As a kid, I was always interested in the ways things worked. I was always wondering about the patterns of life and how they work together. One of the careers I pondered as a lad was being a marine biologist. Thanks to living near the ocean I always wanted to make a living out of being in one of my favorite environments. But, that’s not where I ended. I still have that inner scientist in me and even though I don’t work with animals, teenagers […]
When the Child Becomes the Parent
Several of my students had read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and hearing them talk about it made me curious. They were flabbergasted at the life the author led. Then, for my book club, the pick for March was none other than The Glass Castle. This is a memoir that takes the reader from Ms. Walls’s childhood up through her early adult years. It’s full of crazy adventures, selfish parents, and overcoming the odds. Sometimes what keeps me from liking nonfiction especially autobiographies and […]
Ollie, This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship
As a kid I missed out on comic books. I don’t know if it’s because the culture had changed and most us were watching our superheroes in cartoons or because my parents didn’t think it was proper reading material. But that didn’t stop me from liking super heroes. It just limited the ones I knew about. The first super hero I was interested in was Batman. And frankly, he’s still one I like to read about from time to time. I didn’t like Superman or […]
Mermaids Be Crazy
Sailor Twain by Mark Siegel has caught my eye for awhile. One, because it was recommended by the 2014 Best American Comics and two, because I thought it was about Mark Twain, one of my favorite writers. Alas, the second is not quite true. There’s only a vague reference to Twain and two creepy boys are allusions to Huck and Tom. So what’s it about? Well it’s centered on a steamship that plys the Hudson river, captained by a Twain and owned by a Frenchmen. […]
Spiders, Dinosaurs, and Narwhals, Oh My!
As I mentioned when I wrote about 2014 Best American Comics, I’m challenging myself to seek out new graphic literature. I don’t remember where I first came across Liz Climo’s The Little World of Liz Climo, but it’s well drawn, hilarious musings of Climo. What stood out to me was that the animals (which are her characters in this work) seem so innocent, yet they aren’t naive. One of my favorites was a scene with barnyard animals gathered around the barn door. In the top […]
Down Size
I rarely read non-fiction, but when I do it tends to be health/fitness related type. I’m always interested to see what new ways I can make myself healthy. I pick and choose the advice and ideas that I believe work best for me. I’m not into major workout or dietary changes. Down Size by Ted Spiker was in my library’s “New Book” section so I thought I’d give it a try. Dr. Oz wrote the introduction, and I like his ideas on healthy eating. And […]
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