Monthly Archives: June 2014

A Review of Barbara Ehrenreich and Dierdre English’s Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers (by Bethany)

Posted on June 8, 2014 by lfpbe

Recently I was accused of planning a witch-themed English I syllabus. I had done nothing of the kind, of course, but once I thought about it for a minute or two I realized that it was a great idea. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Barbara Ehrenreich and Dierdre English, Non-fiction - History, Nonfiction - General, Nonfiction - Science, Reviews by Bethany | Leave a comment

Update on Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries, Parts II – III

Posted on June 7, 2014 by badkitty1016

I’m officially completely wrapped up in this book.  I have read almost two hundred pages today.  Granted, it was a hot and lazy Saturday afternoon and neither the husband nor I wanted to go anywhere or do anything, but still.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Eleanor Catton, Fiction - general, Fiction - Historical, Fiction - Important Award Winners, Fiction - literary, Reviews by Jill | 3 Comments

A Reading List for Introverts (by Bethany – Part I, I hope)

Posted on June 6, 2014 by lfpbe

I took a four-day narrative writing workshop in February, and the instructor (who was excellent) had a collection of aphorisms he suggested we use when we write. One of them was “Don’t isolate your characters.” In other words, characters should … Continue reading →

Posted in Book-related personal narratives, Essays about literature, Reviews by Bethany | 4 Comments

Thoughts on Part I of Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries

Posted on June 5, 2014 by badkitty1016

  I finally managed to get into The Luminaries.  It only took like a hundred and fifty pages.  Fortunately, that’s not a huge chunk of this book.  Part one was three hundred sixty pages.  It actually took that long to … Continue reading →

Posted in Eleanor Catton, Fiction - general, Fiction - Historical, Fiction - Important Award Winners, Fiction - literary, Reviews by Jill | Leave a comment

Yarn Along, And Thoughts on an Anniversary

Posted on June 4, 2014 by lfpbe

Unfortunately, today’s Yarn Along post does not include a photo. This is ironic and funny given some of the things I wrote below about technology – but the bottom line is that I can’t get my phone to send the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book-related personal narratives, Yarn Along | 2 Comments

Some teenage angst and some reflections on having graduated from high school twenty years ago

Posted on June 3, 2014 by badkitty1016

Tomorrow marks twenty years to the day since our high school graduation. I have always remembered the date: 6/4/94. I even used it as my password for the phone-in class registration tool we used at Davis in the nineties. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Book-related personal narratives, Reviews by Jill | 7 Comments

Juvenilia

Posted on June 2, 2014 by lfpbe

Look what I just dug up: this book review I wrote when I was thirteen was published in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 26, 1989. I was paid $15, which is more than anyone around THIS place ever pays … Continue reading →

Posted in Book-related personal narratives | 3 Comments

The Elephant in the (Class)Room: Straight Talk About Act Five of Macbeth (by Bethany)

Posted on June 1, 2014 by lfpbe

The first four acts of Macbeth come close to being the best play Shakespeare ever wrote. They don’t quite live up to Hamlet, but they’re better than Othello, better than Lear, better than Richard III any day. The banquet scene. … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Drama, Reviews by Bethany, Teaching, William Shakespeare | 6 Comments