AmiMaxine

Baseball Season has Begun

I know what you’re probably saying (at least if you are a fan of Major League Baseball, that is): “The season began a while ago. Where have you been?” Yes, my cubbies have been at it for a couple months now. That’s not the baseball I’m talking about. I’m talking about a baseball with fewerContinue reading “Baseball Season has Begun”

First Friday Rec: When Books Went to War

Title: When Books Went to WarAuthor: Molly Guptill ManningGenre: Nonfiction, History, InformativePages: 267Publication Date: 2 Dec 2014StoryGraph* Moods: Informative, Inspiring, ReflectiveHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: I had originally heard about it from a friend and thought to put it on my TBR; then I read a historical fiction novel for book club that includedContinue reading “First Friday Rec: When Books Went to War”

AFT: Meet the Team

You’ve met Alice. You’ve met Stanley. Now, meet the team. 🙂 Along with my main characters, I like to cast prominent secondary characters. This helps me keep a specific image of them straight in my head as I write. I thought I’d take a minute to introduce you to some of those characters. In thisContinue reading “AFT: Meet the Team”

Strawberry Field

Before I can tell you the story I wish to tell you, I have to tell you another story – of a young girl growing up in a suburb of Chicago, whose father also grew up in a suburb of Chicago and played in a rock’n’roll band (this was the ’60s/’70s). Music is one ofContinue reading “Strawberry Field”

Desert Island Discs

I tend to consume a lot of British content. Through this, I have also stumbled across some fun podcast formats. In many cases, the format involves learning about someone’s life through a very specific lens, which I find rather enjoyable. (If you have read past blogs of mine, you likely already know this – I’mContinue reading “Desert Island Discs”

First Friday Rec: Like, Literally, Dude

Title: Like, Literally, DudeAuthor: Valerie FridlandGenre: Nonfiction, Reference, InformativePages: 336Publication Date: 18 Apr 2023StoryGraph* Moods: Informative, Funny, LightheartedHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: Armchair Expert interviewOther Books by this author: A textbook called Language and Society: What Your Speech Says About You*StoryGraph also offers content warnings. Description: From Bookshop.org: “In Like, Literally, Dude, linguist Valerie FridlandContinue reading “First Friday Rec: Like, Literally, Dude”

Film Review: Adaptation of Project Hail Mary

Title: Project Hail MaryAuthor: Andy WeirGenre: Science Fiction, Mystery, ThrillerTime: 2 hrs 36 minsRelease Date: Mar 20, 2026StoryGraph* Moods: Adventurous, Funny, HopefulHow I Stumbled Upon This Film: I read the book and loved it. Having been eagerly anticipating this movie since it was announced.Books by this author: Project Hail Mary The Martian, Artemis*StoryGraph also offersContinue reading “Film Review: Adaptation of Project Hail Mary”

AFT: Blurb Reveal

All Falling Things was my first book, forthcoming from Scarsdale Publishing. This story looks at the threads of life – how something as simple as bumping into someone on the street can redirect someone down the right path. It is also an homage to one of my favorite stories, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Below, I reveal theContinue reading “AFT: Blurb Reveal”

The Many Englishes

One of my favorite lessons when teaching is when we talk about dialects and colloquialisms – where we discuss the differences in terms based on geography around the U.S. Sorta like I say tomay-toe, you say tomah-toe. But more along the lines, I say soda, you say pop. One says firefly, and the other saysContinue reading “The Many Englishes”

First Friday Rec: Project Hail Mary

Title: Project Hail MaryAuthor: Andy WeirGenre: Science Fiction, Mystery, ThrillerPages: 496Publication Date: Oct 4, 2022StoryGraph* Moods: <–Adventurous, Funny, HopefulHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: I had read another book by this author, and when this came up as a read for a local SciFi/Fantasy book club read, I decided to join the club.Other Books byContinue reading “First Friday Rec: Project Hail Mary”