Joanna Rossiter is the author of The Sea Change (her first novel). She grew up in Dorset and studied English at Cambridge University before working as a researcher in the House of Commons and as a copy writer. In 2011 she completed an MA in Writing at Warwick University. She lives and writes in London. Last week The Sea Change was announced as one of the Richard and Judy Summer 2013 Book Club titles. Here Joanna expands on some common misconceptions about the wonderful world of writers. The Sea Change by Joanna Rossiter 1. Being an author is glamorous. Before I had managed to write a…
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10 myths about authors as explored by...an author.
The Penguin Blog14 May 2013 | 10:28 am -
Having trouble writing? Try this famous author’s technique
The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People2 May 2013 | 10:54 pm“Sometimes in a nervous frenzy I just fling words as if I were flinging mud at a wall,” says Pulitzer Prize winner John McPhee. “Blurt out, heave out, babble out something – anything – as a first draft,” he says in an article called Draft No. 4 now in The New Yorker magazine where he’s been appearing regularly for 48 years. McPhee, the author of 32 books, says he first wrote these words of advice in a letter to his daughter Jenny years ago when she was starting out as a writer herself. “The way to do a piece of writing is three or four times over, never once,” he… -
I Want To Live Here | Best Writing of the Week
Johann Thorsson14 May 2013 | 2:01 pmI’m about to finish Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. It is a fantastic book that I put off reading for far too long. While reading it on the bus this afternoon I came across a passage that described the room I want to spend all my days in. Fix yourself a cup of tea, or get a glass of red wine and put a stack of books on the table next to you, just to get in the right mood. I’ll wait. Celia Bowen sits at a desk surrounded by piles of books. She ran out of space for her library some time ago, but instead of making the room larger she has opted to let the books become the… -
Penguin Settles for $75 Million in eBook Pricing Suit
GalleyCat22 May 2013 | 9:10 amPenguin will pay $75 million in damages and “costs and fees to resolve all antitrust claims relating to eBook pricing”–settling with 33 state attorneys general and consumers in a suit led by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro. The suit revolved around allegations of price fixing with the agency model for eBook pricing. The publisher issued a brief statement: Penguin has also committed to the State Attorneys General to abide by the same injunctive relief as previously agreed in a separate settlement with the Department of Justice. In anticipation of reaching this agreement, Pearson… -
I've Been Sequestered
Living 2 Read18 Mar 2013 | 5:09 pmYes, I've been sequestered with Patrick Melrose. At least that's how it feels. Once I read Edward St. Aubyn's first book about the fictional Patrick Melrose, “Never Mind”, I was compelled to keep going. How could a writer create such a poisonous family dynamic, in which five-year-old Patrick is a helpless pawn, and still find a way to make me laugh out loud? How could I want to read more about a father like this: “He was determined to harden the calluses of disappointment and develop the skill of detachment in his son. After all, what else did he have to offer him?”. A father whose…
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NYT > Books
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The Zervos Picasso Catalog Is Resurrected
22 May 2013 | 8:36 pmA legendary catalogue raisonné of Picasso’s works is being republished at a stratospheric price. -
Books of The Times: ‘Southern Cross the Dog,’ a Novel by Bill Cheng
22 May 2013 | 6:26 pmBill Cheng’s first novel, “Southern Cross the Dog,” is set in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era. -
ArtsBeat: Lydia Davis Wins Booker International Prize
22 May 2013 | 2:44 pmMs. Davis, an American writer known for very short stories, was cited by the judges for stories that “embrace many a kind.” -
Books of The Times: ‘Straight Flush’ by Ben Mezrich
22 May 2013 | 2:41 pmIn “Straight Flush,” Ben Mezrich follows a bunch of fraternity buddies through the rise and fall of what they hoped would be an online poker empire. -
ArtsBeat: Cannes Film Festival: James Franco on Adapting Novels and Multitasking
22 May 2013 | 12:13 pmJames Franco, whose Faulkner adaptation for the big-screen, “As I Lay Dying,” is playing at Cannes, discusses his love of Faulkner and his ability to handle multiple projects at once.
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Books
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Judge: Unredeemed Borders Gift Cards Are Worthless
22 May 2013 | 4:57 pmA Manhattan judge upholds a lower court ruling that $210 million worth of unredeemed gift cards from the defunct book chain are no longer valid.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process
22 May 2013 | 10:08 amAfter years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Book News: Newly Found Pearl Buck Novel To Be Published This Fall
22 May 2013 | 4:29 amAlso: shameless book blurbs; new plays from Ayad Ahktar; and a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone draws a record price at auction.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
A Different Kind Of Immigrant Experience In 'Americanah'
22 May 2013 | 4:00 amChimamanda Ngozi Adichie's latest, Americanah, follows the trials and tribulations of Ifemelu, a middle-class Nigerian immigrant to America. Reviewer Jennifer Reese calls Americanah a "rich and gloriously detailed tapestry ... hung on the sturdy scaffolding of a sweet love story."» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Book News: Stephen King's New Bogeyman? Digital Publishing
21 May 2013 | 4:15 amAlso: the legacy of Kierkegaard; the creator of Lyle Crocodile has died; Aussie airliner Qantas commissions flight-length books.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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Salon.com
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Cannes: Ryan Gosling’s new movie draws the boo-birds
22 May 2013 | 5:00 pmCANNES, France – Remember when someone tried to sue the makers and distributors of “Drive” for, I guess, not putting enough driving in the movie? Well, Ryan Gosling and writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn are back with another ultraviolent, ultra-stylized, music-throbbing, male-angsty viewing experience, this time set in the underworld of Bangkok, and that person may want to get the lawyers greased up and ready to go. Potential targets could include anyone in my profession who describes “Only God Forgives” as a thriller, or who tries to characterize its plot by using words like… -
My bipolar partner beat me
22 May 2013 | 5:00 pmCary,I've been a reader of yours for years and, frankly, I think the only voice I think would understand.I'm a 32-year-old artist with a 9-year-old child from a previous marriage. I have been in a committed relationship with my current partner for four years. He's 31. In the beginning, he wooed me like no one had ever done. He offered my son and me a home (300 miles away from where I was living). We met on Twitter and both of us were in serious relationships before we decided to cut our ties with them and go for it. We moved into the apartment he shared with his brother and, at one time, his… -
How I ended up in a pyramid scheme
22 May 2013 | 5:00 pmWe were broke. Again. The economy, in a swirling, reverberating, downward spiral, took my freelance writing business and my husband’s fine art business with it. A newspaper I wrote for cut my fee to $25 per article, which after taxes could buy me a trip to Starbucks. The magazines weren’t much better.After spending hours in the personal growth section at Get Lost bookstore, I splurged on a hardback edition of “How to Get a Life That Doesn’t Suck” to add to my already enormous self-help book collection. I also unearthed my dusty deck of Louise Hay’s “Power Thought” cards from… -
Teenagers care more about online privacy than you think
22 May 2013 | 3:36 pmThe latest round of research on teenagers and digital privacy is out, this time in the form of a joint study by the Pew Research Center and the Berkman Center for Internet Society. The results of the study are similar to the results of past studies on youth and the Internet: teens are sharing more information about themselves. Interestingly, however, the report indicates that teens are also taking “a variety of technical and non-technical steps to manage the privacy of that information.”Here’s how the research breaks down. The joint paper found that teenagers are sharing more and more… -
The Maker kids are alright
22 May 2013 | 3:14 pmYou don't see bicycle-powered cardboard rhinos every day. But when you nearly stumble into one at a Maker Faire, you don't even blink. After just a few hours spent navigating one's way though twirling electric-powered cupcake cars and dashing steam-punk-attired ladies and gentlemen, you become well-trained to expect the incongruous and delightfully absurd. And you start thinking, hmm ... I've got a lot of cardboard in my basement ... what completely bonkers thing can I do with?Mark Frauenfelder, editor in chief of Make Magazine, calls the Faire "a magic space-time moment." I can't argue. The…
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The Book Designer
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Wednesday Mailbag: Answers to 18 Self-Publishing Questions
22 May 2013 | 12:01 amOnce in a while I like to reach into the Mailbag and answer some of the many self-publishing questions I get every day. Here’s a representative sampling from the last few months. If this inspires you to ask your own question, go ahead and leave it in the comments where everyone will be able to profit from the exchange. Q: When typing my manuscript I have it double spaced, but when it’s in print or on Kindle, what’s the spacing? The reason I ask is I’m trying to decided on the size, so as not to make it too bulky. It appears to me that it looks like 1.5? A: We… -
Planning Your Book Launch, an IBPA Webinar
21 May 2013 | 11:49 pmThis is very short notice, but I’ll be giving a webinar this morning for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). In this webinar we’ll take a look at the part your book launch plays within your marketing plan the multitude of ways you can leverage your launch my “sane survival” model for launching your book seven keys that will guide you through the launch However, this webinar is taking place this morning, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time. If you can make it, check out the details and register here: Planning Your Book Launch, an IBPA… -
When Should We Add the (Book) Marketing?
20 May 2013 | 12:01 amA few months ago Seth Godin posted one of his typically short and to the point blog posts with the headline When should we add the marketing? (Godin is also the author of the famous advice that the best time to start building your platform is three years before you publish your book. This will give you an idea of where Seth is going with this topic.) Here’s part of the argument: Marketing is the first thing we do, not the last. Build virality and connection and remarkability into your product or service from the start and then the end gets a lot easier. Build it into your app, your…
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book-blog.com
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April 2013: Book notices
30 Apr 2013 | 6:00 pmRichard Russo's Kindle Single Nate in Venice tells the story of Nate's visit to Venice with a group that includes his older brother Julian. In something like 90 pages Russo manages to tell enough of the brothers' backstory to flesh out the relationship fully. And he hints enough at their likely future for us to fill in the blanks. My first thought was that the book ended a bit too abruptly. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe I just wasn't prepared for it because I hadn't realized I was so close to finished: Russo certainly doesn't leave the story unfinished. Definitely recommended. -
March 2013: Book notices
1 Apr 2013 | 7:29 amJohn Rector's Kindle Single Lost Things is a story about what happens after a pair of friends are attacked one night on a deserted street. It's an exciting and fast read, though the ending seemed to me too abrupt. But the Single did its job. It introduced me to an author I'd never heard of before, and I've now downloaded a sample of Rector's novel Already Gone to my Kindle. Pretty much every man, woman, and child in beautiful Pagford and its ugly, socioeconomically depressed appendage known as "The Fields" lives a miserable existence. Children hate parents, spouses hate spousees, everyone is… -
February 2013: Book notices
28 Feb 2013 | 1:39 pmRed Eye's Greg Gutfeld is very smart and very funny, and what he has to say in The Joy of Hate about the abuses of the modern culture of tolerance will make most readers angry--or should. I don't think his humor comes across as well in print as it does on TV. If you're a regular watcher you won't have problems reading the book in his voice, but people new to him may find references to transgendered unicorns and the like rather strange. The Thief is the bleak story about the bleak life of a skillful Japanese pickpocket. The point of the whole thing seems to be that, at least for some--maybe… -
January 2013: Book notices
31 Jan 2013 | 6:00 pmMr. Monk Gets Even (2012) is the 15th book in the Monk series and the last one that Lee Goldberg will be writing. (I see from Amazon that Hy Conrad will be continuing the series.) So, a bittersweet read, as I've enjoyed the series for many years now. This one wasn't quite as funny or even quite as moving as some have been in the past, but it did wrap things up well--wrapped up, at least, as the end of an era rather than of the whole series. I won't give anything away, but Mr. Monk does get even, at least for now: given a universe as unbalanced as ours, things are likely to become odd for… -
December 2012: Book notices
31 Dec 2012 | 7:00 pmFrank Welsh, Building the Trireme (1988). I read this one for my current project, but, unusually, I really did read it cover to cover. Welsh was one of the three men who came up with the idea, in the early 1980s, of building a reconstruction of an ancient Athenian trireme. The others were ancient historian John Morrison and John Coates, a naval architect. Coates designed a ship based on Morrison's ideas, and the trireme was built by the Greek navy and launched in 1987. A series of trials at sea followed during which the capabilities of the vessel were tested. Welsh tells the background story…
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Chronicle Books Blog
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From the Chronicle Kitchen: The Little Paris Kitchen
22 May 2013 | 4:25 pmThat One Time I Made Cheese. Bonjour Mes Amis! Have you missed me? M’avez-vous manquer? Fear not – for I have returned, for (sadly) the last installment of the Lexie/Rachel Project. If you are joining us for the first time, you may not know that I have been on a culinary journey of sorts with The Little Paris Kitchen as my guide. Think Julie/Julia but in a California set, awkward 20-something kinda way, ya dig? You can catch up by checking out my first and second adventures if you like. Today will be about that one time I made Cheese. No really, I did, for reals, make cheese. Why this… -
From the Design Desk: Midcentury Children’s Books
20 May 2013 | 12:33 pmAs I get ready to be a new mom (now T-minus 2 months), I find myself swimming in diaper decisions, car seat queries, and the like. There’s one pure delight amidst all the slogs through online round-ups and reviews, and that’s picking out what I’m going to read to the little tyke. I’ve always had a soft spot for vintage children’s books. Last year I blogged about late nineteenth century picture books, and lately I’ve been obsessed with children’s books from the 1950s and ‘60s, especially essentially plotless ones where the illustrations take center stage. A Kiss is Round, from… -
The Art of Chronicle Books HQ Clean Up
17 May 2013 | 7:06 pmThe staff of Chronicle Books was so lucky to get to meet Ursus Wehrli, author of international bestseller The Art of Clean Up last month when he was in San Francisco as a presenter at the TYPO International Design Talk. His visit was a special occurrence, since Ursus, based in Zurich, has an incredibly busy year-round performance schedule. Perhaps you saw this profile the New York Times featured about him in the Home & Garden section in March. We invited Ursus to our offices so he could meet the team who’s been working quite successfully to spread the Art of Clean Up word throughout… -
In Memory
16 May 2013 | 4:23 pmThe Chronicle community is heartbroken over the loss of one of our beloved authors today. Kathreen Ricketson was an incredibly talented quilter, pillar of the online craft community, inspiring blogger, and devoted wife and mother. Kathreen dedicated her work to fostering community. As she says in Little Bits Quilting Bee, the craft community is about “learning together, sharing ideas, and helping each other.” Let’s all continue to be inspired by Kathreen. Let’s make stuff and share it. Learn and connect. Tap into the power of craft and creativity to bring us together. In the spirit of… -
From the Chronicle Kitchen: Roots
15 May 2013 | 9:00 amBig congratulations to our guest blogger for this week, Diane Morgan—winner of 2013 IACP and James Beard Foundation cookbook awards! (She is also the author of 17 other cookbooks.) Roots has been included on lists of featured cookbooks for 2012 by The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, The Seattle Times, Epicurious.com, and The Daily Meal.com. Finding Our Roots by Diane Morgan I was young when the back-to-the-earth natural foods movement of the 1960s started. When Frances Moore Lappe’s seminal book, Diet for a Small Planet, was published in 1971,…
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Bookslut
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Red Spectres: Russian Gothic Tales from the Twentieth Century translated by Muireann Maguire
7 May 2013 | 4:53 ammaguire muireann red spectres -
An Interview with Amy Wilentz
5 May 2013 | 9:56 amAmy Wilentz was green behind the ears when she first touched down in Port-au-Prince. It was 1985, her first time in the country, and President Jean-Claude Duvalier's last. She was a young journalist, but Haiti in the midst of... -
The Bad Luck of Samuel Menashe
5 May 2013 | 5:13 amNo question in criticism is more mysterious than the question of why one writer receives quick recognition and another doesn't -- either at all or until after enduring long obscurity. This was on my mind while I recently reread one... -
The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
5 May 2013 | 4:12 amfaye lyndsay gods of gotham -
Five Faces and What’s Behind Them
5 May 2013 | 2:56 am1. Taco Head A man with a taco for a head stands at a fast food counter. The kid serving him says “Uh, is that your real -- is that a mask? Ha ha.” Taco Head replies “Yeah. No....
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My Book Club
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Who wants to Think Like a Rockstar?
2 May 2013 | 11:30 pmWhy have customers when you can have FANS? This is the message of Mack Collier’s book Think Like a Rockstar: How to Create Social Media and Marketing Strategies that Turn Customers into Fans. We were so excited to have Mack Collier join us on #MyBookClub! Here is a Storify summary of the chat. (refresh if the [...]
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Powell's Books: Overview
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Daily Dose for Thu, May 23: The Tuner of Silences (Biblioasis International Translation)
23 May 2013 | 1:00 amThe Tuner of Silences (Biblioasis International Translation) by Mia Couto Reviewed by Charles from Hopkins, Minnesota. -
Daily Dose for Wed, May 22: The Perfume Collector
22 May 2013 | 1:00 amThe Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro Reviewed by Lisa from Pearland, Texas. -
Daily Dose for Tue, May 21: I Thought My Father Was God: And Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project
21 May 2013 | 1:00 amI Thought My Father Was God: And Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project by Paul Auster Reviewed by Missy from Portland, Oregon. -
Daily Dose for Mon, May 20: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
20 May 2013 | 1:00 amGood Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Reviewed by Tammy from Portland, Oregon. -
Daily Dose for Sun, May 19: Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
19 May 2013 | 1:00 amJulie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell Reviewed by Cristy from Yamhill, Oregon.
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800 CEO Read
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Ctrl Alt Delete
22 May 2013 | 7:59 amTweetThere’s a certain urgency to the new book by Mitch Joel, Ctrl Alt Delete: Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It. Its sentiment has also been expressed by authors such as Gary Vaynerchuk: Business is changing and if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left behind. And that’s putting it nicely. What Joel is saying is that if we don’t change, our companies will go out of business, and we ourselves will become unemployable. Scary stuff, yes, but the good news is the book has the answers to avoid these problems. Both Joel (and authors like… -
KnowledgeBlocks Giveaway: The One Thing
21 May 2013 | 7:25 amTweet If I were to ask my husband to make a “to-do” list of the things he wants to get done over the weekend, the list would top out at around 20 items. On it would be anything from cleaning out the garage and going to the bank…to moving our garden to the east side of the yard and building a new set of stairs. Over the 16 years we’ve been married, I’ve been a witness to his inability to whittle that list down to something manageable many times, and the inevitable result that he gets none of those 20 things done because he is overwhelmed and distracted. He wants… -
Reinventing You
20 May 2013 | 10:39 amTweet“What do people think of you? What do they say when you leave the room?” Maybe you don’t think you have a brand. Hopefully you don’t think that. As Dorie Clark demonstrates in her new book, Reinventing You, taking control of your professional future hinges on your acceptance and understanding of your current brand, and your ability to take control of where that brand is going. OK—we can call it a reputation, if that makes you feel better. As Clark points out early on, we simply can’t afford to disregard the impact that our personal brand has on our success. The idea that you… -
Friday Links
17 May 2013 | 12:38 pmTweetFor your weekend perusal, here is another installment of Friday Links ➻ Calvin Ried’s coverage of the BISG’s MIP (The Book Industry Study Group’s Making Information Pay Conference) 2013: A New World of Big Data, Complexity and Collaboration for Publishers Weekly yesterday was a treasure of interesting insights: BISG executive director Len Vlahos gave an overview of “The Digital Consumer” using data from its “Consumer Attitudes Towards E-book Reading Survey,” in particular looking at the behavior of “Power Buyers” or consumers who buy at least one e-book a… -
ChangeThis: Issue 105
15 May 2013 | 11:33 amTweet Monster Loyalty: How to Build Customer Loyalty like Lady Gaga by Jackie Huba “While known as much for her voice as for her over-the-top wardrobe, few recognize Lady Gaga for her stunning business acumen, which has earned her legions of loyal fans worldwide.” Brains Favor the Ridiculously In Charge Leader by Henry Cloud, Ph.D “Leaders must establish some key boundaries in some very key areas if they want to get results. And, thanks to brain research, we now can scientifically get a peek into why the leaders who do establish these kinds of boundaries get the results that they…
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Charles Petzold
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Two Outstanding Documentaries
17 May 2013 | 12:00 pmIn December 2008 — between the election of Barack Obama and his inauguration — the Bush administration decided to give a farewell present to the oil industry by selling off drilling rights on parcels of public land in Utah's pristine redrock area. A 27-year-old environmental activist and University of Utah student named Tim DeChristopher showed up at the auction, was asked if he had come to bid, said that he was, and was given a bidding paddle with the number 70. ... more ... -
Don’t Just Read “The Great Gatsby”
10 May 2013 | 5:00 amSomething like the fifth movie version of The Great Gatsby is opening today, but it's silly to actually go see such a thing. The novel itself is quite short. You can probably read it in less time than it would take to go and see the movie, and you'll emerge from the experience much more fulfilled and satisfied because you'll have read F. Scott Fitzgerald's original novel rather what appears to be — at least judging from the trailers — a crazed 3D monstrosity by Baz Luhrmann. ... more ... -
A Data Binding to the Text Property of Run?
