The Sunday Salon: The Black Death and the Tooth Fairy

 

Welcome! It's lovely that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? 

The Sunday Salon is a spot to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It is also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

A cautionary tale about reading fiction: I read a historical fiction book about the Black Death with my seven-year-old grandson, Wyatt, a few weeks ago. Last week Wyatt lost his first tooth. His dad asked him if he wanted to put his tooth under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy. Wyatt said no. Since the Tooth Fairy was probably around at the time of the Black Death, he told his dad, the Tooth Fairy was probably killed with the rest of the people!

I must find a nonfiction book about the Black Death for Wyatt, I think.

Here I am inside one of the several sensory pods that were for sale at the conference.

I went to the Texas Library Association Conference this week (after I got home from a week in Central Texas antiquing and time with friends at the No Kings Rally). I will do a whole post soon on what I brought home with me from the conference.

 

What I Read Last Week:

Goldfinches written by Mary Oliver and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.

What I'm Reading Now:

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Classic)

The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss 

written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris (Nature Nonfiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: A Holiday in Smithville

Goldfinches, written by Mary Oliver and illustrated by Melissa Sweet: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

I started listing 3 Good Things each day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Illustrator Melissa Sweet at TLA,

signing her new book, Goldfinches,

written by poet Mary Oliver. 

Good Thing #2:

The Book of Birds:

A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss 

written by Robert Macfarlane

and illustrated by Jackie Morris.

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

W. W. Norton, for this beautiful book.

I'm reading it slowly, 

and I will post about it soon.

Good Thing #3:

I am eagerly reading Leyendas/Legends:

60 Latine People Who Changed the World,

another book I brought home from the library conference.

Thank you, Chronicle Books,

for this beautiful book.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

Goldfinches, written by Mary Oliver and illustrated by Melissa Sweet: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

 

Today's Featured Book: 

Goldfinches

written by poet Mary Oliver

illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Genre: Poetry; picture book

Published: March 3, 2026

Page Count: 40 pages

Summary: 

Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet gorgeously illustrates the work of Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Mary Oliver for the first time in picture book form.

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

One more thing

I want to mention

before the pages

actually begin.

Writing poems,

for me but not

necessarily for

others, is a way

of offering

praise to the 

world.

        

Oliver, Mary. Goldfinches, page 1. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

And love the world.

Oliver, Mary. Goldfinches, 56%. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

Reason #1: I love birds.
Reason #2: I love poetry.
Reason #3: I love picture books.
Reason #4: I love poet Mary Oliver.
Reason #5: I love author/illustrator Melissa Sweet.

This is the book I wanted most to see at the Texas Library Association Conference this week.

I was first in line to get this book signed by the illustrator.

Guys, you need this book. Trust me on this. If you agree with me for even one of the reasons I gave (above) for reading this book, you need to find a copy and read it, too. I can't really tell you how wonderful it is.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

3rd - Which book really showcases your favorite author’s style, and what makes it stand out? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White with text and illustrations by Melissa Sweet

You really won't believe me about how amazing this book is unless you find a copy and read it and look at the incredible illustrations for yourself. It is stunning. It's completely original. It is a book you want to read over and over. 

 

The Sunday Salon: A Holiday in Smithville

 

Welcome! I am delighted that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? 

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Lots of good news this week:

My dad's wife, Rosa, had surgery on her hip, and she is now in a rehab facility. My dad is able to stay with her there.

My allergies settled down.

My car has settled down and has given me no further trouble.

My husband and I were able to spend several days up in Smithville in Central Texas with my sister and her husband, Gary, on Gary's grandmother's farm. We went antiquing at the semi-annual antique show in Round Top and we spent lots of time catching up.

What I Read Last Week:

The Illustrated Emily Dickinson: 25 Essential Poems

Wildflower Emily: A Story About Young Emily Dickinson

What I'm Reading Now:

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Classic)

Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations by Frederick Buechner (Spirituality)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

Hope is the Thing with Feathers: The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Nine Newish Books I Hope to Read This Spring

The Sunday Salon: Home!

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Central Texas is beautiful.

It's been dry, so

the bluebonnets were not 

as abundant as in years past.

Good Thing #2:

I saw this fascinating hummingbird moth

near the pond on my brother-in-law's grandmother's farm.

Good Thing #3:

We saw this lovely Orange Sulphur

at the antique show. 

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers: The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

     

Today's Featured Book: 

Hope is the Thing with Feathers:

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

Genre: Poetry

Written: 1858 to 1865

First Published: 1890

Page Count: 328 pages

Summary: 

From the Women's Voices series, a collection of classic poetry specifically curated to encourage, challenge, and motivate women.

One of American's most distinctive poets, Emily Dickinson scorned the conventions of her day in her approach to writing, religion, and society. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers is a collection of her vast archive of poetry to inspire the writers, creatives, and feminists of today.

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

This is my letter to the world,

    That never wrote to me, ---

The simple news that Nature told,

    With tender majesty.

Her message is committed

    To hands I cannot see;

For love of her, sweet countrymen,

    Judge tenderly of me.

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

Apparently with no surprise

To any happy flower,

The frost beheads it at its play

In accidental power.

The blond assassin passes on,

The sun proceeds unmoved

To measure off another day

For an approving God.

I'm taking a class on Emily Dickinson that begins in Women's History Month (March) and runs through Poetry Month (April). 

I am extending my enjoyment of the class by reading some books about her life and poetry myself, and by sitting in front of her statue in my home library as I recite her poems. lol

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

What’s your favorite bookish scent, and why does it appeal to you? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

I like all bookish scents---newly printed books, old bookstores, pens, paper. I do not know why these appeal to me. Perhaps it's buried in my DNA.