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Ed. Magazine

On My Bookshelf: Alex Hodges

Alex Hodges books

Alex Hodges books
YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING: H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.

THE THING THAT DREW YOU TO IT: It was recommended by a friend, and I had read the affirming New York Times review. Although I don’t profess to be an augur, I’ve always wanted to believe that hawks or other birds of prey are messengers from another dimension. That divine interest brought me to this memoir, which is really about managing personal loss. It’s quite a unique story, and that brings its own value to the literary marketplace. I highly recommend it.

BOOK THAT YOU REMEMBER LOVING THE MOST DURING CHILDHOOD: For obvious reasons: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst.

FAVORITE CHILDREN’S BOOK YOU ASSIGN IN YOUR CHILDREN’S LIT COURSE: Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

BOOK YOU THINK YOU SHOULD READ BUT NEVER SEEM TO GET TO: The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein.

THE BOOK YOU HOPE NEVER GETS MADE INTO A MOVIE: Chang-Rae Lee’s On Such a Full Sea. It is another book that presents a too-possible dystopian future. A film rendering would be rich visually, and I wish Mr. Lee all the deserved profits that he could earn. However, I think its premise is better confronted through imagination. Call me weak.

YOUR READING RITUALS: For books that I own (not library books!), I love to dog-ear pages, highlight passages, and write in the margins. I think of the books in my personal library as trophies, or possibly old friends. I leave my handy bookmarks, usually receipts or randomly folded paper, in them. When I revisit these old friends on my shelves, the extra tidbits connect me to my past and what I was doing while reading.

ONE BOOK ON YOUR BOOKSHELF READERS MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO FIND: The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes to Help You Lose Weight and Stay Healthy for Life by Mark Hyman. You know what? I’ve followed the diet several times. Each time it works for me. And then I fall back into my bread-eating routines. I don’t look like someone who diets. I look like someone who knows good food. LOL.

NEXT BOOK YOU PLAN ON READING: MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood.

Ed. Magazine

The magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education

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