Monthly Archives: August 2008

Stories (Booking Through Thursday)

On Reading 5 Comments

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next? Oh yeah, this is totally me. Story trumps all. I wouldn’t give two figs for diamond sharp prose and stellar ideas without a…

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Lois McMaster Bujold on Genre

On Reading

Thanks, Shari, to this link to a speech given by Lois McMaster Bujold. A tantalizing excerpt: In fact, if romances are fantasies of love, and mysteries are fantasies of justice, I would now describe much SF as fantasies of political agency. All three genres also may embody themes of personal psychological empowerment, of course, though often very different in the details, as contrasted by the way the heroines “win” in romances, the way detectives “win” in mysteries, and the way, say, young male characters “win”…

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Win Prizes for Writing–Yes, You!

On Reading

I’ve just been alerted to a really cool new site called Field Report. Post your writing, review other people’s work, and everyone is eligible for cash prizes! Right now they’re listing a $250,000 grand prize for true stories 2000 words or less, as well as monthly prizes of $1000 each. Pretty exciting! Leave a link in the comments if you post a story and I’ll be sure to check it out.

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Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin

American Literature 3 Comments

Synopsis: High school senior Jill is “all girl”–except for 4 days out of the month, when she turns into Jack, who happens to be in love with her best friend. Review: Cycler has quite the premise, with Jill literally transforming from girl to boy once a month, right after her period ends. Girly girl Jill wants nothing to do with horny boy’s boy Jack, and has an elaborate ritual to keep memories of his four days at bay. Her mom loathes Jack as well, and…

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Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel

American Literature

Synopsis: A parenting book that looks at the bigger picture of raising adults, not children. Review: Grace Based Parenting really resonated with me. I’ve been a bit frustrated as I read about parenting, because it seems like everything has to be a method, a program, or a way of life. I have really been searching for a framework in which to carve out my own path with Superfast Baby, and this book gave me just that. Dr. Kimmel is a youth pastor, and I have…

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My Child Won’t Eat by Carlos Gonzalez, MD

Spanish Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: A reassuring guide to help parents promote healthy eating habits. Review: Superfast Baby has not shown much interest in solid food, so My Child Won’t Eat was really helpful for me. Basically it reassured me that I can trust my instincts that she is getting the nutrition she needs from breastmilk, and that quality (ie, healthy food) is more important than quantity (no force feeding).

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Top 48 SF Movies Based on a Novel

On Reading

I’m meme-crazy because I love my baby more than this blog. It’s true! (But I have a lot of love to go around, so don’t worry.) From A Dribble of Ink: Copy the list below. Mark in bold the movie titles for which you read the book. Italicize the that you’ve watched. 1. Jurassic Park 2. War of the Worlds 3. The Lost World: Jurassic Park 4. I, Robot 5. Contact 6. Congo 7. Cocoon 8. The Stepford Wives 9. The Time Machine 10. Starship…

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Teaser Tuesday–Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

American Literature, On Reading

A fun new meme! TEASER TUESDAYS ask you to: # Grab your current read. # Let the book fall open to a random page. # Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. # You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! # Please avoid spoilers! From Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. I…

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Two Books on Breastfeeding Issues

American Literature 3 Comments

Milk, Money, and Madness by Naomi Baumslag and Dia L. Michels Mother’s Milk by Bernice Hausman I’m researching an essay on breastfeeding practices and ended up reading these two dense and serious tomes that delve into America’s abysmally low breastfeeding rates. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least a year, and the World Health Organization recommends at least two. Yet many women opt out of trying, or give up at some point well before a year. Milk, Money and Madness examines the…

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Dewey’s Weekly Geek

On Reading 12 Comments

I’m new to this, though am a longtime fan of Dewey and Hidden Side of a Leaf. This week’s theme is a sort of meme. (Hey, I rhymed!) Your basic challenge is to post author photos. Using the meme-like list below, post photos of authors in response. Please feel free to skip any you don’t like. You’re also free (encouraged!) to add your own, but if you do that, please be sure to indicate which are yours, so that people can credit you if they…

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