It’s that time of year again! We’re reading Beowulf in class (and I, of course, reread it before them to prep). This year we’re focusing on Beowulf as an allegory and examining on whether or not when Beowulf enters battle with the different monsters is he actually battling “a demon within himself”. So far, the kids are coming up with amazing answers and I think this is an approach that I would use again in the future. They’re also creating their own monsters to reflect […]
I Hope People Don’t Describe Me Based on My Moles (PLEASE)
Rob and Anna are an English couple on vacation. On their first night, they meet an American couple who run boat charters to Roatan. Rob feels an instant connection to Owen and wants to take them up on their offer. Anna, however, is “always cautious and afraid of everything” as Rob describes CONSTANTLY to anyone who will listen. So of course, Anna has a few thoughts about spending 10 days on a boat with two people she barely knows. Geez Anna, what a buzz kill […]
Ahhh Buck This Book
Are you a fan of Carl Hiaasen? So am I. I am a total sucker for ridiculous characters with a ridiculous backdrop of Florida where wacky and zany things happen. But much like a Sour Patch Kid, I can’t handle too much Hiaasen at once. No, I have to read a book here or there, chuckle at it, forget it, and grab another one in the future. I mention this because Buck Fever has a couple things going for it (in theory). One, our author […]
Stories Can Save Us
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of short stories that revolve about a group of soldiers in the Vietnam War. The most interesting thing about the book to me is that Tim O’Brien is a Vietnam War veteran and he puts himself into the book as a character. He needs to tell his story, he needs to release the memories and yet, he doesn’t quite want to give a factual account of what happened to him and his friends there. So […]