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Books I Read in September.

October 2, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner 6 Comments

The books I read in September

Happy October, friends! The books I read in September represented a variety of genres, settings, and themes. I lapped them up for completely different reasons. Grab a cup of coffee and journey with me to the plains of Nebraska, down south to Louisiana, and across Texas when it was wilder than it is today (joke). We’ll delve into the mastermind behind of Nancy Drew, visit with the quirky Glass family, and meet a dying man in England. And, if you dare, we’ll step foot inside North Korea, a place as foreign as a galaxy far, far away.

Ready?Continue Reading

Goodbye Gilligan’s Island

January 18, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner 20 Comments

Gilligan's Island

After school snack of peanut butter
 crackers, watching Gilligan’s
 Island 

at the 
lake
drive was long–I read Alice in Wonderland the entire
trip(s)
to the library while Momma was at Lucille’s Beauty
Shop(ping)
at Sterlings, the smell of
 popcorn
at
 Nana’s

drawing crazy ducks at
church

revival on hot, summer
days
 spent flat on our backs, naming the shapeof
clouds 
and cold, days spent playing jacks inside—too cold for
recess
spent upside down on the playground bars like a
Monkey
Island at the Memphis
Zoo
picnics, with homemade chicken, deep
fried
potatoes every
night(s)
spent telling ghost stories
become
memories
become
us.

These are a few of my random childhood memories layered like tree rings. Flashes, mere seconds in my life, vividly remembered years later. Each comes with a smell or a sound or a taste. Peel them back to find my thoughts, attitudes, opinions. Peel them back to find me.We have no control over what we remember. What sticks and what doesn’t?

Not all of my memories are strawberry-cupcake-filled. There were not-so-perfect memories too, those that sometimes kept me up at night. And regular run-of-the-mill life moments, easily forgotten. The sum of my life experiences furnished me with a love for reading and nature and cooking and family and home.

Now imagine….

What if instead of coming home from school to peanut butter crackers and Gilligan’s Island, I played Grand Theft Auto Vice City. Every day for years…

What if instead of attending church revival on hot summer days, I spent weeks holed up in my dark bedroom playing Hitman?

What if instead of checking out Nancy Drew books at the library, I checked out Splatterhouse?Would I be the same person?

The gun control debate has turned nasty. We can blame guns and mental health while calling for more control or taking up arms to fight for our rights. I don’t know what the magic answer is, but the problem stems from a complete breakdown of society including family and morals.
I grew up around guns yet never once considered shooting anyone on the school bus, even though my purse was ransacked and my lunch money was stolen nearly every day. And as bad as that was, the worst bully never considered pulling out a gun to steal my lunch money.
There were consequences—home, school, police, higher power.
When does virtual become reality? Shouldn’t Hollywood shoulder partial responsibility? Shouldn’t parents accept responsibility for not parenting?
How could we not be affected by something we are exposed to day in and day out, whether positive or negative?
If we smoke one cigarette, no harm done. Smoke cigarettes for five hours every day for years and see what happens.

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening

Musical Pairing:

In This World We Created, Queen

“Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.” ― Oscar Wilde

The Cup Song

January 9, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner 13 Comments

Brianna Powell & May “Babe” Brightwell

For those of you keeping up, here’s another piece of the May Brightwell / Nancy Drew book puzzle. If you’ve been reading, you know what I mean…

If you are behind, here is a super quick recap…

– I bought a vintage Nancy Drew book in Arkansas.
– Inside the cover was the inscription “this book belongs to May Gertrude Brightwell” with her Maryland address.
– Based on other notations, I estimated she owned the book in 1959.
– I blogged about this.
– I blog about everything that happens to me.
– I wondered, “Should I try to contact her?”
– Before I had the chance, her family read the blog and contacted me.
– She still lives in Maryland.
– Now we are all one big happy Facebook family:))

The following is a video of May’s great-great niece, Brianna Powell.  What a talent!!!

Click Here…”The Cup Song”

Had.To.Share.

talya

Part 1 – You Send Me

Part 2 – On That Night

Musical Pairing:
none needed…
Next Page »

Talya Tate Boerner


Hi! I'm Talya. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

Click to BUY NOW!

Talya Tate Boerner books
Gene, Everywhere

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