In 2006, my wife and I moved from Maryland to Vienna, Austria and I began to learn German. Now, three years later, I’m able to speak reasonably well. I can translate menus for my friends, describe to a mechanic what is wrong with my car, and most importantly, I can complain to the referee in…
Category Archives: Guest Contributor
On Reading: What I Read When I Write
When friends found out that I was writing a book about the year I changed my life by following the advice found in women’s magazines, they all said the same exact thing. “Do you know what book you should be reading?” they shouted. “Eat, Pray, Love.” I ignored their directives, of course, but for a…
On Reading:
What Does Your Favorite Book Say About You?
So this is no small decision, choosing what we are going to read today, what book both Sophie and I will forever associate with this moment, what we read after. And when the answer is right in front of me — of course, The Secret Garden — all I have to do is touch the…
On Reading: Can Books Become Clutter?
Upon learning that I am a professional organizer, people just feel the need to confess to me about their clutter. I’m cool with that. “You should see my closet,” says one. “You can’t imagine my kitchen countertops,” says another. Still a third leans in and whispers, “I don’t have clutter. I have books.” This is…
On Reading: An Old Friend
A few years ago, my mom gave me a book for Christmas: Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever! At first I was a little confused. I was pregnant with our first child, but I was a 3rd grade teacher. If there is anything I had an abundance of, it was children’s books. I wondered why she…
Books on Screen: Better than the Book?
Last week we were thrilled to welcome Erika to this column with a Q&A about movie adaptations. We had such a great conversation going that it spilled over into this week (and even two weeks couldn’t hold it — I’ve posted the overflow at my own blog today). JD: Do you ever see a movie…
On Reading: The Power of 20 Minutes
When I was teaching third grade, I stressed the 20 minutes of reading daily to all my students and their parents. I believed it and preached it. If parents would just read to their child for 20 minutes, they would see improvement in their child’s reading. I didn’t even care who was reading – the…
Books on Screen: Adapting to Adaptations
I recently came across Erika Olson’s posts on the Redbox Blog, specifically ones that referenced beloved books that were being made into movies, and she agreed to do a Q&A with me about book to screen adaptations. This is part one of two. Part two will run next week. JD: I have a pretty firm…
Books on Screen: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I love Harry Potter! I’ve read each of the books at least twice, but Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is probably my favorite. The other books answer the Who, What and How but HBP tells us Why. I believe it is the most important of the seven books, and, after an extra eight-month vampire-imposed…
On Reading: When Books Challenge our Standards
I learned how to read when I was four years old. All credit there goes to my Mom. Since then, I’ve followed my insatiable thirst for a good read through the entire juvenile section of my hometown library, young adult series like the Hardy Boys and Narnia, and on up through mysteries, novels, stacks of…
-
Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor
MEET OUR TEAM
-
-
-
Most recent recommendations:
-
-
-
Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.
