Welcome back to Crossroads, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed reading over the summer. I discovered The Curfew by Jesse Ball when browsing the new fiction shelves at the Clayton Mid-County library. The Curfew is about a father and daughter who live in a city that has been taken over by fascists, yet we never know who the leaders are. Everyone is frightened and paranoid, speaking carefully to their acquaintances and friends. One night, the father takes a dangerous journey after curfew, leaving his daughter with the neighbors. This is a sad but beautiful story and Jesse Ball is "an author to watch," as they say.
Soon I will post Crossroads faculty summer reading favorites.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Kindle for libraries
Good news in the e-book realm--Later this year, Amazon is planning to allow customers to download free e-books from libraries to their Kindle. Here's an announcement from ebookNEWSER with more details.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Faculty reading
I've started The Elegance of the Hedgehog, loaned to me by Heather. I like the cranky voice of the concierge.
Billy comments: "I am currently reading Isabel Wilkerson's THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA'S GREAT MIGRATION. Wilkerson portrays in a moving way the African-American migration from the South to places like New York City, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Los Angelas by focusing on three individuals and their journeys. I recommend it."
Anne Treeger Huck is reading Alias Grace (my personal favorite of Margaret Atwood's works). She is also reading short stories by Stanley Elkin, the fine humorist who taught at Washington University.
John is enjoying Cane River by Lalita Tademy.
Gerry's recent pick is Grant, a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, by Jean Edward Smith. " I enjoy reading about the history of America. The description of the Mexican-American War is very interesting and informative. I am currently at the point where Grant almost does not find a position with the Union army an the beginning of the Civil War."
Dave tells me he is enjoying Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck. He recently finished Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal.
Mike says, "I recently finished American Grace by Robert Putnam and David Campbell, an absorbing and quick overview of the role of religion in contemporary society written from a sociological perspective. They made some interesting observations about the increasing numbers of Americans who identify themselves as members of no religion and they do a good job accounting for the growth of the evangelical movement among better educated suburbanites. Much more of a slog was The Unfolding of Language by Guy Deutscher. I enjoy books about the origins and evolution of language, but this book was a bit technical and told me more than I ever wanted to know about the three consonant Semitic verb form."
Billy comments: "I am currently reading Isabel Wilkerson's THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA'S GREAT MIGRATION. Wilkerson portrays in a moving way the African-American migration from the South to places like New York City, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Los Angelas by focusing on three individuals and their journeys. I recommend it."
Anne Treeger Huck is reading Alias Grace (my personal favorite of Margaret Atwood's works). She is also reading short stories by Stanley Elkin, the fine humorist who taught at Washington University.
John is enjoying Cane River by Lalita Tademy.
Gerry's recent pick is Grant, a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, by Jean Edward Smith. " I enjoy reading about the history of America. The description of the Mexican-American War is very interesting and informative. I am currently at the point where Grant almost does not find a position with the Union army an the beginning of the Civil War."
Dave tells me he is enjoying Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck. He recently finished Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal.
Mike says, "I recently finished American Grace by Robert Putnam and David Campbell, an absorbing and quick overview of the role of religion in contemporary society written from a sociological perspective. They made some interesting observations about the increasing numbers of Americans who identify themselves as members of no religion and they do a good job accounting for the growth of the evangelical movement among better educated suburbanites. Much more of a slog was The Unfolding of Language by Guy Deutscher. I enjoy books about the origins and evolution of language, but this book was a bit technical and told me more than I ever wanted to know about the three consonant Semitic verb form."
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Reading Aloud
Yesterday was National Read Aloud Day and I had the pleasure of reading to the seventh grade Research and Reading class. I introduced them to the first few chapters of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Alexie's humor and good storytelling drew them in. As soon as I was done reading Larenzo said, "Can I have that?" Sweet words to a librarian!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
How does one become well-read?
Today a tenth grade student asked me this very question. My response was to read widely, in different genres, and to read good writers. I showed her the ALA (American Librarian Association) list of Outstanding Books for the College Bound and she and a friend spent about 15 minutes happily browsing and talking about the titles. One of them checked out Les Miserables and the other left with Waiting for Godot. This particular list includes contemporary literature as well as classics--the students pointed out The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime as well as The Book Thief. It was a pleasure for me to share the Outstanding Books bibliography with them!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
February reads
Crossroads faculty are reading a variety of books, including titles recommended by students. Seventh grader Reid suggested Ender's Shadow to Amy after he learned that ninth graders read Ender's Game. Ender's Shadow is a companion novel to Ender's Game, both by Orson Scott Card.
