My son is using Don and Jenny Killgallon’s Paragraphs for Middle School as part of his writing curriculum this year. The idea is to introduce writing concepts, illustrate them with … Continue reading Epic Battles for Middle School
Plot summary, gleaned from the book jacket flap: “A recklessly idealistic girl dares to test the perimeters of her tightly controlled (future) world and is punished by being sent back … Continue reading Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates
In the seven years since I published my first post about eczema, several people have written expressing interest in an update. I’m less inclined to blog about skin issues than … Continue reading Flaking Out: An Eczema Update
In the late 90’s/early aughts, Volkswagen had an ad campaign with the tagline, “Drivers Wanted.” Even in my early 20’s I was a jaded consumer of advertising. I knew I … Continue reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Usually, I like reading books quickly. I like immersing myself in the world, a quick dive to the bottom of the pool and then back up again for a deep … Continue reading History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
There’s an episode of the podcast “Hidden Brain” about counterfactuals. Counterfactuals are basically a reimagining of past events, an answer to “what if?” and all of the events that cascade … Continue reading The Third Hotel by Laura van den Berg
Reading this novel, I asked myself, why would the Nazis ban this book? Because at first, it’s just a story of young men going to war narrated by Paul Bäumer. … Continue reading All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Well. I’m done. Actually, I’ve been done since 9:00 last night when I finished All Quiet on the Western Front just before my alarm went off signalling the end of … Continue reading 24in48 January 2019 Wrap-up
Twenty-four hours into the January 2019 24in48 readathon, and I’m still in the game. I finished Ali Smith’s Winter (which I was already halfway through at the start of the … Continue reading 24in48 Halftime Report
January 2018’s 24in48 readathon came when we were deep in moving mode. I made some half-hearted plans to participate, but reading took a backseat to finding lodging and figuring out … Continue reading Cautious Optimism: Preparing for the 24in48 Readathon, January 2019
Perhaps as a mother I could read this as a story of children abandoned on an island and left to survive in any way they can. I could read it … Continue reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A bit of background: The Epic of Gilgamesh is old. It’s very, very old. So old, it’s more than a little amazing that any of it has survived, let alone … Continue reading The Epic of Gilgamesh
Imperfect Happiness 