15 Apr 2013 | 5:03 amSometimes a programmer will encounter a situation where it's convenient to embed a changeable data value in a paragraph of text, and for this paragraph to re-wrap itself when the text representation of this data value acquires a different character width. ... more ... -
Spinning a Record Like a DJ in Windows 8
2 Apr 2013 | 3:44 amWindows 8 has some exceptionally powerful facilities for working with sound, and in the latest installment of the DirectX Factor column in MSDN Magazine I show how to display a file picker that allows you to select an MP3 or WMA file from your Windows 8 Music Library, display cover art as well as album and artist information, load and decode the file using the Media Foundation APIs, and shovel the resultant audio buffers into XAudio2 voices to play back the file. ... more ... -
Fast Map Zooming Using DirectX
9 Mar 2013 | 4:00 amDo you know that movie that starts out with a far-off view of Earth from outer space, and then the camera seems to move in closer and closer as if you're heading towards Earth in a rocket, and in what seems to be one continuous take you plunge through the clouds and go straight down to the Earth's surface, with more and more detail quickly coming into view, and then you zoom right into someone's backyard, and two people are sitting by the side of a swimming pool, and one of them is dead? ... more ...
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The Millions
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Inherent Vice’s Star-Studded Cast
22 May 2013 | 11:00 amPaul Thomas Anderson’s movie adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice is going to have one heck of a star-studded cast. Among the names attached to the production thus far are Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short and Sean Penn. The film is tentatively scheduled for a 2014 release. (Bonus: Take a sneak peek at Pynchon’s forthcoming novel, Bleeding Edge.) Related posts: New Thomas Pynchon Teaser Hot off the press: the first page of Thomas Pynchon’s... McSweeney’s Newspaper Issue Preview McSweeney’s offers a nine-page sneak peek at its… -
Once You See It
22 May 2013 | 9:00 amPresented Without Comment: the newly unveiled logo for the newly enacted College Football Playoff and the new poster for Lars von Trier’s latest film, Nymphomaniac. Related posts: “Jawline of an aircraft carrier” “It’s like a crackpot combination of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, Ingmar... College Football, Academics, and Great Journalism College football season is upon us, and I’d be remiss... The Irish Console The Irish Over at Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Nick Curley prescribes “five passages... -
The Nobel Isn’t Everything
22 May 2013 | 8:00 amWole Soyinka does not approve of the push for Chinua Achebe to be awarded a posthumous Nobel Prize for Literature, and he doesn’t appreciate fan letters asking for his support to that end. “How did creative valuation descend to such banality?” Soyinka remarks in an interview with SaharaReporters. “Do these people know what they’re doing – they are inscribing Chinua’s epitaph in the negative mode of thwarted expectations. I find that disgusting.” Related posts: The Nobel goes to Harold Pinter It’s been a busy week on the awards circuit. What... Facebook’s… -
The Common in the City Party
22 May 2013 | 7:08 amTonight! Celebrate 3 years with The Common. You can still buy tickets to this elegant lit party here. André Aciman reads from his latest novel Harvard Square. Related posts: Party in the City Where the Book Fair’s On South Florida readers! Assuming you’re done voting by now, you... A Bookstore of Common Prayer Common dreams, common bookstores: “I went home with…the BookWoman bumper... Not Just a Book Party St. Mark’s Bookshop won their desired rent reduction, and is... -
Poe’s Back
22 May 2013 | 7:00 amAfter a period of uncertainty, Baltimore’s Edgar Allan Poe House is finally scheduled for reopening. To celebrate the victory, check out Édouard Manet’s illustrations for the French edition of “The Raven.” Related posts: Every House ‘Round Here a Poe House In a turn of events that are probably not good... The Odd Poe Out As Kevin Jackson notes in Prospect Magazine, Edgar Allan Poe... Whitman on Poe “Poe’s verses illustrate an intense faculty for technical and abstract...
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ReadersRead.com Book Blog
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Sharon Osbourne to Publish Children's Book Called Mama Hook Knows Best
22 May 2013 | 1:44 pmSharon Osbourne is publishing a children's for Disney Publishing called Mama Hook Knows Best: A Pirate Parent's Favorite Fables. The character is an extension of Osbourne's character from the hit Disney Junior series Jake and the Never Land Pirates. It will arrive in stores in fall 2013 and will be soldwith an audio CD featuring original narration by Sharon Osbourne. It will also be available in ebook form. The book follows Mama Hook as she reminisces about her great adventures sailing the Never Sea and the stories she told her son Captain Hook when he was a young boy. Sharon said in a… -
2013 Children's Choice Book Award Winners Announced
17 May 2013 | 1:00 pmThe winners of the 2013 Children's Choice Book Awards have been announced by the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader. The winners were announced a charity gala benefitting Every Child a Reader in New York City. This was the sixth annual CCBAs. Here is a list of the winners: Author of the Year: Jeff Kinney for Diary of a Wimpy Kid 7: The Third Wheel (Amulet Books/Abrams) Illustrator of the Year: Robin Preiss Glasser for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet (HarperCollins Children's Books) Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year: Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta, illustrated… -
Martin Short to Publish Memoir With Harper
14 May 2013 | 3:00 pmComedian and actor Martin Short has announced plans to publish his memoir with Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The memoir will be published in 2014. The autobiography is Martin's first book. Short will discuss his life and his forty-plus years in show business. It will cover his childhood in Hamilton, Canada. It will also cover his early years at SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Short will also discuss his films, including The Three Amigos and Father of the Bride. Short said in a statement, "Although I've never read a book all the way through, I'm sure excited to write one. And… -
Zendaya Signs Book Deal With Disney Publishing
13 May 2013 | 7:24 pmZendaya, the star of Disney's Shake It Up!, has signed a book deals with Disney-Hyperion. She will pen an advice book, called Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and Confidence, which will arrive in bookstores in August. The book was co-written with Sheryl Berk. Between U and Me will will provide advice for navigating the tween years. It will also include personal photos, anecdotes, recipes, playlists, doodles, and advice from Zendaya's team of experts. Zendaya says, "The tween years can be really fun and exciting, but they can also be a tough time in a girl's life. -
Eoin Colfer Launches New Book Series Called WARP
10 May 2013 | 4:00 pmEoin Colfer, the bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series, has launched a new series, called WARP. The first book in the series, WARP Book 1: The Reluctant Assassin, debuted May 7 with a 750,000 first printing. The series is published by Disney-Hyperion. Colfer is going on a nine-city tour in the U.S. later this month to promote the book. Colfer said in a statement, "WARP, which stands for 'Witness Anonymous Relocation Program,' is an action-adventure series full of mayhem, magic, and murder - with a villain to die for. I think of this series as Oliver Twist meets The Matrix." In the…
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Opinions of a Teen Who Reads
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Thirteen Reasons Why: Review
22 May 2013 | 9:30 amAuthor: Jay AsherAge range: 14-18Content: Moderate relationship content, mild sexual content, mild cursing, no violenceGenre: Teen Tough Stuff / Teen MysteryPublisher: Penguin Group (USA)Where to get it: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Half-Price BooksSynopsis: One day, there is a package left on Clay Jensen's front door. Inside there are cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker who killed herself two weeks earlier. The tapes tell Clay thirteen reasons why Hannah did it. And Clay is one of them.Opinions: I know I'd said last month that I'd be switching it… -
Fever (The Chemical Gardens #2): Review
17 May 2013 | 10:32 amAuthor: Lauren DestefanoAge range: 14-17Content: Moderate relationship content, mild sexual content, no cursing, moderate violenceGenre: Teen Science Fiction / Teen FantasyPublisher: Simon & Schuster Where to get it: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Half-Price BooksSynopsis: Rhine and Gabriel have finally escaped the mansion, but they're still in danger. Determined to get to Manhattan to find Rhine's twin brother, Rowan, the two keep going with the constant threat of being captured hanging over their heads. The road to Manhattan is long and treacherous and… -
Best & Worst Book Series: Science Fiction / Fantasy
13 May 2013 | 3:10 pmWhoa. I'm not doing a review for once. Whooooaaa. I wanted to start this month with a Best & Worst post because there are just so many book series. They can either be really good or really bad. I guess all books are like that. But with series, it's a serious commitment. So you'll want to know what you're getting yourself into. Let us begin.BEST...The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I have raved about this series quite a bit. I've done a review on all of her books. I love Cassandra Clare. If I had to recommend one series to everyone I know on this planet, it would be… -
The Face on the Milk Carton: Review
26 Apr 2013 | 3:44 pmAuthor: Caroline B. CooneyAge range: 12-15Content: Mild relationship content, no sexual content, no cursing, no violenceGenre: Teen FictionPublisher: Random House Children's BooksWhere to get it: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Half-Price BooksSynopsis: Nobody pays attention to the missing kids on milk cartons. Janie was no exception. Until one day she's drawn in by the little girl's red hair so much like her own. She recognizes the little girl. Why? Because Janie is the missing child. Opinions: Again, just like Beautiful Creatures, I had such high hopes for… -
Prodigy (Legend #2)
23 Apr 2013 | 1:21 pmAuthor: Marie LuAge range: 13-17Content: Moderate relationship content, no sexual content, mild cursing, moderate violence Genre: Teen Science Fiction / Teen Fantasy AdventurePublisher: Penguin Young Readers GroupWhere to get it: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Half-Price BooksSynopsis: June and Day are have escaped to Vegas when it happens: Elector Primo dies. His son Anden takes over. The two join the Patriots with the promise of help in finding Day's little brother and save passage to the Colony, but only if they assassinate the new…
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Eye on Books
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Mary Johnson “An Unquenchable Thirst”
17 May 2013 | 4:55 amA life of service, sacrifice, and spirituality is what Mary Johnson had in mind when, at age 17, she joined Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity order at the end of the 1970s. What she hadn’t counted on was the pettiness, rigidity, even cruelty that she encountered. Now in her book “An Unquenchable Thirst,” Mary Johnson offers what Anne Rice has called “a candid, generous, and profound spiritual memoir.” Listen to Mary Johnson Download audio file (maryjohnson.mp3) Don’t see a player here? Click on this link to listen, or right click and “Save… -
Elinor Lipman “The View from Penthouse B”
9 May 2013 | 10:02 pmElinor Lipman is a longtime favorite novelist who is also, it turns outl, a brilliant essayist. Her tenth novel, “The View From Penthouse B.” was published at the same time as her first essay collection “I Can’t Complain.” Bringing the same warmth and easy companionship of her fiction to her essays, Lipman writes about everything from her favorite soap opera to unexpected widowhood and caring for elderly parents. Then she eases you effortlessly from the final essay .. into her novel, which centers on two sisters brought together again by circumstance to live… -
Mary Roach “Gulp”
24 Apr 2013 | 9:04 amWhat, exactly, happens to the food we eat, after we’ve eaten it? As any school child can tell you, it goes into our stomach where it gets digested. But, how, exactly, does that happen? And what if something goes wrong? And why doesn’t your stomach digest itsefl? And why don’t we like to eat the same things animals eat? And ……. Well, clearly, once you get started, there are a thousand questions. And now, with a thousand answers, Mary Roach, whose new book “Gulp” is an adventure down the alimentary canal. Listen to Mary Roach Download audio file… -
Jacqui Dunne & Bernard Lietaer “Rethinking Money”
22 Apr 2013 | 9:10 amMoney makes the world go ’round, as the saying goes. But what is money? Does there have to be just one kind of currency? Now, in a new book called “Rethinking Money” journalist Jacqui Dunne and banker and consultant Bernard Lietaer explore the origins of our current monetary system, which is built on bank debt and scarcity, and compare it to new kinds of money that communities all over the world are exploring and adopting. They contend that the current centuries-old money system is actually causing many of the world’s problems. And new currencies, new ways of defining… -
Jamie Mason “Three Graves Full”
18 Apr 2013 | 3:00 amThere is very little peace for a man with a body buried in his backyard. But it could always be worse. . . . And as mild-mannered Jason Getty finds out, in Jamie Mason‘s darkly comic thriller “Three Graves Full,” it can indeed get much worse. After Jason kills a man in an uncharacteristic moment of lethal rage, he buries the body literally in his backyard. Now a year has passed, and Jason finally is learning to live with the undeniable truth of what he’s done. And that’s when police dig up two bodies on his property – neither of which is the one Jason buried.
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Off the Shelf
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Greater Boston author readings May 19-25
16 May 2013 | 8:09 amSUNDAY: Jackson Galaxy (Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me about Life, Love, and Coming Clean) reads at 2 p.m. in Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library, Copley James C. O'Connell (The Hub's Metropolis: Greater... -
Greater Boston author readings April 14-20
9 May 2013 | 2:59 pmSUNDAY: Lauren Scheuer ("Once Upon A Flock") reads at 1 p.m. at Tatnuck Bookseller, 18 Lyman St., Westborough Laurie Collins ("The Pajamas of My Dreams") reads at 2 p.m. at Bestsellers Cafe, 24 High St., Medford Yvette... -
Higgins Clark award for Hank Phillippi Ryan
9 May 2013 | 12:59 pmIn all the hoopla over last week's literary upset at the 2013 Edgar Awards by Dennis Lehane's "Live By Night'' over Gillian Flynns best-selling Gone Girl, another award by a local luminary slipped by. Hank Phillippi Ryan, an Emmy-award... -
Greater Boston author events May 12-18
9 May 2013 | 7:24 amMONDAY: Rebecca Shafir (The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction) reads at 10:30 a.m. at Tewksbury Public Library, 300 Chandler St., Tewksbury Jane Brox (Five Thousand Days Like This One: An American Family History)... -
Greater Boston author readings May 5-11
2 May 2013 | 7:54 amSUNDAY: Patti Moreno (Gardening by Cuisine: An Organic-Food Lovers Guide to Sustainable Living) reads at 2 p.m. at Wellesley Books, 82 Central St., Wellesley Jill Teitelman (Saving Gracie) reads at 2 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith Arthur Sze...
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The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People
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How winning a literary prize can change your life
14 May 2013 | 7:47 am“First, it got my book published,” says Kirstin Scott, whose novel Motherlunge won the 2011 Association of Writers and Writing Programs Award. “And with that, the prize gave me readers.” There’s no doubt that winning a well-respected competition can help validate your work with agents and publishers. It proves someone thinks you’re good and helps build a more credible platform. The best of these prizes include cash awards and book publication. I recently interviewed four writers each of whom has won a well-known contest. Here’s who they are and how their prizes changed their… -
Having trouble writing? Try this famous author’s technique
2 May 2013 | 10:54 pm“Sometimes in a nervous frenzy I just fling words as if I were flinging mud at a wall,” says Pulitzer Prize winner John McPhee. “Blurt out, heave out, babble out something – anything – as a first draft,” he says in an article called Draft No. 4 now in The New Yorker magazine where he’s been appearing regularly for 48 years. McPhee, the author of 32 books, says he first wrote these words of advice in a letter to his daughter Jenny years ago when she was starting out as a writer herself. “The way to do a piece of writing is three or four times over, never once,” he… -
Market sizzles for debut authors
22 Apr 2013 | 9:49 am“Editors still love a chance at debut fiction,” says Manhattan literary agent Michelle Brower. “If the book is unique and meaningful, the debut author doesn’t yet have a bad sales track record so we can look at their book with all of the rosiness of potential rather than reality” Good news That’s some of the good news for first-time authors from agents out there on the front lines. The news is backed up by recent deals with major publishers for first novels, like Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven, an immigrant tale of two women, two cultures, family secrets and the fight to find a new… -
Writing a memoir: Intersecting memory and story
11 Mar 2013 | 1:10 pmWriting a memoir is one of the most stimulating but difficult literary challenges an author can undertake. Nevertheless, it’s a hugely popular genre. Five of the top ten hardcover nonfiction books on the NY Times bestseller list this week are memoirs. Aspiring memoir writers can find help in books and by searching online, but there’s nothing like a live workshop with a master teacher. One highly recommended instructor is Tamim Ansary, the Afghan-American author of the critically acclaimed literary memoir West of Kabul, East of New York (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). This spring, Ansary… -
From spark to story: How books get started
4 Mar 2013 | 8:41 amWhere do stories come from? Are writers inspired from deep within the unconscious psyche by forces beyond their control? Or are they compelled by external cues that resonate without invitation – unexpected and accidental? As an editor, I’ve seen the muse arrive in surprising and mysterious ways. The creative spark, a blessed event to be sure, can arrive at any moment in time. Whether the source is mundane or magical, the author fans the spark into a fully realized story. From spark to finished story I asked two authors about their original impulses and how they developed into the books…
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Personanondata
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Ingram VitalSource and Blackboard announce Platform and Content Deal
21 May 2013 | 10:12 amLast year Blackboard announced several high profile content deals with publishers however this deal with Ingram Vitalsource could be more significant if it encourages faculty to really engage with content creation and aggregation on the Blackboard site. Question is: Is this an exclusive deal for Ingram? Ingram and Blackboard announced an integration of the Ingram Vital Source platform onto the Blackboard learning management system. From their press release: Blackboard Inc. and Vital Source Technologies, Inc., an Ingram Content Group company, have launched pilot programs with a… -
MediaWeek (V7, N21) Online College?, Society Publishing, Georgia Tech Online, Copyright Revision + More
20 May 2013 | 3:47 amNathan Heller in The New Yorker: Is College moving Online? When people refer to “higher education” in this country, they are talking about two systems. One is élite. It’s made up of selective schools that people can apply to—schools like Harvard, and also like U.C. Santa Cruz, Northeastern, Penn State, and Kenyon. All these institutions turn most applicants away, and all pursue a common, if vague, notion of what universities are meant to strive for. When colleges appear in movies, they are verdant, tree-draped quadrangles set amid Georgian or Gothic (or Georgian-Gothic) buildings. -
Flagstaff Arizona 1992
17 May 2013 | 5:25 pmAt a sales conference in January 1992 I got to see some of the scenery around Sedona and Flagstaff Arizona. I've always wanted to go back there. It's some amazing landscapes. -
Skip Prichard Named to Succeed Jay Jordan at OCLC
16 May 2013 | 5:27 pmFrom their press release: Mr. Prichard has led multi-national organizations that serve libraries across the full spectrum of library services and content needs. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Ingram Content Group Inc., which provides a broad range of physical and digital services to the book industry. Prior to his service at Ingram, he was President and CEO of ProQuest Information and Learning, a respected global publisher and information provider serving library, education, government and corporate markets with offices around the world. Mr. Prichard will succeed Jay Jordan, who… -
NetGalley's Wellness Project
14 May 2013 | 10:30 pmFrom their press release and interesting initiative by NetGalley: NetGalley, a service to promote and publicize forthcoming titles to professional readers of influence, has launched the NetGalley Wellness Challenge. The Challenge is specifically aimed to help members of the site improve their individual influence on book recommendations, by modeling best practices in a variety of fun and easy ways. Over 120,000 NetGalley members are invited to join the Challenge at the official kick-off on Monday, May 13th, by pledging to be “NetGalley healthy.” The 9-week program will give members many…
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Books: Books blog | guardian.co.uk
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The Great Gatsby meets Baz Luhrmann
22 May 2013 | 8:56 amThis might be the best attempt yet to film Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Which is not to say this is a good filmWriting about Baz Luhrmann's Gatsby in relation to F Scott Fitzgerald's prose, is like trying to describe a gorilla playing with a Fabergé egg. There it is, this great hairy, wild-eyed beast, stomping, roaring, thumping its chest. It neither knows nor cares about the delicate beauty it holds in its mattock hands, and has no idea why so many people think it so precious. …That's not to say, however, that the film bears no relation to the book. In a charitable review, the reliably… -
Which five authors are in running for the 2013 Nobel prize?
