This post survived three incarnations. First, I wanted to write a Top Ten list about the best songs for August. This turned out to be a terrible idea. Songs about the end of summer are endlessly sad and depressing. I would like to make an announcement to the music industry: We are already sad. We […]
I stumbled across a statue of the Greek God Pan and it reminded me of a passage from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. Ratty and Mole are out searching for Toad, but they meet Pan instead: Slowly, but with no doubt or hesitation whatever, and in something of a solemn expectancy, the two […]
I would be entirely remiss if as a teacher, reader, and writer, I didn’t take a post to give a shout-out to the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. During September 25th – October 1st, 2016 this annual event fights for and celebrates reading freedom. Someone once tried to make me feel bad about reading […]
Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman In this uplifting and inspirational read, American novelist Alice Hoffman offers advice and encouragement for audiences experiencing hard times, particularly those undergoing chemotherapy treatment. After a life of serving as the nurse and caretaker for those around her, Hoffman’s world turned upside-down when she learned she was the one with a […]
Since graduating, I have enjoyed much more free time to read and select books off of the shelves at random. This has been both rewarding and a mixed bag: I encountered new books and authors I loved and others I did not. One of the great freedoms that comes with reading for pleasure as opposed […]
This post survived three incarnations. First, I wanted to write a Top Ten list about the best songs for August. This turned out to be a terrible idea. Songs about the end of summer are endlessly sad and depressing. I would like to make an announcement to the music industry: We are already sad. We […]
by Victoria Schwab Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery Publisher: Scholastic Press Length: 285 pages Published: August 28, 2018 Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble My Goodreads Rating: 2.5 or 3 out of 5 stars Official Book Summary: “Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see […]
by Agatha Christie Genres: Crime, Mystery Publisher: William Morrow Length: 299 pages Published: August 30, 2011 (Originally published in 1946) Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Official Book Summary: “Lady Angkatell, intrigued by the criminal mind, has invited Hercule Poirot to her estate for a weekend house […]
[Photo Credit: Francis Gardler, Lincoln Journal Star] Erin Andersen from the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper read my blog and interviewed me for an article on adult coloring books. The article ran today and here’s a link if you are interested in reading what she wrote. P.S. If you’re a fan of adult coloring books or […]
by Robert K. Massie Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography Publisher: Random House Page Count: 320 pages Published: October 1, 1996 Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble Note: This book is not intended to be a full biography of the Romanov family. Rather, it focuses on their deaths and what happened to their remains and their legacy. […]
by Robert K. Massie Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography Publisher: Random House Page Count: 320 pages Published: October 1, 1996 Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble Note: This book is not intended to be a full biography of the Romanov family. Rather, it focuses on their deaths and what happened to their remains and their legacy. […]
I’m almost two weeks late in posting a quarterly reading list, but it’s finally ready. Below is a list of the books I read in April, May, and June of this year. Please feel free to share your reading lists and recommendations in the comments section below! Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (full review […]
by Victoria Schwab Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery Publisher: Scholastic Press Length: 285 pages Published: August 28, 2018 Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble My Goodreads Rating: 2.5 or 3 out of 5 stars Official Book Summary: “Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see […]
Jactionary: An Interview with Chadd VanZanten & Russ Beck, Part One
This week I’m pleased to feature a three-part interview with my friends Chadd VanZanten and Russ Beck, authors of On Fly-Fishing the Northern Rockies: Essays and Dubious Advice (The History Press, 2015). Chadd is a professional editor in Logan, Utah. His essays appear in the online journal Eat Sleep Fish, the anthology Utah Reflections, and […]