Friday, January 7, 2011

First Hop of the new year!!!

ready to hop!!
  Always nice to start the first Hop of the year!!!   Hosted by Jennifer over at Crazy for Books, this is a great way to spend tons of time online  visit blogs, discover blogs, and have a lot of fun!!   And there's a weekly question, as well --- this week's comes from Ivan:  "What book influenced or changed your life?  How did it influence/change you?"

Oooh --- good question!!!  And I had to think about what book I'd choose.  It's hard!  I mean, I could talk about Jane Yolen's book of stories, The Moon Ribbon, which I read as a kid and still love.  Or, I could talk about some classic book I read in school -- Twain, Shakespeare, etc.   But, the one that comes to my mind is a book of poetry by nikki giovanni called Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day, which I posted about a while ago.  I first found this book when I was a freshman in high school, writing in a journal (which was an English class assignment).  I had been reading poetry for a long time, but something about her poems, in this book, really struck me.  And it made me realize that poetry didn't have to be difficult to understand, or full of hidden meanings -- it could be powerful things that were simply stated.  This particular book of hers influenced not only the way that I read poetry, but also in how I wrote my own poems.  This is from the poem "Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day."   

Happy Hopping, everyone!!

I strangle my words as easily as I do my tears
I stifle my screams as frequently as I flash my smie
    it means nothing
I am cotton candy on a rainy day
    the unrealized dream of an idea unborn

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

So many books have changed my life! But the one that I think of right now is Crime and Punishment, by Dostoyevsky. That was the first book that showed me that literature doesn't have to be "elevating" or "inspiring," i.e. artificially artsy in tone and language. It can depict the grimy, unflattering side of life with no more purpose than to inspire sympathy in the poor and the criminals. And the language can be common and colloquial without being condescending. ... I read it way back in '81 when one of my roommate's buddies, a snooty but dim rich kid, read it for a class. That summer, I decided that no snooty, dim rich kid would read anything I hadn't read! - Footsie

Tammy said...

Thanks for stopping by. I love hopping around seeing what book people have chosen and I love the poem you posted. Thanks for sharing!

Precious said...

Hello there! Hopping by! I love the answers to this week’s question.
I have a huge prize pack giveaway at the blog. A contest reminder is included in my book blogger hop post. I hope you drop by!
Here’s my post.

Have a nice weekend!

Izzy G. said...

Hi, thanks for hopping by my blog! You have a great, thoughtful answer to the Book Blogger Hop question, and that poem is awesome. I'll definitely be checking out that poet.

Logan E. Turner said...

I love poetry! Thank you for sharing that with us. Your blog is beautiful, btw!

Happy hopping!

Logan

Annette Mills said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your blog banner. I'm from Illinois to - a high school librarian near St. Louis. Where are you and are you Public or school?

Jenni Elyse said...

Where was this book during my poetry unit in high school (or even last semester)? I loathe poetry because I hate its hidden meanings and hard to understand demeanor. My class last semester helped me appreciate it more, but still not go out and pick up a book of poems for pleasure. The poem you shared in Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day actually sounds like something I'd enjoy reading. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hopping by. Never heard of that book. I'll have to check into it.

pussreboots said...

I don't have a single book to point to. Come by and see why.

Emi said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog, Jo! Just hopping over to return the favor. You have a great blog here!

Emi
http://oktopusink.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by! I love a good book of poetry. And you're right--poetry doesn't have to be complicated or full of literary devices to be enjoyable. I'll have to look into this collection.

Robyn Ryle said...

Hopping back by. I love your design, especially the banner. I have Nikki Giovanni's Love Poems, which I haven't read in ages. I'll have to check out more of her stuff.

Alison Can Read said...

Hopping through. Love the bunny pic.
Happy weekend!
My Hop

Brooke said...

I ended up choosing Twilight this week because it was one of the first books that I interacted with strangers about. (More on my blog!)

Have a good week!

~Brooke
http://brookesboxofbooks.blogspot.com

Elizabeth said...

Interesting choice...book sounds great.

Stopping by from the hop...

Find my answer at:

http://silversolara.blogspot.com

Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

Hi there...

Stopping from the hop, I lOVE your blog and the title picture. Cant wait to read some of your reviews...:D

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