Strange Pictures

Strange Pictures by Uketsu is strange indeed. Even more mysterious is the author’s bio: “UKETSU only ever appears online, wearing a mask and speaking through a voice changer… His innovative ‘sketch mysteries’ challenge readers to discover the hidden clues in a series of sinister drawings… They have sold nearly 3 million copies in Japan since 2021. Uketsu‘s true name and identity remain unknown.”

In my opinion, the author’s premise and marketing strategy are brilliant, but the execution of the plot, not so much. That said, I had to rate it 4 stars because I—slow reader extraordinaire—devoured the book, making quick work of it in 11 days. In places where it became graphically descriptive, I choked a little on the details. Over all it went down smoothly, but undoubtedly will leave me with a bit of heartburn.

The story’s strong start devolved into a jumbled mess of “tell” not “show”, and the pictures lost their relevance by the end. Truthfully, the pictures alone would never have led me to solve the mystery. Luckily, I didn’t need to since it was so intricately spelled out by the author in the second half of the story. Could be that something was Lost in Translation here. In any event, while I find Japanese philosophy fascinating, their literature sure is deranged.

Final score: A+ for originality. C- for implementation. 

Sapiens

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari was published in 2015. I was introduced to the book by a friend in the summer of 2025 and became enthralled with the content. Originally published in Hebrew in Israel in 2011, this is an ambitious book that seeks to answer the author’s childhood question, “What is the meaning of life?” 

Heady stuff. 

It took me two months to finish reading, but this thought-provoking book was well worth my time. In my defense, the book is long—I wonder how long it took to write it?—and I found it repetitive in several areas. In the author's defense, it's said that repetition lends itself to deeper learning. Much of the material presented is based on theories developed by historians and theologians during eons of research, but the author does a good job delineating the scientific facts he uses as jumping off points for his narrative.

There is a lot to learn about this topic, but unfortunately I had to skim through at least three sections that contained despicable descriptions of Sapiens' mistreatment of other animals. Humankind’s disregard for the well-being of other species is really driven home by this author, and it makes my heart hurt. Other juicy morsels of information within the pages also made my head explode. Reading about the origins of mankind has been quite an interactive experience for me!

Sapiens is structured around four principles coinciding with the progression of Homo sapiens. Part One: the Cognitive Revolution. Part Two: the Agricultural Revolution. Part Three: the Unification of Mankind. Part Four: the Scientific Revolution. Harari concludes his discourse with some thoughts about the future of the species. 

If ever there was a time for renewed optimism about humanity’s future, that time is NOW.

Edited 5/22/26 to add: 

I find all of this fascinating, and I’m in the process of weaving together bits and pieces obtained from this book into a much more nuanced essay about societal growing pains. Scraps of knowledge have been rattling around in my brain for months and connecting to everything else I absorb through my reading and in the news. They form the basis of my recent journaling, as I grapple with making meaning of current events and drop pieces into the giant jigsaw puzzle of life.

Small Things Like These

I’ve been exploring my Irish roots in some recent writing workshops, so it’s perfect timing for Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan to become available on CLAMS.

Keegan’s stories always make me think, which is the whole purpose for immersing oneself in a book. I learn many Irish/British expressions along the way, too. The real draw for me, however, is Keegan’s thoughtful, realistic characterization. She writes in a way that brings people to life. There’s nothing I despise more than reading about contrived, stereotypical individuals who I would never want to hang out with.

This time, I had great empathy for the main character, Bill Furlong, the hardworking, steadfast owner of a heating fuel delivery company. Bill, his wife Eileen and their five daughters are salt-of-the-earth, faithful members of an Irish community sometime in the 1980s. Bill is a thoughtful man who often reflects on his family’s circumstances, recognizing and appreciating the fruits of his solid, working class lifestyle. His work puts him in contact with all manner of people, and he is especially mindful of those not doing as well as he.

Keegan offers insight into Bill’s perspective with her tight, honest prose. Who among us cannot relate to this quick bit?

“When he reached the yard gate and found the padlock seized with frost, he felt the strain of being alive and wished he had stayed in bed…”

And, here one of my favorite sentiments is echoed.

“Always, Christmas brought out the best and the worst in people.”

A shocking discovery one day causes Bill to dig deeper into his own consciousness. As he does, he contemplates his wife’s simple philosophy, “If you want to get on in life, there’s things you have to ignore, so you can keep on.” I can relate to that myself. The world is full of horrific news, but to become overwhelmed by it, can lead to hopelessness and inaction. 

The soft-hearted Bill, however, can’t shake off the weight of what he has witnessed. His inner conflict brings him head to head with the Catholic Church and leads him to this revelation, “Was there any point in being alive without helping one another?”

I’ll conclude with this quote that pretty much sums it all up.

“People could be good, Furlong reminded himself, as he drove back to town; it was a matter of learning how to manage and balance the give-and-take in a way that let you get on with others as well as your own.”

Keegan’s writing invites us to ponder our own inner angst as well as how it relates to our connectivity to humanity. That certainly makes for a worthwhile read.

