In this engaging trilogy of novellas, Chris Crutcher has taken a handful of characters from his earlier works—Sarah Byrnes, Angus Bethune, John Simet, Matt Miller, and Montana West—and imagined them “living outside of their original times and in some cases outside of their original settings” as he describes in his introduction (n. pag.). If you’ve …read more…
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Robert Cormier
Sixteen-year-old Barney Snow is the only patient in his hospital ward who isn’t dying. Unlike the other kids however, most of his memory is gone; he has only vague recollections of a car accident, and the knowledge that he is at the hospital as a service to others. At the heart of this story is …read more…
By the River by Steven Herrick
The year is 1962, and fourteen-year-old Harry Hodby lives in a small town in Australia. His mother died when he was seven, his friend (and potential girlfriend) Linda was swept away in a flood, and he, along with his father and younger brother Keith, are left to sort out their hardscrabble lives, coping with poverty, …read more…
Some Notes on my Writing Process
For some time now, I have wanted to do a blog post about my writing process for the reviews I do here, in an attempt to demystify my writing process for my students. I want to be very clear about one important thing up front: writing for this blog is very different that some of …read more…
Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing
At first glance, I thought that this book would be great for anyone who is currently writing fiction, or even creative nonfiction, without any problem. These are the writers who have ideas, and they can get them on paper, although the writing that results is humdrum and lackluster, just lying on the page without arousing …read more…
Latino Literature: A Guide to Reading Interests edited by Sara E. Martínez
I find books like this one a bit maddening, first because they are expensive (all books for librarians are expensive), and second, because they are out of date almost as soon as they are in print. As an introduction to Latino literature for someone who is unfamiliar with it, it can be a good resource. …read more…
Xtranormal – another digital storytelling tool
I found out about this one from Dr. Gwen Tarbox, who used it to make some videos for the ENGL 2000 course offered at Western Michigan University. Unfortunately, you can only use the most basic settings for free—the others cost what they call Xtranormal Points, but once you’ve purchased an asset you can use it …read more…
Google Search Stories
I just found out about another interesting digital story-telling tool: Google Search Stories. This tool allows you to make 30-second movies, like the one Google used during the 2010 Super Bowl. Now, you can’t do all the neat things that they did in the commercial, but you can still come up with some creative stuff. …read more…
The Surprise by Sylvia van Ommen
This completely wordless book presents us first with a mystery: what is Sheep doing? After taking some measurements, Sheep finally shears off all her wool, dyes it red, and takes it to Poodle, who spins it into yarn. She (or he?) then works late into the night, knitting a special surprise. I won’t ruin the …read more…
