I am living in a world where people keep saying we should hold on... not run... things will change for the better soon. That's what the mother in this story believes. She cannot fathom that the worst is happening, and waiting for a better future means that the future will not be there for some. At one point she lies about the age of her young son to get him into the only available hospital, but that lie winds up getting him snatched as a soldier and killed. It is a mother's nightmare. And I took it as a wake-up call.
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023 • NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"A prophetic masterpiece." — Ron Charles, Washington Post
On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police on her step. They have arrived to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.
Ireland is falling apart, caught in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny. As the life she knows and the ones she loves disappear before her eyes, Eilish must contend with the dystopian logic of her new, unraveling country. How far will she…
His poems are always true. Nothing contrived. I feel they speak to me -- to the situation I am in -- even if they are talking about something I don't know. For example, he has a poem called "Monday" in which we keep returning to the image of poets at their windows watching the world. And he talks about how "they are at their windows in every section of the tangerine of earth -- the Chinese poets looking up at the moon, the American poets gazing out at the pink and blue ribbons of runrise." This struck me because I'd been wondering about how some people see a "man" in the moon and some see a "rabbit/hare" in the moon. It's been hypothesized that it depends on where you are on the earth at the fall of evening, when you're most likely (it is claimed) to look up at the moon. Your latitude may make you see different parts of the moon. It's also been hypothesized that the man vs. rabbit distinction is purely cultural. Once Billy Collins brought it up, I saw it as a poet's question.
“America’s favorite poet.”—The Wall Street Journal
From the two-term Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins comes his first volume of new and selected poems in twelve years. Aimless Love combines fifty new poems with generous selections from his four most recent books—Nine Horses, The Trouble with Poetry, Ballistics, and Horoscopes for the Dead. Collins’s unmistakable voice, which brings together plain speech with imaginative surprise, is clearly heard on every page, reminding us how he has managed to enrich the tapestry of contemporary poetry and greatly expand its audience. His work is featured in top…
I checked that I loved the characters -- but I didn't; i loved how the characters were limned -- how I came to understand them. I loved how their actions slowly made sense, as I learned more about the history behind each character. This book dwells on the inevitable and profound damage sexual abuse inflicts -- and on the ways children find to shield themselves and their siblings. It is truly disturbing, especially since no one guesses at the injuries. It's hard to fathom seemingly family-minded and civic-minded people committing such atrocities. That's what I loved -- having a window into mentalities that are so foreign from my own.
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A tense and atmospheric thriller about two brothers, one small town, and a lifetime of dark secrets, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Cockroaches.
“I read The Kingdom and couldn't put it down.... Suspenseful ... original ... special in every way.”—Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fairy Tale
Roy and Carl, brothers from a small mountain town, have spent their whole lives hiding from the darkness in their pasts—Roy by staying put and staying quiet, and Carl by running far away. Roy believed his little brother was gone for good. But…
This is the sixth book I've written with my son. He is a birder (among other things), so this was a natural for him.
Here's Random House's description:
Look Inside We Are Starlings Inside the Mesmerizing Magic of a Murmuration
By Robert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli Illustrated by Marc Martin Age Range: 4-8 years Hardcover (2)– Hardcover $18.99 Published on May 09, 2023 | 40 Pages
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Book Description
A NEW YORK TIMES/NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN’S BOOK • A stunning picture book for young nature lovers about starlings and the fascinating phenomenon of murmurations. Illustrated by the award-winning artist Marc Martin, this book about the natural world vividly explores how such an enigma is even possible.
Sweeping, diving, twisting, turning. To look up at a murmuration of starlings is an experience like no other. Hundreds, thousands, and sometimes millions of starlings fly together as one flock. The group ripples, whirls, and waves as each bird stays close to its neighbors in a harmonious synchronicity of movement.
The story is told from the point of view of the flock, which gives the reader an inside look at what is happening, and the breathtaking illustrations perfectly capture the ebb and flow of a murmuration. Young readers will witness and fully appreciate the extraordinary communication and collaboration abilities of these birds and may be able to apply these lessons to their own lives.