21 May 2013 | 12:00 amA tweet from the Swedish Academy has unleashed a flood of speculation about the five writers they are considering - could it be Don DeLillo's year, or perhaps it's Murakami's turnThere's been a flurry of gossip over the Nobel prize for literature, thanks to GalleyCat and the Literary Saloon, who both highlighted this tweet from the Swedish Academy over the weekend, that "5 candidates have been selected for 2013 #NobelPrize in #Literature according to Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy".Tantalising! Who do we think they could be? Will it be Philip Roth's year, now he's retired from the… -
Notes on PEN's annotated first edition auction
20 May 2013 | 3:58 amThis week's sale of acclaimed first editions signed by their authors, which I've helped organise, invites a few questions – which I've set out to answer hereMy bookselling colleagues wonder if I have gone walkabout, my business colleague Peter Grogan shrugs his shoulders, my bank manager phones solicitously. How am I? Where am I? What have I been up to? I don't mind, I've been having a ball.This is partly due to finishing a book, which is just out, but more the result of organising – over the last year – a charity auction on behalf of English PEN (at Sotheby's: 7:30 on the evening of… -
George Orwell's critique of internet English
20 May 2013 | 2:55 amThe concerns of Orwell's 1946 essay remain notably relevant to the changes in written language wrought by the digital ageSome while ago, with reference to Orwell's essay on "Politics and the English language", I addressed the language of the internet, an issue that stubbornly refuses to go away. Perhaps now, more than ever, we need to consider afresh what's happening to English prose in cyberspace. To paraphrase Orwell, the English of the world wide web – loose, informal, and distressingly dyspeptic – is not really the kind people want to read in a book, a magazine, or even a newspaper. -
Poem of the week: Sonnet 30 by Robert Sidney
20 May 2013 | 2:01 amA lover's lament to personified 'Absence', the melancholy here is contained by a remarkably elegant rhetorical techniqueThis week's poem comes from a collection of sonnets, songs, pastorals, elegies and epigrams by the newly-rediscovered Elizabethan poet, Robert Sidney. It's untitled, but numbered "Sonnet 30", and begins, aptly for a re-emergent poet, "Absence, I cannot say thou hid'st my light … "Sidney's poems, handwritten in a notebook, with a leather binding added in the 19th century, came to notice in the 1960s, when the contents of the library of Warwick Castle were dispersed. The…
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ReadySteadyBlog
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The only acceptable Leonard Cohen cover?
27 Apr 2013 | 4:35 am -
The indispensable backdoorbroadcasting.net
19 Apr 2013 | 4:45 amLots of new stuff on the indispensable backdoorbroadcasting.net: ... starting with the 2013 Hayes Robinson lecture – which is an annual lecture from the department of History at Royal Holloway:Richard Kagan – The Plaza and the Square: Perspectives on Cities in the Early Modern Atlantic Worldand the annual Hellenic Institute (also at Royal Holloway) chipped in with an interesting lecture on the Greek Diaspora:Richard Clogg – Xeniteia: the Greek diaspora in modern timesAnd one more offering from the History department at Royal Holloway:Jonathan Waterlow – No Laughing Matter? Popular… -
WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do
19 Apr 2013 | 4:22 amFabulous looking event: WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do Talks, discussions, lectures, films, performances, concerts, partiesMay 17–26, 2013 Daily 2pm–2am Kunsthalle Wien Museumsquartier Museumsplatz 1 1070 Wien, Austria kunsthallewien.atAs a prelude to its repositioning, the Kunsthalle Wien organizes a ten-day festival dedicated to key issues of today's society. WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do takes up the tradition of Thomas Bernhard's critical and recalcitrant thinking, transfers it into the present, and breaks it down into various disciplines in the sense of a concise… -
Mitchelmore on Knausgaard
19 Apr 2013 | 3:24 amLet's be clear: My Struggle is not about the life of Karl Ove Knausgaard. The interminable specifics of the content are superficial necessities for an experiment in stretching the everyday to such a degree that it becomes translucent... Stephen Mitchelmore discusses Knausgaard's My Struggle – Book 2 (A Man in Love). -
Well this is embarrassing...
18 Apr 2013 | 12:42 pmGoodness! Nothing from me for almost three months. I think that's my longest spell of blogging silence ever. I've been working too hard and playing far too little, and that looks set to continue for a while. Regardless, I have a few fine articles stacking up from kind contributors that need to see the light of day forthwith. So, expect them, and a few minor interventions from me, too, over the coming week or more.
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Litopia
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Of Leprechauns & Lawyers
14 May 2013 | 3:12 pmMore news and debate from the confluence of writing, publishing and the law. Presented by leading lawyer Donna Ballman with literary agent Peter Cox. Don't forget - you can post topics for Donna to discuss in the Comments section, below. Links from this show: No Country For Wallflowers - The Perks of Being a Wallflower Is Banned Should Anne Frank Be Banned Too? Call For Atticus Finch - Harper Lee Goes To Law Call For G.I. Joe - Writers Sue Paramount,& MGM Over 'Stolen' Sequel ) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/gi-joe-writers-sue-paramount-496444 … Ukraine… -
The Singing Dentist
10 May 2013 | 3:27 amWhat are you going to do about a bad - really bad - online review? This week's show features one dentist's (you read that right, folks) creative response - she owns the copyright in your review! Plus tons of other timely topics that writers need to know about, including: Authors Sue Penguin’s Self-Publishing Platform Author Says Muslim Group's $30m Libel Suit Will Expose Terror Ties Court Expands 'Fair Use' For Artists Using Copyrighted Works Fox Censors Cory Doctorow’s “Homeland” Novel From Google Amazon Accused Of 'Corporate Censorship,' Again Presented by leading lawyer… -
The Listener in the Shadows
7 May 2013 | 4:47 amIt's not often we have a real-life spy as our special guest on LAD - but tonight, stepping out of the shadows and into our spotlight is special guest Major David Thorp - a man who has spent his entire life in signals intelligence (SIGINT)... from the Cold War to the Falklands, and everything in-between. SIGINT is one of the least-known but most important aspects of battlefield and peacetime intelligence gathering. David's book, The Silent Listener - Falklands 1982: The Inside Story of British Electronic Surveillance and Intel Controversies, ignited a firestorm of controversy when it was… -
Being English
23 Apr 2013 | 2:22 amOn this Saint George's Day, Garry welcomes Robin Tilbrook, chairman of The English Democrats, and poses the question - what exactly does it mean to be English? And just how close is patriotism to nationalism - to racism? It's a minefield out there! As always, Garry dispenses with the niceties of Political Correctness in the pursuit of truth. And justice. And the English way. A great, thought-provoking show - pass the link on! And in the meantime, join in the discussion on the website. Download the show as mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes Be a wonderful human being and… -
Get Up, Stand Up: Stand Up For Your Rights!
19 Apr 2013 | 1:30 pmHere's whats important to writers, right now: Trade figures launch Read Petite digital venture Ebooks make up 23 percent of US publisher sales Slow Death of the American Author Blow to Rights of Broadcasters Under the Copyright Act Most censored books of 2012 Apple Goes on Censorship Spree Teacher tells fourth-graders to give up constitutional rights National Press Photographers Assoc Joins Copyright Suit Against Google Chicago Public Schools’ Ban of ‘Persepolis’ Continues HarperCollins, Open Road E-Book Suit Producers settle Spider-Man lawsuit Presented by leading lawyer Donna Ballman…
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Omnivoracious
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Dick Lehr: On Whitey Bulger and the Upcoming Trial of the Century
22 May 2013 | 1:08 pmToday he's known simply as WHITEY -- the Boston gangster whose epic crime story has become the stuff of history. It's not just he's a stone-cold, hands-on killer (he faces 19 murder charges); or his longevity (he's now 83, and his underworld reign covered decades). He's made history because he brought the Boston FBI to its knees, corrupting FBI agents so they acted as his palace guard and protected him from rivals in the underworld and from other police agencies seeking to bust him. Whitey Bulger has become America's most notorious crime boss because he's at… -
YA Wednesday: "Gorgeous" Paul Rudnick
22 May 2013 | 11:00 amAs a screenwriter, Paul Rudnick has some big hit movies under his belt and now he’s put his cinematic savvy to good use in his first young adult novel that we picked as a Best Teen book of May, Gorgeous. In Gorgeous, Rudnick skewers Hollywood and our beauty-obsessed world with an over-the-top (in a good way) twist on the Cinderella story. In Rudnick’s version, Cinderella-–or Becky, in this case--is an unremarkable girl living with her obese mother in a Missouri trailer park who is offered the promise of irresistible beauty by the most famous fashion designer… -
Bestselling Fantasy Author Raymond E. Feist on Thirty Years of Writing
21 May 2013 | 11:31 amNot many authors can claim to have had a wide readership for thirty years, but that’s exactly the milestone fantasy writer Raymond E. Feist celebrates this year. Back in 1982, Feist wrote his first novel Magician, a story about an orphan boy named Pug who is thrust by a war into captivity in an alien world, only to rise to become a Master magician. That novel introduced readers to Midkemia and the Riftwars, an epic series of battles between Good and Evil. It also began a rather remarkable run during which Feist’s success has outlasted that of many of his contemporaries. Fittingly, after… -
Writer's Blues: Bill Cheng, Author of "Southern Cross the Dog"
21 May 2013 | 2:00 amWhen eight-year-old Robert Chatham loses everything to the fast waters of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, he lights out across the country, a refugee seeking shelter with (and from) a Homeric cast of misfits, hucksters, and ne’er-do-wells: the ladies of a "hotel" of ill repute; a piano player whose talent for the blues matches his seemingly supernatural powers of healing; a close-knit clan of trappers, living in swampland itself marked for flooding, behind the wall of a WPA dam. Wherever he finds himself, Robert's gripped and propelled by his fear of the devil closing in… -
Nebula Award Winners Announced: Kim Stanley Robinson, Nancy Kress, and More
20 May 2013 | 12:44 pmThis weekend in San Jose, California, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announced the winners of the Nebula Award, given for excellence in SF/F. Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312 won for best novel, confirming Omni’s prediction that Robinson was among the favorites. The full list of winners is: Novel: 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK) Novella: After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, Nancy Kress (Tachyon) Novelette: “Close Encounters,” Andy Duncan (The Pottawatomie Giant & Other Stories) Short Story: “Immersion,” Aliette de Bodard…
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Latest blog entries
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Cover Reveal: THIS IS HOW I FIND HER by Sara Polsky + Giveaway (US/Canada)
21 May 2013 | 10:40 amWe're happy to reveal the cover for Sara Polsky's THIS IS HOW I FIND HER on the YABC Blog today! But before we get to the goods, here's a message from Sara: Hi, YABC! Welcome to the cover reveal for THIS IS HOW I FIND HER! I'm excited to be here to share the cover of my debut novel, THIS IS HOW I FIND HER. When I opened up the cover image e-mail from my editor my first thought was, simply, "yes." The main character of THIS IS HOW I FIND HER is a 16-year-old girl named Sophie, and my wonderful publisher, Albert Whitman, got Sophie exactly right with the girl they chose for the cover. -
Interview with Barbara Elizabeth Walsh, Author of THE POPPY LADY
18 May 2013 | 2:31 pmWith Memorial Day just around the corner, we here at YABC thought it would be great to speak with an author who has written about military service. Barbara Elizabeth Walsh wrote THE POPPY LADY, which details the story of Moina Belle Michael, a woman who devoted her life to helping American soldiers during World War I. Read below to find out what inspired Walsh to write Moina's story, and how readers inspired by Moina can support soldiers today. What inspired you to write Moina's story about her efforts to help soldiers? THE POPPY LADY is the result of a promise I made to my Dad when I first… -
Giveaway: GHOST LEOPARD Audio Book
15 May 2013 | 11:59 amGhost Leopard (A Zoe & Zak Adventure #1) by Lars Guignard Release Date: Audiobook released 2/26/13 Zoe and Zak are lost in exotic India, where gods and magic still exist. Before they can find their way home, they just have to do one little thing... ...Save a mythical creature from an ancient evil that wants to rule the world. When Zoe Guire goes along on her mom's business trip to India, things get very weird, very quickly. An elephant god speaks to her from the bottom of a swimming pool... She and her classmate Zak get locked in a trunk and shipped off to a strange… -
Cover Reveal: KINSLAYER by Jay Kristoff + Giveaway!
15 May 2013 | 9:11 amAre you guys as stoked as I am to see the cover for KINSLAYER, the sequel to STORMDANCER?! And what about that title? I love them both so hard. We're also letting you see the UK cover. Tell us which one you like best in the comments! ARE YOU READY FOR THE AWESOME? The UK Cover: The US cover: About the book: A SHATTERED EMPIRE The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war… -
Giveaway: Win Dark Days Tour Signed Books!
13 May 2013 | 1:06 pmI got a chance to catch up with these Pitch Dark Days authors and ask them a few questions: Kiera Cass (THE ELITE Elizabeth Norris (UNBREAKABLE) Aprilynne Pike (LIFE AFTER THEFT) Amy Tintera (REBOOT) Check out their answers below, then enter to win one of these four signed books! Do the Pitch Dark Days authors write in a linear style, from start to finish, or do they jump around? Kiera said she usually writes start to finish, but while writing The Elite, she wrote specific scenes and then pieced them together. When she wrote the final book in the series, she wrote the…
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The Fine Books Blog
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Harry Potter Nabs £150,000 at Auction
22 May 2013 | 10:27 pmA 1997 first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, complete with personal annotations and twenty-two original illustrations by J. K. Rowling, grabbed a record-breaking £150,000 ($225,000) at a Sotheby's auction in London on May 21st. A bidding war between two auction attendees rocketed the price skyward in increments of £25,000 until the hammer fell, to applause, at £150,000, setting a new record for Rowling.The Sotheby's auction, entitled "First Editions, Second Thoughts," was a charity effort to raise funds for PEN, an English non-profit that fights censorship and… -
Ode to John Keats
22 May 2013 | 6:05 amEarlier this spring Bonhams revealed the news that this unique portrait had turned up in its London office. The oval miniature is catalogued as 'Circle of Charles Hayter,' perhaps obscuring the fact that the image is generally accepted as one of the Romantic poet John Keats. Housed within a gold frame, the reverse reveals strands of dark blonde hair decorated with split seed pearls and gilt-wire. It has been consigned by an American, a descendant of Earle Vonard Weller (1890-1994), an author and avid collector of English Romantic poets. He is known to have purchased this miniature in 1931… -
Bright Young Things: David Anthem
20 May 2013 | 9:32 pmOur series profiling the next generation of antiquarian booksellers continues today with David Anthem of The Andalusia Bookman in Philadelphia.How did you get started in rare books?I think it all started as a drooling infant surrounded by my theologian father's library; continued as a high schooler skipping school and heading to the public library; and culminated in adulthood via the typical channels: collecting; librarianship; scholarship (in the loosest most dilettantish sense of the word). My break came during my second buying trip to Andalusia Books, the best unknown book house in the… -
Historic Collection of Rare Books Slated for Auction Despite Criticisms
20 May 2013 | 6:25 amAlmost a year ago, scholars at Canterbury Cathedral and the University of Kent became alarmed when the possibility arose that a major collection of early printed books and manuscripts might be broken up and sold to the highest bidder. The Mendham collection--named for its founder, Anglican vicar Joseph Mendham--was donated to The Law Society of England and Wales in the 1860s. Since 1984, the collection has been on deposit at Canterbury Cathedral Library under a loan agreement between the Cathedral, the University of Kent, and the Society. (That agreement is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2013.)… -
I is for Imagination in Appalachia
17 May 2013 | 6:00 amAppalachian Toys and Games From A to Z by Linda Hager Pack, illustrated by Pat Banks; University of Kentucky Press, $17.95, 56 pages ages 5 and up.(c) University Press of KentuckyMost modern American children have likely never heard of whimmydiddles (toys carved out of ivy and made to spin by reciting magic words) or played with apple dolls. This alphabet book, set in the heart of Appalachia, presents homemade playthings and games that entertained children at the end of the nineteenth century. Appalachia native Linda Pack has spent her career researching and writing about the…
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Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
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Peekaboo Nipples are Looking at You
23 May 2013 | 12:50 amby SB Sarah The poses and positions of models on romance novel covers shift regularly. Sometimes they are headless, or they've got their jaws and noses but nothing above the cheekbones. Sometimes they're looking right at you - or, in some memorable cases, beckoning you to pull their finger: It's never too early for the Pull My Finger Viking, right? Of course. Lately, the cover models have shifted so that you can see their faces, but they're looking away from you. Well, their faces are. Their nipples are another story. The nipples on romance covers… -
Guess His Pants: A Superquick ARC Giveaway of London’s Last True Scoundrel
22 May 2013 | 10:00 pmby SB Sarah Ah, scoundrels with color changing pants! They are so marvelous. You may recall London's Last True Scoundrel and his wardrobe challenge: he (or his publisher) can't decide what color pants to wear. There's Buff: Then there's Brown and Furry-looking: But imagine my surprise when I received an email from author Christina Brooke, who wrote, "I'm laughing at your blog post on cover double takes--I've had that comment a lot about my hero's pants on LONDON'S LAST TRUE SCOUNDREL. In between the buff pants and… -
Reminders, Links, and Fun Stuff
22 May 2013 | 11:20 amby SB Sarah First up, a reminder! I'm moderating a chat with the RITA®-nominated authors in the Short Contemporary Series category tomororw, May 23, at 8:00 pm ET. Please note: you are welcome to join in the discussion, but you have to register, as space is limited. More details: Short Contemporary Series Romance May 23, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT Authors participating: Jessica Hart, Day Leclaire, Susan Meier, Sarah Morgan, Robin Perini, Christine Rimmer, and Loreth Anne White RWA is hosting a chat for each of the RITA® categories, too. Sarah Morgan is definitely going… -
Books on Sale: Classic Regencies and Historical Romance with Deception, Disguises, and Makeovers!
