I finished “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” yesterday. To be honest, it’s a quick read as an adult. I’ll post my full thoughts on the book later on, but as I was reading this question popped into my head: could the book be written today?
Warning: spoilers ahead. Continue reading
Last month, E.L. Konigsburg died. Her name may mean nothing to you, which would be sad for you. Konigsburg wrote “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.”
That book title may also mean nothing to you, which is incredibly sad for you and makes me question why you’re reading my blog.
See, Mrs. Basil E. Franweiler is one of my all-time favorite books. Reading of Konigsburg’s death made me want to reread the book and gave me an idea for an occasional series of blog posts.
Introducing …
Thanks to those of you who followed along with Small Pond’s 2013 celebration of National Poetry Month. After today, the blog returns to its general hodgepodge of posts on books, food, travel, and whatever miscellany crosses my mind.
But one last note on poetry first. As I looked through poetry anthologies and collections, deciding what poems to include in this year’s poetry month celebration, I kept coming across poems that held interesting lines. I didn’t like the poems enough to include them fully, but I still wanted to share the pieces that caught my eye and ear. Continue reading
Acquainted with the Night
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light. Continue reading
Today’s poem and the previous two come from an anthology that I’ve always loved. My nana had a copy and I would read it when I visited her. She knew I loved it and ended up giving me my own copy when I graduated from high school.
The Best Loved Poems of the American People was first published in 1936. To the best of my knowledge, not many (if any) post-1936 poems have been added. The anthology has an old-fashioned feel, as you can probably guess from the last 3 poems posted here. Yes, some of it can feel simplistic, jingoistic, or overly sentimental or overly religious.
But it was one of my early introductions to poetry, and I still like many of the poems in it. Some of them are by poets unknown to me or history; some are by Kipling and Wordsworth and Longfellow. It’s definitely worth taking a look at.
