Poems and Poets

Hey guys! This summer, my family and I traveled to Australia. I'm linking up with Melinda @ Westmetromommyreads to bring you pictures of my travels through Saturday Snapshots. I'm starting a series on my trip, so get ready to see loads of Australian sights! This week, I'll be sharing pictures of some Antique cars we saw while at Queen Victoria Market (Melbourne). Hope all you car buffs enjoy! Have any of you been to Australia? Or do you recognize any of these cars? Let me know in the comments below!

Publication Date: January 11th 2018 Genre: Historical Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Source : Own Copy This novel is based on the true story of two Slovakian Jews who survived the horror of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. Lale Sokolov was made the tattooist at Auschwitz and had to scratch numbers into his fellow inmates' arms every day. He was forced to carve what eventually became a prominent symbol of this terrible time. Lale used this position of relative superiority to create a small business of trade. His survival and that of those around him, depended on it. His post allowed him a certain degree of movement, which he used to exchange money and jewels taken from his murdered comrades for food and essential supplies. "Many owed him their survival"

                                                              Publication Date: February 28th, 2017 Genre: Young Adult, My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Source: Own Copy Starr Carter attends a fancy suburban prep school. She has friends who live in suburbia and spend hundreds of dollars on clothes and makeup. Starr can't afford that. Starr goes home to a poor neighborhood, where tragedy seems to be the norm. The balance she's managed to strike between her two worlds is shattered when tragedy befalls her community again. Starr witnesses a policeman shoot her childhood friend, Khalil. He was unarmed. Now his death is making headlines around the country. People are calling him a drug dealer, a gangbanger and so many other things. The cops try to intimidate Starr. The local drug lord tries to intimidate Starr's family. All the while, sh...

Hey guys! I'm back with another challenge- The Summer Comment Challenge! I've signed up with Alicia and Lonna twice already and I'm looking forward to my third experience! I believe that this challenge is a great way to make new friends, encourage yourself to post and explore the various blogs out there!

Publication Date:  26th June 2018 Genre: Historical Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Publisher, through Edelweiss+ Holland in its Golden Age still has its secrets. In 1654, small-town girl Catrin has just lost her husband. It's a sudden death, but Catrin can't say she's sorry. It's her chance to escape the small town and its rumors, start anew in the big city. She takes on a role as a housekeeper to the Van Nulandt family but struggles to keep a low profile.                                                                                       Her talents as an aspiring young artist are soon discovered by local master, Rembrandt. Her opportunities are stripped away, however, when a figure from her past threatens her. She runs away to the city of De...

Publication Date:  June 23rd, 2015 Genre:  Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source:  Own Copy Emmy's best friend was kidnapped ten years ago. Life in her small town home has been stilted since Oliver was taken by his father. Her parents are the most over-protective parents in town and she keeps so many secrets from them it's hard to keep count. Then Oliver comes back. After ten years, Oliver finally learns that his father was the bad guy. It wasn't his mother who deserted him, it wasn't a messy separation that led to him never seeing her again. He needs time to figure out his new world. He's back in a place he doesn't remember calling home and his life has changed drastically. In the second grade, Emmy and Oliver pledged to be best friends forever. Has their relationship withstood the test of time and distance? Can they mend their friendship and build it into something greater? Emmy has held onto him for a decade. Has Ol...

Hey guys- it's that time of year again! Those of you who've been around for a while will know exactly what I'm talking about- Sue Jackson's Big Book Summer Challenge! What is the challenge? Every year, she hosts a challenge which encourages participants to read books over 400 pages. For those of us who're in school, reading large books over the course of the year can be a slow process. Working parents may also share in this struggle. Sue relegates her big reading to the summer- and all participants follow her at least partially. I've participated in this challenge for three years already- and I'm really glad to be joining Sue for my fourth year! You guys should consider joining as well, even if you don't have a blog. You can check out all the details by visiting her blog or Goodreads page.

Different. It is said Whether Destined or Desired, They don’t know But She is Different. It’s a Longing, For something unforeseen, that She has It’s A need that cannot be Culled, Or cured or confiscated or commandeered; It’s A sentiment, That cannot be stripped That cannot be seized It is a sentiment that grows Unruly, restless, climbing through her Threatening to escape through every breath, To Pour out with every conversation To prove her wrong, To prove her different But the drive, the dedication, the desire she has Shouldn’t be destroyed for the difference. Shouldn’t be ripped apart, piece by piece For the person that she is Nor should everything be shredded, From her values to her beliefs, From her success to her strength Merely, Merely, For her Difference. But torn apart, she will be And left untouched She will never be She is the difference. Not just that Here, she is the crime The secret, the oppre...

Hey everyone, I'm back for another Saturday Snapshot! My mini-series on Russia has ended (At least for now), so I have some pictures of a short trip we took to Jaipur a few years ago. I'm linking up at Melinda's blog for Saturday Snapshot this week. Inside a fort Hotel Courtyard Have any of you been to Jaipur? Maybe somewhere else in India? Let me know in the comments below!

Realize the Despondence Sorrowful melodies ricochet off the ears, Of the tone-deaf slaves Whose brittle bones and skins of dust, Blend into the soil they sow Gorgeous scenes never reach the eyes, Of the colour-blind slaves, Whose work shades their eyes From the beauty of their world Detritus that is art, Screeches that are music, Remain unrealized by the slaves Subject to a life of labour, Exploited into believing that they work voluntarily, Returning home to a tedium of family and biased information, The slave remains trapped in their cell To change their lives, I would like From an acceptance of monotony, To a realization of despondence To visit their hearts, I would like, Realize their despondence, And carry it with me To open their eyes, I would like, To the magnificence of a scene, In all its spectacular glory To change their despondence, To an embrace of culture, I would hope to accomplish To let them se...

Hey, everyone! Whew- it's been a while since I've done one of these! I probably won't do one every week, but I'll try my best to get one in at least every two weeks. IMWAYR is hosted by Kathry @ Book Date Here's what I've been reading this week: I finished reading " The Gene " by Siddhartha Mukherje . It's a non-fiction about the evolution of the study of genetics. It took me a really long time to get through this one! I started reading " India After Gandhi" by Ramchandra Guha . The book is a comprehensive history of post-independence India. Normally, this period is considered a part of the present, never studied in classes- or even colleges. This one is also going to take a while! For some lighter reading, I've picked up "Ask the Passengers " by A.S. King , I'm currently reading this one. I've barely  made any progress though- so I'll let you know how it is next time! How has your ...

Hey guys! It's been a long time, boy, does life get busy! I'm doing my best to get out at least one post a week from now on though, so hopefully, you'll all be hearing more from me! I decided to start off with a post I already had the content for- a Saturday Snapshot! I'm joining Melinda @ West Metro Mommy Reads for this post. Hermitage Museum @ Winter Palace General Staff Building, Former home of General of Imperial Army Panorama of Palace Square Have you been to Russia? Perhaps you're from St. Petersburg? Let me know in the comments below!

Publication Date: October 3rd 2017 Genre: Thriller My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Source: Own Copy Robert Langdon, the reputed Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, has been invited by his former student to a precious unveiling. Langdon arrives at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, to hear his student's discovery that will "change the face of science forever". The evening has been wonderfully organized, with special effects and constant surprises. As Kirsch (student) begins his presentation, providing two of humanity's most sought-after questions, however, it seems that these answers might be lost. In life-threatening circumstances, Langdon flees Bilbao and works to de-code Kirsch's password and reveal his hard work. He's accompanied by Ambra Vidal, the museum director who helped Kirsch create this marvelous display.