I’ve seen a number of movies in the past month or so, three of which have been based upon books. American Sniper is the only one in which I felt the movie didn’t accurately portray the author’s experiences with real accuracy. I admire Chris Kyle's patriotism and willingness to sacrifice his life for his country, … Continue reading Thoughts after seeing American Sniper
Category: Books
Running to hide in the dark
It's times like this that make me understand the appeal of going to the theater to see a movie. Or three. I don't often get to the movies for a film that is anything other than rated PG, but during my winter holidays, I found my way to the Spectrum three times for grown up … Continue reading Running to hide in the dark
The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone – by Adele Griffin
You know how certain books seem to take up residence in some internal place? Maybe your head, sometimes your heart, at times your imagination and occasionally your soul? This is one of those books. From the opening page this novel that presents as a work of nonfiction, absolutely grabbed me and I can’t wait to … Continue reading The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone – by Adele Griffin
Want a good laugh? Yes Please
Was there a time in your life when receiving a book as a present would have prompted you to toss another log, along with the new book, on the fire? Well, trust me that will not be the response of any recipient of Yes Please by Amy Poehler. If someone should be so doubly lucky to … Continue reading Want a good laugh? Yes Please
Going Wild
I read. A lot. On any given day, I need to be prepared to "booktalk" titles, both fiction and nonfiction, with students in grades 6-12. Intense, right? This year, so far, I've read 55 books with a focus on titles of interest to middle school kids. After a couple of realistic novels about 6th or … Continue reading Going Wild
A Monster Calls
Written by Patrick Ness and beautifully illustrated by Jim Kay, A Monster Calls, relates the story of young Conor, a boy in England living in denial about his divorced mother’s health prognosis. At night Conor is subjected to a recurring nightmare of such horror that he cannot even verbalize the events he witnesses, while during … Continue reading A Monster Calls
On the beach…
...there's sand. Grains and grains of sand. Because of this condition, this year I committed to taking only paperback books to the beach. I mean, really, when it comes to reading at the beach, something I can finally do now that my boys are older, the paperback is the only way to go. There are … Continue reading On the beach…