Category Archives: Reading

Thoughts on Romances

Another post from 2022 that I never published– I read a bunch of romance novels earlier this year. I haven’t gotten around to writing one yet myself, but I had some thoughts about how I’d approach the work, based on … Continue reading

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Reading Report: Things You Learn in Your 50s

Piano Lessons: Music, Love & True Adventures by Noah Adams, A– Switching gears from that long fantasy novel, I moved on to this relatively short (248-page) memoir by Noah Adams, former host of NPR’s All Things Considered. In this book … Continue reading

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Reading Report: 3/9/2024

Earlier this year, I wrote, “It would be great if I could manage to write at least a few lines about each book that I finish in 2024.” It was an easy thing to write but it’s not so easy … Continue reading

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Practically Perfect

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, A+ The plot: Young Minli runs away from home to find the Old Man of the Moon so that she can ask him how to change her family’s fortune for the … Continue reading

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It’s All in the Decorations

Back when the kids were really young, I was hoping to be able to turn my office into a sort of magical place for them. I ran out of steam (and money) and gave up on the dream. I had … Continue reading

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Reading Report: Late January 2024

I just finished my fourth book for January 2024. It was The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I gave it a B grade. I may raise or lower that grade later, depending on how the book sits with … Continue reading

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A Great Series

Two of the books of Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain were on the Top 100 Children’s Books. If I’d had any say in the list, I’d have included the entire series as a single item (ditto the Harry Potter and … Continue reading

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Don’t Read It for the Mystery

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, B- In The Violin Conspiracy, high schooler Ray McMillian wants to play the violin, but his mother wants him to get his GED and quit school early so that he can get a job. … Continue reading

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The Wind in the Willows

Continuing my quest to read all of the Top 100 Children’s Books, I read The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. In short, the story is about three anthropomorphic animals (Mole, Ratty, and Badger) who become friends and help … Continue reading

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Reading in 2023

I ultimately finished 47 books in 2023, a number which was better than what I’ve come to expect and fairly close to what I’d hoped for. The list of books seemed very American until I started looking into the particulars. … Continue reading

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