyed lunch together. I volunteered at Spring Fling, assisting visitors who came to see birds flying in for spring migration at the bird sanctuary at Quintana Beach. I went to my class on Emily Dickinson in Galveston. I went to Barre class and I went to swim class. I'm doing Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon this weekend. And I read five books and wrote five blog posts. Busy week!

What I Read Last Week:

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei (Memoir)

Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie (Nonfiction)

The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh (Fiction)

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (Fantasy)

Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis (Science Fiction)

What I'm Reading Now:

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (Novel)

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Macfarlane (Nonfiction)

The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler by Cameron Hewitt (Travel)

The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life by Arthur C. Brooks (Happiness)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: Spring Fling at Quintana Beach with Warblers and Tanagers and Orioles

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon: April 18-19, 2026

Book Titles That Describe My Life

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan

Hannah Coulter: A Novel by Wendell Berry: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Project Hail Mary was so much fun.

I wasn't expecting that.

Good Thing #2:

The play at our town's college,

Little Women, was

a musical.

Good Thing #3:

It was delightful to hear my nephew (blue shirt)

play and sing with his group,

Shades of Gray.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

Hannah Coulter: A Novel by Wendell Berry: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Today's Featured Book:

Hannah Coulter: A Novel

by Wendell Berry

Genre: Fiction

Published: October 10, 2005

Page Count: 208 pages

Summary:

Hannah, the now–elderly narrator, recounts the love she has for the land and for her community. She remembers each of her two husbands, and all places and community connections threatened by twentieth–century technologies. At risk is the whole culture of family farming. But her hope is redeemed when her wayward and once lost grandson, Virgil, returns to his rural home place to work the farm.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

“I picked him up in my arms and I carried him home.”

Berry, Wendell. Hannah Coulter: A Novel (Port William Book 8), p. 1. Kindle Edition.

In the dark way of the world I had come to what would be my life’s place, though I could not yet know the life I would live in it.

Berry, Wendell. Hannah Coulter: A Novel (Port William Book 8), p. 56. Kindle Edition.

Wendell Berry. Do you know his work? If you do, have you read his fiction or his nonfiction?

Wendell Berry is an author that has long been recommended to me. Fiction. Nonfiction. Poetry. Everything he has written has been recommended to me at one time or another. And it all sounds good.

I finally my first Wendell Berry book, a book of fiction, Jayber Crow, in 2024. I loved it. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the philosophy interwoven into the story.

I wanted to read more of this author, but I always hesitate; I hate being disappointed by a second book after loving the first.

So I begin Hannah Coulter with trepidation. But also with anticipation of great delight...

Do you have any bookish habits or quirks you catch yourself doing again and again? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I'm nothing except a quirky bookish person. I read five or six books at the same time. I have more library cards than credit cards (way more). I only like to shop for one thing: books. Please don't start talking to me about popular culture, this movie star or that pop singer, but I am always delighted to talk about even the most obscure books...

I could go on and on.

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

I have a lot of cookbooks in my TBR, and there is nothing my husband loves more than for me to cook. To inspire me, I took photos with 24 cookbooks I have and I've prescheduled one post a month for the next two years. I'll plan to link up with In My Kitchen, hosted by Sherry's Pickings, and Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker). To further inspire me, I've created a Cooking/Baking Challenge for me for 2026 in which I read and bake from and post about one cookbook a month.

It's been about eight years since I first discovered Dorie Greenspan. Boy, she knows flavor. I bought her cookbook, Paris Sweets, and I made Sablés au Citron (French Lemon Shortbread) for a family gathering in 2019. I've never had such a positive reaction to anything I baked. Everyone who tried the sablés paused after the first bite of the cookie and took another bite and said, "This is delicious." I wrote about baking Sablés au Citron here. Later that summer, I tried Clafoutis aux Pêche (Peace Clafoutis) from the same cookbook. Here's where I wrote about that experience. In 2022, I bought Dorie's latest cookbook, Baking With Dorie: Sweet, Salty, & Simple. I tried making Cheese Puffers from that cookbook here.

I got a copy of Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook a few years ago. It's a cookbook that details the foods Dorie cooks on a regular basis. I've been meaning to try something from this book, and I finally decided to make my first galette this week. I am not exaggerating when I say that this galette might be the most delicious thing I've ever made.

