Since one of the reasons I started this blog was to keep notes on what I’ve read, I want to start noting the books I want to read and why they catch my interest. If you’re familiar with any book on the list, feel free to comment about your experience with it! I’m sure I’ll […]
Cynthia Haven, of The Book Haven renown, has helped me in many ways over the past few years of blogging. So when she recommended the René Girard Lecture at Stanford to be given by Roberto Calasso, I arranged to be there. In addition to finally meeting Cynthia (which was great and too short!), I got […]
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck Ballantine Books (paperback, 277 pages) ISBN 978-0-345-47232-8 I ‘ve rewritten a post on this book several times because I couldn’t get it right. This post doesn’t get it right either, but I want to pass some notes on this book because it has been an […]
I know this is last minute but if you have ever been interested in reading (or re-reading) Herodotus’ The Histories, consider signing up for the Reading Odyssey’s reading group beginning on September 17, 2014, and running through March 2015. I have participated in several of their reading groups and have found them extremely helpful and […]
It’s been a few years since I read Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin but I saw an article today that has me wanting to revisit it again soon. This may be nothing new to many, but I wanted to pass it on. Onegin’s Tatiana Was Only Thirteen? points out the references to Tatiana’s maid’s age in reference […]
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 […]