Category Archives: Books and Reading

Become a Book Detective

Reading and listening – as we all know – are the keys (the things that make something possible) to better English. Better English is the result of spending as many hours as possible with interesting, easy-to-understand podcasts, blog posts, and … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading | 7 Comments

Ender’s Game

Hollywood has a history of taking blockbuster (extremely popular and successful) fiction novels and turning them into (making from them) blockbuster movies. A recent example was The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins. The film version grossed (earned, before expenses are subtracted) … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading | 13 Comments

The Company You Keep (And Where You Keep It)

Imagine that you are walking down the street and suddenly you see a letter on the ground. It is addressed and stamped, but clearly (obviously) has not been mailed. It appears that the person who was planning on sending the … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading | 15 Comments

Kiddie Wisdom

“Thought-provoking” (making you think deeply about something) is not an adjective that many people use to describe children’s literature, sometimes called “kiddie lit.” But, in fact, it often is. Children’s literature is often filled with wisdom, lessons that have been … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading | 32 Comments

A Drinking Song

William Butler Yeats was one of Ireland’s most famous poets in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I came across (discovered without trying to find it) a short poem of his that made me smile, and I hope will … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading | 24 Comments

If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking

Emily Dickinson was something of a recluse, a person who doesn’t leave her home very often or talk face-to-face (in person) with other people. Yet she is known now as one of the great American poets of the 19th century. … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading | 10 Comments

The Original Copycat

There’s an old saying (expression) in English, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” To imitate means to do what someone else does, to copy them. Flattery is when you compliment someone, when you say something nice about them. The … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading, Life in the United States | 16 Comments

The Hunger Games Trilogy

In recent years, several young adult or teen novels have made the crossover (crossed the boundary; become popular in more than one category) from popularity with just teens to popularity with adults. Perhaps the most notable (worthy of attention) example … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Reading | 27 Comments