Ingredients

Crust

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
¼ cup ice water

Filling

4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ pound mushrooms, such as white, cremini, wild, or a mix, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 leeks, white and light-green parts only, split, washed, and thinly sliced (or 1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced, rinsed, and patted dry)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs

Directions

Crust:
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal and there are some small flake-size pieces and some larger pea-size pieces. Add a little of the ice water and pulse; add some more and pulse; continue until all the water is in. Now work in longer pulses, stopping to scrape sides and bottom of bowl if needed, until dough forms bumpy curds that hold together when pinched.
Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and gently knead to bring it together. Gather into a ball, flatten into a disk, and place between two large sheets of parchment. Roll out dough to a 12-inch circle. Slide dough, still between sheets of parchment, onto a baking sheet or cutting board and refrigerate at least 2 hours or, well wrapped, up to 3 days. (Dough can also be frozen, well wrapped, up to 2 months.)
When you're ready to use the dough, let stand on counter for a few minutes, until it's pliable enough to lift and fold without cracking.
Filling:
Place bacon in a heavy skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crispy and golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, pat dry with more paper towels, and let cool completely. Finely chop bacon or cut into slender strips. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet; set skillet aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center.
Pour oil into skillet with bacon fat and heat over medium. Add mushrooms, leeks or onion, and garlic; season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. (Mushrooms will release liquid, and then, as you continue to cook, take it up again.) Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of skillet, until it evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in cream and cook, stirring, until mostly absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in bacon, pepper (to taste), walnuts, 2 tablespoons cheese, and thyme. (Filling can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days.)
Peel top sheet of parchment off dough; leave dough on bottom sheet of parchment and keep on baking sheet. Scrape filling onto dough; using a spatula, spread into a 9-inch circle. Lift the bare border of dough and fold over filling. As you fold, dough will pleat on itself (don't worry about being neat or getting everything even). (Galette can be made up to this point and refrigerated for a few hours before baking; bake straight from refrigerator.)
Bake until crust is deeply golden and filling is hot, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cheese over the filling, and if desired, the crust. Drizzle with oil, if desired. Let cool about 10 minutes or let cool to room temperature, then cut with a pizza wheel and serve. Galette is best served within a few hours of baking.

Have you ever made a galette?

I am eager to make more from this cookbook.

Be a part of the friendly In My Kitchen (IMK) community by adding your post at Sherry's Pickings each month - everybody welcome! We'd love to have you visit. Tell us about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month. Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg. in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on. And one curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related. The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month, every month.

Weekend Cooking was created by Beth Fish Reads and is now hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker). It is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

For more photos, link up at Wordless Wednesday, Comedy Plus, Messymimi's Meanderings, Keith's Ramblings, Image-in-ing, Soul and Mind and So On, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World.

Book Titles That Describe My Life

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Born Reading by Jason Boog

When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson

The Spell of a Story by Mariajo Ilustrajo

I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading by Maureen Corrigan

Bookworm by Lucy Mangan

I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider

So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson

The Librarian by Salley Vickers

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon: April 18-19, 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

HOURS 9-24

I read during Hours 9 and 10, then enjoyed dinner with my husband during Hour 11. I went back to reading during Hour 12, 13, and 14, and then I slept from Hour 15-22. I woke up early and I'm finishing the readathon during Hours 23 and 24.

I finished two more books, for a total of nine books in all:

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

Leyendas/Legends: 60 Latine People Who Changed the World by Mónica Mancillas

I did a Bingo blackout, with some squares marked off despite what others might regard as minimal effort. I only exercised for five minutes, for example, and, since it's storming outside, I only sat outside for five minutes.

I ate some yogurt for breakfast and drank coffee. And that's the end of a lovely readathon.

HOURS 1-8

I've dived into books today, with very few interruptions. Happily, I've read:

Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limón (Essay on poetry)

The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly (Memoir)

Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono (Creativity; nonfiction)

Three Golden Keys by Peter Sís (Picture book)

I is for Immigrants by Selina Alko (Picture book)

When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray (Picture book)

Broken by X. Fang (Picture book)

I've enjoyed mixed nuts, Gardettos, M&Ms, a Heath bar, and Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

I took a thirty-minute nap. Yay! Back to reading.

PREP WORK

Snacks assembled.

Bingo card ready.

Ridiculously tall stack of books

prepared for possible reading.

SAVE THE DATE

Dewey and I go way back. Way, way back.

I became a blogger in June of 2008, and I participated in my first readathon later that month. I read eight books, all BookCrossing books, and then I gave them away after the readathon.

I participated every year, at least once a year, until 2021. I only participated one time, briefly, since then.

I think this will be my 30th readathon!

I learned this morning that the next readathon is next weekend, April 18-19, 2026. Yay! We will start reading at 7 am Central Time April 18th, and end at 7 am April 19th. The goal is to try to read for twenty-four hours straight.

