The author Flannery O’Connor once said, “The things we see, hear, smell and touch affect us long before we believe anything at all.” I know one thing that affected me, before I knew what to “believe,” and that was an understanding that my Mom was a teacher and bore that moniker proudly. I was taught […]
Dagger Book Club: “At Home” – A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
Some weeks ago a favorite uncle of mine died at ninety-three; not long before that I experienced the death of my mother. In my family the “old guard” is now dying off and those of us who used to sit at the kids’ table find ourselves trying to replace them. We (my siblings and cousins) […]
Dagger Book Club: “Freedom,” An Evening with Jonathan Franzen
I mentioned in my introductory biographical paragraph that I am a Jonathan Franzen enthusiast, and that was probably an understatement. I believe he is a true wordsmith who describes his characters with a nuanced flair that makes them both unique but also immediately recognizable. In his hands, mundane quotidian conversation between characters pulsates with emotion […]
Introducing The Dagger Book Club: “Is Life Too Short To Read A Poorly Written Book? “
About twelve years ago I came to the conclusion that regardless of my master’s degree in Education. I was still woefully uneducated. To become more educated and therefore wiser – wisdom was key – I decided to read the classics. I began with the Barnes & Noble Classics book club for my basics and then […]