22 May 2013 | 8:27 amby SB Sarah Candice Hern has released some of her classic Regency backlist in digital format. There's a free short story, and the complete list of Kindle titles can be seen here. Miss Lacey's Last Fling was originally published in 2001 and is a much-loved classic Regency. It's currently .99c. (This is such bad news for me, all this backlist publishing, because I love classic Regencies like whoa.) Miss Rosalind Lacey has spent all her 26 years in the country, quietly managing the lives of her widowed father and five younger siblings. When she learns she has contracted… -
Captive Splendors by Fern Michaels
22 May 2013 | 4:54 amby Elyse Grade: F+ Title: Captive Splendors Author: Fern Michaels Publication Info: Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN: 0-345-31648-7 Genre: Historical: American I picked up a copy of Fern Michaels’ Captive Splendors from a used bookstore, and boy was I in for a surprise. I vaguely remember reading her Texas series back when I was a teen, but I didn’t remember anything about it. This one had a benign cover and some vague references to desire on the high seas, and I love a good pirate story, so I grabbed it. I had girded my loins in preparation for an Old Skool historical, but nothing…
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London Review of Books
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Letters
22 May 2013 | 4:00 pmThe letters page from London Review of Books Vol. 35 No. 10 (23 May 2013) -
Thomas Jones: How to Survive Climate Change
22 May 2013 | 4:00 pmOn a damp, chill, blustery August afternoon in Whitby a few years ago I overheard a disgruntled holidaymaker declaiming – to his family, to anyone who would listen, to the wind – that ‘global warming is a load of codswallop.’ One of his children, a boy of around ten, was valiantly trying to explain to him the difference between climate and weather. But he wasn’t paying attention, or couldn’t hear over the gale and the sound of his own voice. ‘Global warming,’ he insisted again, ‘is a load of codswallop.’ This year’s April snows provoked similar sentiments in many… -
John Lanchester: Google Glass
22 May 2013 | 4:00 pm -
Mike Jay: Memorylessness
22 May 2013 | 4:00 pmMemory creates our identity, but it also exposes the illusion of a coherent self: a memory is not a thing but an act that alters and rearranges even as it retrieves. Although some of its operations can be trained to an astonishing pitch, most take place autonomously, beyond the reach of the conscious mind. As we age, it distorts and foreshortens: present experience becomes harder to impress on the mind, and the long-forgotten past seems to draw closer; University Challenge gets easier, remembering what you came downstairs for gets harder. -
Brian Dillon: Eileen Gray
22 May 2013 | 4:00 pm
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McSweeney’s
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Albert Camus, Creative Writing Instructor by David Galef
22 May 2013 | 4:01 amNothing is more despicable than respect based on fear. Don’t address me as Professor Camus. Call me Al. - -Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just sit in those desk-chairs and pay attention to what I write on the blackboard. - -The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself. That’s at the highest level, of course. Your aim should be to improve your craft. - -Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth. That doesn’t mean that I will tolerate plagiarism in this class. - -I know of only one duty, and… -
List: Captive Audience SEO by Edward Fairchild and Jake Swearingen
22 May 2013 | 4:00 amOne Secret Trick My Kidnappers Don’t Want Me to Know How to Make 50,000 Dollars in One Quick Phone Call 5 Great Ways to Please Just Let Me Go This New Diet Will Have Your Handcuffs Literally Falling Off One Weird Way to Staunch The Bleeding 9 Amazing Ways to Tell My Wife I Love Her Wow! You’ll Never Guess How I Won My Freedo— Oh No, They’re Coming Back 10 Tips for the Cops Could Stockholm Syndrome Actually Be Good for You? 7 Surprising Things That Can Be Fashioned Into Weapons -
Teddy Wayne’s Unpopular Proverbs: Coincidence by Teddy Wayne
22 May 2013 | 3:59 amLightning never strikes twice. -
Scandal Befalls McGruff the Crime Dog by Jory John
21 May 2013 | 4:01 amAhem. Testing. One, two. Woof. Is this thing on? Yes? Hello. Thank you for coming out today. My name is McGruff Thomas-Clegg, but you probably know me better by my professional moniker, McGruff the Crime Dog.—Usually there’s applause right now. Never mind. As many of you know, I’ve been taking a bite out of crime since 1980, when I emerged onto the national scene as a trench-coat wearing, no-nonsense bloodhound. This was a long time ago, of course, and much has changed. When I started out, things were simpler. The Internet wasn’t weighing us down with its proliferation… -
List: How We Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk by Julia McCloy
21 May 2013 | 4:00 amIn da trunk of da car. In da wheelbarrow. In da environmentally-friendly, reusable grocery bag. Lifting carefully with da knees so as not to hurt da back.
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Podiobooker
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Splashdown by Paul J. Joseph
21 May 2013 | 7:04 pmPaul J. Joseph has just finished the fourth installment in his Through the Fold series. If you’re all caught up, please enjoy Splashdown! (And if not, get that way…) Sally’s life on Earth becomes boring when she turns to politics, but not for long. As UN space commissioner, Sally finds herself presiding over the aftermath of Earth’s first colonial war. Baltan City, Earth’s greatest achievement, tries to declare independence, which creates a violent and polarizing conflict. In the midst of this new cold war, an Earth ship from the future is entering the system… -
New release! Strigoaie The Romanian Witch by Marc Vale
10 May 2013 | 1:15 pmWe’ve got new audio fiction going up today by Marc Vale. Check out Strigoaie The Romanian Witch, the first book in a new series: Marie Fatan always wanted to know the truth about her father who died in the war. It took a trip to Romania for her to unveil his side of the family’s secrets, it took a kidnapping to find out her father was still alive. In Strigoaie: The Romanian Witch, Marie takes a trip through Europe with her grandmother she barely knows. During their travels, Granna Lee tells a story of her childhood. Marie questions if her grandmother’s extravagant story, as it… -
New release! The Phoenix Conspiracy by Richard L Sanders
7 May 2013 | 9:17 amA new mysterious scifi audio book is live on the site. And as a bonus, it’s narrated by Matthew Ebel. Interested? Here’s what you’ll find inside The Phoenix Conspiracy, written by Richard L Sanders: Calvin, an intelligence operative, is sent to eliminate a dangerous traitor. But as he chases his prey across the stars, he realizes they are both pawns in a shadowy chess game–one that threatens humankind everywhere. If he is to uncover the conspiracy he must confront–and embrace–the darkest elements of the galaxy. And throw himself, his career, and everyone… -
New release! Every Photo Tells… Book 4
17 Apr 2013 | 6:08 amKatharina Bordet & Mick Bordet are at it again, with the fourth compilation in their series. If you’re caught up, enjoy Every Photo Tells… Book 4! A voice from the future changes far more than just one man’s life.A young boy must say a final farewell to his faithful companion.Dr Simon has a lab full of pixies, but they don’t take kindly to his experiments. Visit Jacques’ Bistro, where love blooms over the seafood.Is one of Father Ian’s parishioners really being visited by a giant? These subjects and many more are visited in this fourth collection of stories… -
New release! Demon Draw by R. Moses
7 Apr 2013 | 4:10 pmA new fantasy audio book by R. Moses can be yours in only four episodes! Check out Demon Draw: A city old in prestige and hate… A woman torn between duty and love… And a plague of demons with no end to the horror in sight… Valena is a prostitute working for the Holy Church as a demon draw. Her deadly mission is luring demons to her bed so she can collar them and send them back to the pit from which they came. Her lover, also a demon draw, is sent on an assignment to lure a succubi-without any weapons. The church refuses to allow her to help her lover. Valena suspects the…
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The Bookshop BlogThe Bookshop Blog
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Wonderland is Closed
21 May 2013 | 12:56 pmOn a visit to Logee’s greenhouses in Connecticut, we happened across a bookstore called Wonderland. It was night, we were looking for a place to eat, so only glanced at the window and its shadows within, deciding we would make a trip back into town the next morning to check it out. We did. It was closed. Not because they weren’t open on Mondays or we were too early–they were out of business. There was stock within, but little, with fixtures laying around, rugs rolled up, giftware boxed. I was acutely disappointed. A bookstore with an Alice theme was so perfect for me, that… -
Typography: From Metal Bits To Bytes
17 May 2013 | 7:58 amby Jas Faulkner It all started with one of those thrift store finds that moves you to dust off and rekindle an old interest. I was there to do my biweekly stuffed animal grab for Niklas Lidstrom -aka- Destructo the Wonder Shih Tzu when I saw they had cobbled together roughly fifty dollars worth of calligraphy supplies into a ziploc bag and with the asking price of five dollars. This is probably a good place to hit the pause button and admit that I’m a big old typography nerd. It was a love of letters and alphabets of all kinds that pushed me to major in graphic design at one… -
My Father Wrote “How To Win Friends and Influence People”
16 May 2013 | 8:16 pmWhen ever I’d ask my father what he was doing, he’d answer, ‘writing How to Win Friends and Influence People.’ As a kid, I’d no concept of what that meant–the entire idea of winning friends was beyond me–didn’t they just show up? And how did you ‘win’ them anyway? Like at a carnival game–shoot enough ducks and you win a stuffed friend? And the word ‘influence’ was not in my child’s vocabulary. This phrase and several others–when I’d be hungry and say so–’eat some salt and you’ll… -
Gatsby, But Not So Great?
14 May 2013 | 12:20 pmI couldn’t resist the costumes and pomp the trailers promised. So myself and a group of women of a certain age gathered to view the newest incarnation of the novel, The Great Gatsby. I wrote about my trepidation regarding this version when viewing the coming attractions. I saw how gaudy and overblown the production values seem to be, and had that sinking feeling, oh good lord, it’s going to be another Moulin Rogue. Baz Luhrmann directed both, and the outrageous sets, computer graphics, and effects are similar, but with Gatsby, they’re on steroids. All sorts of…
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Berkeley Heights Public Library Book Blog
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Blog favorites: 'The Psychopath Test'
21 May 2013 | 7:30 amThe recent May 18, 2013 release of the 'DSM - 5', the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, has been met with some controversy. To read more about the new DSM - 5, read Lizzie Crocker's article in the Daily Beast. In general the criticism is that the listed diagnoses have changed, either been eliminated or added; and the widely held belief that normal human behavior is being assigned a mental health diagnosis. Whether you agree, disagree, don't care or don't know, as a reference librarian I find it fascinating that any… -
Our new, enriched catalog feature: Novelist Select
9 May 2013 | 12:38 pmThe library online catalog has a nifty new feature which will help our patrons find just the right book to read next. When you search for a book on the catalog (so-called PAC or OPAC ie: patron access catalog or online patron access catalog) and then click on the title which interests you, you will see related titles and authors of interest. If the book is part of a series, the entire series will be listed in order. If the library owns the title, you can click right through to that catalog record. This new feature is produced by Novelist and has just been added to the BHPL PAC. The… -
Reference Question Roundup: computer help
9 May 2013 | 10:08 amReturning to the ever-popular reference question roundup feature on this blog, today's post is about common computer problems. Six of the public computers that offer free internet access are right next to the Reference Desk at the Berkeley Heights Public Library and throughout the day patrons who use the computers often ask the reference librarians for help. The problems that come up most frequently are:Printing documents, text, and imagesFilling out online job applicationsHow to use a USB/flash drive or floppy disc (yes we still have floppy drives and give out free discs)Email issues such… -
Three Steps to the Best YOU - an afternoon for ladies!
29 Apr 2013 | 12:52 pm'An Afternoon for Ladies' at the Berkeley Heights Public LibrarySunday, May 5, 2:30 p.m. in the library meeting roomRosie Battista will be joining us on Sunday, May 5th at 2:30. The program,3 Steps to the Best YOU, will educate, motivate, inspire and amuse. You will find Rosie’s high energy style to be absolutely contagious, something you will want to catch. Here is Rosie’s description of the program and her philosophy:'Rosie Battista shares her story with energy, humor and fun props leaving her audience inspired, motivated and armed with tips and ideas that they can… -
Frequent Reference Questions: Where was the Nike missile site in Berkeley Heights?
26 Apr 2013 | 1:28 pmHere is the link to Ellen's original post which answers the question we often get at the Reference Desk: where was theNike Missile Site ?Friday, May 20, 2011Nike Missile Site One of the library's perennial reference requests is information on the former Nike missile test site and air base in Watchung Reservation. "With its radar and command on the Berkeley Heights-Summit border and its launching pad in Mountainside, the station was one of 19 Nike AJAX missile bases that ringed New York City, standing ready to blast invading planes out of the sky", according to a Star-Ledger article from…
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Joe Wikert's Digital Content Strategies
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Screwpulp: An exciting new startup (that I'm part of!)
22 May 2013 | 6:55 amOne of the benefits of my previous job is that it brought me much closer to the content startup community. I've met a lot of outstanding organizations but one that really grabbed my attention is a self-publishing startup called Screwpulp. I mentioned them briefly in an earlier article after I introduced them at an investor event in Memphis. What's so special about Screwpulp? First of all, it's the people. I've spent time with each of the founding members of the company and I'd stack them up against any other startup team I've met. Every single one of them is… -
Memphis startup community rocks
20 May 2013 | 7:00 amFor the past couple of years I've had the pleasure of working with a variety of startups in the content space and most of them are located on one of the two coasts here in the U.S. Last week was an eye-opening experience for me when I traveled to Memphis to take part in the Seed Hatchery Investor Day. I was there to help represent a terrific startup I'm now part of, Screwpulp, but the opportunity to mingle with investors and the other startups was priceless. In the span of 3 hours Thursday afternoon I had the pleasure of listening to the investor pitches from six highly innovative… -
Direct sales and community building
15 May 2013 | 11:41 amIf you’ve been anywhere near publishing recently, you’ve probably been hit by the shrapnel of an exploding business model, a narrowing distribution network, or mind-numbing cutbacks. It’s fashionable for people who aren’t pouring their daily energies into words and stories to compare the changing ebook environment to the music industry. But it’s different. Much more simple and complex at the same time. And I believe--even without gulping down an alcoholic beverage--that publishers and authors can come out on top when the dust settles. But it will require change. And… -
Bringing democracy back to digital
14 May 2013 | 7:39 amBy exposing us to diverging viewpoints, fostering dissent, broadcasting scientific discoveries, and stretching our imagination beyond its sensory frame, books have promoted the rise of our modern social conscience. The many societal and technical revolutions of the 20th century have often been ascribed to a unique combination of readily available literature and high schooling rates. High-speed printing presses, global distribution, and the excellent editing work of our forebears, enable publishers to sell authoritative, if slightly outmoded, versions of classic works for a few pence a pop. -
Micro-consulting projects
13 May 2013 | 7:40 amLast week's article about my search for new full-time or consulting work generated a lot of interest. It was also nice to see the resulting surge in views of my LinkedIn profile. Thanks to everyone who tweeted and help spread the word. I now have a few short-term consulting projects underway and several more longer-term ones are also being discussed. I've spoken with quite a few prospective clients over the past week and it's clear there's a significant need for consulting help but budgets are tight; not exactly surprising given all the cost-cutting and cutbacks taking…
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First Book Blog
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5 Secrets Adults Won’t Tell You – Kyle Zimmer’s Commencement Speech at Saint Mary’s College
22 May 2013 | 9:43 amOur intrepid leader, CEO, and co-founder of First Book, Kyle Zimmer, shared some of the wit and wisdom that motivates the First Book team on a daily basis with a crowd of graduates of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame this Saturday. Adults Are Not Really Certain of Anything. “In my own life, it took me far too long to figure this out. When I was young, I got distracted by adults who would swagger or bluster. I assumed that anyone who was that forceful MUST know what they were talking about.” You Are Going to Fail. “The truth is that, although you can fail without ever… -
Moore, Oklahoma – Our Hearts Are With You
21 May 2013 | 8:26 amYesterday afternoon a massive tornado hit the town of Moore, just outside Oklahoma City. Dozens have been killed, hundreds injured and the town was nearly leveled. This is one of the most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States and even more destructive weather is possible in the region over the next few days. When a disaster like this hits, especially in schools and harming children as this did, we all look on, feeling empathy, wishing they could do something. Us too, here at First Book, watching the twitter feeds, the news, and holding our breath, hoping one more person… -
The Stories for All Project: Latina Author Guadalupe Garcia McCall on Books as Hope
8 May 2013 | 7:54 amOur guest blogger today is author/poet Guadalupe Garcia McCall, whose book “Summer of the Mariposas”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “First Book’s mission to make books accessible to low-income families is very close to my heart. It fills me with joy to hear that such an organization exists. Books are more than important, they fill a basic need in low-income communities—the need to connect to the world. Books for children of poverty represent hope. As a young girl, I loved books. Books were my friends. They took me places I… -
What I Learned from Bill Clinton: How to Prepare Yourself for the Future
7 May 2013 | 3:00 am“If you can do one thing to prepare yourself for the future… you should spend as much time as you can with people who are different than you”. — President Bill Clinton I recently had the opportunity to join Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president and CEO, at a special event for the Thea Foundation. Founded by Linda and Paul Leopoulos shortly after the untimely death of their daughter Thea Kay, the Thea Foundation connects young people to the power of visual art, dance, drama, and creative writing across Arkansas and beyond. At First Book we’re eager to learn… -
The Stories for All Project: Latina Author Pat Mora on the Connection Children Make with Books that Include their Culture and Language
1 May 2013 | 8:26 amOur guest blogger today is author Pat Mora, whose book “Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “Once upon a time . . .” A magic phrase that can change our breathing. As far as we know, humans are the world’s story-telling creatures. Let’s think about the unique period in the lives of children when they begin to savor that phrase, when in fresh ways little ones are experiencing their surroundings and deciding where they fit. For many youngsters, media is their main source of information and entertainment. Children lucky…
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University of Nebraska Press
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The Marketeers Club: Little Bison in the Big Apple
22 May 2013 | 12:00 pmBright lights, tall buildings, and people bustling about: in the city that never sleeps, a small bison named Benny left the familiar Great Plains in order to conquer the book publishing world. The idea of sending Benny to New York first came up in early April. The University of Nebraska Press (UNP) marketeers decided we needed to send a representative to New York City to promote the Press along with our imprint, Bison Books. Benny had dreamed of going to New York ever since he was a calf, and finally, here was his chance. Benny traveled to New York City during the first week in May, to… -
From the desk of Larry Ruttman
21 May 2013 | 6:00 amAuthor Larry Ruttman describes his impressions about his book signing at the 92Y. I must be the luckiest man alive! Imagine having the most exciting night of your life at age eighty-two. Not that my fifty-year career as a lawyer was boring. But, as an author you feel the love and admiration coming right at you during every encounter. And so it was when I took the stage at the iconic 92nd Street Y in New York City on Monday, May 13, alongside the irrepressible Alan Dershowitz, film critic and Renaissance man; Jeffrey Lyons; and former lefty Major League pitcher and convert to Judaism Bob… -
From the desk of Barbara Loeb
20 May 2013 | 8:00 amBarbara Loeb is the co-editor of The Woman Who Loved Mankind by Lilian Bullshows Hogan, the fascinating life story of a 20th-century Crow woman elder. Loeb and Mardell Plainfeather set out to tell Hogan's story in traditional Crow storytelling forms. When Mardell Plainfeather and I recorded the life story of Mardell’s elderly Crow Indian mother, Lillian Bullshows Hogan, I wanted to write Lillian’s stories the way she talked. No easy task, but my quest led me to the idea that oral storytelling is performance, so it was important to follow the rhythms of Lillian’s voice, changing… -
Bookish Links and Delightful Miscellany
17 May 2013 | 8:57 amLet's hit it: 8-year-old's invention for keeping books dry in the bath Travel back in time with the WIRED Media Kit from 1992 Britain's most remote bookshop is for sale History of Typography Which Shakespeare Character are You? This is a Bookshop The Jacket Racket: Vintage Book Cover Design -
From the desk of Ray A. March
15 May 2013 | 6:00 amRay A. March is the author of River in Ruin, which discusses the history of the Carmel River since the arrival of Europeans to the Monterey Peninsula in the 1700s, focusing on its uses, users, and the recent impact of development. March was quoted on 90.3 KAZU Public Radio and below he comments on the recent approval to remove the San Clemente Dam. History has been made in California with the recent official approval to decommission the San Clemente Dam on the Monterey Peninsula’s Carmel River. The 106-foot-high dam, scheduled for demolition beginning this summer, will be the largest dam…
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The Penguin Blog
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Giovanna Fletcher presents: A day in the life of me...
21 May 2013 | 10:02 amAuthor, actress and freelance journalist, Giovanna Fletcher is married to Tom Fletcher from McFly. She grew up in Essex with her Italian dad Mario, mum Kim, big sister Giorgina and little brother Mario, and spent most of her childhood talking to herself (it seems no one wanted to listen) or reading books. Giovanna is a firm believer in the power of magpies and positive energy. To find out more about Giovanna, view her blog or follow her on Twitter. Her debut novel, Billy and Me, is out this Thursday (23rd May 2013). Anyway, over to Giovanna as she tells us about a day in her life... Every… -
10 myths about authors as explored by...an author.
