Making it Up As I Go

I just finished Ms. Hempel Chronicles
by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum. It’s a series of stories about the titular Ms. Hempel- an elementary school teacher who by turns finds, loses, and finds love- of both the romantic and platonic (of the kids in her school) variety. The stories are interesting and compelling and a little odd, and some fit more cohesively than others. I discovered at the end of the book that all (or most) of the stories had been previously published in different publications, which explains the disconnect in some of them. But I enjoyed them, and seeing as I enjoyed her previous book, Madeline is Sleeping (the link goes to my review), I’ll be keeping my eye out for anything new from her.

Now I’m reading Why New Orleans Matters
by Tom Piazza, and it’s making me want to go back. It will probably be a few years before it would be plausible to take the girls there without it being somewhat tortuous, but, oh, I miss it. And it’s an excellent book.

And I’m still reading Adventures of a Young Naturalist. So much to read!

Current total: 12