AmiMaxine

First Friday Rec: Born a Crime

Title: Born a CrimeAuthor: Trevor NoahGenre: Nonfiction, MemoirPages: 289Publication Date: 15 Nov 2016StoryGraph* Moods: Funny, Emotional, ReflectiveHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: I knew of Trevor Noah, but I first saw it wandering through a bookshopOther Books by this author: It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime (Adapted for Young Readers) and Into the Uncut Grass.*StoryGraphContinue reading “First Friday Rec: Born a Crime”

Baking French Macarons

I love to experiment in the kitchen. To the degree that I have even attempted to make my own cheese and my own mayo (I’m still working on that second one). I like piecing together the puzzle of a new recipe (sometimes for odd things) and then making it my own. Of course, when thatContinue reading “Baking French Macarons”

Forty-Seven Times

Forty -seven semesters now I have stood in front of classes for the first time (whether in person or online). (Should be forty-nine, but there was that one summer I couldn’t teach because I was in Kenya and didn’t have reliable internet, and then I didn’t teach this last summer either.) Forty-seven times I haveContinue reading “Forty-Seven Times”

Visiting Lucy’s Locations

In 2018, I went to Scotland (for the first time…I can say that now 👀😁), and it was somehow more magical than I anticipated it would be. So much so that it inspired a magic realism story – my book Wherever Would I Be. In the book, Lucy visits several of the places I didContinue reading “Visiting Lucy’s Locations”

Andrea Gibson

I’ve been trying to come up with something to say about the death of Andrea Gibson for almost a month, and words continue to fail me. It’s strange, mourning the death of someone you didn’t know very well – but felt like you did. The amount of time I physically spent with Andrea added upContinue reading “Andrea Gibson”

A Return to Pen Players

Earlier this summer, I did something I haven’t done in a really long time – attended a play at Peninsula Players in Door County. It’s somehow been about twenty years (maybe plus a couple more?) since I was last here. When I was a kid (young teen?), a friend of ours, Robert Thompson, told myContinue reading “A Return to Pen Players”

First Friday Rec: A Darker Shade of Magic

Title: A Darker Shade of MagicAuthor: V. E. SchwabGenre: Fantasy, Fiction, AdventurousPages: 413Publication Date: 24 Feb 2015StoryGraph* Moods: Adventurous, Mysterious, DarkHow I Stumbled Upon This Book: Book ClubOther Books by this author: There are many – the others in this specific series are A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Light, and The Fragile ThreadsContinue reading “First Friday Rec: A Darker Shade of Magic”

The Greenhouse

I love a good café. I’ve certainly not kept that a secret. Any time I travel, I check out at least one local spot (more if I can), check out their mocha or their chai (sometimes both), check out their ambiance. I feel at home in a café, even when I’m far away from it.Continue reading “The Greenhouse”

World Mythology

In the fall, I get to teach a course I’ve been eager to teach for some time – a Humanities class called World Mythology. I’m sure you can figure out what the class will be about based on the title. 🙂 I spent what free time I could find during the end of Spring semesterContinue reading “World Mythology”

Camping

I’ve been camping since the womb. Quite literally. My mother tent camped pregnant with me. There are a lot of photos (and a few vague memories) of my family tent camping at Peninsula State Park (which was also the campground my dad had been camping at since he was five). I’ve been told that weContinue reading “Camping”