I shall do Dewey's up big this year:

1. I will compile a stack of books to read for twenty-four hours (or as long as I can until I fall asleep).

2. I will stock up on some fun snacks and drinks for the 'thon.

3. I will create a template on Canva to keep track of the books I read.

4. I will use one of the two Bingo boards posted on FB for Dewey.

5. I will have fun reading!

Some memorable readathons from the past:

My First Readathon...Readathon Lite...A Readathon with a New York, New York Theme...Readathon with a Sidekick, My 18-Month Old Granddaughter, Annie

To inspire me:

So, what do you think?

Will you join in for the readathon this year?

The Sunday Salon: Spring Fling at Quintana Beach with Warblers and Tanagers and Orioles

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

I am delighted that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Welcome!

What is the Sunday Salon?

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

I rested for a day after doing so much traveling in March, and then I got busy again attending a family reunion for my husband's family, going to our naturalist club meeting, volunteering at Spring Fling as a host for visitors coming to the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory to see migrating birds, and learning more about Emily Dickinson at my class.

Yes, it took me three months, but I finally finished The Brothers Karamazov this week.

What I Read Last Week:

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Classic)

What I'm Reading Now:

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss

written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris (Nature Nonfiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: The Black Death and the Tooth Fairy

Moving-and-Starting-Over Books

The 2026 Texas Library Association Conference: Photos of Authors, Books, and Things I'm Still Thinking About

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

I saw these beautiful birds at the bird sanctuary this week while I volunteered at the host station...

Good Thing #1:

Swainson's Warbler

Good Thing #2:

Prothonatary Warbler

Good Thing #3:

Scarlet Tanager

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Today's Featured Book:

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter

by Heather Fawcett

Genre: Cozy Fantasy

Published: February 17, 2026

Page Count: 356 pages

Summary:

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats.

Now it’s the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock—who also happens to be the world’s most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past—including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse.

Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop—and the cat shelter—in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world . . . and may now be trying to steal her heart.

Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn’t need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue—and romance—in her life. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats. . . .

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

I paused on the threshold of the shop to stamp the frost from my boots. It settled on the sills and cobblestones at night now, a fine white fur, as if winter were a great beast who skulked through the city while we slept, leaving bits of pelt behind. At least the snows hadn't arrived yet, which was some relief.

Of course, I soon realized there was no need for someone to break into the shop at night. Someone was already there.

If you could revisit one of your past reviews, what would you change, and why? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I would not change any of my past reviews. I always tell myself that I'm just an ordinary person, sharing my thoughts about the books I read; I'm not a professional reviewer.

The 2026 Texas Library Association Conference: Photos of Authors, Books, and Things I'm Still Thinking About

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT...

The new Reading Rainbow guy

Why we love to read children's books

Bibliotherapy corner

Magnetic glasses and sparkly shoes

Team Gross

Adopt-a-dog or a cat

A book purse

Pop-up library

Make things things out of cardboard

Harris County Public Library's Curiosity Cruiser

National Wildlife Association education program

Quiet pods

Book vending machines

BOOKS I WANT TO READ

AUTHORS

Melissa Sweet; Chris Barton; Carole Boston Weatherford; Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris

Kari Lavelle; Katherine Otoshi; Jashar Awan; Liz Garton Scanton

Leuyen Pham; Steve Metzger; Laurel Snyder

Julie Murphy; Brandon Mull; Kate Quinn

For more photos, link up at Wordless Wednesday, Comedy Plus, Messymimi's Meanderings, Keith's Ramblings, Create With Joy, Wild Bird Wednesday, and My Corner of the World.

Moving-and-Starting-Over Books

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Lately, I don't identify as American. I apologize to the world for the violence and greed and general nastiness that has been coming out of this country for some time now.

When I was young, I consumed every moving-and-starting-over book out there. Maybe it's time to revisit these.

