The end of May has come and gone which means it is time for our final look at Animal Farm. We’d like to say that the second time around, Animal Farm was “___” –insert appropriate adjective. But since we didn’t get a reader response from anyone reading it a second time through, (which maybe is a statement all itself) we'll have to view it through our first-timer's eyes. It’s amazing how a book so... more ›

Whew, we don't know about you guys, but it's been a crazy week. We've had family in, our internets broke (not to mention a recurring forwards=forewords faux pas from our last post), and many other whiny excuses we will blame on the fickle weather. We hope you guys are enjoying the book, and possibly finding true love due to it (from Chicago Reader): Amy reading Animal Farm Hi Amy. We met on the 134 bus... more ›

Today's letter is F. And today's word is Forward. It's been a week and a day since we announced Animal Farm as this month's take for Convince Us, which means that everybody should be a fourth of the way through the book. It also means if you haven't gotten into it yet but want to, you still can. We're a little behind because we got caught up reading the preface by Russell Baker and forward... more ›

We were thrilled with the number and caliber of responses to this month's Convince Us about junior high. It was a hard choice, part of us wanted to revisit the sorrowful Where the Red Fern Grows. We also wanted to go back to the banned-at-our-high-school-so-we-actually-read-it The Outsiders, but in the end, we turned to Mr. Orwell. We were supposed to read Animal Farm in seventh grade, but we had a soccer game that weekend and... more ›

The University of Chicago’s Uncommon Application may be about to get a little more common, though it would likely keep its trademark quirky essay questions. In an effort to “increase and diversify” its pool of applicants, U of C may begin using the Common Application that allows a potential undergrad to apply to many schools at once, but fill out only one application. U of C President Robert Zimmer supports the change in an effort... more ›