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I’ve gotten a few questions via email over the years on the curricula we use in homeschooling our two boys. I’m always a little hesitant to answer because we have been trying different approaches to see what is a good fit for the boys and what isn’t. The latter group doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a […]
Maybe I’m back? I hope so…I’ve missed this place. While we’re in the middle of so many -ennials, such as the War of 1812, the Civil War, and World War I, I did want to pass on this article from Simithsonian.com [Note: link no longer available, but parts of the article can be found at […]
In my post on Rambling on: An Apprentice’s Guide to the Gift of the Gab by Bohumil Hrabal I mentioned that Jiří Menzel had directed a movie based on those stories set in the Kresko settlement of Bohemia. I finally watched a copy of the movie with English subtitles and I found it almost as […]
It’s August already? I wish I could say I’m tanned, rested, and ready to post. Unfortunately it feels more like pasty, stressed…but at least wanting to post. I’ll start with a wonderful site I’ve found regarding drawings by Benito Pérez Galdós. Dr. Michael A. Schnepf at the University of Alabama has a page on The […]
I’ll repeat a favorite non-book post (judging by visits). Since it’s the tail-end of cherry season, you’ll need to get on top of this to enjoy it during the winter holidays. From the wonderful Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty (New York: Workman Publishing Company, 1986): A Cordial of Sweet Cherries After the elements are assembled—the […]
I apologize for the unplanned silence. I haven’t really felt like reading or posting lately, so maybe a break was what was needed. Since I haven’t read much I’ll post on what I’ve recently watched, which was infinitely better. Trevor at The Mookse and the Gripes has a great review of Inside Llewyn Davis, the […]
If you have a chance to pick up a copy of the current Weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal I recommend you do so. The review section has reviews on books about World War I in addition to several essays about the conflict. There’s also a review of The Professor and the Siren by […]
The boys and I started reading The Three Musketeers last week and we’re enjoying it. Looking to see what film versions were available for instant viewing I found 1973’s movie directed by Richard Lester and written by George MacDonald Fraser (of Flashman fame). I’ve always enjoyed Lester’s and Fraser’s version and the kids love the […]
Paideia: the Ideals of Greek Culture (Volume 1) by Werner Jaeger (2nd edition), translation by Gilbert Highet (New York: Oxford University Press) I’m bumping this to the top to keep the posts in this series close together. I know this series won’t interest everyone but I find Jaeger’s work fascinating. Every nation which has reached […]
On May 14, 2014 Paul Cartledge and James Romm talked about Herodotus and the two new translations of his Histories. It’s well worth the hour to listen to the salon sponsored by Reading Odyssey, which can be found here. I asked about other recent books on Herodotus they have enjoyed and they provided some books […]
Picture from Amazon.comPaideia: the Ideals of Greek Culture (Volume 1) by Werner Jaeger (2nd edition), translation by Gilbert Highet (New York: Oxford University Press) I had planned on posting on Werner Jaeger’s monumental work Paideia: the Ideals of Greek Culture last year and didn’t get very far before other things came up. I intend to […]
I had more quotes from the recently released Rambling on: An Apprentice’s Guide to the Gift of Gab by Bohumil Hrabal that I didn’t mention, but I didn’t want the post to run too long. I stumbled across a copy of Hrabal’s 1966 story collection The Death of Mr. Baltisberger (sometimes titled The World Cafeteria) […]
Rambling on: An Apprentice’s Guide to the Gift of the Gab by Bohumil Hrabal English translation by David Short Afterword by Václav Kadlec Illustrations by Jiří Grus Charles University in Prague, Karolinum Press ISBN: 978-80-246-2316-0 Dear colleagues and friends, On the occasion of 100th anniversary of Bohumil Hrabal’s birth, we would like to present two […]
Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm Alfred A. Knopf (March 2014) ISBN: 978-0-307-59687-1 Seneca was born in 4 B.C. on the Iberian peninsula to the son of a accomplished rhetorician (Seneca the Elder). The young Seneca moved to Rome to study rhetoric and was introduced to Stoic philosophy. Entering […]
The Expedition to the Baobab Tree By Wilma Stockenström Translated from the Afrikaans by J. M. Coetzee Archipelago Books (April 2014) ISBN: 978-1-935744-92-4 The insult of not being allowed to be human that I have overcome. All ugly visions too, of hairy huts and skew door openings that try to entice me in and lock […]
I realize things have been rather quiet here the past couple of months, but I’ve got a nice backlog of posts ready to write. Time will be freeing up soon to do so. One reason things have been quiet is that I was helping my wife with her book proposal, which I’m happy to announce, […]
Regular posting will resume soon, but I wanted to provide a link to this wonderful resource, covering plenty of children’s books, that any parent can use (whether you’re homeschooling or not): LitWits Workshops Pinterest boards. I’ve posted before on how much my oldest boy likes their workshops, and we are taking advantage of the many […]
California Bookstore Day, May 3, 2014 Hopefully there’s a store near you… California Bookstore Day is a statewide party on May 3, 2014 as big and varied as the state itself. It’s more than 90 stores in more than 80 zip codes putting their bells on and throwing out the welcome mat. Think Record Store […]
I have not had a chance to listen to this yet but wanted to pass on this information because of the time limit… On Sunday BBC Radio 3 aired a production of Antony and Cleopatra and has it available this week for listening. Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston are in the title roles, directed by […]
I rarely have many new books in my ‘to be read’ stack so I had to commemorate this occasion. You’ll be seeing these titles over the next several weeks, here and elsewhere. The Expedition to the Baobab Tree by Wilma Stockenström, translated by J. M. Coetzee (Archipelago Books) Harlequin’s Millions by Bohumil Hrabal, translated by […]