Showalter, Shirley Hershey. Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World. Harrisonburg: Herald, 2013. Showalter was the president of my alma mater, Goshen College, when I was a student there, and we have since become friends, in part because we are both interested in Mennonite literature. Her new memoir, Blush, is sure to be anContinue reading “Book Acquired Recently: Shirley Hershey Showalter’s Blush”
Category Archives: Literature
Books Acquired Recently
Doyle, Arthur Conan. A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. 1888 and 1890. Mineola: Dover, 2003. Frederic, Harold. The Damnation of Theron Ware. 1896. Mineola: Dover, 2012. I just recently heard of Harold Frederic (Utica College’s student literary society is named after him), who was from my new town of Utica, New York,Continue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
The New Header Photograph
I decided to update the header photograph of my blog to celebrate my recent transition to Utica, New York. I never feel truly at home in a new place until all of my books are displayed on their shelves, so the new photograph symbolizes my new identity as a Utican. Also, the previous header photographContinue reading “The New Header Photograph”
Books Acquired Recently
Ayala, César J., and Rafael Bernabe. Puerto Rico in the American Century: A History Since 1898. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 2007. I have been wanting to learn more about Puerto Rico’s history for a while as a way to help me better understand my Puerto Rican roots. This book looks like itContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently”
Pro Wrestling as Narrative
There’s an excellent interview with WWE executive Triple H on grantland.com that explains how WWE storylines get generated, and how they play out during live events. I loved to watch wrestling as a kid, and while I no longer watch it, I still enjoy reading about it. This may sound odd, but reading about itContinue reading “Pro Wrestling as Narrative”
Mike Piazza’s Long Shot
Mike Piazza’s autobiography Long Shot is a fascinating, candid, at times disturbing book. It is a true autobiography, covering his entire life up through the publication of the book in detail. Here are a few thoughts on what stood out to me. I found the first part of the book boring because I was readingContinue reading “Mike Piazza’s Long Shot”
Books Acquired Recently: Strand Edition
I spent a few days this week in New York City, which of course involved my usual trip to the Strand. I have been shopping at the Strand since 2002, and it always brings me joy even though their renovations over the past decade have taken away some of the store’s character. But I wasContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Strand Edition”
Thoughts on Narrative in Everyday Life
I was especially excited to watch the Mets game last night because Zack Wheeler was pitching, and I was thinking about the high hopes that I have for both he and Matt Harvey. Specifically, I was thinking, “Well, Harvey is clearly Tom Seaver, and maybe Wheeler can be Jerry Koosman.” I know that I amContinue reading “Thoughts on Narrative in Everyday Life”
The Comfort of Baseball
Last night I watched the Mets-Atlanta game, and the Mets lost in excruciating fashion, with Bobby Parnell giving up two runs in the top of the ninth to blow a 1-0 lead and Jason Heyward making a fantastic diving catch on Justin Turner’s drive into the left-centerfield gap in the bottom of the ninth forContinue reading “The Comfort of Baseball”
Books Acquired Recently: Desk Copies Edition
Today I received all of my desk copies for the upcoming semester. I’ll be teaching semester one of the first-year composition course, American Literature to 1865, and American Literature Post-1945. It should be a fun semester toggling back and forth between the two American literature extremes! It will make a fascinating contrast. I already haveContinue reading “Books Acquired Recently: Desk Copies Edition”
Daniel Shank Cruz 