National Poetry Month

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National Poetry Month, Sue Vincent

April is National Poetry Month, and after mulling over what I wanted to share for a first post to celebrate, I think I’ve come up with a perfect kickoff. As many of you know, we lost a very special member of our blogging community earlier this week, Sue Vincent. Not only was Sue an invaluable and supportive blogging friend, but she was a gifted painter and writer, so I thought sharing one of her beautiful poems would be a perfect way to begin this special month.

Purpose

The pen paints the souls longing

In jewel tones.

The darkness veils the stars, 

Yet their Light shines unseen,

But not unfelt

An ember of gold

In the shadows.

Now you remind us

To count all our blessings,

Holding them dear

For the little while.

You remind us too

That chivalry survives,

And the courage to laugh

In the face of tragedy.

Then you remind us

That friendship is precious 

A gift to be cherished 

And never lost.

I am reminded 

That life has its purpose 

And our purpose in life

Is to Live it.

~ Sue Vincent ~

For more of Sue’s work, please visit https://scvincent.com

Amanda In Malta: The Sleeping Lady, By Darlene Foster ~ 5.0 Stars

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Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Malta, Mystery

Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 11th, 2021

128 Pages

Synopsis: Amanda receives a postcard from her best friend Leah, and is surprised to learn that she is in Malta with her aunt. Reading between the lines, she senses Leah is in trouble. Desperate to help her, Amanda travels to Malta with her classmate Caleb and his parents.

Amanda is intrigued with this exotic island in the middle of the Mediterranean, full of colorful history, sun-drenched limestone fortresses, stunning beaches and fascinating birds. But…who is killing the protected birds? Who stole a priceless artifact from the museum? And why is Leah acting so strange? She couldn’t possibly be involved in these illegal activities, or could she?

Join Amanda and her friends as the visit ancient temples, an exciting falconry, and the enchanting Popeye Village, as they try to get to the bottom of the mystery of the Sleeping Lady. (Goodreads)

Amanda In Malta: The Sleeping Lady, is the eighth book in author and fellow blogger Darlene Foster’s Amanda Travels series. While I know Darlene through WordPress, this is the first book of hers I’ve read, and what a pleasure it was. Even though it’s part of a series, I had no problem jumping right in. This has everything a 10-12 year old reader could want: an exotic location, likable and realistic characters, an exciting adventure with a touch of danger, a perfect mix of fact and fiction, and an intriguing mystery. Based on just this one book, I can honestly say this is a series I would have loved as a child. It’s also a series that if I were still a children’s librarian I’d be purchasing these for our library collection and promoting them to our young patrons. I don’t read many books nowadays that are for children younger than teens, but I enjoyed Amanda In Malta: The Sleeping Lady so much I’m determined to go back and read the previous books in the series!