Brian Daldorph teaches creative writing, literature, and writing classes in the English department at The University of Kansas and poetry at the Douglas County Jail in Lawrence, KS. He has also taught in Japan, Senegal, and England. He has published several poetry collections and is founder and editor of Coal City Review. His poems, stories, articles, and reviews have been widely published.
Listening to the audiobook of Amy Poehler’s Yes Please exceeds expectations. To hear the comedic build-up, delivery, and nuance of each joke she lands is a joy. Poehler tells us writing is hard and she is trying to lower expectations so when it turns out well we are impressed. However, there is no need to try and fool the reader; the writing is crisp, witty, hilarious, and often soul-searching.
It's been a long time since a book has transported me so completely. Has taken me so deeply into myself that I become oblivious to the world around me and my head spins with disconnection when I try to regain awareness. Just me and the book, and nothing else. I started reading and was supposed to stop because life was still going on around me, but I didn't. I couldn't find my way back. So life moved on without me until I finished the book. Now I must figure out how to catch up, but that's okay. It was worth stopping at a special place for a while.
Richelle Mead, well-known for the Vampire Academy series has written a new book, The Glittering Court. While there are no vampires or werewolves in this new fantasy series, there is instead, Adelaide, Countess of Rothford. Adelaide lives with her grandmother and has no source of income, leaving marriage her only choice.
If you are someone who regularly eats the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, good for you. For the rest of us, who might feel overwhelmed in the produce section or at the local farmer's market, this is a great place to start. Featuring over 50 vegetables and a couple of sneaky fruits, the author takes you through selection, preparation, and cooking.
Told from the point-of-view of 10-year-old Kenny, it's really his big brother Byron who's the hero of this funny, emotional sucker-punch of a novel. Byron, thirteen, is a juvenile delinquent--a black sheep--according to Kenny, and pretty much everyone else in the so-called "Weird Watsons" family. But in the end it's Kenny who helps Byron overcome his depression over witnessing tragic events during a trip to visit their grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama during the height of the struggle for Civil Rights.
Have you ever felt that you didn’t belong anywhere? Ever wanted to be with people who understand as much as you understand yourself? If so, the affinities are for you. Of course, you may not be a match for any of the twenty-two groups at the heart of Robert Wilson’s The Affinities.
Cambodia Noir is a full tilt boogie from the get go!
Will Keller is a photographer for a Cambodian newspaper and has lived in Cambodia for nine years. He has a drug and alcohol problem and just doesn’t care.
Seattle Private Investigator Harper Blaine is just a woman trying to pay her bills. But after a near death experience, her life is changed forever. Since the accident Harper has not been feeling well and sees strange shadows during the day. The doctor is no help and she slowly begins to realize she is seeing into the Grey, a place between the living and the dead. The Grey is full of vampires, ghosts and magic unknown to the everyday human. Harper needs clients and she cannot ignore the "Grey creatures" that seek out her help.
I don’t normally recommend books about elementary school kids to teens, but this is an exception. Especially a book about a hot topic in the news: transgender rights. See Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s recent speech here. From the speech, here's a quote that gets me in the feels:
