What do you most like to read? (this could be
a literary genre, or a type of material, like blogs, magazines, etc.)
My literary tastes
constantly metamorphose. My reading swings between pure fictional novels
(Jeffrey Archer, Ken Follet, John Grisham, Tom Clancy), to non-fiction (Isaac
Asimov, Anita Diamant, Jack Kerouac), solid literature (re-reading the
classics), widening out to newspaper and magazine articles (political, sports,
entertainment, religion and spirituality, current topics), while also studying and
analyzing poetry (classical down to contemporary). I additionally read books and
journals on World Religions, the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures to update my
teaching. In recent years I have been attracted to YA stories (J.K. Rowling,
Stephanie Meyer). But most of all, I get a huge thrill out of reading
historical novels.
Do you have a favorite book/author/publication?
One of my favorite
authors has been James Michener. Though some may call him “wordy” (his novels
usually run through hundreds of pages each!), his writing style has captivated
me. I am always blown away by the amount of historical research he puts into
every one of his books. His stories center on characters and locations; they erupt
in some obscure, unheard of place and end up in familiar territory. Beginning
with a germ of an idea, his pages blossom into meticulously chosen words and
delightful historical and fictional descriptions that keeps the reader asking
for more.
What's the last great thing you read?
I just completed How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas
Cahill – a story about how Europe evolved from classical Rome to the medieval
era. Cahill is a clever writer who weaves his partisan story around the early
Irish heroes: Queen Medb, the warrior Cuchulainn, Brigid of Kildare, and the
Celtic slave (St.) Patricius among others.
Where do you most like to read?
I generally read in bed
before falling asleep. I also read a lot on weekends, holidays and when
traveling. Thanks to our digital age, I also plan on reading books online.
When you were in high school, did you like to read?
If so, what?
From a very early age, my
parents insisted that I read the daily newspaper. In high school I was a
“reader” (kind of a book-nerd in today’s lingo); I would then share stories
with my friends. I read all the books of Louis L’Amour (Western novels and
movies thrill me), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes – I still enjoy the
movies and TV shows). I gobbled most of Agatha Christie’s (Hercule Poirot and
Miss Marple) novels, the “Hardy Boys” and “Famous Five” series, and scores of
other detective hardcovers – whose titles I do not remember. I devoured all the
books of P.G. Wodehouse – re-reading his hilarious chronicles of Jeeves, Bertie
and Blandings Castle still keep me in stitches! I grew up with British poetry
and literature. I was later introduced to the prose of Fitzgerald, Hemmingway,
Steinbeck, and others… who whetted my reading appetite and led to me to graduate
in literature.
What is your most hated book and why?
I do not know if I “hate” a
book … or maybe I am just being naïve. Either way, if I start reading a book
and it does not appeal to me, I simply put it aside and move on to the next. I
must admit that science fiction generally does not engage me, nor does the goriness
of the ghastly, ghostly, ghoulish genus!!!
But that does not deter me
from sampling assorted genres. Frank Zappa was so right… “So many books, so
little time!”
- Olympio D’Mello
I've been inspired by the AMAZING bulletin board in Ms. Tramontin's classroom. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should. Her display uses QR codes, which most of you will have seen in the corners of advertisements in magazines. Normally, I'm not a fan of QR codes, since they are meant to tempt one into buying more, more, more (and I really don't need any more stuff!). Ms. Tramontin harnessed this tool to create a display that links students to audio and video using a bar code scanner.
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