Book of the Week: ‘Ana of California’
Ana of California Andi Teran 2015, 353 pages Fiction Ana of California, which is “inspired” by Anne of Green Gables, is both familiar and fresh. Ana Cortez is an orphan from Boyle Heights in East L.A. She’s almost 16, the age when she can “emancipate” out of the foster care system. In the meantime, she’s in trouble for telling off her latest foster mother. Her social worker suggests Garber Farm in northern California, owned by brother...
Book of the Week: ‘Reading Like a Writer’
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books And For Those Who Want To Write Them Francine Prose 2006, 273 pages Nonfiction Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose reads like an introductory college course – and it almost is, since she wrote it while teaching. It’s packed with examples and passages from classic works of literature and one mainstream bestseller. Each chapter focuses on one particular aspect of writing and...
Book of the Week: ‘All Fall Down’
All Fall Down Jennifer Weiner 2014, 381 pages Fiction Sitting in her daughter’s pediatrician’s waiting area, Allison Weiss is reading a quiz in a magazine entitled “Has your drinking or drug use become a problem?” Some of her answers make her stop and think about the Vicodin and Percocet she’s taking. They are, after all, prescription medications. So what if she takes an extra dose every now and then? Allison appears to be living the...
Book of the Week: ‘Judge This’
Judge This Chip Kidd 2015, 125 pages Nonfiction In Judge This, Chip Kidd, a book designer and TED speaker, introduces what he calls “The Mysteri-o-meter.” This is a simple scale with clarity on one end and mystery on the other. He explains that all of us are impacted by the way things are designed, and whether they are clear, mysterious or a little of both. He also points out that neither clear nor mysterious is bad, but both need to...
Book of the Week: ‘Halloween Through Twenty Centuries’
Halloween Through Twenty Centuries Ralph and Adelin Linton 1950, 108 pages Nonfiction Published in 1950 as a part of the Great Religious Festivals Series, this slim volume offers a brief overview of the origins and history of Halloween. True to its title, it covers druidic festivals, Puritanical severity, Catholic adoption of pagan festival dates and the introduction of Halloween (as we know it) to the United States by Gaelic...
