Friday, December 25 “I awakened before the sun was up and saw that Mama was still by the hearth. I think she stayed up all night. The turkey was roasting on a spit over a low fire. It must have been the wonderful smell that woke me up. I hugged Mama’s waist and said Merry …
Category Archive: Texas
Sep 11
Texas Tuesday: The Blood of Heroes by James Donovan
The Blood of Heroes The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo–and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation by James Donovan. General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna: “If I were God, I would wish to be more.” “In this war you know that are no prisoners.” Oath Davy Crockett and his men signed on February 12, 1836: …
Sep 04
Texas Tuesday: A Personal Country by A.C. Greene
I didn’t quite finish this travel homecoming memoir by a Texas author who hails from my neck of the woods, Abilene, Texas, where I went to college. However, I did find some gems in the book before I had to return it to the library, and I’ll probably come back to it and finish the …
Jul 24
Texas Tuesday: Goodbye to a River by John Graves
Published in 1959, this nonfiction narrative tells the story of a November 1957 trip down a piece of the Brazos River in central Texas, just before several dams were built along the river to change its course and character forever. Hence, the title: Goodbye to a River. Mr. Graves grew up along the Brazos, in …
Jul 10
55 Texas Tales: From Galveston to Amarillo to Brownsville to El Paso
I must admit that I’m a proud Texan with a mild Texas accent and a whiff of Texas braggadocio. And I think reading books by Texan authors or books set deep in the heart of Texas is a great way to spend a summer afternoon. Adams, Andy. The Log of a Cowboy. Semicolon review here. …
May 04
Tour of Texas Towns
Nimrod, Ding Dong, Zipperlandville, Needmore, Seymour, Dime Box, Gill. Dripping Springs, Argyle, Red Lick, Thrall, Rosebud, New Hope, Zionsville, Rawls. Sour Lake, Big Lake, Runaway Bay, Smiley, Snook, Shamrock, Buffalo, Fate. Nazareth, Noonday, Oyster Creek, Mount Calm, Moscow, Trinidad, Wink. North Zulch, Happy, Lazbuddie, Crow, Chester, Lovelady, Lollipop, Grow. Muleshoe, Oatmeal, Eldorado, Maud, Paradise, Eden, …
Feb 21
Texas Tuesday: The Buckskin Line by Elmer Kelton
Elmer Kelton is from my hometown, San Angelo, Texas. I’m not much of a reader of westerns, but I thought I should at least sample the work of Mr. Kelton, seeing as he’s a hometown boy and was the farm-and-ranch editor for the San Angelo Standard-Times. Also, for five years he was editor of Sheep …
Oct 18
Kylie Jean, Blueberry Queen by Marci Peschke
Cybils nominee: Early Chapter Books. Nominated by Jennifer Glidden, Capstone Press. Kylie Jean, who lives with her family in Jacksonville, Texas, has a lifelong dream: she wants to be a beauty queen. I’ve never heard of Jacksonville, but it’s a real town in East Texas, Cherokee County, and it has a population of 13,868 (2000 …
Sep 06
Texas Tuesday: Oh, Those Harper Girls! by Kathleen Karr
A few years ago I read Kathleen Karr’s The Great Turkey Walk out loud to some of the urchins, and I remember us deriving immense enjoyment from the humorous story of a simple boy named Simon and his turkey drive across the Midwest. Well, I would love to read this book, Oh, Those Harper Girls!, …
Jul 27
Friday Night Lights: What Comes First?
I just finished watching the final episode of the final season of the TV show Friday Night Lights, and I am quite impressed with the quality and thoughtfulness of the entire series. The show’s creators and writers and actors got a lot of things right, and I enjoyed the ride. First of all, for the …
CYBILS
Preschool Curriculum:
Click on the pic to check it out:
180
Link to the Saturday Review
Subscribe/Save
Recent Comments