A book that I read recently which I liked very much,
"A Gentleman in Moscow" told of Bolsheviks and such.
The time was 1922; with new power they possessed,
Count Rostov, an aristocrat; was doomed to house arrest

In Moscow’s Hotel Metropol. And there he stayed for life—
A sudden halt to his routines which, generally, were rife
With people and activities that kept him on the go.
But as a man of character, he lived those years as though

Each day was an adventure, a new problem he must solve.
For thirty years his life was full of purpose and resolve.
He did his best with what he had and made many a friend
And also made a promise that his prison he’d transcend.

Courage is a quality the brave do not display,
They show it in the way they face misfortune every day.
I think we all tested in the choices that we make
I hope my good ones outnumber my ill-thought-out mistakes.
 
Another book I heard about, and found most interesting
Was Debra Owens’ novel, titled, "Where the Crawdads Sing."
A little girl, whose mother fled her life of harsh abuse,
Was left alone soon after, when her siblings all cut loose.

Her only friends were sea gulls and her life was raw and harsh
She had no one to teach her how to live life in the marsh;
And so, this brave child taught herself to read and other things
Like the habits of swamp critters and the workings of bird wings.

She catalogued the creatures, and she learned to draw them, too;
She was known by all the locals as the little marsh girl, who
Was dirty, with her too-small clothes, who acted really strange,
And then she met a handsome boy and her life took a change.

But he turned out to be a cad and also turned up dead
And locals blamed the Marsh Girl because everybody said
She had a motive; that the boy had used her and then left,
That she was crazed with anger and also felt bereft.

But even though she went to court, they never proved a thing
And so, she went back to her old life, where the crawdads sing.
Later, when she took her books to publishers, they found
This girl knew more about the marsh than anyone around.

The story ends with a surprise, but I will not relate it;
Or intimate or complicate nor will I fabricate  it.
The lesson learned from this story?
I'm thankful for my family.


 
 A classic, or it should be, is "The Pillars of the Earth."
A monk in the twelfth century was “driven to give birth”
To a great Gothic cathedral that he had to build in stages.
It describes the architecture and times in the middle ages.

It talks about the structure and the heights he had to climb;
It tells about the villagers and happenings in those times—
Family feuds and civil wars and illnesses and death,
The murder of Thomas Beckett as he drew his last breath.

It is a very long book (and a heavy one to hold)
But the builder's life is one that's colorful and bold.
The dedication of the man--the years his project took--
The details of the building, made a very worthwhile book.


  Robert Fulghum wrote a bunch of books that are a hoot;
His take on ordinary things is really quite astute.
His titles are so long I cannot list them here in rhyme
But each one is a slice of life seen with his clever mind.

Everyday occurrences are made to seem absurd
He really has a natural talent with the written word.
And he will get you thinking about things a different way
Than you have prob’ly thought of them up until today.
 
A book by Jeffrey Archer that I’m reading presently,
Contains several short stories in which he tells how he
Used happenings from his life, titled, “And Thereby Hangs a Tale.”
 Others are invented and his writing never fails

To draw the reader in because of situations that
Are so intriguing you are “there”—yes, in their habitat.
A female swindler fools a judge and not only goes free,
With several million pounds, this crook will live most comfortably.

They are fascinating stories and I’m only halfway through,
But I can surely recommend this charming book to you.
 
 
Every book has something that it leaves with you, I think;
Some do not apply to me; with some, I am in sync.
I love interesting characters, presented in detail
Along with a good plot, of course—a cleverly told tale.

I could list more books I like; these are but a few,
And though it’s been a blast for me, I hope I've not bored you.