I’m always curious about what high school kids are asked to read in their English classes these days. I’ve had a few conversations with friends about we read back in the 1980s. Call me a packrat, but I found my own reading lists from my 9th and 10th grades. I only have the outside reading … Continue reading
Filed under Reading …
A nature memoir that I really enjoyed! – There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse
I’ve been reading memoirs ever since I started writing my own in 2011. There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse by Michael J. Tougias turned out to be a fantastic read and I highly recommend it to anyone. Where did I find this book? I actually bought it at a gift shop in Northern New Hampshire. … Continue reading
Southerners vs. Russians: Who can suffer more and write about it?
Engineering majors don’t get a lot of choice in college electives. We take what we’re told and are lucky to graduate in 5-years. On the one occasion that I remember actually having an elective without restrictions, I chose to take a class in World Literature. “We’ve never had an engineering major take an elective in … Continue reading
B-17 Bomber Crew Diary: A World War II Memoir
I recently came across the book B-17 Bomber Crew Diary by Edward J. Giering, Major, U.S. Army Retired, as part of my research on B-17 planes for my own memoir. Sure, I had looked up the B-17 fact sheet, and read the details of the various B-17 plane models in reference books. However, it was … Continue reading
Memoirs for Readers, Reality Television for Viewers
I sent the manuscript for my book to an editor a couple of weeks ago. It’s possible that I forgot to tell him that I was writing a memoir, but he was clearly turned off by either the genre, my writing, or both. He wrote back that the book lacked “broad general appeal.” I have … Continue reading
Noah Pozner’s Body and The Clockwork Orange
20+ years ago, I was required to read “The Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess for a college English class. English was my favorite subject and I loved to read, but I wasn’t thrilled about the assignment for a very specific reason. I had read the book before. With so much to read in the world, … Continue reading
