The Mezzanine is 100 pages of highly articulate stream-of-consciousness: the thoughts of our narrator as he takes a ride up the escalator during his lunch break to his office on the mezzanine. That’s it; that’s the plot. But that’s, of course, not the point: the point, or one of them, is following ordinary trains of thought to their conclusions in detail-oriented and precise prose, following the trail of a curious and engaged mind as it explores the minutiae of everyday (modern, office) life. You know […]
There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here!
This was my second foray into the world of Malcolm Gladwell during the Cannonball and it’s not the last. I really enjoy his books and the way he reads them. Gladwell performs his own narration which I believe improves the quality of an audio book. Gladwell is a smooth, easy reader with an inviting tone. David and Goliath discusses how there may be inherent advantages in perceived disadvantages. Right away, the conclusions are loose and not definitive in anyway but I do not think hat […]
When a barnacle covered bag washes ashore on a small island in British Columbia, Ruth is immediately drawn into the narrative of Nao, a 16-year-old from an ocean away in Tokyo, Japan. Nao lived with her parents in California, where Silicon Valley and the California sun held nothing but hope and happiness for the Japanese family. But her father’s job loss returned Nao’s family to Japan, where she went from happy well-adjusted teenager, to a bullied outcast. Escaping the constant pinching, stalking, and even fake […]
Kid Stuff (Reviews #1-3)
I’m never sure if anyone reads my reviews here or not, but I figure, just in case someone does, I’m sorry that I’ve been so long without posting this year (something about teaching in 2014 sucked up all my energies) I thought I’d kick off with some of my first books from the year–a collection of picture books that ended up in a lot of conversations around the Caldecott Medal–my full break down and ballot can be read at my personal blog. With that, here […]