This semester I began my advanced-level ESL Oral Communication class with Susan Cain’s famed TED talk, and after the subject of introversion vs. extroversion became like a running theme in the class, I decided to pick up the book-length version, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. So glad I did. … Read more
I’ve been feeling guilty about the supposed non-usefulness of the artistic and intellectual gifts I’ve been given. Teaching makes sense to me — it’s clearly a service and a sacrifice. But writing, reading, and contemplation are hard for me to justify, possibly because I love them so much. Does society really need another writer, another … Read more
I’ve been reading Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and — to say the least — really enjoying it. As with The Brothers Karamazov, I’m always resisting the urge to post certain brilliant passages to Facebook, to people who probably don’t share my enthusiasm and some of whom must wonder who Dostoevsky is. This is the latest in … Read more
I’ve been meaning to read this novel and didn’t get to it until just recently — and now I can see why it’s one of his most well-known works. (And why it’s a much-anticipated movie coming out later this year.) I’m not a big sci-fi fan — I’m more into swords and castles than ray … Read more
Every now and then — and nowadays too rarely for my liking — I come across a book that sucks me in from the moment I pick it up in the bookstore. As soon as I buy it, I can’t wait to read it; and as soon as I start reading it, I can’t put … Read more