Reading for the Week Ahead

[Source: Twitter]
In these hectic days, even if you only have minutes, I have reading suggestions!

reading week ahead spongebob theatre

The December 18 & 25 issue of The New Yorker contains a two-column theater review of SpongeBob SquarePants the musical. No kidding: THAT SpongeBob SquarePants, who debuted in 1999 and, as Tommy Smothers might say, took the storm by country.

The play has all the pun-intended characters, from Mr. Krabs to Squidward Q. Tentacles. It has songs by Cindi Lauper, They Might Be Giants, and others.

The review is lively, well-written, and very positive. Read the review even if you have no intention of hieing off to NYC any time soon.

[Source: Academy of American Poets]
If you’re a more literary type, sample a little Charles Simic. Simic immigrated from Belgrade in 1954 and started publishing poetry in his twenties. He’s won tons of awards, including a Pulitzer. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States in 2008 and 2009.

reading week ahead new selected poems charles simic

This book contains nearly 400 poems spanning fifty years, including about three dozen revisions and seventeen previously unpunished poems. Simic is witty, broad-ranging, and fresh. He can enthrall you for as many minutes—or hours—as you can spare.

reading week ahead
What if you have time for nothing but assuring that you acquit yourself well throughout all the celebrations? Sarah Chrisman to the rescue!

reading week ahead true ladies proper gentlemen
Many of the issues people faced in the 1880s and ‘90s are surprisingly modern as well: invasion of privacy, divorce, dealing with people from other places or cultures, technologies developing at mind-boggling speed…

reading week ahead table contents
For your convenience, advice is organized by topic. You will find sound guidance, such as telling husbands to give their wives (one at a time, please) every advantage it is possible to bestow, and—as far as possible—to patronize merchants of their own town.

BONUS: There are watercolors and illustrations throughout.

[Source: Wikipedia]
If you are introspective and/or looking for inspiration, Mark Nepo’s got you covered.

Nepo is a poet and teacher, and—by the way—a New York Times Bestseller.

reading week ahead book awakening mark nepo
Oprah Winfrey, among others, recommends this book. It contains 366 dated entries, including one for February 29th. Each begins with a brief quote, followed by author’s reflections to inspire your own musings.

However, there is also a subject index with multiple entries under such headings as sadnesses, truth, and quiet teachers.

FYI, here is the beginning of the entry for today.

reading week ahead sugar tree

Even though time is short, happy reading!

Spring Holiday Reading

spring holiday reading
Given that the most prominent spring holiday is Easter, my first inclination was to write about that. However, upon researching it, I found so much information online that anything I blogged would be a mere taste. So, if that is your interest, by all means search the web.
beatrix potter complete tales
For some reason, whenever I think about Easter-related reading, I think Beatrix Potter. Maybe it’s the rabbits. In any event, her stories—the first published in 1901—are timeless, and still sell millions of copies worldwide. Why not dip into one—or more? You will be charmed. Or if you are a long-time fan, maybe you will be charmed all over again.

 

As you may know by now, I am an equal-opportunity celebrant. Although Easter is by far the most important holiday, there are numerous bizarre and unique holidays this time of year as well. Between now and Easter, we have the following.

 

4/11 Eight Track Tape Day (remember those?), Barbershop Quartet Day, National Submarine Day
national submarine day
4/12 Big Wind Day, Russian Cosmonaut Day
4/13 Scrabble Day
scrabble day
4/14 Ex-spouse Day, International Moment of Laughter Day, Look Up At The Sky Day, National Pecan Day, Reach as High as You Can Day

 

4/15 Husband Appreciation Day (3rd Saturday), Rubber Eraser Day, Titanic Remembrance Day
titanic remembrance day
The Titanic pictured in Cobh Harbour, 11 April 1912 [Public Domain]
4/16 Besides Easter this year, fixed holidays include National Eggs Benedict Day, National Librarian Day, National Stress Awareness Day

 

So, whether you read about Easter and/or pick up a Beatrix Potter, why not crack open one of these lesser-known celebrations?
 
spring holiday reading

Interested in learning more about writing? Join me at Agile Writers for my class on Write Your Life: Memoir and Memoir-Based Fiction. For more information, visit the Agile Writers website.
Vivian Lawry Agile Writers