14 May 2013 | 10:28 amJoanna Rossiter is the author of The Sea Change (her first novel). She grew up in Dorset and studied English at Cambridge University before working as a researcher in the House of Commons and as a copy writer. In 2011 she completed an MA in Writing at Warwick University. She lives and writes in London. Last week The Sea Change was announced as one of the Richard and Judy Summer 2013 Book Club titles. Here Joanna expands on some common misconceptions about the wonderful world of writers. The Sea Change by Joanna Rossiter 1. Being an author is glamorous. Before I had managed to write a… -
The journey of 'The Aftermath': From the screen, to the page, and back again
2 May 2013 | 7:11 amWill Hammond is commissioning editor at Viking Books, and edited Rhidian Brook's emotional wartime thriller The Aftermath, out today. He assisted Brook during the process of turning his original film script and 60-page treatment into a novel; now, the journey is set to come full circle with the news that The Aftermath is to be adapted into a film. Here he argues why the story of The Aftermath is one that needed to be told as a novel, and examines why film-makers consistently look to the publishing industry for inspiration. One way to measure a novel’s success is to ask whether they’ve… -
World Book Night 2013: Treasure Island and Me Before You
23 Apr 2013 | 7:06 amToday (April 23rd) is World Book Night, a time for readers and publishers accross the world to come together to celebrate our favourite things: books. As well as live events in London, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Liverpool, World Book Night, along with publishers across the country, will give 20,000 volunteers half a million books to give away to members of their community who do not or are unable to regularly read. At Penguin we're proud to have contributed two books to this year's list of 20 World Book Night titles. The first book is an enduring classic, one of the most famous… -
A Q&A with Graeme Simsion, author of 'The Rosie Project'
11 Apr 2013 | 5:00 amThe Rosie Project was originally a screenplay. What’s the story there? I’d always wanted to write a novel, but didn’t think I had the ability. When, at 50, I made a mid-life career change, I decided to enrol in a screenwriting program rather than creative (prose) writing. I had previously written a screenplay for a feature-length film made purely for fun, so I thought I could do that. So The Rosie Project was my school project over five years. Two factors drove me to adapt it into a novel: the first was that with a story in place, I thought the jump to writing a novel was not so great…
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800 CEO Read
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Ctrl Alt Delete
22 May 2013 | 7:59 amTweetThere’s a certain urgency to the new book by Mitch Joel, Ctrl Alt Delete: Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It. Its sentiment has also been expressed by authors such as Gary Vaynerchuk: Business is changing and if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left behind. And that’s putting it nicely. What Joel is saying is that if we don’t change, our companies will go out of business, and we ourselves will become unemployable. Scary stuff, yes, but the good news is the book has the answers to avoid these problems. Both Joel (and authors like… -
KnowledgeBlocks Giveaway: The One Thing
21 May 2013 | 7:25 amTweet If I were to ask my husband to make a “to-do” list of the things he wants to get done over the weekend, the list would top out at around 20 items. On it would be anything from cleaning out the garage and going to the bank…to moving our garden to the east side of the yard and building a new set of stairs. Over the 16 years we’ve been married, I’ve been a witness to his inability to whittle that list down to something manageable many times, and the inevitable result that he gets none of those 20 things done because he is overwhelmed and distracted. He wants… -
Reinventing You
20 May 2013 | 10:39 amTweet“What do people think of you? What do they say when you leave the room?” Maybe you don’t think you have a brand. Hopefully you don’t think that. As Dorie Clark demonstrates in her new book, Reinventing You, taking control of your professional future hinges on your acceptance and understanding of your current brand, and your ability to take control of where that brand is going. OK—we can call it a reputation, if that makes you feel better. As Clark points out early on, we simply can’t afford to disregard the impact that our personal brand has on our success. The idea that you… -
Friday Links
17 May 2013 | 12:38 pmTweetFor your weekend perusal, here is another installment of Friday Links ➻ Calvin Ried’s coverage of the BISG’s MIP (The Book Industry Study Group’s Making Information Pay Conference) 2013: A New World of Big Data, Complexity and Collaboration for Publishers Weekly yesterday was a treasure of interesting insights: BISG executive director Len Vlahos gave an overview of “The Digital Consumer” using data from its “Consumer Attitudes Towards E-book Reading Survey,” in particular looking at the behavior of “Power Buyers” or consumers who buy at least one e-book a… -
ChangeThis: Issue 105
15 May 2013 | 11:33 amTweet Monster Loyalty: How to Build Customer Loyalty like Lady Gaga by Jackie Huba “While known as much for her voice as for her over-the-top wardrobe, few recognize Lady Gaga for her stunning business acumen, which has earned her legions of loyal fans worldwide.” Brains Favor the Ridiculously In Charge Leader by Henry Cloud, Ph.D “Leaders must establish some key boundaries in some very key areas if they want to get results. And, thanks to brain research, we now can scientifically get a peek into why the leaders who do establish these kinds of boundaries get the results that they…
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Duffbert's Random Musings
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Book Review - What I've Learned... So Far Part III: Banjos, Boats And Butt Dialing by Mike Ball
20 May 2013 | 5:41 amI was recently offered the book What I've Learned... So Far Part III: Banjos, Boats & Butt Dialing by Mike Ball for reading and reviewing. I know I end up turning down most of the offers I get for review copies because I'm so far behind in reading and reviewing, but it's hard to turn down a book that can somehow link banjos, boats, and butt dialing in a title. It also helped in that he delivered on it. I've never heard of Mike Ball, but it's probably easiest to think of him as a male version of Erma Bombeck. I don't think that's an insult, as he's referred to on the title as the… -
Book Review - Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection by A. J. Jacobs
19 May 2013 | 9:05 amI've always been amused by people who are health fanatics following some particular trend or fad that promises to fix every issue known to medical science. A. J. Jacobs decided to follow all the health advice he could find for a year, and the result is his book Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection. With the type of humor displayed in his prior books, Jacobs shows just how impossible it is to follow all the health advice out there (or even a small part of it). Ultimately, you'll be dead anyway... You could probably look at Jacobs as being the everyday version of… -
Book Review - The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don't by Nate Silver
19 May 2013 | 8:00 amNate Silver is the current rock star of statistics and predictions based on the overwhelming accuracy of his forecasts in the 2012 election results. His book The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don't does a good job in explaining the fundamentals of statistics, probability, and predictions. If society understood these concepts, we'd spend far less time arguing from polarized positions "supported by facts"... Contents: A Catastrophic Failure of Prediction; Are You Smarter Than a Television Pundit?; All I Care About Is W's and L's; For Yours You've… -
Book Review - Learning to Play With a Lion's Testicles: Unexpected Gifts From the Animals of Africa by Melissa Haynes
15 May 2013 | 7:32 pmThis book had me in tears, both by laughter and emotional impact... Learning to Play With a Lion's Testicles: Unexpected Gifts From the Animals of Africa by Melissa Haynes. The title was enough to intrigue me into considering it for reading and reviewing. It didn't take long before I knew it was a great decision. Haynes went to South Africa to volunteer on a wild game reserve, seeking to find some perspective and purpose in her life. What sounded like an adventure quickly turned into a stubborn contest of wills between her and the park ranger, nicknamed the Drill Sergeant, who didn't much… -
Book Review - Judaism For Dummies by Rabbi Ted Falcon PhD and David Blatner
12 May 2013 | 6:28 pmThis was a book that I had put on my library "to be read" list, but decided that getting it via Amazon Vine was faster and better... Judaism For Dummies by Rabbi Ted Falcon PhD and David Blatner. I felt this was a *perfect* example of what Dummies titles are good for... context on a complex topic, enough so that you know where to go for more information. Toss in a fair amount of humor along the way, and I had a great time reading this (while learning lots). Contents: Introduction Part 1 - What Jews Generally Believe: That's Funny, You Don't Look Jewish - Who's a Jew and Why; It's…
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Three Percent - Article
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Latest Review: "There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister’s Husband, and He Hanged Himself: Love Stories" by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya
21 May 2013 | 7:00 amThe latest addition to our Reviews Section is by Brendan Riley on There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister’s Husband, and He Hanged Himself: Love Stories by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, from Penguin. Brendan has written reviews for Three Percent in the past, and has worked for many years as a teacher, translator, editor, and writer. Brendan’s translations include works by Juan Velasco, Álvaro Enrigue, Juan Filloy, and Carlos Fuentes. Petrushevskaya’s previous collection published in English, There Once Lived A Woman Who Tried To Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby (Penguin Books),… -
"The Black Spider" by Jeremias Gotthelf [Books I'm Excited About]
16 May 2013 | 7:00 amI think it was two summers ago that I was last in Chicago for the annual Goethe Institut Helen and Kurt Wolff Translation Prize Extravaganza. (I love these gatherings. The award ceremony, the people involved with German literature, the panels, etc. It always seems to be a beautiful couple days weather-wise as well, which makes the whole series of events even cooler. Hopefully I can get invited back sometime . . .) Anyway, at that last Extravaganza, Susan Bernofsky was telling me that she was translating the creepiest book that she’d ever worked on—something called The Black… -
Japanese Literature in English [New Cool Things, Part III]
15 May 2013 | 11:00 amAnother favorite translator—Allison Powell—has just launched Japanese Literature in English, a website that plays to all of my databasing and list making impulses. japanese literature in english is a searchable database that compiles all literary works translated from japanese to english and available in the united states (with some exceptions). entries are still being added, and suggestions for inclusion are welcome. You can search by author, title, translator, subject, publication date, and publisher, and can click on various tags, such as “japanese americans,… -
New Vessel Press [New Cool Things, Part II]
15 May 2013 | 8:45 amOne of the exciting new trends in publishing is the consolidation of mega-companies to create a totally misbalanced marketplace that mimics the unequal distribution of wealth in America that anyone who loves freedom obviously agrees with. Well, that or the new ways that international titles are finding their way into the U.S., especially in the form of ebooks brought to you by young, exciting companies like Frisch & Co. (more on them tomorrow) and New Vessel Press. Oh, and fuck your corporation. Or, in the immortal words of Stephen Malkmus, “Force fed integration from the… -
The Buenos Aires Review [New Cool Things, Part I]
15 May 2013 | 7:14 amI’ve been a bit checked out the past few weeks with event upon event, travels to London and L.A. and New York (twice), final papers to grade, illnesses to overcome, soccer to geek out about, etc., etc. But now that it’s summertime (I only have one grade left to enter), it’s about time to get back into talking up interesting books (HOLY SHIT DO I LOVE TRAVELER OF THE CENTURY), commenting on the book publishing industry (like the fact that I’m so glad the number of publishers’ branded readers communities is about to explode . . . and inevitably implode, since most…
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HBR.org
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How to Create True Customer Advocates
22 May 2013 | 9:00 amWho sells your products or services? This may seem like a silly question, the answer being of course, the sales & marketing team. But increasingly, the most important person selling what you're offering is — your customer. More specifically, your customer advocates. And, as buyers increasingly expect to learn about products and services from their peers who are using them, companies are getting more creative at putting their happy customers in front of those buyers. The forms that this kind of community marketing can take are varied, and might include straightforward references and… -
The Rise of Virtual Brick-and-Mortars
22 May 2013 | 8:00 amEver since Amazon's Price App appeared on the retail scene some 18 months ago, pundits have prophesized the demise of big-box retailers. There's no question that Amazon's innovation went right for the jugular of any volume- and price-focused retailer selling commodity goods like consumer electronics and household wares. Indeed, retailers from Best Buy and Target to Bed Bath & Beyond, PetSmart, and Toys R Us are in danger of becoming mere showrooms for Amazon and its ilk. But innovative retailers are responding to this threat by turning "showrooming" to their own advantage. One obvious… -
Hire Yourself a Great First Manager
22 May 2013 | 7:00 amWhether you are just graduating with a Bachelor's, MBA, or some other graduate degree, you have probably heard how hard it is to find a job. But before you to take any opportunity that comes your way, stop and think: Far worse than continuing to look for a while longer is having a job with a bad boss, who won't just make you miserable in the short term. In fact, a poor manager can have a seriously negative impact on your career. This is particularly true for your first job after graduation. Without a sense of what your abilities are, a bad boss can make you feel trapped in self-doubt and… -
The Real 800-Pound Gorilla of Presenteeism
22 May 2013 | 6:00 amMost speakers dread the time slot right after lunch, with good reason. The nodding heads and half-mast eyelids are usually blamed on the energy-sapping process of digestion combined with a satisfied state of relaxation. However, published data indicate that 25% of the audience is losing the battle to stay awake for an additional reason; that's the percentage of people who suffer, at some level, from sleep-disordered breathing. They're not just experiencing a post-prandial lull. They are being drawn toward full-blown REM sleep — and have been from the time they got out of bed that… -
Embrace the Business Model That Threatens You
22 May 2013 | 5:00 amIf your company is already well established and has smart management, it is likely that it will become a hybrid in the next ten years, blending its legacy business with a new business model that is rising to threaten it. Take Walmart, for example. After suffering several years of Amazon's online hegemony, Walmart responded with a hybrid approach. Merchandise ordered online can now be drop-shipped for same-day pickup at local stores. This and other creative solutions have driven over $9 billion of online sales to Walmart. (It's no surprise that Amazon — which has no physical stores…
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Books on the Nightstand
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BOTNS #231: Unlikeable Characters
21 May 2013 | 5:48 pmThis week: May short-story read-along, a new Q&A feature, our thoughts on “unlikeable characters,” and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. I’ve announced the May Short Story Read-along, To Do by Jennifer Egan. We’d love your participation. Head on over, read the story, and then see if you can write a story in “list” format. The best way to share your story is to post it on your own blog, tumblr, or in a Google Doc, and put the link in the comments of the read-along post. If your story is very short, you can post it in the comments, but be aware that… -
My week in short stories #19
18 May 2013 | 5:55 pmThere was no theme to my reading this week, and I chose my stories more or less on a whim. Aside from my classmate’s story that I had to critique, this is what I read: The week began with “Born of Man and Woman,” an incredibly disturbing story by Richard Matheson. This book was recommended by our friend Eric Kibler. Coincidentally, I read this the day after the three missing Cleveland women were found. There are just enough similarities in setting that an indelible line formed in my mind between the story and the news. I wasn’t able to find the story online at a… -
BOTNS #230: Paula McLain and Nichole Bernier from Booktopia Vermont
14 May 2013 | 6:00 pmThis week, we’re pleased to bring you the first two author talks from Booktopia Vermont. Paula McLain and Nichole Bernier were delightful and entertaining. Enjoy! -
My week in short stories #18
12 May 2013 | 4:29 pmAt Books on the Nightstand, we’re dubbing 2013 “The Year of the Short Story.” In celebration, Ann is reading one story a day, for the entire year. We’ll also be highlighting new story collections, lit magazines, and online resources for short fiction. Below are links to all of our posts tagged “Project Short Story” Before I talk about the stories I read this week, a few items to note: 1. The May Short Story Read-along has been posted. I suspect I may have been a bit too subtle in my post: I want you to read the story and then write one in a similar vein. Yes, that’s… -
BOTNS #229: Books Into Movies, Movies on to Books
7 May 2013 | 6:00 pmMichael’s Short Story Month reading plan. What movies do to books, good and bad. Plus we recommend the new books from Claire Messud and David Sedaris. May is Short Story Month Ann’s been reading a short story a day, all year. That was too much for me to commit to, so I’m just doing it for the month of May, which is Short Story Month. I’ve collected all of the books I’m pulling the stories from onto one shelf in Goodreads, though of course, I’ll read other things that catch my eye, including the May Short Story Read-Along. One of the books I talk about, I…
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Omnivoracious
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Dick Lehr: On Whitey Bulger and the Upcoming Trial of the Century
22 May 2013 | 1:08 pmToday he's known simply as WHITEY -- the Boston gangster whose epic crime story has become the stuff of history. It's not just he's a stone-cold, hands-on killer (he faces 19 murder charges); or his longevity (he's now 83, and his underworld reign covered decades). He's made history because he brought the Boston FBI to its knees, corrupting FBI agents so they acted as his palace guard and protected him from rivals in the underworld and from other police agencies seeking to bust him. Whitey Bulger has become America's most notorious crime boss because he's at… -
YA Wednesday: "Gorgeous" Paul Rudnick
22 May 2013 | 11:00 amAs a screenwriter, Paul Rudnick has some big hit movies under his belt and now he’s put his cinematic savvy to good use in his first young adult novel that we picked as a Best Teen book of May, Gorgeous. In Gorgeous, Rudnick skewers Hollywood and our beauty-obsessed world with an over-the-top (in a good way) twist on the Cinderella story. In Rudnick’s version, Cinderella-–or Becky, in this case--is an unremarkable girl living with her obese mother in a Missouri trailer park who is offered the promise of irresistible beauty by the most famous fashion designer… -
Bestselling Fantasy Author Raymond E. Feist on Thirty Years of Writing
21 May 2013 | 11:31 amNot many authors can claim to have had a wide readership for thirty years, but that’s exactly the milestone fantasy writer Raymond E. Feist celebrates this year. Back in 1982, Feist wrote his first novel Magician, a story about an orphan boy named Pug who is thrust by a war into captivity in an alien world, only to rise to become a Master magician. That novel introduced readers to Midkemia and the Riftwars, an epic series of battles between Good and Evil. It also began a rather remarkable run during which Feist’s success has outlasted that of many of his contemporaries. Fittingly, after… -
Writer's Blues: Bill Cheng, Author of "Southern Cross the Dog"
21 May 2013 | 2:00 amWhen eight-year-old Robert Chatham loses everything to the fast waters of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, he lights out across the country, a refugee seeking shelter with (and from) a Homeric cast of misfits, hucksters, and ne’er-do-wells: the ladies of a "hotel" of ill repute; a piano player whose talent for the blues matches his seemingly supernatural powers of healing; a close-knit clan of trappers, living in swampland itself marked for flooding, behind the wall of a WPA dam. Wherever he finds himself, Robert's gripped and propelled by his fear of the devil closing in… -
Nebula Award Winners Announced: Kim Stanley Robinson, Nancy Kress, and More
20 May 2013 | 12:44 pmThis weekend in San Jose, California, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announced the winners of the Nebula Award, given for excellence in SF/F. Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312 won for best novel, confirming Omni’s prediction that Robinson was among the favorites. The full list of winners is: Novel: 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK) Novella: After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, Nancy Kress (Tachyon) Novelette: “Close Encounters,” Andy Duncan (The Pottawatomie Giant & Other Stories) Short Story: “Immersion,” Aliette de Bodard…
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GalleyCat
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Score That Job: Hachette Book Group
22 May 2013 | 11:07 amDo you have the New York Times Best Seller list memorized? Do you have a passion for books and want to get into the publishing business? In this episode of “Score That Job,” career expert, author and mediabistro editor Vicki Salemi sat down with Andrea Weinzimer of Hachette Book Group to get the inside dirt on what they’re looking for in a candidate. Here a few tips — know the industry and know which authors they publish (hint: rhymes with James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, David Sedaris…). Or just watch the video. You can view our other MediabistroTV productions… -
Lydia Davis Wins £60,000 Man Booker International Prize
22 May 2013 | 9:59 amLydia Davis has won the fifth Man Booker International Prize, chosen from among nine finalists. The announcement was made at Victoria and Albert Museum in London. We’ve included the complete list of finalists below. Here’s more from the official release: The Prize, worth £60,000, is awarded for an achievement in fiction on the world stage and Davis’s achievements are writ large despite often using startlingly few words (some of her longer stories only stretch to two or three pages). Her work has the brevity and precision of poetry. Sir Christopher Ricks, chairman of… -
Newly Discovered Pearl S. Buck Novel Coming
22 May 2013 | 9:47 amA 40-year-old unpublished Pearl S. Buck manuscript was recently discovered in storage, and Open Road Integrated Media and InkWell Management will team up to publish the book. The Eternal Wonder will be published on October 22, bringing the Pulitzer & Nobel Prize-winning author’s newly discovered work as a digital book and paperback. Open Road already publishes 28 backlist books by Buck, including The Big Wave and The Good Earth. Here’s more about the book, from the release: The Eternal Wonder, an Open Road E-riginal, is a personal and passionate fictional exploration… -
Penguin Settles for $75 Million in eBook Pricing Suit
