It’s the day before Election Day in the USA. Times are tense. Anxiety runs high. I’m focused on reading.

To keep my mind at ease, I think about the authors who craft their stories and question how they seem to get it all right so easily. I know that’s not true – there are many revisions, many edits, many days and months of struggle to get messages to readers. But still…it amazes me how simple it seems.

The first book I picked up after last Monday’s post was This Poem is a Nest by Irene Latham. I wonder how long it took her to craft all those little poems, the nestlings, she called them, from one longer poem, “Nest.” I love how she introduced the book, telling the reader how she painstakingly (must have been an awesome task!) weaved each word from the first poem into the 161 nestlings that became the rest of the book. She explained how she expanded the concept of blackout poetry and found poems to “find the whole world” inside “Nest.” I immediately began writing my own poems about nature, the moon, and responses to other poems. She inspired me! If you haven’t read This Poem is a Nest yet, add it to your list. You’re going to enjoy the creative process here.

I’m listening to some Libro.fm audiobooks this week. I want to experience the words in a different way. I’m used to reading, creating my own version of voices and pictures in my head. But with audiobooks, I get to hear those voices from narrators, many of whom are the authors of the books, which is interesting. Authors reading their own works allow me to hear their stories the way they want me to hear them.

This week, I will finish The Trial of the Chicago 7, but it’s a little deep for me right now. I started listening to Greenlights, which is Matthew McConaughey’s memoir – funny and light, but also thoughtful and introspective. Recommended by a friend, I’m glad I listened to her, too.

It’s Monday! What are YOU reading? IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop with kid lit co-hosts Jennifer from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s a great way to share what you’re reading and get recommendations from others. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs each week.