Today's Featured Book:
Startlement: New and Selected Poems
by Ada Limón
Genre: Poetry
Published: September 30, 2025
Page Count: 232 pages
Summary:
An essential collection spanning nearly twenty years of emphatic, fearlessly original poetry from one of America’s most celebrated living writers.
Drawing from six previously published books—including widely acclaimed collections The Hurting Kind, The Carrying, and Bright Dead Things—as well as vibrant new work, Startlement exalts the mysterious. With a tender curiosity, Ada Limón wades into potent unknowns—the strangeness of our brief human lives, the ever-changing nature of the universe—and emerges each time with new revelations about our place in the world.
with an orange.
Now we've got the problem
of the orange.
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.
you get angry because he won't answer his phone.
Part of me wants him to stay lost. God, what has stolen my generosity?
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I only bought one book at the Texas Book Festival for myself---Startlement: New and Selected Poems by Ada Limón.
I heard Limón speak to an almost-full room at the festival.
Limón was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2023 to 2025. You are young to have a new-and-selected collection, the moderator, a fellow poet, remarks. Are there poems you've written and published that you wish you had not written and published?
I am who I was, Limón responds. These poems mark the arc of my life, the arc of a poet.
The power of noticing is not as much a writing practice, she says, as it is a human daily practice, a practice of being alive.
It's so easy to miss your own life, Limón tells us.
Limón goes on to say, The wonderful thing about writing poetry is that it's an offering to the world. It's about loving.
Sometimes Limón notices something about herself. Am I hungry? Thirsty? she asks herself. No, she realizes, I need to make something.
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.
November 14th - Are you good at guessing plot twists? (submitted by Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)
No, I never figure out where a story is going, not even in a children's picture book. Plot, like life, is always a mystery.
I am sure it was both fun and educational to hear the poet speaking about her work.
ReplyDeleteNice! I feel like I run at maybe 60/40 in the guessing. Sometimes I'm really good at it, so it could be higher. Other times I take a gander at guessing something totally different because I felt like the evidence was there and was so totally wrong! I usually laugh at myself thinking why did I think A when it was B? Lol.
ReplyDeleteHere's my BBH
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Those phrases/lines you quoted. Both are very powerful.
ReplyDeleteSome authors seem to tease the reader, daring one to guess what’s coming. I prefer to read books that unfold in a more seamless way and don’t expect me to guess what’s happening.
ReplyDeleteI have dipped into her poetry off and on over the years and I always find it insightful. Moreover, it leads me down enticing roadways of thought, which I think is quite an accomplishment for the poet.
ReplyDeleteI’d seen this but thought I didn’t like her poetry. Then I hit home and looked at my reviews and realized I did like her poetry. My bad! Adding to my hold list at the library or my Christmas list for a hubby who always wants hints. Anne st Head Full on book on her phone .
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
ReplyDeleteI echo Jeanie's comment. ♥️
ReplyDeleteI can sometimes figure out a good plot twist. Other times it's a real surprise.
ReplyDeleteHer poems sound excellent, I'll have to look up this one.
ReplyDeleteThat book sounds interesting. I wish that I understood poems. I do try and dabble but apart from my children's book of poetry, I haven't found any that I like.
ReplyDeleteI don't guess plot twists either!
Have a great weekend!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/14/book-blogger-hop-are-you-good-at-guessing-plot-twists/
So am I good at guessing plot twists? Maybe. But deep down, I’d rather be caught off guard. Sometimes the fun of reading is letting the author outsmart you just a little.
ReplyDelete