what i’m reading: two youth novels
There is so much truly excellent youth fiction out these days, and it’s not all vampires and zombies. Here are two wonderful teen novels in two totally different veins. There…
what i’m reading
what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 8: the invention of hugo cabret
In the aftermath of the flood and with our impending move, when I’m not dealing with those events, all I want to do is read and blog. If you enjoy…
what i’m reading: the casual vacancy by j. k. rowling
The Casual Vacancy, J. K. Rowling’s first non- Harry Potter book, received almost universally poor reviews, ranging from tepid to savage. Reviewers found the book too long for the subject…
rtod
Revolutionary thought of the day: I can’t stop looking at Rue, smaller than ever, a baby animal curled up in a nest of netting. I can’t bring myself to leave…
what i’m reading: youth fiction: the hunger games
This is the first in a series of reviews of youth (formerly called YA, or young-adult) novels, which I will be reading in no particular order and with no particular…
what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 7: two by roddy doyle
Roddy Doyle is one of my favourite authors. I read everything he publishes for adults, but I had never read any of his children’s books before. I recently read two…
children’s books # 6: the return of interspecies love
It’s been a while since I’ve written about children’s books, and an even longer while since I’ve done an interspecies love post, so why not combine the two? There’s a…
what i’m reading (and why): for whom the bell tolls
In anticipation of an upcoming trip to Spain, I’m re-reading For Whom The Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway’s novel based on his experiences in the Spanish Civil War. I haven’t read…
rtod
Revolutionary thought of the day: Across the road at the sawmill smoke was coming out of the chimney and Anselmo could smell it blown toward him through the snow. The…
and one great read from harper’s: nicholson baker on "why i’m a pacifist: the dangerous myth of the good war"
After finally getting Jill Lepore’s “Lie Factory” posted on this blog, I will go back even further, to something I’ve wanted to post for nearly two years. No matter the…
two great reads from the new yorker, part 2: jill lepore on political advertising
The current New Yorker stories by Joseph Mitchell has given me an opportunity to post something I’ve been meaning to share for ages. Last September, Jill Lepore unearthed an incredible…
two great reads from the new yorker, part 1: joseph mitchell on himself
The New Yorker has given us a singularly rare gift: new writing by Joseph Mitchell. Joseph Mitchell wrote about New York City and the multiplicity of people who inhabit it.…
what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 5
In this post, I look at two nonfiction books for young readers. Both are featured in the current “Forest of Reading” program, a province-wide recreational reading program sponsored by the…
more books on books
A while back, I wrote some “what i’m reading” posts under the general category “books on books”. Allan has just added to this small collection with a post about The…
what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 4
Still Classic? A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle, 1962 A Wrinkle in Time has always been one of my favourite books. Although I have re-read it a few times over…
what i’m reading, children’s book edition: # 3: a war resister story of sorts
In this children’s book review, I look at a book about military war resistance and analyze its lessons and conclusions. Shot at Dawn deals with many unpleasant realities of war…
what i’m reading: chango’s beads and two-tone shoes (and maybe more, again) by william kennedy
I am reading Changó’s Beads and Two-tone Shoes, the latest novel by William Kennedy, one of my very favourite authors, and in my opinion, one of the greatest English-language writers…
what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 2
How this series works: I write about one or two older books, offer an my opinion on whether the book will be relevant and accessible to children today, and suggest…
what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 1
This is the first post in an occasional series about children’s books. My plan is to intersperse children’s book among my usual reading, and to write short reviews of several…
trials of a student librarian: readers’ advisory, the library thing i love best
Of all the aspects of librarianship that I know about, the piece I’m most excited about is readers’ advisory. Readers’ advisory is the library term for answering that important question……