books
December 31, 2014
And so we end the 2014 Musicuentos Book Club with a biography and an autobiography, both carrying a challenge: What do you believe, and what will you do with it? George Müller: Delighted in God We throw around phrases like “my prayers are with you” and “you’re in my thoughts and prayers.” What are your […]
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December 27, 2014
I don’t remember why this book came on my radar. I wasn’t at ACTFL 2013, where Tony Wagner delivered the keynote address. I thought someone blogged about it but now I can’t find out where that was. In any case, I’m so glad someone recommended I read this book. Summary: Passion, purpose, and play. What […]
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December 20, 2014
Book Club ’14: The Kite Runner
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Plot summary: From GoodReads, Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashums. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir’s choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions […]
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December 15, 2014
The Hobbit Reading the classics is always on my to-do list, thanks to my parents, who both loved a book that had stood the test of time (my dad and I had so many private jokes about the time he made me fight my way through A Tale of Two Kitties… I mean Cities). This year […]
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December 12, 2014
Today, a book I was eager to read but ended up disappointed with. Summary: From Goodreads: The children in this book defy the stereotypes of urban youth too frequently presented by the media. Tender, generous and often religiously devout, they speak with eloquence and honesty about the poverty and racial isolation that have wounded but not […]
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December 10, 2014
If you’ve never read Richard Paul Evans, think Nicholas Sparks (but even sappier) with a much-needed sense of morality. These two titles represent the last two books in a five-book series that started with The Walk. Alan’s wife, the love of his life, has a horse-riding accident, and in the month that transpires between […]
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December 7, 2014
Two nonfiction books today, both set in the same area (New Orleans) in the same era (Katrina and after). One is about Katrina, one isn’t really, both are about choices that may or may not lead to death, and both will make you stop and think about why and when people die. It’s a reflection […]
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December 3, 2014
Two books for this post: The Painted Veil, and Life After Life. Both about women with many layers, British women, both finding out that adultery isn’t all it’s cut out to be. One a classic, the other a modern bestseller. One to skip, and the other to lose yourself in for a weekend. The Painted […]
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December 1, 2014
Musicuentos Book Club 2014
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Welcome to the first (annual, I hope) Musicuentos Book Club. A book I read last year called The End-of-Your-Life Book Club, in which a son journeys through reading books with his mom while she is dying with cancer, inspired me to keep a record of the books I read and share my thoughts about them […]
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October 20, 2014
If you use children’s stories in the classroom, are those stories skilled enough to do double – or triple – duty? Piggybacking on what Helena Curtain advised, to use literature that’s deep enough to come at life and language in multiple ways, I’d like to add a couple of suggestions for books to add to […]
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Regreso a clases! Ciudad on sale
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It’s back to school time and also feeling like time for me to ease back into doing what I love, while I enjoy the memories of my dad who was the conduit of love for Spanish in my life. The events of this summer have delayed several things, including new Black Box Podcast episodes and […]
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April 25, 2014
Top 25 Spanish novels
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As a Spanish speaker, I know that if I don’t use the language I get rusty in it, and as a teacher/linguist, I know that after a certain point, most of a person’s new vocabulary is acquired through reading words in context. So I enjoy reading in Spanish for the fun of it and for […]
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