Today is the second installment of my week of highlighting non-fiction books that I’ve read and enjoyed, and that I consequently recommend to you. If you'd like to see the first five non-fiction books I highlighted, click here. This week wouldn’t be right without something by Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of... Continue Reading →
At the end of one of my English 1010 classes, a student wrote a magnificent paper. I don’t remember the exact theme or her argument, but I do remember that she had used Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (1994) as a source. Now, this student was no ordinary student. She... Continue Reading →
The Old Wives’ Tale (1908) by Arnold Bennett is probably a book you’ve never heard of. I hadn’t heard of it until a few months ago when I came across it at the library. I checked it out, never got to it, and returned it. But I found the e-book for free and downloaded it... Continue Reading →
I once gave a presentation in an undergraduate grammar and usage course about the correct usage of “between you and me.” Saying “between you and I” is incorrect. On my handout, I included several quotes that demonstrated this usage, and I had included quotes from both Mark Twain and Samuel Clemens. Of course, I knew... Continue Reading →
I picked up The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks expecting a charming bildungsroman of a young girl in the south who worms her way into the hearts of a family. Don’t ask me why. The title somehow brought to my mind the heartwarming novel Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Boy, I was wrong, and pleasantly so. The... Continue Reading →
Today is my birthday, and if I could choose to do whatever I wanted, I would choose to be alone with a book all day. Perhaps this is because I have a toddler and I’m tired. Any sort of respite from her antics is much appreciated, despite the fact that I love and adore her,... Continue Reading →
Okay. I admit it! I like chick lit. I do. I know that as a self-proclaimed student of serious literature that I shouldn’t. But I can’t help it. The books are funny and, for me, the ultimate escape. I can read them quickly without effort and at the end I feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Where’s... Continue Reading →
I’m vain. Let’s face it. I always have been. I like to look nice, and when I’m done making myself look nice, I like to admire myself in the mirror. As a young teenager, I swore that if I ever needed glasses, I would skip straight to contacts and never let anybody know that I... Continue Reading →
Again, I am not a professional when it comes to photography or decorating, but I thought it would be fun to share how I display and store books at my house. If you want to see Part One, click here. Below are some more photos of my shelves. This is a picture of my family... Continue Reading →
I’m not an interior designer or a photographer, but here are some photos of how I decorate with books at my house. Books best represent my personality, so I’ve come to collect them and showcase them in my home. There was a time when they were all in boxes in our unfinished basement, but now... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 