by Harper Lee “Mr. Stone set a watchman in church yesterday. He should have provided me with one. I need a watchman to lead me around and declare what he seeth every hour on the hour. I need a watchman to tell me this is what a man says but this is what he means, […]

by Laurie McKay Harper Collins Childrens’ Books recently sent me two autographed copies of the first two installments in Laurie McKay’s fantasy series. The three-part series is marketed to children ages 8-12. McKay has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in biological oceanography, and works as a professor. If you think you know […]

As an active reader, book reviewer, blogger, but also a literature professor, I try to make sure I’m somewhat caught up on new reading trends and communities so I can share that information with my classes. The following article is adapted from one I recently wrote for my department. I hope it is of help […]

Beaty, Andrea – Rosie Revere, Engineer Becker, Aaron – Quest Becker, Aaron – Journey Behn, Aphra – Oroonoko Bell, Cece – El Deafo Bender, Mike – Awkward Family Photos Berenstain, Jan and Stan – The Berenstain Bears and the Substitute Teacher Berenstain, Jan and Stan – The Berenstain Bears and the Wild, Wild Honey Berenstain, […]

Jactionary is a book lover’s blog that includes book reviews, author interviews, recommendation lists, and general lifestyle posts. It is your new favorite webpage, I’m sure. I adore reading and all things book related. I received my PhD in English and have taught at the university level for many years. Getting to talk about books […]

I try to only recommend books that I have both read and truly enjoyed. Please feel free to share and post your list of memorable short books and novellas in the comments section below. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future and learns […]

  To conclude my year in review, here are all of my favorite fiction and poetry books that I read during 2020. I had a chance to reread several longtime faves as well as encounter new books that I adored. Books were a welcome form of escape during so many months spent in isolation. What […]

by Horace Walpole Genres: Gothic, Fiction, 18th-Century Classic Literature, Fantasy  Publisher: Oxford University Press  Length: 125 pages  Published: Reprinted 2008 (originally published 1764)  Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble “First published pseudonymously in 1764, The Castle of Otranto purported to be a translation of an Italian story of the time of the crusades. In it […]

I need to take a minute to emphasize a truth that in my experience teachers stopped preaching after elementary school, but which is nevertheless still true: being a “good” reader takes lifelong practice. It’s not once and done. I feel actual crushing pain inside when someone says they hate reading or that they’re no good […]

by Adam Rubin illustrated by Daniel Salmieri “Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The way to a dragon’s heart is through his stomach, or so says Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri’s sixth picture-book partnership […]

by Herman Melville “I would prefer not to.” Melville’s 1853 short story is a social critique of labor, commercialization, industry, and the relationship between work and the human spirit. Subtitled “A Story of Wall Street,” the story centers on a Manhattan-based lawyer who hires several scriveners (legal secretaries) to work for him, including a man […]

by Andy Weir “Every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it’s true.” I know I’m a bit late posting on this one, but wow! It is so entertaining! In The Martian, Andy Weir tells the story of botanist/engineer/astronaut Mark Whatney and his […]

As promised, I’m continuing to share scholarly volumes that have been published where I worked as a contributing author. Here’s the next book to check out! Edited by Sarah Cheney Watson and Ann Moseley Genres: Academic, 20th-Century, History, Nonfiction, American Literature, Willa Cather Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Length: 256 pages Published: June 14, 2012 […]

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