#girlonawire

[mybookishlife2]

🌺Shocking🌺 QOTD: Have you put a book as DNF?/What book has shocked you? AOTD: I was tagged by @inveterate_reader for the #thebooksidnfedchallenge2020 . I have marked Permanent Record. This is also my first book that I marked as DNF. Okay, so this is shocking because I really enjoyed this which surprised me. I definitely recommend this book. It had me guessing until the end and oh my… The way Gwenda Bond wrote just transports you into the story as if you were actually in it. |Synopsis| Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies. Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque. As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall. 🌺 Hashtags: #GwendaBond #GirlonaWire #YAFiction #YAFantasy #booksaremagic #bookshelf #unitedbookstagram #bookpics #readingcommunity #bookgram #reader #readingtogether #bibliophilelife #readingforpleasure #igbooks #bookblog #booksbooksbooks #bookstandup #circusbook #yacircus https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6Q5SRADhs/?igshid=1lz7qn0hrnaer

[cassiesbookishcorner]

June 27, 2019 Seems like this year I’ve had a problem starting books and not finishing them. • How many books are on your TBR that you’ve started and not finished?? 📚 📚 #mistborn #nameofthewind #empireofstorms #outlander #girlonawire #wayfarer #tbr #wanttoread #currentlyreading #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #bookish #booklover #bookaholic #bookaddict #bookreader #reader #read #books #june #2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/BzOv0yIgu-5/?igshid=1njxvszqy2u31

[kristinjaques20]

#monthofdiversebooks: Girl on a Wire by @gwendabond. ... #weneeddiversebooks #girlonawire #gwendabond #bookphotography #bookstagram #booksoutside #books. ... @weneeddiversebooks

[allthingsequilateral]

#aprilbookstagram | a friend recommended it | Ah, @diamondxgirl and her cohort in bookish shenanigans, @ravenousreader, have recommended so many, many lovely stories. These by #gwendabond are only the latest additions to my TBR. - 📚. Bookish friends are truly the best. Give them a follow, and you'll see your TBR begin to tip over much like mine. - 📚. Wouldn't change a thing about that either! - 📚😂😉. 📚. 📚. #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #BookstagramFeature #Bookish #Books #Reads #YAReads #YABooks #YALoving #ILoveYA #YALit #BookNerd #Bibliophile #Book #BookWorm #VSCOBooks #VSCOReads #GoodReads #BookShimmy #BookishAesthetic #Booklr #BookNerdigans #InstaBooks #InstaReads #IGBooks #IGReads #girlonawire

[girlonawireblog]

POODLICIOUS

In my mind, this odd little slice of my life runs on a loop:

I am dancing around the kitchen with a black and white miniature poodle. He dances on his hind legs, all people-like, and I sing various made-up songs. Like ‘Poodlicious’—to the tune of ‘Fergalicious,’ of course, with lyrics about how Kimba makes all the girl-dogs go loco.

That poodle goes wild. He chirps, and—I swear—he smiles.

The musical repertoire varied, but for a number of years, this scene was the norm as I put on the coffee and made breakfast each morning. I had somehow become a crazy little-dog lady, and my dances with Kimba put a smile on my own face even in the worst of times.

Our pairing was as unlikely as the bond we ultimately formed.

I grew up with large dogs: German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Newfoundlands. I had nothing against small dogs. I just tended to prefer the big, slobbery, heavily-shedding dogs I’d known all my life.

But because of my (now ex) husband’s allergies, those big, slobbery, heavily-shedding dogs weren’t an option. After some research, we ended up with first a Bichon Frise—Harry, who quickly chose my ex as his favorite human on earth—and Kimba, the miniature parti poodle who became my shadow.

Kimba arrived with a serious case of separation anxiety. Or maybe more accurately, everything anxiety. He was constantly between my feet. Noises and sudden movement sent him into a tailspin. He was so terrified in the car, he shook uncontrollably, frothing at the mouth until he looked like a tiny parti-poodle version of Cujo.

In a way, Kimba’s anxieties were a godsend for me. I was dealing with anxiety of my own, and working with Kimba on his issues proved to be therapy for both of us. We spent countless hours on training to alleviate his fears. In time, he learned to accept my comings and goings, and to so thoroughly enjoy car rides, I couldn’t pick up the keys without him going wild with excitement.