Keith is reading Sixth Column by Robert Heinlein, a classic science fiction writer. I recently added Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land to the Crossroads library collection.
Mike is listening to Keith Richards' Life and reading The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda. Mike asked me to guess which one is more enjoyable.
Shadi is immersed in the life of another kohl-wearing celebrity, Cleopatra. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff's latest is Cleopatra: A Life.
Billy just finished the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. It was the first time he had read a book on his Kindle and he says he loved it. Gerry is exploring an earlier episode in American history as described by David McCullough in 1776.
Anne Treeger-Huck has turned to short stories for the moment; she is rereading James Joyce's "The Dead," the final story in his Dubliners collection. Read The Dubliners this very minute, courtesy of Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg includes over 33,000 books that are freely available for download to your "ipad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iphone, Android or other portable device."
Dave says, "I am reading A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker--a sweet, gentle book. A middle-aged man records his musings as he sits in front of the fire early in the morning while his family is still asleep. Although the whole book is thus set in one room on several consecutive mornings, the range of his philosophical musings is vast."
Finally, your friendly librarian just began I Love a Broad Margin to My Life, by Maxine Hong Kingston. Upon turning 65, Kingston reflects on aging, her life, friendships, and the characters from her novels in a flowing free verse form. I have admired Kingston ever since reading The Fifth Book of Peace.
Keith is reading Sixth Column by Robert Heinlein, a classic science fiction writer. I recently added Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land to the Crossroads library collection.
Mike is listening to Keith Richards' Life and reading The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda. Mike asked me to guess which one is more enjoyable.
Shadi is immersed in the life of another kohl-wearing celebrity, Cleopatra. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff's latest is Cleopatra: A Life.
Billy just finished the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. It was the first time he had read a book on his Kindle and he says he loved it. Gerry is exploring an earlier episode in American history as described by David McCullough in 1776.
Anne Treeger-Huck has turned to short stories for the moment; she is rereading James Joyce's "The Dead," the final story in his Dubliners collection. Read The Dubliners this very minute, courtesy of Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg includes over 33,000 books that are freely available for download to your "ipad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iphone, Android or other portable device."
Dave says, "I am reading A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker--a sweet, gentle book. A middle-aged man records his musings as he sits in front of the fire early in the morning while his family is still asleep. Although the whole book is thus set in one room on several consecutive mornings, the range of his philosophical musings is vast."
Finally, your friendly librarian just began I Love a Broad Margin to My Life, by Maxine Hong Kingston. Upon turning 65, Kingston reflects on aging, her life, friendships, and the characters from her novels in a flowing free verse form. I have admired Kingston ever since reading The Fifth Book of Peace.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The future of the printed book
Enjoy a taste of the witty, intelligent article/review about the future of digital and printed books by Jason Epstein, legendary former editor at Random House. He reviews a new book called Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century by John B. Thompson. You won't be able to read the entire article unless you stop by your public library or book store and grab the Feb. 10, 2011 issue of The New York Review of Books. You might be glad to know that Epstein's (and Thompson's) conclusion is that the printed word will be around for quite some time longer, as well as libraries.
I read the article while visiting Barnes & Noble, which reminds me to tell you that the Barnes & Noble "Nook" is the best e-reader to buy, simply because it allows you take advantage of free e-books from your local public library. Many libraries offer access to Overdrive, a huge database of e-books, audio books, and videos that can be downloaded to your Nook e-reader, mp3 player, ipod or personal computer at absolutely no charge. None of the other e-readers offer the option of viewing free books from Overdrive. My librarian friend is very pleased with her Nook.
I read the article while visiting Barnes & Noble, which reminds me to tell you that the Barnes & Noble "Nook" is the best e-reader to buy, simply because it allows you take advantage of free e-books from your local public library. Many libraries offer access to Overdrive, a huge database of e-books, audio books, and videos that can be downloaded to your Nook e-reader, mp3 player, ipod or personal computer at absolutely no charge. None of the other e-readers offer the option of viewing free books from Overdrive. My librarian friend is very pleased with her Nook.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)