22 May 2013 | 9:10 amPenguin will pay $75 million in damages and “costs and fees to resolve all antitrust claims relating to eBook pricing”–settling with 33 state attorneys general and consumers in a suit led by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro. The suit revolved around allegations of price fixing with the agency model for eBook pricing. The publisher issued a brief statement: Penguin has also committed to the State Attorneys General to abide by the same injunctive relief as previously agreed in a separate settlement with the Department of Justice. In anticipation of reaching this agreement, Pearson… -
Amazon To Allow Writers To Sell Fan Fiction
22 May 2013 | 8:58 amAmazon Publishing has reached out to fan fiction writers with Kindle Worlds, a platform allowing authors to write fan fiction based on someone else’s work and share royalties with the rights holders. Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment division will work with Amazon on the program, letting fans write about Cecily von Ziegesar‘s Gossip Girl, Sara Shepard‘s Pretty Little Liars and L.J. Smith‘s Vampire Diaries. Fan fiction writers can publish their own work about these stories in the Kindle Store. The program launches in June. Here’…
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The Writing Life
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You Can Make A Difference
8 May 2013 | 9:51 amDo you want to make a difference in the lives of others? P.K. Hallinan, author of 90 children's books that have sold almost ten million copies, identifies a key need for people: to have a life which makes a difference in others. Hallinan boils it down to five steps: 1. Work hard 2. Go in the strength you have. 3. Finish what you start. 4. Be patient. 5. Help others along the way. Through a combination of personal stories, the stories of others and solid how-to information, Hallinan packs a punch in every chapter of this easy-to-read book. As he says on page 24, "You have one life, and this is… -
The Power of Teaching
7 May 2013 | 4:34 pmWhile it was many years ago, to me, I can remember it as though it was yesterday. I was a sophomore in high school, my English teacher Mr. Smith suggested that I might like to join the high school newspaper. He noticed something in my writing and recommended this extracurricular activity. I took action and became a sports writer on the paper. This sports position was the only one available. I wasn’t active in sports so had to learn everything such as the terminology and the most basic of writing skills. Yet I loved it. I enjoyed observing the games and interviewing the players and the coach… -
Laugh Out Loud Funny
4 May 2013 | 9:59 amI love reading about unusual experiences and occupations. You learn the inside of the hotel industry in HEADS IN BEDS. Tomsky started in the New Orleans hotel business and during this lively book moves into New York City. The book is peppered with advice and yet the writing is exceptional. Yes, at times a bit profane but still fascinating writing. On my way to New York, I was reading HEADS IN BEDS. Many people try to use a story to get an upgraded room when they check into a New York hotel. According to the author, these stories do not work. He worked for years as a front desk manager and… -
The Holy Grail for Authors
30 Apr 2013 | 10:53 amEvery business has a pinnacle of success. It is the ultimate mark of achievement. In book publishing, much of this mark of success is tied to winning a particular award or getting your book on a particular bestseller list. The ultimate bestseller list is to see your book on the New York Times bestseller list.. If you study this particular group of authors, you will notice the same names repeatedly land on this list. When an author lands on the New York Times list, the achievement is forever carried with their publishing life. They are introduced as a New York Times bestselling author. -
Get A Top PR Firm to Market Your Book
16 Apr 2013 | 6:01 pmWhat if in less than 18 months, you could accomplish the following without spending one red cent of your own money? Have a major PR firm representing you and getting you booked on... * ABC World News * National Public Radio (NPR) * Oprah & Friends * 63 major radio stations And then... What if companies like Coca-Cola, Wachovia, Yahoo, Toyota, Sony Pictures plus other Fortune 500's and leading non-profits offered to... * Buy 50,000 copies of your self-published book every year* Make it possible for you to get $500,000 in advances for your next book, * Pay you fat speaking fees for 65…
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Storytellers Unplugged
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FORENSICS 165: OUTDOING THE DOGS
19 May 2013 | 5:57 amThis essay might be of special interest to writers of detective and mystery novels who would like to enrich their stories by providing their readers with a gift of extra details. It might also be of general interest to many other readers, especially those who are CSI and NCIS fans. Smithereen is a powerful word. If one reads that something has been broken, it usually conjures an image of something that can be fixed and made useful again. If one reads that something has been smashed to smithereens, however, it conjures an image of tiny fragments of what is now utterly useless. There are… -
Bartleby and me
17 May 2013 | 2:00 amAfter a long hiatus while working on other things, I’ve finally reached a place in my schedule where I can focus on a novel again. I’m not exactly starting from scratch: I have a 3000-word chapter that was thoroughly critiqued by some writer friends a couple of years ago and a fairly solid idea of where to go next. I went on a research trip to an important location a couple of months ago and took along the video camera to film the locale. I know the main character quite well, because I’ve written about him before, though only one short story featuring him has been published,… -
Thomas Sullivan: CRYING IN YOUR CARROT JUICE AND THE MYSTERY CURSE
15 May 2013 | 12:23 pmWho says the cost of education is out of sight? All you have to do is write a Q&A column and readers will send you a Doctorate’s worth of stories and thought-provoking new Q’s. A writer couldn’t ask for more education than that. Here are some of your most interesting posers, including straight writer Qs, generalities about this here scribe, and at least one intriguing corker I found challenging to answer. Q [Brooklyn, NY]: Which do you like writing best, humor or horror? A: Humor. But that’s just who I am. If you break the labels down, the gap narrows. One of those… -
I WRITE IN PAJAMA PANTS. HOW ABOUT YOU?
3 May 2013 | 10:57 amThis month – a little quiz. My favorite column in The Writer each month is HOW I WRITE. In fact, I flip straight to the back of the magazine while carrying it in from the mailbox because HOW I WRITE is always the last thing to be found between the pages. Like the name implies, a featured author (different each issue) answers a series of simple questions and takes you step by step through their own personal method for creating new work, which usually includes spilling the beans about their daily habits and writing schedule. This passing glimpse into another writer’s world is comforting… -
A Question of Character
30 Apr 2013 | 8:14 amIn the process of writing fiction as we know it, things have always been in flux – what comes first, the plot, the idea behind the plot, the problem, the setting, the character?? Which single one of those informs all the rest to the point of being given first billing, of being considered the most important, the most essential, tool? One of the basic definitions of a story (and there are many) is A Character With A Problem. And essentially this is where I pause and nod my head slowly – because for me, that is precisely correct, exactly the order in which things tend to come to…
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Paulo Coelho's Blog
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Our scars
21 May 2013 | 5:55 pmby Pramiti Sapru Scars; they seem so beautiful at times. I’ve got many, deep and shallow. They aren’t self-inflicted, well consciously they aren’t. They cover my arms, my legs, even my fingers are painted with them. To others it might seem like a cry for help or a careless attitude but for me it’s my [...] -
Blog changes
20 May 2013 | 4:36 amAs you noticed, the blog changed its visual. Suphi did a great job, but there are probably a lot of things that we missed. So please list your comments/suggestions/etc. below Love Paulo -
Our magic moment
19 May 2013 | 7:04 pmEvery day, God gives us the sun – and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day, we try to pretend that we haven’t perceived the moment, that it doesn’t exist – that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as [...] -
Having fun today
19 May 2013 | 3:58 pm -
5 books that changed your life?
19 May 2013 | 4:53 amReading the comments on my post The 50 books that changed the world , I think it is a good idea to ask the following question, so you can share with others: 5 books that changed your life? 5 livros que mudaram sua vida? 5 libros que cambiarán tu vida List them in the comment [...]
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Advanced Fiction Writing
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It’s A Outrage!
16 May 2013 | 11:41 pm“It’s a outrage!” my plumber Sam bellowed through the phone. I held the phone as far from my ear as I could. “Um, Sam, what’s this about? I paid that invoice of yours.” “I ain’t talking about that and you know it. You gone and double-crossed me!” Given the massive amount of money Sam has overcharged me over the years for his dubious plumbing skills, I thought that was a bit ironic. “How have I double-crossed you?” “I seen it just now on Goodreads! You went and … put up a free copy of that danged book of yers.”… -
What If Your Story Is Unconvincing?
10 May 2013 | 2:19 pmWhat if you’re halfway through your novel and it just doesn’t feel convincing? Do you scrub the project? Keep wallowing on through the muck? How do you know what’s right? Annick posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page: I’ve had a story theme that I’ve wanted to write as a novel for 4-5 years. My first breakthrough was discovering your Snowflake method, which really helped me to get started, define where I wanted to go, and how I was going to get there (eternally grateful)… The trouble is, now I’m half way through my… -
Those Pesky Editing Paradigms
26 Apr 2013 | 12:56 pmWhat’s the right way to edit your novel? Or … is there a right way? Noah posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page: I am an amateur writer, and have no idea when to begin revisions. Should I start revising the first part of my writing part way through, or begin revision once I am finished with the whole work? Randy sez: This is a good question, and there’s no one right answer that works for everybody. If you’ve read my book Writing Fiction For Dummies, I have a chapter on Creative Paradigms. A Creative Paradigm is a method of getting a… -
Amazonopoly
18 Apr 2013 | 3:49 pm“We got to break that Amazonopoly before it kills us all.” My plumber Sam wiped his greasy hands on his coveralls. “Amazonopoly?” I looked over Sam’s shoulder at the pinhole leak in the valve under my sink that was fizzing a thin spray of water. Sam is a big 300 pound teddy bear of a guy who suddenly became an expert on the publishing industry when he found out I’m a novelist. “Amazon is gonna crush you if you ain’t careful.” Sam grabbed a pipe wrench, leaned in under the sink, and began banging experimentally on the drywall. “Hmmm,… -
Defining the Target Audience for Your Fiction
21 Nov 2012 | 3:26 pmSo you’re writing a novel and your critique buddies want to know who your “target audience” is. What do you tell them? Nee posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page: Hello Randy, I am a newbie at the writing. A new “writer” friend insists I must know my audience and for whom I am writing BEFORE I start my story – so I will know what those readers will be expecting/anticipating in my story. HOW can I know this concept? Right now, I’m writing a fictional piece because I’m having fun telling a simple Baby-Boomer…
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ReadersRead.com Book Blog
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Sharon Osbourne to Publish Children's Book Called Mama Hook Knows Best
22 May 2013 | 1:44 pmSharon Osbourne is publishing a children's for Disney Publishing called Mama Hook Knows Best: A Pirate Parent's Favorite Fables. The character is an extension of Osbourne's character from the hit Disney Junior series Jake and the Never Land Pirates. It will arrive in stores in fall 2013 and will be soldwith an audio CD featuring original narration by Sharon Osbourne. It will also be available in ebook form. The book follows Mama Hook as she reminisces about her great adventures sailing the Never Sea and the stories she told her son Captain Hook when he was a young boy. Sharon said in a… -
2013 Children's Choice Book Award Winners Announced
17 May 2013 | 1:00 pmThe winners of the 2013 Children's Choice Book Awards have been announced by the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader. The winners were announced a charity gala benefitting Every Child a Reader in New York City. This was the sixth annual CCBAs. Here is a list of the winners: Author of the Year: Jeff Kinney for Diary of a Wimpy Kid 7: The Third Wheel (Amulet Books/Abrams) Illustrator of the Year: Robin Preiss Glasser for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet (HarperCollins Children's Books) Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year: Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta, illustrated… -
Martin Short to Publish Memoir With Harper
14 May 2013 | 3:00 pmComedian and actor Martin Short has announced plans to publish his memoir with Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The memoir will be published in 2014. The autobiography is Martin's first book. Short will discuss his life and his forty-plus years in show business. It will cover his childhood in Hamilton, Canada. It will also cover his early years at SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Short will also discuss his films, including The Three Amigos and Father of the Bride. Short said in a statement, "Although I've never read a book all the way through, I'm sure excited to write one. And… -
Zendaya Signs Book Deal With Disney Publishing
13 May 2013 | 7:24 pmZendaya, the star of Disney's Shake It Up!, has signed a book deals with Disney-Hyperion. She will pen an advice book, called Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and Confidence, which will arrive in bookstores in August. The book was co-written with Sheryl Berk. Between U and Me will will provide advice for navigating the tween years. It will also include personal photos, anecdotes, recipes, playlists, doodles, and advice from Zendaya's team of experts. Zendaya says, "The tween years can be really fun and exciting, but they can also be a tough time in a girl's life. -
Eoin Colfer Launches New Book Series Called WARP
10 May 2013 | 4:00 pmEoin Colfer, the bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series, has launched a new series, called WARP. The first book in the series, WARP Book 1: The Reluctant Assassin, debuted May 7 with a 750,000 first printing. The series is published by Disney-Hyperion. Colfer is going on a nine-city tour in the U.S. later this month to promote the book. Colfer said in a statement, "WARP, which stands for 'Witness Anonymous Relocation Program,' is an action-adventure series full of mayhem, magic, and murder - with a villain to die for. I think of this series as Oliver Twist meets The Matrix." In the…
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Living 2 Read
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An Escape
17 May 2013 | 2:09 pmWe all have times in our lives when we need a book to give us a temporary respite from reality, and that's what Charlotte Link's The Other Childgave me. Nothing works better at those times than a British murder mystery. Don't ask me to empathize, don't ask me to analyze, just lure me in with two murders (same killer? copycat?), a charming (but menacing?) farm in rural Yorkshire, a host of characters whose back stories slowly unfold as motives and clues swirl around. The narrative stretches backward to World War II, when London children were evacuated to the countryside to avoid the Blitz, and… -
Undercover
3 Apr 2013 | 2:13 pmI think there was part of me that always wanted to be a spy. Years ago I turned down an offer to work at NSA, and perhaps I was secretly expecting a tap on the shoulder from CIA. That may explain why Ian McEwan's Sweet Toothappealed to me. It's the late 60's and the tap on shoulder of Cambridge grad Serena Frome (rhymes with plume) comes from her older lover, a Cambridge professor. She is hired by MI5, the domestic counterespionage service. (Note to the esteemed Mr. McEwan: if you want your character's name to be pronounced Frume why don't you just spell it that way?). Like virtually all the… -
I've Been Sequestered
18 Mar 2013 | 5:09 pmYes, I've been sequestered with Patrick Melrose. At least that's how it feels. Once I read Edward St. Aubyn's first book about the fictional Patrick Melrose, “Never Mind”, I was compelled to keep going. How could a writer create such a poisonous family dynamic, in which five-year-old Patrick is a helpless pawn, and still find a way to make me laugh out loud? How could I want to read more about a father like this: “He was determined to harden the calluses of disappointment and develop the skill of detachment in his son. After all, what else did he have to offer him?”. A father whose… -
A Year in the Life
27 Feb 2013 | 5:21 pmSometimes what leads me to a book is a straight line, sometimes it's a long twisted path, but this time it was somewhere in between. I loved David Mitchell's “Cloud Atlas', so I tried “The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet” but I just couldn't get into it. So much for David Mitchell, said I. But then I listened to the podcast of the Slate Audio Book Club where they discussed “Cloud Atlas”. (These podcasts are very entertaining, and I loved the latest one where they discussed “”Pride and Prejudice” on the occasion of its 200thbirthday). They enjoyed "Cloud Atlas"but all of them… -
Home Again, Home Again
11 Feb 2013 | 3:50 pmThere was a time in 2009 where it felt as if everyone I knew was reading “Olive Kitteridge”, Elizabeth Strout's book about the residents of the small community of Crosby on the coast of Maine. Strout created a series of interlocking stories, some in which Olive is the main character and others in which she stays on the periphery, which sketched with deft strokes the strengths, the flaws, and the complicated inner lives of various residents.In her latest book The Burgess Boys Maine itself, specifically Shirley Falls, becomes one of her characters. The Burgess boys – Jim and Bob – are…
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RobAroundBooks
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Totally Fitzgerald: Retyping The Great Gatsby
17 May 2013 | 9:00 amWell, today sees the UK cinema launch of Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. For weeks now we’ve been bombarded with all of the hype, the interviews, the shiny pictures and video footage of the film, and unless you’ve been living in a cave then you’ll know that the world has gone a little bit Gatsby crazy. But of course many bookish types have been Gatsby crazy for years now. We know the power of that which lies in the novel’s slender packaging, and we have long revelled in the deliciousness of Fitzgerald’s prose. To date I’ve read The Great… -
Introducing ‘Totally Fitzgerald’
17 May 2013 | 8:58 amBack in February/March you barely heard a peep from me, and for good reason. You see I had become totally absorbed with an author. I go through stages like this in my life, when I hook onto something – not always literature-related – and become so inextricably tangled and obsessed with it that I can’t seem to focus on anything else for a while. In the past this has happened with John Steinbeck, with New York City, with typewriters, with WW2 on the Eastern Front, with Laurel and Hardy and so on and so forth, and most recently it’s happened with the great F. Scott… -
Bookshelf of the Week: Real Gabinete Português de Leitura
16 Apr 2013 | 11:31 pmBuilt between 1880-1887 and occupying a site in downtown Rio de Janiero, the subject for this edition of BookShelf of the Week is the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (Royal Portuguese Reading Room). The stunning image of the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, as captured by Brice Bonneau, shows at once the majesty and magnificence of the interior, as it stretches throughout its four stories from floor to ceiling, further emphasising the majesty of the place. And topping it off is the most breathtaking of skylights coupled with chandelier, which ensures that visitors have the perfect… -
Short Story Review: ‘Faithful Wife’ by Morley Callaghan
16 Apr 2013 | 12:31 pmStory Title: Faithful Wife by Morley Callaghan Collection/Anthology?: Read from the New Yorker archive, issue dated December 28, 1929 (subscription required). Briefly: George is working his final week on the lunch counter at the station restaurant. He has long felt somewhat anonymous, as is the case with many people who are in these types of jobs, but it doesn’t stop him looking at and admiring all the pretty girls passing through, while he clings to the hope that one day he will be noticed. One girl in particular has taken George’s fancy, and while working his final shift he… -
Introducing ‘Totally Callaghan’
16 Apr 2013 | 12:30 pmYou know when you read something by an author that you’ve never read before and everything just feels right? You connect with his/her writing immediately. You find yourself hanging on every word that’s set before you. You feel as though you and the author are linked as kindred spirits. Well, this is exactly how I felt the first time I read Morley Callaghan a couple of weeks back, and it’s a feeling that’s stuck with me. I’d originally been put on to the Canadian author by Joe Queenan. In his book One for the Books. Queenan talks briefly about a memoir by Morley Callaghan that…
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The Millions
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Inherent Vice’s Star-Studded Cast
22 May 2013 | 11:00 amPaul Thomas Anderson’s movie adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice is going to have one heck of a star-studded cast. Among the names attached to the production thus far are Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short and Sean Penn. The film is tentatively scheduled for a 2014 release. (Bonus: Take a sneak peek at Pynchon’s forthcoming novel, Bleeding Edge.) Related posts: New Thomas Pynchon Teaser Hot off the press: the first page of Thomas Pynchon’s... McSweeney’s Newspaper Issue Preview McSweeney’s offers a nine-page sneak peek at its… -
Once You See It
22 May 2013 | 9:00 amPresented Without Comment: the newly unveiled logo for the newly enacted College Football Playoff and the new poster for Lars von Trier’s latest film, Nymphomaniac. Related posts: “Jawline of an aircraft carrier” “It’s like a crackpot combination of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, Ingmar... College Football, Academics, and Great Journalism College football season is upon us, and I’d be remiss... The Irish Console The Irish Over at Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Nick Curley prescribes “five passages... -
The Nobel Isn’t Everything
22 May 2013 | 8:00 amWole Soyinka does not approve of the push for Chinua Achebe to be awarded a posthumous Nobel Prize for Literature, and he doesn’t appreciate fan letters asking for his support to that end. “How did creative valuation descend to such banality?” Soyinka remarks in an interview with SaharaReporters. “Do these people know what they’re doing – they are inscribing Chinua’s epitaph in the negative mode of thwarted expectations. I find that disgusting.” Related posts: The Nobel goes to Harold Pinter It’s been a busy week on the awards circuit. What... Facebook’s… -
The Common in the City Party
22 May 2013 | 7:08 amTonight! Celebrate 3 years with The Common. You can still buy tickets to this elegant lit party here. André Aciman reads from his latest novel Harvard Square. Related posts: Party in the City Where the Book Fair’s On South Florida readers! Assuming you’re done voting by now, you... A Bookstore of Common Prayer Common dreams, common bookstores: “I went home with…the BookWoman bumper... Not Just a Book Party St. Mark’s Bookshop won their desired rent reduction, and is... -
Poe’s Back
22 May 2013 | 7:00 amAfter a period of uncertainty, Baltimore’s Edgar Allan Poe House is finally scheduled for reopening. To celebrate the victory, check out Édouard Manet’s illustrations for the French edition of “The Raven.” Related posts: Every House ‘Round Here a Poe House In a turn of events that are probably not good... The Odd Poe Out As Kevin Jackson notes in Prospect Magazine, Edgar Allan Poe... Whitman on Poe “Poe’s verses illustrate an intense faculty for technical and abstract...
