I never read The Outsiders in school, and I know it’s part of the Language Arts curriculum now in some schools. My students were reading it today for class, so I decided to join them! The kids really seemed to like it – they were all actually silently reading, which for a class of eighth graders with a substitute is fairly impressive. At first I didn’t think I was going to like it all that much. It’s not the type of thing I usually choose […]
Do Every Stupid Thing that Makes You Feel Alive
The Kristin Lavransdatter books tell the story of the life of Kristin Lavransdatter, a Norwegian woman living in the 14th century. I read historical fiction only very rarely, and a series about a Norwegian housewife in the Middle Ages wouldn’t normally be something that would be very high on my TBR list. I chose these because at some point in the last year, I was reading an article which had a short quote from one of the books. I can’t remember the quote or the […]
Such a good book, giving me comfort in the (literal) dark times
This is a re-read of one of my favourites. My original review (which is quite lengthy) can be found here. We’re pretty much in the coldest and darkest part of the year here in Norway now and it gets harder to motivate oneself for anything except hibernation, really. So with an ever more attentive and demanding baby and preparing to go back to work as a teacher for the first time in over a year, I’m not really up for anything very challenging to read in […]
I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics.
I’m surprised that I made it through my childhood without reading A Little Princess (1905) by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I did remember watching the 1995 movie when I was babysitting, and I cried like a baby at the end. I guess it never occurred to me to read the book until I saw it on my List of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40, which will be dominating my reading for the next four months or so. Sara Crewe is a precocious and imaginative […]