This week... Mind Grapes: Very librarian. Much books. Wow. Literacy. Both Sam and Alli were feeling very bookish, so we share our thoughts on The Family Trade by Charles Stross, Redshirts by John Scalzi, The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber, and The Farm by Tom Rob Smith. We also talk about how we probably will go see The Martian, even though Matt Damon has been talking out of his butt lately. However, we also discuss some frustration with the idea that ALL BOOKS ARE NOW BECOMING MOVIES. Watch us turn into cranky old women before your very eyes! Class Z(ed): We've both been lucky (mostly) to be attending some recent professional development workshops meant to help us out with our teaching. Alli discusses the Instructional Skills Workshop, a 3-day whirlwind meant to hone teaching skills, learn new techniques, and test out new ideas. Sam has been partnering with the UBC Learning Exchange to get some tips and tricks about teaching adult communities. Bonus: hear a rant about a not so great workshop about intercultural communication.