Edited to add my thoughts after watching the movie on Hulu. I would not have chosen the Oppenheimer actor to play Bill Furlong, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a different, less intense, softer side of Cillian Murphy. His portrayal of a conflicted man was balanced and believable. At the close of the movie this statement fills the screen. 

“Dedicated to the more than 56,000 young women who were sent to Magdalene institutions for ‘penance and rehabilitation’ between 1922 and 1998. And the children who were taken from them.” 

I was unfamiliar with the legacy of the Magdalene Laundries but not surprised to research the subject and learn a little about the abuse that took place. This quote from the Mother Superior’s sermon is particularly haunting, considering that many families remained silent in order to protect their own children. “The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who fear Him. His justice reaches out to the children’s children when they keep His Covenant in truth.”

The Measure / The Serviceberry

The Measure by Nikki Erlick is probably going to scare the shit out of me, but I can’t resist. This book became available through CLAMS on May 5, and like a moth to a flame, I clicked borrow.  When my teacher friend Elaine talked about it a couple of years ago, I was intrigued, but I was still working and didn’t have as much time to read as I do now. 

Earlier this year, I read Here One Moment, thinking that was the book Elaine had recommended. The premise of people knowing when they will die is similar but handled in very different ways. I have dissected that book on this blog. 

Naturally, all the books I have on hold are ready at the same time, and last night I began reading The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of the more well-known Braiding Sweetgrass. Probably, I will become either totally frustrated or wholly enlightened trying to read these two books at the same time. Let’s see how this plays out.

I’m still slogging away on The Measure but last night (5/21/25) I finished The Serviceberry. The book’s subtitle says it all really: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. It’s appropriate that I finished reading this tiny book during a time when I’m losing patience with the clown in charge of our country and the posse of idiots he has surrounded himself with as they wreak havoc on the environment and the common good.

Turns out my dual reading experiment worked out nicely as I finished The Measure today (5/22/25). The books, despite being very different, are oddly complimentary. Both brought in elements of current events and the politics of humanity. 

Shark Heart

Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck is a weird-ass book raved about by the woman leading the weird-ass poetry workshop I took in February. I actually participated in three free workshops, and the poetry was my least favorite for many reasons. Poetry is a challenge for me even though I love it. The instructor did her best to her passion for the craft. And I did heed this book recommendation from her.

As so often happens with weird-ass books I read, I kind of like it, but it needs some tweaking/editing. It is a quick and easy read so that’s nice.  I originally rated it harshly, 3-stars on Goodreads, but after reviewing my highlights and writing this summary, I would change it to 4-stars.

The idea is a good one, creative and original, but the orchestration of all the pieces misses the mark for me. The structural elements, choppy chapters, and awkward transitions between viewpoints distracted me from the many profound declarations, such as this one.

“Joy and grief are human birthrights, but mostly, being alive is everything in between.”

And this one.

“Truth and Love were complicated concepts on their own, and patching the two words together created a significant tangle Lewis could not unwind.”

The setting is an otherwise realistic world but it appears normal for some humans to contract an ailment that causes them to change into animals. The main character named Wren, who is not a bird but a woman, reflects on how her life has been impacted by these transformations. The story begins as her husband is diagnosed with a Carcharodon carcharias mutation. Thus begins the couple's misadventures as he gradually transitions into a great white shark. While the physical adaptations he endures are shocking, his psychological journey proves to be the most unsettling. 

The characters and even their animal counterparts, impart a great deal of wisdom as they are forced to reckon with their unusual circumstances. Their interactions are all a bit poetic and metaphoric. Maybe in its own weird-ass way reading this helped me connect to my own inner love of figurative language.

Maybe life has no ceiling, no floors, no walls, and we’re free-falling from the moment we’re born, lying to each other, agreeing to make invented ideas important, to numb ourselves from the secret.” “What’s the secret?” “Maybe what happens between birth and death isn’t as precious as we think.”

I’m no stranger to trying to unravel and make sense of my deep, dark emotions. Like the characters in this book, I always resurface to soak in thoughts of hope and optimism. So, I’ll conclude with this Mary Oliver quote that I love and that was shared at the poetry workshop I attended.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid entertained me. There’s something about her writing style that I love AND hate. It’s easy, like comfort food. It has a certain appeal but isn’t nourishing. I liked this story  more than Malibu Rising, but I’m not inclined to indulge another selection from this author’s buffet again.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

 

The movie version of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin was filmed on Cape Cod this past summer. Not surprising since the setting is the fictional Alice Island off the coast of Massachusetts. I heard that scenes were shot at Parnassus Books on Route 6A in Yarmouth and other locales. I was looking forward to reading it during our Christmas break in the Florida Keys, but Covid had other ideas and grounded us on Cape Cod. I’m glad I had this book to keep me company during the isolation period. 

Although hokey and overly cutesy in spots, it was an enjoyable and quick read. Can’t wait to see what the guy from the Big Bang Theory does with the cantankerous bookstore owner main character! Added bonus: I discovered the movie version of another book by the author and watched it on Prime Video. Conversations With Other Women stars Helena Bonham Carter and also entertained me during my dreary but relaxing winter break week.

