In this installment of the Pushing My Shelf blog series, Katie M. tries her hand at writing a haiku after reading a book about poetry.
This month we thought we would do a blog series for the Push Your Shelf Bingo Challenge. The challenge is to complete Bingo squares that “push your shelf.” In other words, read or try something that you might not ordinarily consider; something not typically found on your bookshelf. Find out more here.
To cheer you on some participating staff members* are contributing short blogs that recount their experience completing a Bingo challenge and describing how that square “pushes their shelf”.
* Staff members can play. (Just not win.)
Don’t tell anyone, but I do read adult books from time to time. My storytime families might be flabbergasted at this. (They’re under 5 years old and can’t read this blog yet so we should be in the clear.) As the Youth Services Manager at Handley Library, my days revolve around children’s books. The vibrant illustrations and humorous titles make me swoon, so much so that they’re all I read. Yes, I admit that I do check out children’s and young adult books, not only to read for work, but to read for pleasure! And, I love it. I love the books that create a sense of wonderment from silly underpants and finding new friends to make-believe pet unicorns. I especially cherish the books about people who do not look like or practice the same thing as me. Everyone has a masterful story worth reading. As you can tell, the whimsical magic of youth literature creates a world of its own, so why would I want to leave it?
Every so often, however, there is an occasional adult non-fiction book that pulls me in.
Lately, poetry books have been calling me to read them. The simple pages filled with complex notions appeal most to me. They feel “readable” coming from someone who reads books that are done in 100 pages or less. I recently read Fady Joudah’s “Tethered to Stars” which captured that same magic I find in kids’ books. Its cosmic connection to the universe and one’s purpose enraptured me so much that I read the book twice. The collection of poems is full of depth and beauty, causing you to pause at each line and its meaning to the next. I particularly enjoyed the correlation of astrological signs and the natural world. I found that this book delighted me to think of my own impact on the world and consider what truly tethers me to it.
As we finish up the Push Your Shelf Bingo Challenge this month, I encourage you to fill up the square that you might not normally choose. Perhaps, it is the one about reading a poetry book! To close, here is a haiku I wrote that might make you think twice about the inviting power of poetry and what book you might tether yourself to next…
Weaving in lines, these
words try to s t
umble across
the page to meet you.
Katie is the Youth Services Manager at the Handley Library.