Women Loving Women Wednesday

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 1 Comment

Avery Reviews –

The Summer of Dead Birds by Ali Liebgott

This particular collection of poetry took me on such a journey. I was not at all familiar with Ali Liebgott prior to reading this book, but I’m certainly glad I am now. This collection was a little bit different than what I normally reach for. She really paints an entire story with her words. The poems are chronological, taking you down her personal journey of divorce and the bitter feelings of loss. While reading, it gave me a feeling of being personally connected to this person. It was like being across the table from a close friend, exchanging the details of your trauma while drinking coffee.

I love when a poet, especially one I didn’t know, who makes me feel like I did know them. To be able to connect a reader with stories that are so intimate and personal is no easy feat. Even when the poems had nothing to do with any experiences I have gone through myself, she still managed to make me feel something. It was easy to feel the sorrow that she wrote about. For me, it feels good to hear the intimate life details of a lesbian, especially one who is older than I am. It makes me feel like the future that I want is more attainable. It makes me feel less alone, and isn’t that the exactly what literature is meant to do?

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By the end of this book, I felt like Ali and I were close friends. With all of the connections to animals, loss, and the feeling of traveling alongside her, I was left with a bittersweet feeling. If you’re looking for something that challenges your own perspective, and opens you up to feeling the pain of another person, this is exactly the sort of book you need to be reading.

Get to Know Me Monday- No. 1

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 8 Comments

Let’s start a little something here! I believe that starting a blog series will help me stay accountable & fresh. This might be bookish at times, it might not. Since I’ve started blogging again I’ve taken a loosey goosey approach that suits me just fine. Hopefully this turns into a regular thing? Maybe it evolves into something else? Let’s just see what happens.

For this first Get to Know Me Monday I’d like to talk briefly about the starring characters in my day to day life. They have been mentioned here, and they will be again. Now you’ll know who I’m talking about!

First up is my number one UPS man and husband, Mike. We’ve been together since 1994. I can’t tell you how many years that is because he does the math in this relationship, and he’s in a different room. I know that it’s been many years, and I know that he’s still the one.

Our oldest, Danielle, lives an hour north of us with our son-in-law Tyler. They are the parents of our grandson Foster, which makes this my favorite family on the planet. Danielle is a stay-at-home mom who will be starting school this fall (Human Services, just like her mum). Tyler is a professional cook in fine dining. Foster’s job is to be adorable, and he is mighty good at it. (Amazing parents, for real!)

Carter is our middle kid, and only son. He lives an hour south of us with a pile of roommates/best friends. He’s just graduated college with a degree in Criminal Justice, and is heading to the Law Enforcement Academy today. He’s been a very busy guy for the last bunch of years, and it’s all coming to fruition for him soon.

At last, our youngest daughter, Avery. She lives 2 hours south of us. She’s gearing up for her sophomore year of college to start in the fall (Pre-Law Political Science major with a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor). She might not like when I brag about her, but you’ll be voting her into office one day.

As you can see they’ve all ditched their old folks to spread their wings, and I don’t blame them one bit. It’s been gratifying to watch them choose to be helpers, each one of them. They are all working so hard to create lives of purpose. I’m stupid with pride. It’s ridiculous.