Read previous chapters here. Chapter 13 As Leda balances the checkbook, she finds many debits after the holiday season and monthly medical expenses. She knows the holiday expenses are past, but expects to see many more bills paid to doctors and nurses. As these numbers swirl in her head, she remembers that Walt Junior has... Continue Reading →
My kids and I are ready for summer. Perhaps even a “crazy summer.” But I suspect that any summer plans we make or carry out will not be as crazy as the summer the Gaither sisters have in Oakland, California, in Rita Williams-Garcia’s book One Crazy Summer (2010). Delphine, age ten, and her younger sisters... Continue Reading →
We finished reading Lord of the Flies (1954), number 49 on the BBC book list, by William Golding. I read it to my 11-year-old daughter, who has been recovering from a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy this week. I've read it before, but I had forgotten most of it. Oh my. I feel a loss of... Continue Reading →
I found an old paper in my desk drawer with a list of stuff my daughter had said when she was six or seven. I had meant to post it on my blog, but I’ve waited until she turned ten to do so. She wouldn’t say these things now, but it is fun to look... Continue Reading →
My daughters and I have been listening to movie soundtracks in the car as we drive around town for errands or to and from swimming lessons. It all started in March, when my youngest turned four, and for her birthday, I got her the Frozen soundtrack. We listened to it over and over and over... Continue Reading →
As most of you know, education is important to me. I wouldn’t be pursuing a Ph.D. if it weren’t. Not only do I believe in education, but I believe in education for girls, and some of the most moving books I’ve read are about this subject. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) by Betty Smith... Continue Reading →
I picked up Andrew Solomon’s book Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (2012) at the end of last summer. I read about 100 pages into this 702 page tome (that’s not including almost 300 pages of notes at the end), before my semester started and I had to read Foucault... Continue Reading →
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) by Roald Dahl. It is number 99 on the BBC book list. Dahl is one of my favorite children’s authors. His style is goofy, creepy, funny, and enthralling. I remember reading The Witches as a child and just being enchanted and frightened out of my... Continue Reading →
I read The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien, number 16 on the BBC book list, several years ago, after The Lord of the Rings movies came out. I wanted to know what the fuss was about, although I didn’t really like the movies and I was not willing to read the LOTR trilogy. ... Continue Reading →
I never read this book as a child. It’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) by C. S. Lewis and number 36 on the BBC book list. I had heard of it. Of course I had. I knew that people raved about C. S. Lewis, but I had never experienced him myself. So... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 