MEXICO

Gringos in Paradise: An American Couple Builds Their Retirement Dream Home in a Seaside Village in Mexico by Barry Golson

SPAIN

Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucía by Chris Stewart

Spanish Lessons: Beginning a New Life in Spain by Derek Lambert

ITALY

Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes

Extra Virgin: Amongst the Olive Groves of Liguria by Annie Hawes

GREECE

My Family and Other Animals: Corfu Trilogy #1 by Gerald Durrell

MOROCO

The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah

CHINA

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler

FRANCE

Le Road Trip: A Traveler's Journal of Love and France by Vivian Swift

Dear Paris: The Paris Letters Collection by Janice Macleod

Paris in Winter: An Illustrated Memoir by David Coggins

My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life by Janine Marsh

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Olive Oil in the South of France by Carol Drinkwater

Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light by Amy Thomas

C'est la Vie: An American Woman Begins a New Life in Paris and---Voila!---Becomes Almost French by Suzy Gershman

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

Some other books I have not read, but want to read:

The Year of Living Danishly; Discovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell

Chickens, Mules, and Two Old Fools: Tuck into a Slice of Andalucían Life by Victoria Twead

A Year in Marrakesh by Peter Mayne

In the Village: A Year of Living in Rural Japan by Iain Maloney

Bombs and Bougainvillea: An Expat in Jerusalem by L. E. Decker

So Happiness to Meet You: Foolishly, Blissfully Stranded in Vietnam by Karin Esterhammer

A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco by Suzanne Clarke

Married to Bhutan: How One Woman Got Lost, Said 'I Do,' and Found Bliss by Linda Learning

Meander, Indirectly, East to West Along a Turkish River by Jeremy Seal

My Swiss Home: A Year of Living and Working in Switzerland by Wolfgang Koehler

Didgeridoos and Didgeridon'ts: A Brit's Guide to Moving Your Life Down Under by Vicky Gray

Margarita Wednesdays: Making a New Life by the Mexican Sea by Deborah Rodriguez

Do you have other recommendations for me?

The Sunday Salon: The Black Death and the Tooth Fairy

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome! It's lovely that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon.

What is the Sunday Salon?

The Sunday Salon is a spot to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It is also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

A cautionary tale about reading fiction: I read a historical fiction book about the Black Death with my seven-year-old grandson, Wyatt, a few weeks ago. Last week Wyatt lost his first tooth. His dad asked him if he wanted to put his tooth under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy. Wyatt said no. Since the Tooth Fairy was probably around at the time of the Black Death, he told his dad, the Tooth Fairy was probably killed with the rest of the people!

I must find a nonfiction book about the Black Death for Wyatt, I think.

Here I am inside one of the several sensory pods that were for sale at the conference.

I went to the Texas Library Association Conference this week (after I got home from a week in Central Texas antiquing and time with friends at the No Kings Rally). I will do a whole post soon on what I brought home with me from the conference.

What I Read Last Week:

Goldfinches written by Mary Oliver and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.

What I'm Reading Now:

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Classic)

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss

written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris (Nature Nonfiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: A Holiday in Smithville

Goldfinches, written by Mary Oliver and illustrated by Melissa Sweet: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I started listing 3 Good Things each day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Illustrator Melissa Sweet at TLA,

signing her new book, Goldfinches,

written by poet Mary Oliver.

Good Thing #2:

The Book of Birds:

A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss

written by Robert Macfarlane

and illustrated by Jackie Morris.

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

W. W. Norton, for this beautiful book.

I'm reading it slowly,

and I will post about it soon.

Good Thing #3:

I am eagerly reading Leyendas/Legends:

60 Latine People Who Changed the World,

another book I brought home from the library conference.

Thank you, Chronicle Books,

for this beautiful book.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

Goldfinches, written by Mary Oliver and illustrated by Melissa Sweet: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Today's Featured Book:

Goldfinches

written by poet Mary Oliver

illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Genre: Poetry; picture book

Published: March 3, 2026

Page Count: 40 pages

Summary:

Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet gorgeously illustrates the work of Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Mary Oliver for the first time in picture book form.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

One more thing

I want to mention

before the pages

actually begin.

Writing poems,

for me but not

necessarily for

others, is a way

of offering

praise to the

world.

Oliver, Mary. Goldfinches, page 1. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

And love the world.

Oliver, Mary. Goldfinches, 56%. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

Reason #1: I love birds.
Reason #2: I love poetry.
Reason #3: I love picture books.
Reason #4: I love poet Mary Oliver.
Reason #5: I love author/illustrator Melissa Sweet.

This is the book I wanted most to see at the Texas Library Association Conference this week.

I was first in line to get this book signed by the illustrator.

Guys, you need this book. Trust me on this. If you agree with me for even one of the reasons I gave (above) for reading this book, you need to find a copy and read it, too. I can't really tell you how wonderful it is.

3rd - Which book really showcases your favorite author’s style, and what makes it stand out? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White with text and illustrations by Melissa Sweet

You really won't believe me about how amazing this book is unless you find a copy and read it and look at the incredible illustrations for yourself. It is stunning. It's completely original. It is a book you want to read over and over.

