The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum, A Long Walk to Water, The Lost King, My Book - Life as an Army Ranger, and more

One Writer's Journey: A newsletter about reading, writing, and creativity by Sue Bradford Edwards

I’m Reading . . .

Olive Cobin Zang knows something is up when she gets called to the school office. She hasn’t done anything wrong . . . this time. But trouble has a way of finding her. Her mother tells her that she’s going to a boarding school, specifically a “reforming arts school,” located in a former prison.

Think caper novel for kids and you’ll have a good feel for this one. I am loving it! I’m a huge Dan Santat fan so when I saw he had teamed up with Lisa Yee, I knew I had to get my hands on this book.

I’m Listening to . . .

I can’t believe A Long Walk to Water is almost 15 years old! I just finished listening to the audio book for book club. Surprisingly, someone else picked it out.

This book has dual story lines. In 1985, Salva is an eleven-year-old boy who becomes one of Sudan’s “lost boys” when war separates and scatters his family. Salva is a survivor who deals with lions, crocodiles, and soldiers who fire on the refugees before he finds his way to safety. In 2008 Sudan, Nya is an eleven-year-old girl who must make two trips a day to the pond where her family gets water. The pond is two hours from her home and as the water gets low in the dry season it isn’t very clean.

The stories intersect and are based on the interviews that author Linda Sue Park did with the real-life Salva Dut.

I’m Watching . . .

This movie is a fictional account of Phillipa Gregory’s search for the grave of Richard III. If you aren’t familiar with the story, Gregory is an amateur historian who had been diagnosed with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis. She identified with the monarch who was often discussed as if his curved spine was his most important trait. Gregory his historical story, and his accomplishments, to be told.

Remember back in 2012 when the king’s grave was found? That took place because Gregory used crowd funding to raise the money to excavate the car park (parking lot) that lay over his burial. After watching the movie, I am interested in reading Gregory’s writing as well as that of other Richardians.

My Writing . . .

Guess what arrived in the mail this week?

This book was a monster to research. There is so much inaccurate information out there about the Rangers. Finding solid material requires using just the right combination of search terms. Fortunately, my son is very into both history and current tech. Multiple times, he got texts from me. “I need three recent missions.” "Can military drones do this?” It is important to know who can point you in the right direction!

Something More . . .

I’m almost done with the cowl that I’m making so I’ve been looking for a new project. This yarn just arrived and it is the softest yarn I’ve ever handled. I’m going to make a triangular wrap using a pattern written for “interesting” yarn. Take a close look and you’ll see that the yarn is pretty variable with both tight narrow twists and loose wide twists. I’ll have to see how it all comes together!

If you have any comments or questions or things that you would like to see me include in the newsletter, please let me know. And, if you’ve enjoyed it, please share it with your friends.