I think it’s only fitting that I read this book right after The Empathy Exams. While I hadn’t thought about it, reading a book about one of America’s most prolific killers would test my new knowledge of empathy. The Stranger Beside Me is Ann Rule’s account of her encounters with notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. The two met… Continue reading The Stranger Beside Me
I’m a little late to the game on this book. I finally got a copy while I was at AWP and managed to get Leslie Jamison to sign it (don’t worry, I’m totally not freaking out about that still). I had pretty high expectations for this book, since I had heard so many good things and I… Continue reading The Empathy Exams
Once again, we must thank the AWP conference for guiding me toward some fantastic literature. I saw that Ruth Ozeki was doing a reading and I had seen some buzz for A Tale for the Time Being last year, so Ozeki made my list. One of the best decisions I’ve made this year. The story switches between Nao,… Continue reading A Tale for the Time Being
Now that I have some perspective, perhaps a book a week was slightly ambitious. At this point I should have nine books under my belt. I have three.
I first encountered Salman Rushdie during my senior year as an undergraduate. I was taking a contemporary literature class and we read one of his short stories, “The Free Radio.” As discussed the book, Rushdie’s name sounded so familiar to me. I suddenly remembered in class one day that I had won a giveaway for… Continue reading Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights
Maya Angelou was an author that I always knew I should read. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings exceeded every expectation I brought to it. Angelou’s words enveloped me and transported me. I read the book in three days, unable to put it down for too long. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is Angelou’s memoir of… Continue reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran got to the top of my 2016 reading list for two reasons: 1) it had been sitting on my shelf for two years and 2) it met both of my criteria for the year, since Nafisi is both an international author (Iranian) and female. I had read the first few chapters… Continue reading Reading Lolita in Tehran
I’ve been planning my reading challenge for the past five months. I knew I wasn’t reading outside my comfort zone (which happened to be white American men) and that I wanted to read stories from a different perspective. Taking a year to only read books by female or international authors, or U.S. authors of color made sense to… Continue reading Beginning Thoughts
Hannah Haney 