I finished The Art of Fielding a couple of days ago. I read it because my friend Emily at As the Crowe Flies (And Reads!) raved about it. And, of course, because it’s on The New York Times list of best books of 2011. And because after finishing it, … [Read more...]

I enjoyed this book very much, but confess that the window during which I was most likely to write a review had passed. But today it’s due back at the library, and I picked it up and looked at the many passages I had meticulously flagged and thought, … [Read more...]

I like this coverA few weeks ago I wrote about the certain specificity of not liking a book compared to the fuzzy amorphism of liking a book. When I don’t like a book, I can tell you exactly why, but when I like one, I’m often not quite sure what to … [Read more...]

Here in southern Indiana, we’ve reached that moment in the semester where you simply cannot believe that you still have to go in and teach classes for yet another week. Surely it is time to be done. This last week will thankfully not be too hectic … [Read more...]

Do you ever read a book and like it very much but can’t quite figure out why? Disliking a book is easy. Most of the time I know with immediate certainty what I don’t like about a book. The stronger the dislike, the more specifically I’m able to … [Read more...]