Siege

Siege:How General Washington Kicked the British out of Boston and Launched a Revolution by Roxane Orgill is an unusual book about the British occupation of Boston at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. It’s written in verse from the perspectives of several different key players including George and Martha Washington and William Lee, Washington’s slave and personal assistant.

Reading Siege was a great way to pass the time while waiting around during my February vacation jury duty commitment. It’s a quick read because of the distinct, poetic structure. There are some challenging vocabulary words with opportunities for students to use context clues to decipher them. For instance on page 77 it says: “Found an abundance / Of ordnance at Fort Ti / Brass coehorns, iron mortars / Field pieces in all sizes....” Students can deduce that ordnance means military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance equipment. Similarly, coehorns must be some type of bullet.

More context clue practice is provided on page 82, which describes Martha Washington’s arrival. “Departed mid-November; She did not travel alone / But with an entourage: Her son, his wife, five slaves / In white coats with red collars. Along the way she was feted / By light-horse brigades and honor guards / As if she were ‘a very great somebody’ / (She wrote to a friend) / Which pleased her no end.”

Building on students’ background knowledge, lines such as, “Guns in surprisingly good condition / Except for their carriages / Wood rotting since the last war,” reference the French and Indian War. Page 24 reflects Washington’s perspective “When he surveys this ragtag lot / Fourteen thousand farmers / Fishermen, sailors / Coopers, chandlers / Shopkeepers, smiths...” 

Compare that to the Introduction’s description, “Seven thousand regulars / Camped out on the Common...” and the question posed on page 32, “Serve the crown / Or exchange a red coat for homespun / And be a deserter — Which will it be?”

We spend a lot of time in the classroom contemplating the perspectives of colonial Americans. Patriot, Tory or Neutral? Which would you be and why?

 
More interesting tidbits: Boston to Ticonderoga was “About three week’s journey...” page 64. “General Howe hadn’t eaten fresh meat in three weeks, gazed through the spyglass at the cows grazing at Lechmere’s Point.” page 68. “HMS Nancy / of the king’s Navy / supply ship/bound for Boston — captured!” page 75.

The poem ends in the spring of 1776 with General Washington surveying, “The room he had occupied/For nine months....In a day, or two at most/He would quit Cambridge/Travel with Martha and Billy/Depart with aides and generals/For New York.” page 190.

Written verse is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I view this book as just another way to present historical content to students with different learning styles. Sometimes the short clipped quality of poetry is easier for struggling readers to retain.

Sophia's War

Sophia’s War by Avi has been on my list for a while, and I finally found time to read it along with my first leveled reading group of girls from LAST school year. Another group of fifth grade girls learned a lot and enjoyed this selection again this past school year. Avi’s descriptive writing style incorporates characters’ thoughts and feelings while also painting a vivid picture of the living conditions during the early years of the American Revolution. The strong willed and sensitive fictional Sophia is insterted into the well known saga of the famous traitor Benedict Arnold and British major John Andres.

The plot parallels the story line of another historical fiction book for adults that was also made into a television mini-series, TURN: Washingron’s Spies. While I found the tv series delightful, it’s not appropriate for fifth graders. I’m a huge fan of Avi’s work and love how he has made the material accessible for all ages. Unfortunately, the length of Sophia’s War makes it challenging for the majority of my students. 

The Shack

The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?

I resisted reading The Shack by William P. Young until it was highly recommended by my friends at a Psychic Party I attended a few weeks ago. As usual, I'm glad I read it, and it is a quick and painless read. But I didn't really LOVE it. It is a little too folksy and preachy for me. The message is simple and inspiring: God is always with each of us, and despite the bad things that happen in life, God IS good.

Shutter Island

Shutter Island is a good read! Finished it in a day, just in time to see the movie when it comes out on Friday. Creeeeee-pppppyyyyy! I saw the movie preview at the theater when I went to see Up In the Air. My well-read friend, Lisa told me about the book—by Dennis "Mystic River" Lehane—and that it had a twisted, Sixth Sense kind of ending. Ooooh, I was hooked and had to get my hands on a copy. All I could round up from the library was the large print edition, but that's okay; I enjoyed every super-sized minute of it!

The setting of the book is creepy perfection, a prison/hospital for the criminally insane on a remote island off the coast of Massachusetts during the 1950s. The suspense is excruciating, even if the writing style is pure, pared down, detective novel prose. The intricate plot includes references to Nazi Germany, mental illness, and the nefarious history of psychiatric treatment, with a little bit of B-movie sex thrown in for good measure. The characters grew on me, and though I wouldn't necessarily have cast Leonardo DiCaprio as U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels, I'll reserve judgement until after I see the film.

And, given my newfound fascination with asylums, I added two more must-reads to my book list: The Bell Jar and Girl, Interrupted.

Shades of Simon Gray

LEXILE 900 young adult

When my eighth-grade son was assigned Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce McDonald, my 18-year-old daughter and I were intrigued, so we decided to read it too. She completed it in a day, and I almost gave up when I was halfway through. In a nutshell: interesting storyline wasted on uninspiring characters and humdrum writing. And, the plot has nothing to do with Dorian Gray. I wish it did.