Children’s books have moved into the spotlight this past week with the announcement of Dr. Seuss Enterprises pulling six Dr. Seuss books from publication due to claims of racism. I’ll linger on that story long enough to say these few things: First of all, I’m just as much against banning books as I am against… Continue reading Five Young Adult Books to Spark Conversation About Current Events
In terms of reading, this year is off to a great start. The first book I finished, Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, inspired me in new ways to approach this year with even more intention. His thought-provoking research and practical suggestions for curating a life of value was exactly what I needed at the beginning… Continue reading A Book Review of Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
Research has shown that reading aloud to kids greatly increases their love for literature – but unfortunately, making time for “read-aloud” has been pushed off the table for many teachers. It can be understandable, what with all the demands for other things that have to be taught. But even though I feel this tug myself,… Continue reading Favorite Classroom Read-Alouds
With the mayhem of directing a show from March until May, time didn’t slow down long enough for me to do my usual monthly review of books read. Now that I have three months worth of books behind me, I thought it best to just pick my top favorites and write reviews on them [the… Continue reading The Best Books of March, April & May
This year, my goal is to read four books each month – and by the skin of my teeth, I squeezed in four books last month. Life does get busy, but there is always, always time to read [books are such excellent meal-time companions!]. Three out of the four books this last month were nonfiction… Continue reading February’s Book Reviews
As mentioned in one of my last blog posts of 2016, I’ve created a new reading list for 2017 (based on a hybrid I got from my mom who got the entire reading list from Tim Challies’ blog). This year, it’s 40 books long (not 103 like my mom’s!), with room to add to it… Continue reading January 2017 – the Reading List Begins
I grew up without a TV in the house. When I tell people that, they’re usually shocked (but I politely tell them that, no, I did not grow up Amish), and they ask, “What did you do as a kid??” And I look at them quizzically because the answer seems so logical to me –… Continue reading More Reading & Less Netflix
30-Day Writing ChallengeDay 11: Something you always think “What if …” aboutWhat if I had been born in a different decade? A different century? What if I wore long dresses and did my hair up and went to balls and had gentlemen suitors? What if I spoke with a British accent and drank tea at… Continue reading The Truth About Being Lizzie Bennet
30-Day Writing ChallengeDay 10: Write about something for which you feel strongly.[Disclaimer: This was written about two years ago – however it is nonetheless true. Also: there are many other things which I feel more strongly about, but there can still be lesser things that one feels strongly about. I consider good literature to be… Continue reading Why Harry Potter Will Always Be Read to My Children
In July, I wrote a fanciful blog post called “10 Bookish Dates … for the Literary Lovers” – and as promised, here is the sequel: 10 more dates that have never been tried before, but sound delightfully exciting. If you like books and unique date ideas, then be my guest to try one or more… Continue reading 10 More Bookish Dates … for the Literary Lovers