The Sunday Salon: A Holiday in Smithville

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome! I am delighted that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon.

What is the Sunday Salon?

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

Lots of good news this week:

My dad's wife, Rosa, had surgery on her hip, and she is now in a rehab facility. My dad is able to stay with her there.

My allergies settled down.

My car has settled down and has given me no further trouble.

My husband and I were able to spend several days up in Smithville in Central Texas with my sister and her husband, Gary, on Gary's grandmother's farm. We went antiquing at the semi-annual antique show in Round Top and we spent lots of time catching up.

What I Read Last Week:

The Illustrated Emily Dickinson: 25 Essential Poems

Wildflower Emily: A Story About Young Emily Dickinson

What I'm Reading Now:

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Classic)

Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations by Frederick Buechner (Spirituality)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

Hope is the Thing with Feathers: The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Nine Newish Books I Hope to Read This Spring

The Sunday Salon: Home!

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Central Texas is beautiful.

It's been dry, so

the bluebonnets were not

as abundant as in years past.

Good Thing #2:

I saw this fascinating hummingbird moth

near the pond on my brother-in-law's grandmother's farm.

Good Thing #3:

We saw this lovely Orange Sulphur

at the antique show.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers: The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Today's Featured Book:

Hope is the Thing with Feathers:

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

Genre: Poetry

Written: 1858 to 1865

First Published: 1890

Page Count: 328 pages

Summary:

From the Women's Voices series, a collection of classic poetry specifically curated to encourage, challenge, and motivate women.

One of American's most distinctive poets, Emily Dickinson scorned the conventions of her day in her approach to writing, religion, and society. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers is a collection of her vast archive of poetry to inspire the writers, creatives, and feminists of today.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

This is my letter to the world,

That never wrote to me, ---

The simple news that Nature told,

With tender majesty.

Her message is committed

To hands I cannot see;

For love of her, sweet countrymen,

Judge tenderly of me.

Apparently with no surprise

To any happy flower,

The frost beheads it at its play

In accidental power.

The blond assassin passes on,

The sun proceeds unmoved

To measure off another day

For an approving God.

I'm taking a class on Emily Dickinson that begins in Women's History Month (March) and runs through Poetry Month (April).

I am extending my enjoyment of the class by reading some books about her life and poetry myself, and by sitting in front of her statue in my home library as I recite her poems. lol

What’s your favorite bookish scent, and why does it appeal to you? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I like all bookish scents---newly printed books, old bookstores, pens, paper. I do not know why these appeal to me. Perhaps it's buried in my DNA.

Nine Newish Books I Hope to Read This Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences by Neal Allen and Anne Lamott

The Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-fleecing Frauds by John Fugelsang

Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limón

The Shippers by Katherine Center

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne

The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu

This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through US History by Beverly Gage

Here We Go: Lessons for Living Fearlessly from Two Traveling Nanas by Eleanor Hanby and Sandra Hazelip

Are any of these on your list?

What book are you most eager to read this spring?

The Sunday Salon: Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Deb Nance at Readerbuzz) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome! We are very glad that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon.

What is the Sunday Salon?

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.

My return home from East Texas was trying. My car abruptly stopped running on the interstate highway, and I had to be towed to a repair shop. The kind tow truck driver took me to Walmart (the temps had dropped to freezing and I had no coat) and waited for me during my shopping to be sure I was okay. I met three lovely people while I waited for my car to be repaired in Whataburger and all three offered to help me any way they could. The repair shop had my car back on the road in time for me to return home that day. When I got home, I learned that my dad's 96-year-old wife had fallen and was in the hospital with a broken hip. She had surgery and she was standing on her feet the same afternoon. Rosa is going to an in-patient rehab next where my dad will be allowed to stay with her. I brought home allergies or a cold of some sort, so I'm trying to heal up from that, too.

What I Read Last Week:

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Grimm's Fairy Tales

What I'm Reading Now:

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Classic)

Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations by Frederick Buechner (Spirituality)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Green Book Covers

The Sunday Salon: Spring Break with Grandkids, Books, and Birds

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

We had an Art Day,

and drew and painted.

This is Annie's cardinal.

Good Thing #2:

The library had a Lego-a-Thon,

and the kids made things out of Legos.

Good Thing #3:

We visited the zoo,

went to a video game tournament at the library,

took a nature walk,

had a bonfire with S'mores,

read two books together,

played board games,

played soccer and football,

looked at the stars through a telescope borrowed from the library,

saw a new movie called Hoppers,

and hung out together for nine days.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.