The Fatal Flaw in Donna Tartt’s The Secret History
The Fatal Flaw in Donna Tartt’s The Secret History Aristotle coined the term Hamartia which literally translates “to miss the mark” or “to err”. We’ve come to understand this term as the fatal flaw and find it in most tragedies, especially Greek tragedies. Basically, there is a reversal of fortunes that needs to take place in the plot. It’s […]
Introducing the Reading Beyond Murakami Course Series
I’m excited to introduce a brand new way to engage with Haruki Murakami’s mind-bending stories. The Reading Beyond Murakami Course Series is a systematic approach to understanding the author in a whole new way. Life-long learners will delight in learning and re-learning what makes literature so profound. The first course launches March 20 and is an in-depth look […]
10 Books I Can’t Wait to Get My Eyes on in 2017
10 Books I Can’t Wait to Get My Eyes on in 2017 “And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke By Jessica S. Manuel As if the new year isn’t exciting enough, we have 10 incredible new reads on the horizon to build anticipation all year […]
One Sentence Reviews of the Best Reads of 2016
This year was full of half-read books, tons of audiobooks, and plenty of research. Out of the books I read and finished, these are the ones that made the cut. Below is this year’s list of one sentence reviews of the best reads of 2016. Check out previous years here: 2014 Winners 2015 Winners Professional […]
Winter Book Club 2017 Announced
Winter Book Club is here! We are excited to read our next book club pick with you that is sure to keep us warm over the next few months. As you probably know, we choose books we think you’ll enjoy AND that we’ve never read. Last year I wandered the streets of Prague and thought […]
How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read
How many books have you lied about reading? When I first encountered this question in a Buzzfeed post, I sat back in my chair and gave the question serious consideration. I haven’t exactly lied about reading books, but I do talk about books I haven’t read in my classroom. Is that the same thing? This […]
Z: The Beginning of Everything
“I love her, and that’s the beginning and end of everything.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald, Z: The Beginning of Everything Z: The Beginning of Everything is a television drama that is based on our book club pick this season: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler. The story follows Zelda Fitzgerald and her […]
The Best Books for Studying Literary and Critical Theory
Critical theory is not hard for students to grasp when it is explained well. These are the best books to introduce students to literary theory and criticism.