I’d say to him each day: Kimba, you are a brave, independent poodle. You are descended from wolves. Never forget that.

It started as a sort of joke. Who could look at a fluffy little poodle and do anything but marvel at the genetic acrobatics it had taken to create such a creature?

But Kimba took in the words with solemn understanding, and as I watched him grow braver and more adventurous, I wondered if maybe something wolf-like remains in the heart of even the smallest dogs.

Over the years, Kimba earned the nickname The Peace Poodle. He loved everyone he met: people, other dogs, cats, rabbits—you name it. Kids were his favorite. Heck, everyone and everything was his favorite. It was a joke that made it onto our Christmas card just a few weeks ago.

And sure, that level of enthusiasm for life is the hallmark of dogs as a species. One of the things I came to love about Kimba, though, was that he also had a quieter, more serious side.

He seemed downright introspective at times, and he often needed his space in a way that felt more cat-like than canine. He would snuggle up at bed time, but then disappear during the night, choosing to sleep solo on the sofa or in his dog bed by the fire.

Kimba also seemed to instinctively understand how to behave in various environments. He came with me on writing retreats, and was appropriately mellow.

(Well, with the exception of one chicken-chasing incident - which, I maintain, was entirely the fault of the chicken.)

When I was going through my divorce, I brought Kimba to some of my therapy sessions. The first time he came with me, Kimba stood on his hind legs to greet my therapist with a paw-shake. He gave the room a once-over, then hopped up onto the sofa and sat at attention, head tipped, waiting for the session to begin.

The therapist laughed, then said to me, “You do realize that’s not a dog you’ve got there, right? That is an old, old soul in a doggie suit.”

Indeed.

Daily, Kimba would hop onto my lap and I would smooth his ears back and tell him: You are sweetness and light in a poodle suit. Then he would hop back down and go about his business—most of which involved sharing that sweetness and light with the world.

My tendency to rescue animals with disabilities or provide hospice care for those at the end of their lives was something Kimba not only tolerated, but welcomed. He was a natural at being a calming influence. It was almost as if serving other animals was as soothing to Kimba as helping him with his anxiety had alleviated my own.

Only one dog was impervious to Kimba’s charm.

(A few chomps later, we decided Chopper was not best-placed with us.)

When Tiny Tim, the paralyzed Rottweiler, came home with us for his final hours, Kimba lay with me and Tim on the floor all night. He curled up on a pillow by Tiny Tim’s head—which was nearly as big as Kimba’s whole body—and every so often, he would touch his nose to Tim’s. I would hear Tim’s gentle exhale and know Kimba was working his Peace Poodle magic.

He brought so much joy to everyone he met, doing his silly poodle-dance or running in wild circles on the dog beach or tipping his nose at the sunroof and enjoying the wind in his ears on one of our many road trips.

He enthusiastically hiked trails everywhere from New England to California. He reveled in getting filthy, then stoically tolerated being washed in the sink or fully re-poodled at the groomer’s.

Kimba’s sudden passing the morning after Christmas is a thing that will haunt me forever. An open door, a moving car, and a moment’s inattention resulted in a terrible accident with an un-fixable outcome. It is small comfort to me that Kimba was in my arms as he passed.

My brave, independent poodle.

There’s nothing I wouldn’t give to have Kimba back with me. Those who have loved animals understand. They each hold a special place in your heart, yet with some there is just a deeper connection than with others.

Kimba was my little soul-poodle. There is an ache in his absence, and that weird wishful thinking that follows a death: clearly a mistake has been made, and if I can just appeal to the right god, all will be set right again.

As many friends have reminded me lately, the pain I feel right now is not for Kimba. Wherever Kimba is right now, in whatever form, he is not in pain. The sorrow I am experiencing is because his presence in my life was so great, his absence has left a tremendous void.

I used to joke that my primary relationship was with a 12-lb. poodle who loved to spoon.

No joke, really.

Now, as I write this, I have the tiniest dog imaginable at my side.

