Thursday 30 April 2020

Virtual meeting to discuss TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Dear Bookworms,
As you know, the COVID-19 crisis has forced us to cancel the meeting scheduled for April, 17. The education authorities have made available the Webex technology, which enables us to hold virtual meetings, so we will be using it for our discussion of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.




If you want to join the meeting but don't have the book with you, there are many websites from which you can legally download the full text for free (here) or where you can read it online (here)
You may also want to listen to the author's only recorded interview about the novel:



Participation is limited to the first 12 students who sign up. If you want to join the virtual meeting, sign up here.
Once you've signed up, go to https://eduxunta.webex.com/meet/alosada and you will have access to our meeting room.
Friday, May 29, at 6:00pm
Save the date!
I will soon upload some discussion questions that may guide your reading. Stay tuned!

Thursday 23 April 2020

World Book Day

Hi Bookworms!
I hope this post finds you well.
It's World Book Day today and, apart from reading a book, I cannot think of a better way of celebrating this commemoration than by sharing your favourite book with us.
How can you do this? Very easy! Take part in "Cuéntanos", a multilingual initiative by the School of Languages of Pamplona.
The idea is to choose a story/novel/play/poem you like and record yourself reading its first lines. I've already done so!

Follow these steps:
1) Record yourself! Say who you are, where you study English and the title and the author of the book you've chosen.
2) Click this link
3) Click the green icon 


4) Log in to Flipggrid with a Gmail account
5) Upload your video
6) Enter a title, click share et voilà! It will be posted to the Grid. 

Looking forward to seeing your contributions.
Happy Book Day!


Wednesday 1 April 2020

7 lighthearted (and free) reads that will cheer you up during the quarantine

There are a lot of books about pandemics out there these days. Rather than serious stories about devastating events, we would like to recommend 7 light-hearted books that offer hope and especially humour. "Laughter is the best medicine" or so they say and although it is not a cure to Corona on its own, it can certainly cheer us up and take our mind off of quarantine.

Ready to start reading?



One of my favourite books ever, Jane Austen's novel is a true delight to read: sparkling, moving and wonderfully optimistic (and supremely English – in style, sensibility and wit :-)



One of Mark Twain's most compelling examples of satire, this short story tells us about a town that prides itself on its reputation for being "honest and upright" when in reality, the first time they are given the opportunity or temptation to do wrong, they don't miss it!

Oscar Wilde's text is a must read for anyone who loves irony and sarcasm. Its witty treatment of marital politics still stings today.


A comic gem by Jerome K Jerome about his boat trip along the Thames with his two friends Harris and George and their dog  Montmorency - crossing the absurdities and traditions of the late 19th c. England.





Magic realism at its best. Both funny and moving, García Marquez's novel will make you reflect on the inexorable march of time.



Described as "a masterclass in the weird art of unjoking the joke", Joseph Heller's novel is one of the weirdest and most hilarious texts I've ever read.



Not a book of fiction itself, Alberto Alonso's text is good fun. Download it here and find out about the English you don't know you know.