Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984
Postpunk is the Byzantine Empire of popular music. Everyone recalls it being really big once, but no one remembers much about it. Fill the void in your rock knowledge with Simon Reynolds’ Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984
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Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame
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More than you ever wanted to know, or knew could be known, about the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame (and museum!).
I Am America (And So Can You!)
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-Steven Colbert
Joan of Arc: Her Story
by Régine Pernoud
The Oxford History of Byzantium
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Cyril Mango
Abby is daring
Abby has a copy of The Daring Book for Girls by Miriam Peskowitz (in addition to her copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys). On page 82 she finds “The Daring Girls Guide to Danger” which gives a list of things that any daring girl should do to face her fears and push herself to new heights to inspire her to face challenges throughout her life. Here is the abbreviated list:
- Ride a roller coaster.
- Ride a zip line across the canopy of a rain forest.
- Go white-water rafting.
- Have a scary movie festival in your living room.
- Wear high heels.
- Stand up for yourself-or someone else.
- Try sushi or another exotic food.
- Dye your hair purple.
Abby has always had a strong sense of justice and readily stands up for herself and others. Number 6? Check.
Abby has a pair of high heel brown boots that were handed down to her from Chelsea. She readily wears these to everywhere but school. Maybe they don’t fit her school image, or more likely they aren’t practical for what I understand are very active recesses. Number 5? In progress.
Tonight Abby dyed her hair cherry red, her favorite color. She asked for this as soon as she read it in this book. Aside from it being a little costly, I honestly didn’t have any good reason to not do it. We went to my stylist and she used a food-grade dye for safety. It is absolutely darling. Number 8? Check.
Everyone should have such a list. Abby is lucky to have found it, and I think it is only a matter of time before she starts adding her own things to the list to personalize it to her own needs and goals.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
English gentleman magician Dr. Norrell and his pupil Jonathan Strange work to help England defeat Napolean and return magic to England, with unexpected results. Susanna Clarke’s historical fantasy fiction novel is nearly as long as ‘The Lord of the Rings’, but her version of a magical 19th century Britain is so compelling and her writing so smooth and consistent in style and tone that you’ll be sorry when it’s over.
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The Story of My Life (by Helen Keller)
Buy ‘The Story of My Life’ by Helen Keller!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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The Catcher Was a Spy
Moe Berg was an attorney, a star college shortstop, a major league catcher, a spy for the United States during the second world war, and a professional vagabond intellectual. If this story were not true, it would be bad fiction!
I’d seen this title on B. Dalton’s sports shelf many times but never picked it up until a co-worker mentioned that he attended a World Series game (1968? I don’t remember) as Moe Berg’s guest. Don’t you wait for a colleague to reveal their connection to the spy catcher, buy it today and read it immediately.
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