When I was in college, I read Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” as part of my twentieth-century literature survey. A good deal of the class was shocked by it. I thought the conceit was *genius.* When I taught a narrative unit in my Comp. I class about three years ago, I decided to include “The Lottery” and pair it with the Reaping scene from The Hunger Games. My students were electrified. They were simultaneously horrified by the concept and curious to see its echoes […]
That time A.J. Jacobs grew out his earlocks for his book.
When I first participated in the CBR Book Exchange, emmalita had graciously gifted me two books: The Year of Living Biblically and Colm Toibin’s The Master. I am in the process of reading the Books I Own But Have Not Read, and I thought this would be a great addition to my bookshelves. As it turns out, I was right. I’ve long enjoyed Jacobs’ shorter works, and reading a whole book was a great way to dive into his style. Read my full review here!
Ending the L’Engle fantasy adventure
This is the last of the Austin family series, and I was excited to conclude, but also regretful that my journey had ended. I was glad to see that Adam Eddington had returned and—more importantly—that Zachary had not. I was interested to see how Vicky’s questions about life would be continued in this book. I delve into the spoiler-free review on my blog and wrap up with a few thoughts on the Austin family series.
A L’Engle favorite
My Madeleine L’Engle re-read brought me to a reward: this book, which is one of my absolute favorites in her canon. Because I’ve had a lot of twists and turns in my L’Engle journey, I’ve wanted to revisit this book. I read it and *loved* it in college, in no small part due to the dolphin action that takes place. I am pleased that for me, the re-read helped me re-enjoy the story to its fullest. I delve into the love with my full review.
One of my top books of 2016
Okay, real-talk. This and Homegoing are my top two contenders for Best Book of 2016, with Sofia Samatar’s The Winged Histories and Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Towers Falling in a close second, with John Lewis’s last March volume rounding out the top five. 2016 has been a crappy year, but there have been some remarkable books. Let’s talk about what made this so extraordinary. I explain why in my full review.
Orientalism at its whitest
For the last three years, since I’ve belonged to my current book club, our founder, C, has mentioned Jean Sasson’s Princess each time it’s been her turn to pick. And we’ve managed to thwart or redirect her every time. This last time, she would not be stopped. The Chancellor and C’s best friend A let out audible groans when she conference-called us during one book club meeting to announce her choice. I decided to just throw it back, Bridesmaids style, so I wouldn’t get bogged […]
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