Mighty Little Max came to me and Kimba just a little over a year ago. His human had passed away and he was failing to thrive. Given his age and overall condition, the animal rescue was going to euthanize him. Kimba and I welcomed Max with the expectation that he might not have long to live.

Ha!

Max rallied big time, becoming Kimba’s enthusiastic little sidekick. I began referring to him as The Doglet Who Lived.

That Max is still here and Kimba is gone seems strangely ironic to me. But that’s how life goes, isn’t it? None of us knows how long we have. The biggest changes in our lives often come down to the smallest moments.

And yet.

Yet...

Mighty Little Max has kept close to my side since Kimba’s passing, and I’ve noticed something.

This 2.7 lb. scrap of a dog has picked up some of Kimba’s mannerisms. Kimba showed him the ropes, and I am certain Max is thriving today because of it. He comes to me each morning after breakfast. I ask him how his meal was, and he high-fives me, putting his tiny paw to my forefinger.

But now, I add: You are a brave, independent chihuahua. You are descended from wolves. Never forget that.

Mighty Little Max takes in the words with solemn understanding.

And somewhere deep within me, I know Kimba’s sweetness and light go on.

www.girlonawirekcw.com

[thereaderandthechef]

Happy first day of Fall! 🍁🍂🙌 . Are you ready for sweaters & pumpkin spice everything?!? Do you like pumpkin spice??? This is seriously our favorite season & we cannot wait for it to feel like it (still feels like summer here 😅) BUT, bookstagram gives us the right excuse to celebrate this season bookish style! . This is the first time we try doing a bookish pyramid and it was fun 😂 (for #bookishshapes17)! 🙌🍁 . The beautiful Fall pillow in the background is from @booknerdaddict's Society6 store! And heads-up! There's a sale going on right now for 20% off, no code required! 😍🍁 . Book challenges 📚📚📚: . #frenchiefantasyseptember ~ power. Some great books here! 💪 . #bookishlyseptember17 ~ hobbit / dwarves. Hobbits! . #wishonseptember ~ magic. ✨ #bookstagram #bookstack #bookgram #yalit #yabooks #yaliterature #bookish #bibliophile #booklovers #hiddenhuntress #requiem #carryon #crookedkingdom #GirlonaWire #harrypotter #harrypotter20 #bookishlove #bookphotograpy #bookstack #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #ireadya #booklovin #📚 #bookstagrammexico #bookpyramid

[mybookishlife2]

🌀#fivefingerstackchallenge 🌀 Happy Sunday!!! Thank you @starlight_and_fairytails_ for the tag! Here is my stack. There's a little bit of a theme going on, which was so not intentional and I love it! Tagging some of my friends here. Even if you are not tagged, try it out anyways it's a lot of fun! No pressure in doing this tag either. 😁 🌀 | Thumb A book you give a thumbs up to | Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond When I saw that this was about a circus I was not sure about how I would feel. I felt so confused but loved the Night Circus. But this was so different and I loved it. Especially the forbidden romance! Like thank you! 4/5 Stars 🌀 | POINTER A book you always recommend | Roseblood by A.G. Howard There is so much I can say about Roseblood. This book actually got me into the Phantom of the Opera. This book was just awesome! I haven't read the original phantom of the Opera but it made several references to the original story and it had its twists and what not. 4/5 🌀 | MIDDLE FINGER A book you didn’t like | Undertow by Michael Buckley It pains me to say this, this has been on my TBR for YEARS. It's been on my TBR since March 14, 2015 and while I didn't hate it, I kinda liked it but not enough for me to continue the trilogy. 2/5 Stars 🌀 | RING FINGER A book with a character you would marry | Cal from Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Honestly, I know that there are so many mixed emotions but honestly, he needed to grow up a lot and he did! Also, the way he supported Mare and never put that whole macho man act was amazing. 4/5 Stars 🌀 | PINKY A book I promise to read | Caraval by Stephanie Garber I have been recommended this trilogy by so many and very often! So to all of those who have recommended I start this, I promise you all, I will read it! What books would you choose? 🌀🌀 Hashtags: #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookworm #yabooks #yabookstagrammer #books #bibliophile #bookaholic #Roseblood #GirlonaWire #GwendaBond #AGHoward #Undertow #bookalicious #booksofinsta #bookspines #MichaelBuckley #bookcommunity #ILoveBooks #RedQueen #booktography #VictoriaAveyard #booksbooksbooks #StephanieGarber #Caraval #booktography https://www.instagram.com/p/CAk5rRUAFDG/?igshid=1macdiq3u51s5

[kristinjaques20]

This month I have decided to focus my bookstagram posts on @weneeddiversebooks! Every day in October I will post about a diverse author or books that have diverse characters.

