Category Archives: What People Are Reading

An Interview with Jennifer Margulis

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Ed Battistella

Jennifer Margulis is is an award-winning travel, culture, and parenting writer. She is a former contributing editor at Mothering magazine and her writing has appeared in many of the nation’s most respected and credible publications, including the New York Times, … Continue reading →

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Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Ed Battistella

Sarah Ogilvie’s Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary begins by describing her entry into the quiet world of the OED. She had come from of Australian branch of Oxford dictionaries, was a rare linguist … Continue reading →

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The Story of Ain’t

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Ed Battistella

David Skinner’s The Story of Ain’t ain’t just about ain’t. It’s the tale of the making of Webster’s Third International Dictionary, the wonderfully controversial flashpoint in the cultural wars between realists and snoots. I wondered what Skinner would add to … Continue reading →

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2012 favorites

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Ed Battistella

I asked some Literary Ashlanders about their favorite books of 2012. Here are some of their replies: Patty Wixon: We the Animal s by Justin Torres. Vince Wixon: The Richard Pevear/Larissa Volokhonsky translation of Anna Karenina. Don Morris: favorite non-fiction: … Continue reading →

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Double the Evil–Chelsea Cain and James Lee Burke

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Ed Battistella

After my vacation, I settled down to 900 pages of stay-up-late pure evil with James Lee Burke’s Creole Belle and Chelsea Cain’s Kill You Twice. Thrills and suspense right up until the end. I’ve said it before: nobody quite writes … Continue reading →

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Summer (and spring) reading

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Ed Battistella

I’ve got some academic reading to do and some linguistics puzzles to work out, but am also finally looking forward to getting to some summer reading. I’ve got James Lee Burke’s Creole Belle on my desk and will order Chelsea … Continue reading →

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eReaders Raising Expectations, or Creating Cynics?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Erin McDowell

I’m working as an intern this term for a local publishing company, and part of my responsibilities for the company involve reading some of their works and reviewing them on Amazon as a way to increase public awareness of the … Continue reading →

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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Ed Battistella

Last month I attended a memorial reading in honor of Ralph Temple, who passed away in August at the age of 78. I only knew him slightly but admired him a lot. He worked with Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther … Continue reading →

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Meg Null, or Like…Brag: an Exploration of Language in M.T. Anderson’s Feed — A guest post by Anne Bryan

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Ed Battistella

A guest post by Anne Bryan Feed: a. an internet chip implanted in the brain at birth. b. a science-fiction novel by M. T. Anderson that addresses the repercussions of implanting internal feeds. His futuristic saga recounts the tale of … Continue reading →

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Out of Breath

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Ed Battistella

I don’t read much young adult fiction, largely because I’m a not-so-young adult. My students and colleagues remind me that YA fiction is an important and often under-appreciated genre, so I’m always happy when I find a young adult book … Continue reading →

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