Category Archives: books

How Right You Are, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
Into each year, some Bertie must be read. (Listened to the audiobook on the way to North Carolina.) 8.5/10

I Am America (and So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
I am a cliched white person: I love the Colbert Report and thought this book was hilarious. Some chapters are worth reading over and over. 8/10

White Teeth by Zadie Smith
I liked this book, the fragmented relationships and the threads that tie people together were interesting and overall I found it well written. It did have some slower parts. In the world of contemporary novels, it’s a good read, and it’s remarkable when you consider the age and experience of the author. 9/10

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
Read with my literature students, for the first time. I enjoyed it, and really enjoyed contemplating the idea of a novel published as a serial and everyone reading it with great interest. Oh, how times have changed… 8/10

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis Re-reading these this year is going to be very pleasurable. 10/10

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott The first half is stronger than the second, but for a 19th century novel, this is among the very best. Every one, male and female, should read it at least once. 10/10

In the Bible: Exodus

In college, it was books and music. I was always trying to sell someone on some great artist or novel they’d love. I thought I’d outgrown it, but I see it creeping back in.

Several people have told me recently that I got them hooked on babywearing and cute slings. GUILTY AS CHARGED.

Books are still pretty high on the list, but The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones is definitely the big one. I’ve blogged about it several times. I have the most helpful review on Amazon. I used the sample chapters online with my 50 coop students and got a few families hooked. Locally, if the topic comes up I am quick to suggest it. But as with my previous forays into pushing, I get good feedback and I’m encouraged to keep on keeping on.

The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin
As a person who is not endlessly fascinated with the law in general or the supreme court in particular, I found this book utterly engrossing. I enjoyed the glimpse of how the court works on both a professional and personal level, and I know that I will follow it much more closely in the future because of this book. – 9/10

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
I read this with my sixth grade literature students, a lovely piece of historical fiction – 8/10

My City Was Gone by D. Love
This book about a small town in east Alabama that has the unfortunate distinction of winning one the one of the largest punitive damages case in the nation, $700 million dollars, at the same time they were destroying the stockpile of chemical weapons there (prompting another distinction, the first time the government issued gas masks to civilians.) We live less than an hour away, and pass by this town often, and I enjoyed learned more about it. – 8/10

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
This was worth reading once, not because it made me long for the road (it didn’t) or for freedom (ditto) but because the rhythm of the prose is enchanting. It’s dated, but I like dated. – 8/10

On Beauty by Zadie Smith
A very solid contemporary novel, awkward in parts. I think better editing would have enhanced it. – 7/10

completed in The Bible – Job and Genesis

I am teaching Little Women to my literature classes, one of which is composed of twelve 6th grade boys. They are not excited at the least bit at the prospect of 440 pages of a “girl book.” Any suggestions for helping them to get over the mental hurdle? Girls have so much less trouble reading “boy books.”

Comfort on the Road — Making the commute a little easier

• D. McCullough, 1776
• E. Hemingway, The Old Man & the Sea
• W. Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom
• P. O’Brian, The Far Side of the World, Treason’s Harbor, The Ionian Mission, The Surgeon’s Mate, The Fortune of War, Desolation Island, and The Mauritius Command

Riding in Car with Girls — Nothing better than books for a 10hr drive

• D. Sijie, Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress
• S. Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
• M. Robinson, Housekeeping

End of an Era — Best Christian writer of our generation

• J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter corpus

Another One Bites the Dust — Finally scratched off the ‘ought to read’ list

• Voltaire, Candide
• Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice
• NT Wright, The New Testament & the People of God

For the last several years, I’ve posted a list of books I’ve read at the end of the year. I have never categorized them the same way twice. Continuing on that trend, here are the books I read in 2007. Continue reading →

Please vote for the Jesus Storybook Bible (you know how I feel about it) to be the Best Picture Book of 2007 at Amazon.com! It would be great to get this valuable resource in the hands of as many families as possible.

We’ve been members of PaperBackSwap for a little over a year and have received over 60 books. It’s a GREAT program. Now is the time to sign up. Currently they give you 3 starter credits (a.k.a. free books) for signing up and listing 9 books you are willing to send out (you send out your unwanted books to receive a credit worth another book, paying only outgoing postage.) Starting in October, it will move to 2 starter credits for signing up and listing 10 books. Now’s the time to join up. And if you sign up using one of the links in this post, we get a free credit as well. And we’re all about free books.

Madeleine L’Engle (1918-2007)

Do not read this post if you have not finished HP7 and care about such things. Continue reading →

I’ve got my bracelet so I’ll be in the first group to buy HP at the Waldemort down the street. I really do not think that they are going to get beyond the first group, but it’s good to be prepared! After doing the B&N thing last time around, and Mike did the waiting in line outside an indy bookstore for OoP (I was traveling for a funeral) I want a peaceful evening so I am at peak form for a night of reading and not exhausted with a headache. I’ve been avoiding everything related to HP, to avoid not just spoilers, but speculation. It’s Rowling’s story, and I want to let her tell it. All will be clear soon.