[kristinjaques20]

#shakespeareweek day 5: Shakespeare + YA books. ... #themethursday #exitpursuedbyabear #ekjohnston #awinterstale #girlonawire #gwendabond #ronitandjamil #pamelallaskin #romeoandjuliet #thefaultinourstars #johngreen #shakespearerellings #ya #books #bookstagram #booksoutside #bookphotography. ... @ek_johnston @gwendabond @johngreenwritesbooks

[kristinjaques20]

Happy Birthday @gwendabond!! 🎪 ... #girlonawire #gwendabond #bookquotes #bookphotography #bookstagram #365daysofbookquotes

[kristinjaques20]

#themethursday #authorsignedbooks. ... #thehammerofthor #rickriordan #exitpursuedbyabear #athousandnights #ekjohnston #fairest #starsabove #marissameyer #ladymidnight #cassandraclare #spinningstarlight #rclewis #carvethemark #veronicaroth #asyouwish #caryelwes #girlonawire #gwendabond #eldest #christopherpaolini #princessofthemidnightball #jessicadaygeorge #bookstagram

[kristinjaques20]

#magicmonday 🎪✨ #girlonawire #girlintheshadows #gwendabond #bookstagram #atthecircus

[thereaderandthechef]

#bookishrainbow17 ~ Red & Black . . This color combo is so... Vampirey, dark and bloody lol. The chef thinks it looks Christmasy and she stands by it. Wait no, now sister says that it looks like Vampires' Christmas colors. 😂😂😂 . . What do you think? I also can't stop thinking about Beettlejuice. . . Beetlejuice. . . *whispers* Beetle- "🍹" 😉😉😉 . . Happy Friday, bookish friends!! 📚📚📚📚🎉 . . #bookstagram #bookgram #yalit #ireadya #yabooks #sixofcrows #crookedkingdom #bookish #booknerdigans #booklovin #bibliophile #bibliophiles #booknerds #bookphotography #chocolatecake #booksandbooks #requiem #GirlonaWire #theforbiddenwish #catchingfire #bookworms #igreads #epicreads #blackbooks #redbooks #bookishglee

[kristinjaques20]

#whattoreadwednesday : Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond. .Jules and her family are tight rope walkers who are invited to join a major circus that is touring the U.S. But her father is reluctant to join because of the Garcia's, a rival circus family. When Jules meets one of the Garcia's sons, Remy, they begin an investigation on the history of this bitter rivalry. @gwendabond .#gwendabond #girlonawire #girloverparis #bookstagram

[girlonawireblog]

CLEAR

Holmes’ Law: What is perfectly clear to you…is perfectly clear to you.

I first saw that sentence on a chalkboard in high school.  And man, have I thought of it often since.

Some lessons, it seems, take a lifetime to sink in.

There I was the other day, sitting at a stop light behind a truck covered in bumper stickers so full of idiocy, misogyny, racism, and xenophobia, I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.

One of the stickers made me laugh, though:

Jesus loves you. Everyone else thinks you’re an asshole.

Hello, irony?

Truth be told, I remain baffled by viewpoints that don’t mirror my own.  Mostly because — like pretty much all humans — I consider my viewpoints to be the correct ones.  You know, being that they’re mine and all.

Heck, I’ve had some of my views affirmed by an authority no less than the Supreme Court: women’s rights are good, racism is bad, the misery of marriage should be available to everyone, etc.

Being on the progressive side of history is an oddly deceptive thing.  It’s given me the idea that most people share my views on most things, which is a reassuring thought — but it’s not entirely accurate.

