Did anyone else imagine a general guy holding a sword in the air and yelling, “To pants!” with that title? He’s probably in his undies, because why else go to pants? Sorry. It’s 4:30 AM. I’ll try to stay on task. *snicker*. To pants. That’s funny. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but this…
This week is Banned Books Week, a week to contemplate the various works of literature that for whatever reason have historically been deemed too dangerous for public consumption. Where the Wild Things Are, The Diary of a Young Girl, and The Old Man and The Sea are among them. The one that surprised me the…
Think about a fiction book you’re reading. Tell me: what do you think about the main character? And how much information about that person did you have before forming that opinion? What qualities did you use? Gender? Age? Race? Appearance? Stereotyping occurs when we make assumptions about people based on the groups to which they belong. We…
It’s back! The smartass part of my brain wants to come out and play, so I’m gonna let it. Below are some inspirational quotes pasted over images that make no sense. I’ve added my own captions to said images for comical effect. If you find these funny, be sure to check out Round One and…
Ah, fall. Tis the season of cooler weather and changing leaves and Halloween costume planning. It’s also the season where every kid and teen enrolled in a public or private school becomes the temporary employee of The Fundraiser. Or in some cases, The Fundraisers. Plural. At the same time. Don’t get me wrong. I work for…
I’m writing on this topic with the permission of Dennis McLoughlin, educational speaker and founder of High Trust (website here). You’ll notice the site is very colorful and includes scrolling headlines and squares bouncing off the sides of the screen. I imagine this is what the inside of Denny’s head feels like most of the…
I read a book review the other day, and it’s been irritating the crap out of me. The story that accompanied the review is set during the Napoleonic Wars, except the fighting countries have air forces comprised of talking dragons. I read the book, and I loved it (find it here). The dragons spoke eloquently in the…
I was tagged in a post on Facebook a couple days ago. I was supposed to list the top ten books that have stuck with me the most and tag other people. I don’t do that stuff on Facebook, but it did get me thinking about my favorite reads. So I’ll write about it here, and if you…
It’s a widely debated issue, I’ve learned. How much are readers willing to pay for a book? There doesn’t seem to be a solid answer, though there are trends. Popular books or books by popular authors generally cost more. Ebooks tend to be cheaper than the physical thing. The Bible is the most stolen book on…
On an average day, how often are you criticized? Did you recoil a bit at the question? It’s not a fun thing, being criticized. It’s basically giving someone else permission to tell you why they don’t like something about you or something you’ve done. Even if you think you’re ready for it, there’s still a…
Allison Maruska 