Category Archives: Reading

Don’t Read It for the Mystery

Posted on 01/22/2024 by chick

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 →

Posted in Reading | Leave a comment

The Wind in the Willows

Posted on 01/21/2024 by chick

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 →

Posted in Reading | Leave a comment

Reading in 2023

Posted on 01/13/2024 by chick

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 →

Posted in Reading, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Reading Report: From Earlier This Year…

Posted on 07/20/2023 by chick

1. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. Story: Among the millions living in New York City are those known as the Mageus, people born with powerful magical abilities, but they are trapped in the city by a magical barrier known … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Leave a comment

Midnight Poetry

Posted on 07/19/2023 by chick

I’m only just a few pages into Billy Collins’s Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems, but I’m already a huge fan. I loved one of the poems so much that I felt compelled to go downstairs in my PJs to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Reading Report: How Short Is Too Short?

Posted on 07/17/2023 by chick

Musical Tables by Billy Collins, no grade I don’t grade collections of poetry, but I do occasionally comment on them. This one appealed to me because the poems were so short, most of them just a few lines long. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Tagged | 1 Comment

Reading Report: Enchanting Tale

Posted on 06/27/2023 by chick

The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett, A- Grace is an orphan that nobody wants to adopt, so she runs away to a witch’s house and begs the witch to take her as an apprentice. The witch grudgingly makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Leave a comment

Another Top 100 Children’s Books List

Posted on 06/26/2023 by chick

I have only 12 books left to read from the Top 100 Children’s Books list. Finishing the list will be a great accomplishment. But, in a way I’m not looking forward to it, because I will miss having a goal … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Leave a comment

Reading Report: The Magician King

Posted on 05/27/2023 by chick

The Magician King by Lev Grossman, B+ I read The Magician King for three reasons: 1. I liked the first book in the series enough to want to continue reading about that fictional world, 2. I’ve been grooving on books … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Leave a comment

Reading Report: Cleary Twofer

Posted on 05/05/2023 by chick

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Clearly, A: There are three Ramona books on the Top 100 Children’s Books list. This is not one of them, but it is the first book of the series. The main characters are Beatrice “Beezus” … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading, Uncategorized | Leave a comment