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Thrillers, Horror, and Comics
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So You Want to Discover Myths?
18 May 2013 | 1:20 pmThis is a book list of actual myths, folklore and fairy tales — usually in translation. The best way to learn the myth stories, is by reading them in as close to the original format as possible. Edith Hamilton’s Mythology may be a great introduction to Greek, Roman and Norse myths, but it’s a pale shadow compared to the real stories. So You Want to Discover Myths? Interested in one or more of these books? Click the mouse on the book title to order it from your local CLEVNET library. The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian… -
The Bat vs. The Owls: Batman Begins in DC Comics New 52
24 Apr 2013 | 12:12 pmTwo years ago DC Comics did a major reboot of its entire superhero comic book line. Called the New 52, every comic book started fresh from issue number one and many heroes, like Firestorm, received major make-overs. Others, like Batman and Superman, had tweaks to bring them into a more modern age. For instance, Batman sports black and grey armor with a cowl, cape and utility belt. Gone is the “underpants on the outside” look. At the time of the reboot, Batman and Superman have been active for about five to six years. The Justice League formed about five years ago. Some comics… -
So You Want to be a Screenwriter: A Book List
11 Apr 2013 | 5:36 pmUnlike other forms of writing, when you write a screenplay, a teleplay or a stage play, your job is only just beginning. And often, the easiest part is the writing itself. It’s the rest of the job — pitching the script, doing a multitude of requested rewrites, being ignored as an advisor and generally treated worse than hired help . . . and then they send your script out to somebody you’ve never heard of who rewrites the whole thing from scratch! Nonetheless, there are people who long to get their stories up on the silver screen. These books can teach you how to write the… -
A Bad Day for Abusive Husbands — The Stella Hardesty Series
6 Apr 2013 | 11:59 amStella Hardesty is a 50-something widow who runs a sewing shop and has a side business setting abusive men straight . . . First she has a nice little sit down talk with them . . . while they’re helplessly trussed up in some questionable bondage wear. If that doesn’t work, she has a little heart-to-heart with them — usually involving bondage and pain. . . After that, they’re “on parole” and she’s not a terribly forgiving parole officer to back-sliders. As unorthodox as her “unsanctioned” methods are, Stella has a better track record than… -
In Search of a New Home: The Jacob’s Ladder Trilogy
21 Mar 2013 | 3:32 pmElizabeth Bear is a science fiction author who can satisfy that midnight craving for space opera when yet another Star Trek rerun won’t do. Discover new sights and wonders as the generation ship Jacob’s Ladder limps toward its final destination and her people must adapt . . . or die. The Jacob’s Ladder Trilogy Interested in one or more of these books? Click the mouse on the book cover to order it from your local CLEVNET library. Dust (The Jacob’s Ladder Trilogy #1) Author: Bear, Elizabeth Format: Mass Market Paperback Type: Science Fiction Novel Page Count: 368pp. Pub.
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Buzz, Balls & Hype
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Hand Yelling The Age of Desire
19 May 2013 | 11:13 amI read this evoacative, atomospheric and compelling book - a novel about a novelist - last week while on my own book tour which was an M.C. Escherish experience. I really enjoyed this intimate exploration of Edith Warton's sexual awaking even though at times I wasn't overly fond of Edith herself, or the choices she made. Which does make this an odd endorsement I suppose.But the book is fascinating for fans of Warton - since the author based so much of the story on actual letters - it was fascinating for me to learn the story of Warton's loveless marriage and the man this… -
Hand Yelling The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
14 May 2013 | 3:13 amI picked up this book with trepidation. I've been writing books about perfume for the last four years and am seeped in it. I expected to be either disappointed or jealous. I wasn't disappointed and I can't be jealous because the of hours of pleasure I got reading The Perfume Collector. Even though I guessed "the secret" almost right away - it didn't matter - the characters were so engaging and the writing so lovely. Perfume, Paris, passion, style, elegance, a certain "je ne sais quois", charm and good old fashioned storytelling along with a lump in my… -
WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOUR BOOK LAUNCH? In person! 8 Events
13 May 2013 | 8:36 am -
Hand Yelling Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell
7 May 2013 | 3:23 amI've been reading David Morrell for years. Amazed most I think by how masterful every book is. How intelligent but at the same time fast paces. How smart he is but how he never makes you stop to notice it. And how he keeps reinventing himself as an author - taking on every kind of suspense novel - and doing it as well as anyone ever has. Now he's taken on historical suspense and you will swear that he must have used a time travel machine to write Murder As a Fine Art. You will be in gaslit London... you will smell the filth.. you will walk the dark streets... you will be scared… -
Writing By Hand
5 May 2013 | 6:20 amWhen Seduction comes out on Tuesday, readers who buy the hardcover and open it will find, what I hope, will be a surprise. The endpapers (see below) show my hand written manuscript of the book along with the pen and the ink I wrote it with. Why did I write 122,833 words in ink? I love challenges, but to tell the story of Victor Hugo’s experiments with séances in his own voice? What kind of crazy idea had I come up with? Surely it was lunacy to even attempt it. I don’t have literary illusions. I had just fallen in love with Hugo’s story and wanted to tell it. What fascinated me was…
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my mind on books
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new book – ‘Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience’
20 May 2013 | 2:22 pmBrainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience by Sally Satel and Scott O. Lilienfeld (Basic Books, 2013) (kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk) Book description from the publisher: What can’t neuroscience tell us about ourselves? Since fMRI—functional magnetic resonance imaging—was introduced in the early 1990s, brain scans have been used to help politicians understand and manipulate voters, determine [...] -
new book – ‘The Art of Thinking Clearly’ by Rolf Dobelli
17 May 2013 | 12:40 pmThe Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli (Harper, 2013) (kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk) Book description from the publisher: The Art of Thinking Clearly by world-class thinker and entrepreneur Rolf Dobelli is an eye-opening look at human psychology and reasoning — essential reading for anyone who wants to avoid “cognitive errors” and make better choices [...] -
Kindle sale highlights – Big Deal at Amazon (through May 27)
16 May 2013 | 12:21 pmAmazon’s Big Deal is on through May 27, featuring over 500 titles at up to 85% off (“Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories. Amazon may modify the selection of books offered at any time.”) including: How To Think Like a Neandertal by Thomas Wynn and [...] -
new book – ‘Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H. M.’ by Suzanne Corkin
14 May 2013 | 12:07 pmPermanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H. M. by Suzanne Corkin (Basic Books, 2013) (kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk) Book description from the publisher: In 1953, 27-year-old Henry Gustave Molaison underwent an experimental “psychosurgical” procedure—a targeted lobotomy—in an effort to alleviate his debilitating epilepsy. The outcome was unexpected—when Henry awoke, he could no [...] -
The Big Deal at Amazon.com – over 500 Kindle books up to 85% off – through May 27
13 May 2013 | 1:59 pmAmazon.com: The Big Deal, thru May 27, over 500 Kindle books up to 85% off… amazon.com/gp/feature.htm… via @amazon — Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) May 13, 2013
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Boomerang Books Blog
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A Stagefright interview with Carole Wilkinson
22 May 2013 | 6:00 pmMany years ago there was a book called Stagefright. It was about a group of high school kids putting on a musical version of Shakespear’s Richard the Third. It was the first novel from a then unknown author named Carole Wilkinson. Carole has since gone on to find success with her Dragonkeeper and Ramose novels, as well as with lots of other books. Now Stagefright is back! And Carole is here to talk about it. I remember reading, and loving, the original version of Stagefright back in the mid 1990s. Could you tell us how this novel came to be ‘reborn’? It was the first book of mine to be… -
Review – Ferret on the Loose
19 May 2013 | 5:49 pmStand in the kids’ section of any library and you’ll soon discover what under 10 year old readers gravitate towards; pacey, riveting chapter books, starring jump-off-the-page characters with the odd quirky picture thrown in to keep it all real. This is precisely what New Frontier Publishing is delivering with their dynamite Little Rocket Series. Like Aussie Mates and the (now ceased) Aussie Nibbles collections, Little Rockets junior fiction is aimed at that Golden Age of reading where kids are still willing and able to suspend belief for action and fun and downright silliness. This series… -
The Green Kitchen
19 May 2013 | 2:15 amOne of my greatest gripes about being vegan (or vegetarian—the same rules apply) is also a rather politically incorrect one. That is, that it’s assumed I thrive on the smell of incense, that I have musty-smelling dreadlocks, and that I wear tie-dyed clothes. I’m not that kind of vegan, and the mis-lumping irks me no end. I’m an urban-dwelling one who’s conscious of her carbon footprint, but who is also rather conservative. You wouldn’t at a glance be able to tell me apart from meat eaters, and even if it loses me my leftie badge, I’m actually fairly ok with that (I think it’s… -
Magnificent Chookens (AKA How Far Would You Go To Obtain A Book?)
18 May 2013 | 4:07 pmHow far would you go to obtain a book? it seems, is actually more than a hypothetical. I waited for months in breathless, is-it-here-yet anticipation for a rerelease of The Magnificent Chicken: Portraits of the Fairest Fowl, a book about chickens (hereafter referred to as ‘chookens’). Those who know me know I have a bit of a thing for chookens and, coincidentally, Ira Glass (the latter wrote a special foreword to the book, which was first published in 2001). If I hadn’t been sold on a book with stellar photographs of unusual chookens, I’d have been sold on such a book that contained… -
Darth Vader and Son
17 May 2013 | 8:16 pmThere are few books more suited to the Ones I Wish I’d Written category than Jeffrey Brown’s Darth Vader and Son. A pint-sized picture book, it’s brilliantly as much a book for big kids as small ones. In fact, I suspect many a new parent who grew up with Star Wars will be buying it as a nostalgic, wry chuckle-inducing alternative to reading their kids Winnie the Pooh and Teletubbies (both of which are far less gripping and far more teeth-grindingly tedious the millionth time*). The Darth Vader and Son premise is an alternate reality in which Darth Vader is closely involved in Luke…
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AbeBooks' Reading Copy
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2013 Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar Contest
22 May 2013 | 11:43 amAre you thinking of becoming a rare bookseller? Or have you just started to sell collectible books? The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar is a week-long educational event held in Colorado Springs in August, 2013 for booksellers, librarians and collectors that offers expert discussion about rare books. The Book Seminar provides an opportunity for leading specialists to share their expertise and experience in a comprehensive survey of the rare book market, both antiquarian and modern. Basic procedures and problems are discussed both formally and informally through a series of lectures,… -
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini published today
21 May 2013 | 10:54 amSome authors churn out books nearly at the pace one would read them, but Khaled Hosseini takes his time with his craft. It has been six years, less a day, since Khaled Hosseini published A Thousand Splendid Suns; and it is one week shy of the 10th anniversary of his debut novel, The Kite Runner, but today the world can finally get its collective hands on the anticipated third novel And the Mountains Echoed Early reviews are coming in with the consensus that this third novel is just as powerful and emotional as any of Hosseini’s previous work, and that the author has grown even… -
Call The Midwife Was a Book First
17 May 2013 | 2:43 pmMy husband and I are expecting our first baby. It’s an exciting, wonderful, strange and occasionally terrifying time, as anyone who has been through it will remember. Both medically and emotionally, it’s an absolutely fascinating process that is affecting parts of my body and both of our hearts that neither of us ever expected. To alterately comfort and alarm myself, I’ve become totally immersed in the PBS Series Call The Midwife. Originally a BBC drama (and apparently, the highest-rated in BBC history), the show is utterly engrossing and fantastic. If you’ve never… -
The Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction 2013
16 May 2013 | 12:21 pmI am going to go out and say it, there are far too many book prizes given out every year. This isn’t to say that I don’t think authors deserve to be recognized for their fantastic work, it’s just that it can get a bit tedious when every day it seems that another seven prizes that I have never heard of are awarded (and I’m in the business of knowing what these prizes are). This is why I really appreciate the Wodehouse Prize, it’s hard to forget. Instead of awarding the author some small pittance in cash, the winner of the prize (which is given for the best work… -
Leporello and Concertina Books
16 May 2013 | 9:44 amThe term leporello refers to printed material folded into an accordion-pleat style. Also sometimes known as a concertina fold, it is a method of parallel folding with the folds alternating between front and back. The name likely comes from the manservant, Leporello, in Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni. Famed rogue and lover Don Giovanni (in Italian – also known as Don Juan in Spanish) has seduced so many women that when Leporello displays a tally of his conquests, it unfolds, accordion-style, into a shockingly long list. Many leporellos are used as a way of telling a story, while…
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The Contemporary Reader
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Six Worlds and a New One
1 May 2013 | 2:02 amThese are six books, the six different worlds, I have had the pleasure to read since arriving here in Manila. I've only been able to finish half of the total count. The moving AND the adjustment of moving to another place with a faster pace is stressful. The only good thing about Manila's transportation is that the 2-hour traffic gives me enough time to finish several chapters. I've loved -
A Chuvaness.com gift to welcome me in Manila!
11 Apr 2013 | 4:18 amGood Morning, Paranaque! Hay naku, Manila, it's another one of your extremely blinding hot days. I'm in Manila you guys! And everything is so busy and blinking and fast and noisy and fun and superlatively exciting! Since touching down last April 1st, everything has been strange. But you can't blame me, what's 10 days when compared to 26 years? All my life I've been in Davao. Suddenly, my plane -
Hello, Healthy-Organic! Aloha, Organic Garden!
26 Mar 2013 | 8:50 pmI love my city and its diverse shops that feature local produce! One of my favorite businesses is Aloha Organic Garden, and I was happy to see them at last week's SM Eco Fair. Their booth was bursting with varieties of herb plants in colorful pots, and their famous organic products lined neatly in shelves. What's amazing about Aloha Organic Garden is the shop is down-to-earth in its -
Books from Blink.Com.Ph!
28 Feb 2013 | 6:55 amI had no right to buy stuff I didn't budget/allot for. But online cashless shopping makes it easy to waive that right. I went ahead and splurged. I bought four books from Blink.com.ph all for PHP1,000 (free shipping). I've been using their online book shopping portal quite a bit now, even just for browsing at least once a week. If you ask me, I personally think that Blink is a treasure trove -
Ryuma Coffee Shop: Davao's Premiere Spot for Gilded Chairs & General Royal Awesomeness
13 Feb 2013 | 6:51 amA PALACE OF GOLD? IN MY DAVAO? Relax, it's just Ryuma Coffee Shop. These gilded chairs seem like those furniture from The Grand Kremlin Palace at Moscow! Really! Take it from me, I have never been there. And while my companion was choosing our orders at the counter, I sat there peacefully like a Tsarina. There's nothing like elegance, sparkly things, and good food to make you think
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About.com Bestsellers
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Wool by Hugh Howey
17 May 2013 | 10:11 amHugh Howey's science fiction thriller, Wool, started with a self-published short story. Reader demand for more led him to publish the five sections of the complete novel serially. An electronic bestseller, Wool was first published as a hardcover book in 2012 and was recently released in paperback. Find out whether all the hype is true and if Wool is a necessary addition to your summer reading: Review of Wool by Hugh Howey Wool Book Club Discussion Questions Cover Photo Courtesy Simon & Schuster -
Graduation Gift Ideas
8 May 2013 | 2:58 amKnow a recent or upcoming grad who you would like to acknowledge? These good books for recent grads make thoughtful, but affordable gifts. -
Some Ideas for Mother's Day
6 May 2013 | 2:53 amNext Sunday is Mother's Day. Here are some books from the past few years that would be great to pass on to mom. Cover Photo Courtesy Riverhead -
New Books for May
1 May 2013 | 7:04 amFrom vampires to conspiracies to Afghanistan...May brings books from favorite authors of several genres. May 2013 New Releases Calendar Cover Photo Courtesy Knopf Doubleday -
New in Paperback: Gold by Chris Cleave
29 Apr 2013 | 5:54 pmOne of our Best Books of 2012, Gold by Chris Cleave, is now available in paperback. Chris Cleave is one of my favorite authors, and this is one not to miss. Cover Photo Courtesy Simon & Schuster
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The Creative Penn
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Writing Fiction: Bring Your Characters To Life With Roz Morris
20 May 2013 | 11:26 pmPlot will carry you through a book as a reader, but the characters are usually what sticks with you after the book is finished. But how do you ensure your characters are memorable enough? Podcast Sponsor: Get a free audiobook and 14-day trial today by signing up at AudiblePodcast.com/thecreativepenn Podcast Interview: In today’s interview, I talk to Roz Morris, author of Nail Your Novel: Bring characters to life . Roz is the author of over a dozen novels as a ghostwriter and has also written ‘Memories of a Future Life’ under her own name. She has a series of books for… -
What Writers Can Learn From Dan Brown’s Inferno
17 May 2013 | 11:10 pmBack in 2000, Dan Brown changed my life. I have a Masters in Theology from the University of Oxford and religion, art history, architecture and spirituality are just some of my obsessions. Up until 2000, I thought that the only option to be a successful author in that arena was to follow in the footsteps of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. But then Dan Brown made the religious thriller mainstream and commercial and it now has a great niche all of its own, with Steve Berry, James Rollins, Scott Mariani and others writing in the genre. There are now so many options for readers like me… -
Let’s Get Visible. Cracking The Amazon Algorithms With David Gaughran
14 May 2013 | 11:45 pmThere are two main ways that people will find your books. (1) Through your book This is all about your book retailer sales page, targeted email marketing and promotions and other things that have nothing to do with your “platform”. After all, how many books do you pick up where you know nothing about the authors at all? Quite a few I’d imagine. (2) Through you This is all about your platform and how you reach people in the world. This includes content marketing, social, multimedia, PR and anything that relates to you. One thing to keep in mind when weighing up how to spend… -
5 Ways Writing Short Stories Can Boost Your Writing Career
11 May 2013 | 11:35 pmUntil a few months ago, I had never written a short story for publication. But then I was commissioned to write three for the Kobo Descent competition based on Dante’s Inferno for the launch of Dan Brown’s new book, also called Inferno. I read about 50 stories and lots of information on how to write them and then I jumped in. You can get all three stories here. It was a LOT of fun, and I experimented with a genre I haven’t written before. I wrote two dark mystery stories and one post-apocalyptic story which was something very new to me. So I know personally that short… -
You Have Permission
9 May 2013 | 1:54 amYou can’t write that. You can’t think that. You can’t imagine those things. You don’t have permission to be that person, to think like that, to write like that, to publish that. You’re a nice girl. What will people think of you? That’s my inner critic speaking, but I’ve also heard those words echoed from people close to me over the years. I think it’s only been in the last six months that I have given myself permission to let the raw side of me loose on the page. I’m finally finding my voice. It’s scary as hell because it turns out…
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PubletariatPubletariat
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Publetariat’s Back, But It’s A Work In Progress
1 May 2013 | 7:25 pmThanks to the pro-bono efforts of the very generous Shawn E. Bell, Publetariat is back online and all of the original site posts were preserved. However, while the “bones” of the site and its content are here, most of the recovered content has yet to be properly categorized into the various Departments (e.g., Sell, Write, Design, [...] -
Why, And How, Publetariat Was Hacked
1 May 2013 | 7:10 pmMany people have asked me why Publetariat has been repeatedly targeted by hackers, if this could be some kind of publishing establishment attack on indie authors in general, or if I feel I am being personally attacked. Let me reassure everyone: I have no reason to believe the recent problems were any kind of attack [...] -
Authors of the Digital Age–What It Takes to Be a Real Author CEO
15 Apr 2013 | 11:00 amThis post, by Kristen Lamb, originally appeared on Kristen Lamb's blog on 4/12/13. I do a lot of reading of other blogs, particularly blogs that aren’t about writing. I think this keeps my information fresh. As many of you might know, financial blogger Steve Tobak is one of my favorites, and he regularly inspires my writing. -
How Self-Publishing Has Changed the Industry
15 Apr 2013 | 11:00 amThis post, by Clare Langley-Hawthorne, originally appeared on the Kill Zone blog on 4/15/13. I read a recent blog post on The Guardian book blog about the 10 ways self-publishing has changed the book world and, after Jim's post yesterday, it got me thinking about how I would explain the current state of the book world to friends and family who are neither authors, nor wanna-be writers, but who, as book readers, are nonetheless intrigued by all the changes going on in publishing. -
BookBinding: Making A Travel Notebook
14 Apr 2013 | 6:00 pmIncreasingly, we work and play in a digital world. I read, write, publish, market and often interact with friends online, which I absolutely love and value highly. But recently, I’ve been craving some physical creation, so last week I went along to the London Centre for Book Arts and joined one of their awesome workshops. Because I write in so many Moleskine journals, I decided to make a Travel Notebook, complete with concertina folded envelope in the back. I’d like to eventually make my own paper, print my own work on it and bind limited editions myself – but that’s a while away! (I…
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WritersDigest.com
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Literary Agent Interview: Linda Epstein of Jennifer De Chiara Literary
22 May 2013 | 9:05 pm“Agent Advice” (this installment featuring agent Linda Epstein of Jennifer De Chiara Literary) is a series of quick interviews with literary agents and script agents who talk with Guide to Literary Agents about their thoughts on writing, publishing, and just about anything else. This series has more than 170 interviews so far with reps from great literary agencies. This collection of interviews is a great place to start if you are just starting your research on literary agents.This installment is with Linda Epstein of the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in NYC. Before joining the… -
Agent Katharine Sands Teaches “From Pitch to Page One: How to Get an Agent from the Get-Go” – New May 23 Webinar With Query Critique
22 May 2013 | 9:04 pmGetting a literary agent is no easy feat. It requires crafting a query and pitch to get their attention — without making any “querial killer” mistakes that will get your submission rejected. Cutting through the slush is hard work. That’s why we’re lucky to have agent Katharine Sands (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary) to teach “From Pitch to Page One: How to Get an Agent from the Get-Go,” a new webinar on Thursday, May 23, 2013. The webinar starts at 1 p.m., EST, and lasts 90 minutes. Katharine is one of the most in-demand agents at writers conferences… -
Your Story 51: Submit Now!
