Some call it "reading flow". I prefer to call it "book coma". It's that feeling you get when you are reading a really good book, one that's easy on your eyes and invites you into the story from the first page to the last, transporting you with its voice and characters and setting. That's what happened to me this weekend, reading Catching a Story Fish by Janice N. Harrington.
This book is different than other novels-in-verse I've read. Each poem has its own title, and the author includes a "Poetry Glossary" at the end to explain several different types of poetic forms she employed--this one a haiku, the next concrete, another the blues--yet the story flows from one poem to the next. The consistency of the speakers' voices holds the narrative together, so that the changes in rhythm and patterns aren't jarring; in fact, I think it makes the story that much more interesting.
At the heart of Catching a Story Fish is a realistic fiction tale of a young girl trying to find her way in a new school and a different culture. It's a story many of us can relate to, especially this military BRAT.
If you want to learn more about poetry forms, check out this website from The Poetry Foundation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms?page=3 .
It's Monday! What new book did you pick up this weekend?
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