While Modigliani: A Life by Meryle Secrest was not exactly the biography I was looking for, it is an entertaining, educational read that has much to offer both fans of the artist and general readers. Several years ago I picked up a copy of Becoming Judy Chicago more or less on a whim to discover one of my favorite reads of 2007. Turns out I … Continue reading Modigliani: A Life by Meryle Secrest
I’m going to stick to my guns here, enforce my long time rule for selecting the top ten list which is “Do I want to read this book again someday?” The answer must be yes to qualify. Which means there are many books that I loved reading that will not make the list. Lots of books are great books, great reads, but not something I’ll … Continue reading Top Ten Favorite Reads for 2016.
Some things I learned from reading William Rosen’s book Justinian’s Flea: Justinian I was as unlikely to become emperor as Theodora was to become empress. Theodora really did work in a brothel, most likely, but she had retired prior to meeting Justinian in her early twenties. That bit about covering herself in seed and letting a small flock of geese peck it all off was probably … Continue reading Justinian’s Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe by William Rosen
Did Lincoln free the slaves, or did the slaves free themselves? A high school history teacher friend of mine recently asked me this question while explaining the new writing program she’s using in her tenth grade U.S. history class. In the program, students are given a set of historical documents to read, discuss and draw conclusions about in essay form. The point of the activity … Continue reading American Uprising: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel Rasmussen
But she was woman; he was dog. Mrs. Browning went on reading. Then she looked at Flush again. But he did not look at her. An extraordinary change had come over him. “Flush!” she cried. But he was silent. He had been alive; he was now dead. That was all. The drawing-room table, strangely enough, stood perfectly still. Ending to Flush: A Biography by Virginia … Continue reading
I needed to read a biography. This semester I invited my students to play “Book Bingo” with their reading. Everyone has a “Book Bingo” card glued into their English journal. Each time you finish a book, you check off a corresponding Book Bingo square. Up to three bingoes earn extra credit and anyone who completes a blackout by June 4 is entered into a prize drawing. … Continue reading Noah Webster: a Man of Many Words by Catherine Reef
Athur Rimbaud made a splash on the Paris literary scene, became a scandal, destroyed Paul Verlaine’s marriage, revolutionized French poetry and left it all for an obscure post in Northern Africa before the age of 21. At age 16 he sent a few poems to Paul Verliane, already the leading figure in French poetry. Verlaine was so taken with them he sent word to Rimbaud, “Come, dear … Continue reading Rimbaud: The Double Life of a Rebel by Edmund White
Not everyone thinks Andy Warhol is a genius, but everyone knows who he is. Love him; hate him; be indifferent to him; he is one of only a handful of 20th century artist just about everyone recognizes immediately. Recognizes and can probably call to mind at least one of his paintings be it soup can or movie star. Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol by … Continue reading Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol by Tony Sherman and David Dalton
Does Stephen King have advice a book blogger might find useful? Stephen King’s fans will be interested in how he became a writer, and anyone who wants to become a writer ought to listen to his advice. But does On Writing anything useful to say to those of us who write for fun? Mr. King divides On Writing into two sections. The first is a … Continue reading On Writing by Stephen King
Two years ago, when I was walking my dog in Fulham Palace Gardens, we overtook an old woman who was wheeling a baby carriage. She was chatting cheerfully to the occupant of it, and it was therefore, perhaps, not unreasonable of me to be surprised to find, when I caught up with her, that this too was a dog. My Dog Tulip by J.R. Ackerley … Continue reading My Dog Tulip by J.R. Ackerley
The author is upfront about the central problem biographers have with Geoffrey Chaucer–there are simply no records of his private life at all. What he thought, felt, or said was not recorded by the poet or by anyone who knew him. While there are just under 500 documents related to Chaucer, these are all professional in nature: records of his work for Richard II, bills, … Continue reading Chaucer’s Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury by Paul Strohm
Your Own, Sylvia: a Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill tells the story of the poet through a series of poems written from the points of view of different people who knew her. These poems, along with the footnotes than explain each, work together to create a compelling portrait as well as a compelling story. The book becomes harder to put down the further … Continue reading Your Own, Sylvia: a Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath, by Stephanie Hemphill
May Contain Spoilers 