22 May 2013 | 1:51 pmPrompt: Write a short story, of 750 words or fewer, that begins with the following line of dialogue: “Heads, we get married; tails, we break up.”Use the submission form below OR email your submission directly to yourstorycontest@fwmedia.com.IMPORTANT: If you experience trouble with the submission form, please email your submission directly to yourstorycontest@fwmedia.com within the body of your email (no attachments please).Unfortunately, we cannot respond to every entry we receive, due to volume. No confirmation emails will be sent out to confirm receipt of submission. But be assured all… -
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 220
22 May 2013 | 12:31 pmSorry for the late prompt today. Was finishing up some edits on Writer’s Market all morning.For this week’s prompt, write a late poem. I know, I know–how original! But seriously, write a poem in which someone or something is late. Yeah, there are a LOT of directions to take this prompt, whether you take it there on time or not.Here’s my late poem:“meeting”he slides in under the door and floats silently beneath the conference table and up into his seat (previously empty and making only the slightest squeak) so that no one realizes he was never even… -
How to Write a Novel: 7 Tips Everyone Can Use
21 May 2013 | 9:05 pm1. Write the story you’d most want to read. Don’t write a story just because you think it might be a bestseller or that it would make Great Aunt Edna proud. Think about the books you love, the ones you really lose yourself in. If those are mysteries, then don’t try to write an historical romance or a quiet literary novel. It might not be anything genre-specific that you love, but a certain voice, or type of story, or kinds of characters. Write what you love. Do me a favor — right now, today, start a list of all your crazy obsessions, the things that get your heart pumping, that…
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Better World Books Blog - Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Community Outreach & more
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BWB Remembers The Books Of Our Childhood (3 of 3)
17 May 2013 | 1:45 pmThe third and final part in our Children’s Book Week series on the books that BWB employees remember from their childhood. Don’t forget to stop by our children’s book sale, too!secured payday loans online To chose just one favorite would be impossible but here is one that I was JUST telling my daughters about (and am about to buy at BetterWorldBooks.com). The Borrowers by Mary Norton was among my most favorite books. The story of the Clock Family and their adventures living under the floorboards of a home in England fostered my imagination and entertained me for… -
BWB Remembers The Books Of Our Childhood (2 of 3)
15 May 2013 | 11:26 amChildren’s Book Week continues, and here’s part 2 of our the books we remember loving in our own younger years. What were yours? Let us know in the comments. (image courtesy of Goodreads) Nuttybub & Nittersing by May Gibbs, published in 1923. I loved reading and being read to. Pretty much any book my dad read to me became a favorite. However, this one stood out in my mind and when I asked him what my favorite book was, this is the one he said without a prompt. “It’s the one you made me read over and over again with all the voices. These two little guys go… -
Encouraging Summer Reading: Book reviews by kids, for kids
14 May 2013 | 6:20 amLooking for a way to encourage your young library visitors to read this summer? Then look no further than the DOGObooks Summer Reading Program sponsored by Better World Books. DOGObooks.com, the largest website dedicated to kids’ reading and book reviews-by-and-for children, has built an online program that rewards both kids and schools for reading and reviewing books. The four month online program will launch at the start of Children’s Book Week on May 13th and run through mid-September. With the help of its children’s book publisher partners, DOGObooks has assembled a… -
BWB Remembers The Books Of Our Childhood (1 of 3)
13 May 2013 | 8:05 amChildren’s Book Week (May 13-19) is all about igniting a love of reading for young people, one that will stick with them and positively shape the person they one day become. What books stuck with you when you were growing up? We asked Better World Books employees just that question. Throughout this week, we’ll be posting the books that we can never forget, the books that had a lifelong impact on our young minds. We also have a whole lot of children’s books on sale as part of the celebration. The Little Prince This book, The Little Prince, was presented to me when I was 12 years old by… -
Your mama’s so smart, she probably reads lots of books!
11 May 2013 | 8:00 amCan we talk about your mom for a minute? She’s a classy lady. She raised you right. And (Note: moderate guilt trip beyond this point) you haven’t gotten her anything for Mother’s Day yet! Now, don’t panic. Fortunately for you, we planned for this. Mother’s Day is tomorrow, May 12. No matter where you’re shopping, the shipping is going to cost a very figurative arm-and-leg combo in order to ship something to you on time. Unless you read on, reader! Using the magic of Internet, we have devised a way to equip you with (a) the perfect present, which will (b) be ready for you to give…
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JetPak Studio
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I'M in the SCBWI for this month!!
12 May 2013 | 3:59 pmSCBWI Bulletin with 3 of my images. -
Newer digital painting...
11 May 2013 | 2:35 pm"Bony" (in color) -
Another sketch from the SCBWI conference...
3 May 2013 | 9:32 pmThis one is obviously about me and how I think I'm being treated by the single women in Seattle. -
New Doodle for the last part of April...
27 Apr 2013 | 12:56 pm"Bombs Away" -
Another drawing from the SCBWI conference
26 Apr 2013 | 11:32 pm...Outbreak of Love!
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The Reader's Advisor Online Blog
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RA Run Down
19 May 2013 | 10:56 amThe readers’s advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television. This blog is brought to you by the Reader’s Advisor Online. TRY THE FREE RAO DATABASE based on Libraries Unlimited’s print Genreflecting Advisory series. Give it a whirl and let us know how you like it. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on any of our posts, or contact us at raoblog@lu.com. Also check out our free newsletter with more in-depth articles at Reader’s Advisor News. By Cindy Orr and Sarah Statz… -
Hot Prospects for 2013
18 May 2013 | 5:04 amPublisher Weekly: The Standout Barbecue Books of Summer Conde Nast Traveler: Four Travel-Inspired Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List Marie Claire: Summer Books 2013 Clutch Magazine: Five New Books for Your Summer Reading List Seventeen: What to Read This Summer Yahoo: Top 10 Summer Books for 2013: Surefire Hits for the Silver Screen HistoryNet: Notable Books, Summer 2013 Amazon: Summer Reading Bookreporter.com: Coming Soon – June Books Examiner.com: Summer 2013 Young Adult Novel Releases, Part 1 Examiner.com: Summer 2013 Young Adult Novel Releases, Part 2 Publishers Weekly: Best… -
New, Noteworthy, and No-Brainer
16 May 2013 | 4:05 amTo be published the week of May 20 – May 26, 2013 TUESDAY FICTION Ahmad, A. X. – The Caretaker – 9781250016843 Bulawayo, Noviolet – We Need New Names – 9780316230810 Castle, Richard – Storm Front – 9781401324902 Dean, James – Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach – 9780062110725 Foster, Alan Dean – Star Trek into Darkness – 9781476716480 Garcia, Cristina – King of Cuba – 9781476710242 Grecian, Alex – The Black Country – 9780399159336 Grisham, John – Theodore Boone: The Activist (YA) – 9780525425779… -
Run Down
12 May 2013 | 10:24 amThe readers’s advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television. This blog is brought to you by the Reader’s Advisor Online. TRY THE FREE RAO DATABASE based on Libraries Unlimited’s print Genreflecting Advisory series. Give it a whirl and let us know how you like it. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on any of our posts, or contact us at raoblog@lu.com. Also check out our free newsletter with more in-depth articles at Reader’s Advisor News. By Cindy Orr and Sarah Statz… -
SALE on select ABC-CLIO titles!
7 May 2013 | 3:31 pmJust a quick note to let you know that a number of great librarianship and RA titles are currently on sale–at 50% off!*–at ABC-CLIO. The sale runs through June 14, and you can shop by following these links: Librarianship titles on sale Programming and RA titles on sale Please note that a number of great RA resources, like Sara Martinez’s Latino Literature: A Guide to Reading Interests and Rebecca Vnuk’s Read On…Women’s Fiction: Reading Lists for Every Taste, are included. *I’m not the type to get too over-excited about just any sale…but 50% off!
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Follow Your Ears
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Jack Butler (Bat Segundo Special)
14 May 2013 | 10:20 amThis one hour radio special is the first in a series of “at-large” conversations presently categorized under the old “Bat Segundo” label. It features a rare interview with Jack Butler, author of Jujitsu for Christ, a highly underrated novel that has recently been reissued by the University Press of Mississippi. Author: Jack Butler Subjects Discussed: Moving west over a lifetime, having a double bachelor’s in English and math, the yin-yang existence, reading science fiction as a boy, why the stars are so inspirational in the Delta, using the Holy Ghost as a… -
Bullies (FYE #6)
5 Mar 2013 | 10:42 amBullying is the most common form of violence in America and often carries into adulthood. Every day, more than 160,000 students stay home from school because they fear being bullied. This week, we discuss bullying at length. Poet Shane Koyczan uncovers the dark beginnings of “To This Day,” a poem abut bullying that went unexpectedly viral. We talk with Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones, to learn more about the bullying phenomenon. Dr. William Copeland reveals how bullying’s long-term effects extend into adulthood and discusses an unprecedented study that followed… -
Rebels (FYE #5)
5 Mar 2013 | 10:38 amThe rebel. You’d think that a culture that gave us John Brown, Margaret Sanger, and Rosa Parks would be more encouraging of this proud American tradition. This week we examine why rebels get the short end of the stick. We talk with historian Jeanne Theoharis about how Rosa Parks’s rebellious life has been swept under the carpet of modern American history, examine Pussy Riot’s rebellious legacy with many of the band’s supporters, and chat with a rebel journalist about a mysterious shooting in Missouri and the pros and cons of assumption. Robbie the Rebel Have you heard… -
Aid (FYE #4)
14 Feb 2013 | 4:36 amGiving aid to nations and people who desperately need help has been an American staple for more than a century. Yet in 2013, aid has become more beholden to red tape and incompetence than ever before. This week, we go to Staten Island to talk with the organizers and volunteers of Occupy Sandy to find out how they helped people when others could not and get a sense of their philosophy. We talk with Jonathan Katz, the only full-time American journalist stationed in Hatii during the 2010 earthquake and reveal how billions of dollars given by Americans to help the impoverished and the homeless… -
Cycles (FYE #3)
6 Feb 2013 | 5:09 amThis week, we examine cycles. Are our lives and our culture locked within cycles? Are we aware of it? Should we be aware of it? Or is there a certain folly in paying too much attention? Our quest for answers has us talking with bike shop owners and a Finnegans Wake reading group. We reveal how Raiders of the Lost Ark caused two teenage boys to become consumed by a relentless cycle of remaking the movie they loved with limited cinematic resources. We also talk with Scottish novelist Ian Rankin about how he returned to Inspector Rebus and got caught up in cycles he couldn’t quite describe…
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Minnesota Reads
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Uses for Boys
20 May 2013 | 8:00 amThere’s a lot to say about Erica Lorraine Scheidt’s wonderful young-adult novel Uses for Boys, I hope I can get to them all. Where to begin? First of all, this book came to my attention on Twitter when some of my very favorite people & writers were all “USES FOR BOYS HOLY SHIT!” and “USES FOR BOYS, FOR REAL PEOPLE!” Usually I’m a little leery of YA recs that come via Twitter. YA writers are a loyal pack and I’ve been burned by their ability to put loyalty over critical thinking. This one, however, intrigued me because it’s gotten… -
Vacation: All I ever wanted
17 May 2013 | 8:00 amSarah Stonich got me good. I had no idea her book Vacationland was a collection of linked short stories rather than a conventional novel. So there I was, enjoying the plight of a visual artist living in an old cabin in Northern Minnesota. Her dog has just brought a severed human hand in from the cold. The usual suspense-y first chapter questions whirred in my noggin. But the story wasn’t about whose hand it was or how it fell off or whether it could be reattached through the magic of ice and modern medicine. At the end of the chapter it was over and onto the next thing, although set in the… -
The Cydonian Pyramid
16 May 2013 | 8:00 amWhen I met briefly met Pete Hautman last year, I enthusiastically gushed over how much I loved The Obsidian Blade. Looking back, it was one of those embarrassing moments where I talked too fast, too much, and probably came off stalkerish, but trust me, I don’t have the dedication needed to stalk someone. I just thought The Obsidian Blade was one of the most unique things I read last year with great characters, strong world building, and a completely wacky plot. Wacky in the best way possible. In The Obsidian Blade, we followed Tucker Feye as he jumped through diskos searching for his… -
Not really so unfamiliar
13 May 2013 | 8:00 amHere’s the thing with Sarah Vowell. While I’m in the midst of her books, I’m loving them. She’s wry and smart, and the topics she chooses to write about are interesting. They’re things I only had cursory knowledge about — presidential assassinations, Hawaii, and Puritans. In the thick of her books whether I’m listening or reading, I’m all in. I love listening to her read her books. She’s a great reader & she always gets a host of co-readers which is awesome. But the thing is the moment I’m done, I have forgotten most everything… -
Under the Dome
8 May 2013 | 8:00 amYou may have seen commercials for “Under the Dome,” a miniseries starting in June based upon Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The premise got my attention right away: a dome suddenly, and without warning, encompasses a small town and mass chaos ensues. This series is pretty much designed for me, so for the past two weeks I’ve been making my way through Stephen King’s 1072-page behemoth. You should be very impressed that I finished it in two weeks, not only because it’s 1072 pages, but because this isn’t a small book with large print. I feel like these 1072 pages…
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Great Books that I liked
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Novel - The Caves of Steel - Isaav Asimov (published in 1954)
27 Apr 2013 | 1:54 pmIsaac Asimov is one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time. The number of fiction and non-fiction books that he has written number in the hundreds, more than 500 books of different genres. Asimov is mostly famous for his science fiction novels, but he has written a number of others books, almost all of them on science. Along with other authors such as Arthur C Clarke and others such as Robert Heinlein, he was one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time. His most famous legacies include the 3 laws of Robotics (meant to ensure that humans have control over robots)… -
Novel - The Naked Sun - Isaav Asimov (published in 1957)
21 Apr 2013 | 1:29 pmIsaac Asimov is one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time. The number of fiction and non-fiction books that he has written number in the hundreds, more like 500 books. Although Asimov is mostly famous for his science fiction novels, he has written a number of books on science. Along with Arthur C Clarke and others such as Robert Heinlein, he was one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time, most famous now for the 3 laws of Robotics and for the Foundation series of books. For many science fiction readers, Asimov would have been the first author whose books they… -
Never Leave Me (published in 1953) - A book by Harold Robbins, about a man on the make
10 Mar 2012 | 9:32 amHarold Robins is one of the prolific writers of the 21st century. Born Harold Rubin, his parents were Russian and Polish immigrants. After dabbling in sugar futures he took up a job in Universal pictures which propelled his interest towards writing. Thus came out “Never love a Stranger” which courted a controversy for its graphic sexual content. Soon Robbins would become a prolific writer churning out innumerable best sellers. He had this knack of mixing up a thriller with sex and historical anecdotes to create a taut mystery. The worlds favorite author, Harold Robins would publish over… -
A Stone for Danny Fisher (published in 1952) - The story of a fighter during the Great Depression
8 Mar 2012 | 9:22 amHarold Robins is one of the prolific writers of the 21st century. Born Harold Rubin, his parents were Russian and Polish immigrants. After dabbling in sugar futures he took up a job in Universal pictures which propelled his interest towards writing. Thus came out “Never love a Stranger” which courted a controversy for its graphic sexual content. Soon Robbins would become a prolific writer churning out innumerable best sellers. He had this knack of mixing up a thriller with sex and historical anecdotes to create a taut mystery. The worlds favorite author, Harold Robins would publish over… -
The Inheritors (published in 1969) - Written by Harold Robbins, about the entertainment industry
26 Feb 2012 | 11:29 amHarold Robbins was one of the prolific writers of the 21st century. Born Harold Rubin, his parents were Russian and Polish immigrants. After dabbling in sugar futures he took up a job in Universal pictures which propelled his interest towards writing. Thus out came “Never love a Stranger” which courted controversy for its graphic sexual content. Soon Robbins would become a prolific writer churning out innumerable best sellers. He had this knack of mixing up a thriller with sex and historical anecdotes to create a taut mystery. The worlds favorite author, