“Have you read a book by an author that you really enjoyed and felt moved to read another of the author’s works? Or are you thinking to give an author another try even if you didn’t like your first taste of their work? If yes, then this challenge is for you! You’re going to go back for seconds of an author that you’ve only read […]
Sign Ups for the 2012 Dewey Decimal Challenge
I wasn’t sure if I was going to host this challenge again. I just don’t feel that I read enough non-fiction to be hosting it, but since I still don’t see anyone hosting a general non-fiction challenge, it’s once more into the breach for me! The levels last year seemed to be entirely too easy for some of you, so I’ve revamped […]
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I didn’t find time to post last week with the holiday and all, so here’s what I’ve done over the past two weeks. Posted: Signed up for the Immigrant Stories Challenge Review: The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir by […]
2011 in Review
I posted my top ten books read in 2011 yesterday, but there’s still quite a bit left to say. Bear with me. The Stats: My goal was to read 75 books. That felt wimpy, but knowing that I had recently started a new job when I was setting my goal for this year, it felt realistic. I do not have any reading time at my current job […]
The Top Ten Books I Read in 2011
First let me clarify that these are books I read in 2011; I don’t believe any of them were actually published this year. I noticed that I have gotten ridiculously stingy with my 5-star ratings. Four! That’s all I gave out! And two of those were re-reads! I’ll be changing one or two ratings because some books that really stand […]
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks: Book Review
Hanna Heath studies and restores rare books. She is offered the chance of a lifetime when she is contacted by the United Nations to restore a rare illuminated Haggadah at the end of the Bosnian War. Hanna manages to pull out a few clues to the book’s history. As she follows up on the clues, […]
Character Connection: Major Ernest Pettigrew (and his wife)
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Major Pettigrew from the book by Helen Simonson. I don’t always do well with military types. I look all meek and mild, but the minute I’m given anything that even remotely resembles an order, I dig in my heels. That’s not really the best way to […]
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman: Book Review
Twelve-year-old Odd doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of his village. He crushed his leg when he was younger and that’s left him with a limp. He’d rather be carving alone in the woods than hanging out in the hall with the other villagers fighting and telling stories. His stepfather is just awful. So […]
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: Book Review
Dr. Montague, a researcher into paranormal activity, has rented the fabled Hill House for the summer. The house has a reputation for being haunted. Very few people have managed to stay in it for more than a night. In order to sort of help the house do its worst, he invites people to stay with […]
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris: Book Review
I tried, but I give up. The first story, “Santa Land Diaries,” was great. Sedaris’s tale of working as a Macy’s department store elf is hilarious! Those people who inevitably make the news every Black Friday by pepper spraying and punching their fellow shoppers? I think they all go to Macy’s at Christmas. Sedaris writes […]
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling: Book Review
This book is the one that Hermione inherited from Dumbledore. It contains the “Tale of the Three Brothers” that was told in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It also contains notes about each story written by Dumbledore and J.K. Rowling. I’ll be honest here. True, morbid, Brothers Grimm fairy tales are just not my […]