Week Two - assignments

The Neal Wyatt article was a great refresher on appeals characteristics and the many variations of them.

Two books I've read and enjoyed lately are:

Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard, by Annette LeBlanc Cate, is a primer for elementary and middle-grade naturalists interested in the feathered friends who live in and around us every day. The tone is informative while also very humorous and light. The funny illustrations and handwritten text make for a breezy introduction to ornithology. A reader may not even realize how many facts she learns and how many birds he will recognize after finishing the book. Emphasizing journaling and sketching, this book may also appeal to young artists.

After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story, by Michael Hainey, is a literary true crime/memoir that includes many mysterious elements. In clipped prose and short, slice-of-life chapters, the author evokes a Chicago of what seems to be another era, though in fact is not so very long ago. Word choice and turns of phrase keep the reader entranced as the story of what actually happened to Hainey's father unfolds. Heartbreaking but also life-affirming, this could appeal to the many fans of affliction memoirs.





I suggested read alikes to Justin H. and to Julie B. for their reads of Divergent and Charms for the Easy Life, respectively.