March 2010
1 post
2 tags
Ten Reasons Why I Loved Unaccustomed Earth
Jhumpa Lahiri is my favorite modern writer, so I could go on and on about how wonderful her most recent book was. However, to limit my ramblings, I’ve narrowed down my praise to a top ten list. So, in no particular order, here are the reasons why all of you should read this excellent book:
Jhumpa Lahiri writes about places in Boston that remind me of my time there. Sometimes, I feel as...
February 2010
1 post
Cute or Concerning?
I went to the library today to find some books offering advice about how to get out of credit card debt. Sadly, I join the thousands of Americans who put way too much on a credit card during my young and foolish days. I’m fighting like mad now to try to pay all of that off as soon as possible.
While at the library (which, by the way, is one of my favorite spots on a snowy day like today),...
January 2010
1 post
Exquisite.
I love the feeling of curling up with a book that is so artfully written that the moment its last page is turned, you crave another chance to ponder the words inside. That urge to close a book and let the words sit with you in silence— while also wanting to flip forward to the beginning to better understand those first few lines—is such a bittersweet delight for me. I had yearned for...
September 2009
2 posts
I Can't Keep My Own Secrets
Sometimes it only takes a word. Or, in this case, six. I’ve begun reading I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets, a book complied of poignant six word sentences written by various teenagers. Each page holds various sentences that demand careful attention. One sentence can reveal someone’s world.
For me, the concept of the micro-sentence was first introduced by Holly Zachariah of The...
August 2009
2 posts
Hammer Heart
I had the great pleasure of meeting George Ella Lyon during a recent writing retreat. Our group got to read her novel With a Hammer for my Heart. It’s always interesting being involved in projects that offer a chance to read young adult fiction. You just neve know what you’re going to discover. This book was written about an unusual friendship between two of the characters, and...
July 2009
4 posts
Ages of Reading 2
As I move into my thirties, I’m reading more and more nonfiction books. Sometimes, these end up being really riveting. Scott McClellan’s What Happened was a really interesting look into politics, as have several other biographies and autobiographies I’ve read about Washington insiders. Lately, I’ve found the old saying to be accurate: Truth really IS more interesting...
Ages of Reading
I was really inspired by this week’s NCTE Inbox Blog by Lisa Fink. She wrote about the books she has enjoyed at different stages of her life. So, borrowing her idea, here is my list:
Age 5: A Pocket for Corduroy: This book about a teddy bear named Corduroy was part of my favorite series. I loved going on adventures with the cute bear. He wasn’t quite as mischevious as Curious...
June 2009
0 posts
The Road
Cormac McCarthy’s book was a little intense to read just before bedtime. Each night I started to read and was mesmerized by the poetry of his words. However, each night, when I stopped reading, I felt a little nauseated by the graphic depictions of his dystopian society.
I find books like The Road haunting, but am also drawn to the way glimmers of humanity pour through the bleakest...
April 2009
3 posts
A Little Help from My Friends
I haven’t really loved the Sedaris book. I think I just need more practical advice about cooking, or perhaps I’m just not funny enough to get all of her jokes. Regardless, I asked my Facebook and Twitter acquaintances for some suggestions on a new book to read. I’m a little bored of everything on my shelves right now, and I feel the urge to dive into a new and exciting book. ...
New Book Choice
The Cook Book book club has made a new choice. We’re now reading I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris for our May meeting. I think some of the information included will motivate me to brainstorm clever decoration or gift ideas for my sister’s upcoming wedding weekend. However, this book is stranger than I expected. Sedaris and her brother are so funny, but...
March 2009
3 posts
Perfect Present?
As much as I love sinking into Mayes’ descriptions of exqusite food and wine throughout bella Italia, I had trouble following her style of narration. Mayes writes this book almost entirely in present tense. Her verbs suggest that everything she enjoyed in Bramasole or the surrounding area is happening right now. Perhaps since I know I’m reading this book years after its original...
A Taste of Tuscany
Upon hearing my interest in Kingsolver’s book, a colleague at work offered to let me borrow his copy of Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. He told me that I would adore the lovely description of the town where Mayes bought her villa, and that she poetically lists details about mushrooms, pasta, and exquistite olive oil that would make me want to leap into the pages of the book.
My...
Food Revolution?
My book club and I loved reading Kingsolver’s book. When we met, the four of us agreed that we all wanted to do more to change what we buy to eat. Still, most of us admitted that we weren’t quite as hardcore about things like imported bananas. Everything in moderation, right?
More recently, I was encouraged to see that other people are starting to think about where everything they...
January 2009
8 posts
January Quandaries
Everyone knows it is cold outside. And, even Kingsolver admits that January is the toughest time to find good local fare that really refreshes your body and soul. At least I have been cooking some more “home-made with love” dishes. As a result, in my house this week, it’s leftover time. We have meatloaf, chili, and some balsamic glazed chicken to gobble up. All the leftover...
Preparing for the Cook-Book Book Club
This Sunday will be our book club’s first gathering. We started the new year with a plan to read books that include both recipes and prose. I still have about 100 pages to go in AVM and a recipe to select. The plan for Sunday’s meeting is that each of us has to bring a dish inspired by the book. I’ve been perusing the website for ideas, but I would love to try to prepare...
Airport Reading
Most people hate to travel alone, but I relish in the chance to have an individual adventure. It is delightful to sit in an airport terminal and get lost in a book. I think I like that experience most because of the fact that no one can bother me and, since I travel light, there is nothing else to do.
On my most recent trip to NYC, I curled up in the CMH airport with my book, and felt a little...
Finding Time While Flurries Fly
Life gets so busy that it is hard to actually stop and take time to read and really enjoy a novel. I read everyday— homework that students submit, the newspaper, what seems to be an endless supply of emails, text messages, notes to myself, blogs I admire, and even the occasional bill to be paid— all kinds of textual documents are at my fingertips almost every moment of the day. But...
Living the Book
One of my New Year’s Resolutions (that truthfully began last year, and I’m only just now making good on the plan) is to try to cook more. While frozen concoctions from Trader Joe’s are still delightful to me, I feel as though part of being an adult is attempting dinners that do not contain microwave instructions. To that end, I have joined a delightful group of women in a cook...
