In honor of Pippi: who were your kid’s-book role models growing up? Who made you feel like you could do anything? Do you remember fat or unconventional-looking protagonists whose non-beautiful looks were portrayed in a positive (or at least neutral) light? On the flip side, who disappointed or hurt you? There’s some discussion on Manolo … Continue reading »
Filed under Reading …
Friday fluff: ‘Fess up
So in the always scintillating world of literary academia, people occasionally play a game that goes like this: you name the book you’re most embarrassed about not having read. Whoever names the most important/seminal/all-around classic book wins — the joy of winning is, of course, mitigated by the mocking that ensues. (There are two absolute … Continue reading »
And she wrote some pretty good novels, too
Greetings, Shapelings! As the resident grad student here at SP, I don’t have the time to post as often as Kate or Fillyjonk because I am too busy trying to read all of 20th-century literature in English in one go. (It’s taking a bit longer than I had hoped). At the moment, I’m reading Virginia … Continue reading »
Friday Fluff: Books that get better and better
So for various grad schooly purposes, I’m reading Heart of Darkness for the, oh, seventh time (and teaching it for the first time). The first time I read this book, way back in high school, I totally hated it. Every time since then, I hate it a little bit less, and now I’m at the … Continue reading »
Death By Chick Lit
In case you missed Amanda’s review of Lynn Harris’s new book, you can now go check out mine. Loved it.
Did You Know…
… that Allison Titus won the Bateau Press Boom Chapbook Contest, with Instructions from the Narwhal? … and that, while you’re waiting for that to be published, you can read her poetry here, here, here, here, and in about a billion other lit mags? … and that she is made of awesome? Because it’s important … Continue reading »
I Got Nuthin’
So, I finished The End of Faith and remain in love with Sam Harris, but I cannot for the life of me collect my thoughts about all of it. I wouldn’t say I agree with every word, but I very much admire his thinking. And the older I get the more I realize that’s what … Continue reading »
New Boyfriend Alert
I’m only 40 pages into Sam Harris’s The End of Faith, but I’m already in love.
Ran Across My Baby Book While Unpacking
It has virtually nothing in it (fourth kid), but I was amused by these tidbits: The Expected: 16 months: Loves to look at books. Eats everything we eat. At 19 months: Repeats all words and speaks in two-three word phrases. The Much Less Expected: 16 months: Loves babies of all kinds. 19 months: Can definitely … Continue reading »
Aw, Man
R.I.P., Muriel Spark. Love her. Also love everything about this sentence: Novelist Graham Greene gave her a monthly allowance and some wine when she was poverty-stricken, on condition that she did not thank him or pray for him.
