I still need to tell you about the three books I’ve recently finished, but I may save that for my February recap. I can’t believe it’s almost time for that. In the meantime, these are the books I’ve been dipping into lately.

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin
A lot of good stuff there.

Finally, I have a book to show off. To see what was the first bookbinding project I ever made, check out my Star Book. Hope you enjoy that.

Inspired by Heather’s Poetry Thursday posts I had to share this one with you.

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins.

Ah who hasn’t felt that way about poetry sometimes right? I’ve been reading Poetry 180 and 180 More lately and am enjoying poems from the playful to the thoughtful to the provocative. You can find a lot more poems at the Poetry 180 web site. Enjoy.