In last week’s post, I discussed the contrast between two spin classes I used to attend.  I took for granted that the instructor whose approach worked well for me was a good instructor, while the other instructor — whom I affectionately thought of as the Spin Nazi — was a very, very bad instructor.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that some of my fellow spinners felt just the opposite was true.

Potato, po-tah-to, I suppose.  It was spin class, not the future of the world.

But this election season — wow.  It’s been an excruciating process, an ongoing reminder that my views are far from the only ones.

That I continue to be surprised by this is, I think, a testament to the human inclination toward wishful and insular thinking.  I am a woman divorced from a guy so weirdly conservative, it was once Barack Obama’s fault that we ran out of vodka.  If anyone should understand that the world is full of all sorts, it’s me.

And yet…

It’s perfectly clear to me that if Jesus popped by tomorrow, he’d tell that guy driving the pickup truck covered in hateful bumper stickers:

Dude — you’re an asshole.

Somehow, though, I don’t suppose that’s what that guy was thinking when he slapped that sticker on his truck.

Lesson learned.

Take nothing for granted.  Be grateful when you find your people, and cozy up with them so you don’t lose your mind — but don’t forget that not everyone sees the world as you do.  

Because this guy is out there…

And his vote counts just as much as yours or mine.

www.girlonawirekcw.com

[girlonawireblog]

SHAKEN

Shaken to my core — yes, that’s how I felt last week, as the bragging of a Presidential candidate about forcing himself on women was compounded by his denial of his very own words.

So much this election season has felt both surreal and brutal, but I think the thing that hit home hardest for me has been the realization that misogyny is not only alive and well, but for many Americans — even women themselves — it’s a totally defensible attitude.

Which is why it meant absolutely everything to me to hear our First Lady deliver this speech:

And I did feel reassured.

Indeed, it felt less like a speech than a conversation, the sort of reassurance one might seek from a trusted friend or admired relative in the wake of trauma.

I am unabashedly one of Michelle Obama’s greatest fans. I feel a degree of gratitude and affection for her that puts her in league with my all-time heroes. She consistently brings grace, humanity and intelligence to situations that cry out for it desperately.

And oh, have we needed all that lately!

FLOTUS’ words simultaneously gave voice to the anger I felt in my core, and the hope for progress I cannot contain.

Because here’s what I realized:

Boys like Donald Trump will always lash out at women. They will assault them physically and then, when they dare speak out, attack them verbally. They will say, Look at her — she’s not attractive enough to merit my attention, carefully perpetuating the myth that sexual assault has anything at all to do with healthy sexuality.

And yes, I chose my words carefully here, too.

Boys.

That is what I see when considering Donald Trump and his ilk. We’ve all seen toddlers in the throes of a meltdown in the supermarket. They wanted to put their mucky little paws on all the fresh produce, then have every cookie on the sweet aisle — things that benefit neither the community nor themselves. A parent tells them no, and they lose their ever-loving shit.

Because they are three years old.

They just can’t help it. They haven’t matured enough to be anything but reactive. Hopefully, though, with enough parental guidance, they learn and grow. They come to understand that they can’t always have what they want.

Except when they don’t.

My best guess is that Trump is an extreme example of what happens when lessons and maturity are bypassed in some freakish petri dish of nature and nurture. In his case, wealth and privilege seem to have fed into a sense of entitlement so complete, it extends to the bodies of those around him. Anything is his for the grabbing — and if he can’t have it, he’ll throw a fit.

This stands in stark contrast to the behavior of the men I know.

Real men, as flawed as any of us, who eschew the easy, reactive path and instead work daily at being better people.

They bite their tongues and unclench their fists and cool down before reacting in anger.

They talk trash in locker rooms, but understand the line that is consent.

They wipe noses, change diapers, cook dinners.

They battle addictions, weather heartache, work at jobs in a world where changing gender roles can sometimes make them feel their losing their footing, their heritage, their identity.

They accept that life is change, and they move with the times.

They, too, feel shaken to their core when they consider that some want to return to the very worst of our history.

So, at the end of the day — even as I’m tempted to seek out a rock to crawl under for the next month or so — I wonder if being shaken is simply the price we pay to look evils that have too long lain hidden more fully in the face.

To look at them, and to say: I see you - and you have no place here any more.

www.girlonawirekcw.com