Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #PotLuck – The Miracle of Reading by D. Wallace Peach

Welcome to the new series of Posts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.

If you would like to know how it works here is the original post: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/smorgasbord-posts-from-your-archives-newseries-pot-luck-and-do-you-trust-me/

I am delighted that fantasy author D. Wallace Peach has given me permission to dive into her archives and I have had a amazing time selecting four posts to share with you. Today the unbridled joy of reading.

The Miracle of Reading by D. Wallace Peach

Image Pixabay

I had another post prepared for today… but then a miracle happened…

I showed up at Tornado Boy’s house for two days of “Grammy Time.” Kindergarten doesn’t kick off until Tuesday and preschool ended early, leaving mom and dad in a lurch. When I walked in the door, I received my usual whirlwind of hugs, but the first question out of the tornado’s mouth was, “Do you want me to read a book to you?”

Not Legos, no request to build a spaceship or visit the park, no plea to use his old grammy as a jungle-gym. Nope.

“Do you want me to read a book to you?”

“Why, sure,” I replied, fully expecting a play by play narration through a picture book or a four-pager of his own creation.

I sat on the couch, and he climbed up beside me, tucked in tight, and opened Dr. Seuss’s Hop on Pop. Then page by page, he read me the entire book.

As I listened, I saw the world open up to him, a new superpower revealed, a lifetime of learning and adventure, of Treasure Island and Harry Potter, of Vonnegut and Cussler, Tolkien and Homer. He read to me slowly, sounding out the words, and he didn’t want my help when he got stuck. He was reading, and he too knew that something momentous was happening. He too recognized the magic in the letters and their sounds.

Just ask Jennie Fitzkee  A Teachers Reflections about the power of reading aloud. We’ve read to Tornado Boy since the day he was born, and the local library has become a place of endless exploration. It’s paid off as another child discovers a world of imagination within his grasp, the miracle of words.

Grammy was so happy she could have cried. Then we played Legos, built a spaceship, went to the park, and wrestled. And he read Hop on Pop to me two more times.

Some favorite quotes about reading:

A book is a gift you can open again and again. —Garrison Keillor

To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark. —Victor Hugo

Books are a uniquely portable magic. —Stephen King

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. —Anna Quindlen

Wear the old coat and buy the new book. —Austin Phelps

I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library. —Jorge Luis Borges

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. —Groucho Marx 

©D. Wallace Peach 2018

About D. Wallace Peach

I didn’t care for reading as a child – I preferred Bonanza and Beverly Hillbillies reruns, Saturday morning cartoons and the Ed Sullivan show. Then one day, I opened a book titled The Hobbit. Tolkien … literally changed my life.

I love writing, and have the privilege to pursue my passion full time. I’m still exploring the fantasy genre, trying out new points of view, creating optimistic works with light-hearted endings, and delving into the grim and gritty what-ifs of a post-apocalyptic world. Forgive me if I seem untethered in my offering of reads. Perhaps one day, I’ll settle into something more reliable. For now, it’s simply an uncharted journey, and I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I.

A selection of  books by D.Wallace Peach

A recent review for Soul Swallowers on Goodreads

Mar 25, 2019 Jacquie rated it Five Stars

I didn’t know what to expect when I came across this title on D. Wallace Peach’s website, but the title and the cover drew me and after hesitating far longer than I should have, I decided to make the purchase- and can I just say, WOW!

This is the story of three kingdoms and the men and women who rule them, some with deceit more than honor. When heir to the throne Raze Anvrell witnesses the murder of his young wife, he blames his father and disowns his family. He leaves to make his own way and learns over time, with the help of his mentor, that anger and hatred is not the answer to a peaceful soul.

The author has a beautiful, poetic way of writing that drew me right into the story- I couldn’t set it down!  Some of my favorite lines:

“What do you believe?”

“That we are children in a corner of the world trying to draw borders around the universe. We study a drop of rain and think we understand the sea. The only thing we can fully understand is ourselves, and even that task is beyond most.”

“The winter rains had abated, and waves of hammered bronze rolled into the cliffs with the rhythm of a heartbeat. The islands of the Shattered Sea crouched like hunchbacked giants tamed by the evening tide”.

“Traveling to the sea cities was more than a physical journey for Raze. He returned sharper and dirtier with hard black seeds of malcontent like gravel in his shoes. Except they lodged in his skin and eyes and heart. They grew with weedy hunger”.

“Maybe my desires are just poetic dreams pirouetting in the snow”.

Loss, love, war and betrayal- Soul Swallowers is a masterful fantasy novel!

Five+ lovely kisses- A must read!

Read the reviews for buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/D.-Wallace-Peach/e/B00CLKLXP8

And Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/D.-Wallace-Peach/e/B00CLKLXP8

Read more reviews and follow Diana on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7068749.D_Wallace_Peach

Connect to D. Wallace Peach 

Website/Blog: http://www.mythsofthemirror.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Myths-of-the-Mirror/187264861398982
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dwallacepeach
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dianapeach33/pins/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/activities/d-wallace-peach+0_2F1UmSg–qRIqYJlk2W1Q_?trk=nav_responsive_sub_nav_yourupdates

My thanks again to Diana for letting me loose in her archives and I know she would love your feedback.. thanks Sally

If you enjoy writing short stories, then why not participate in Diana’s Speculative Fiction Challenge each month.. here is May’s prompt: https://mythsofthemirror.com/2019/05/01/may-speculative-fiction-prompt/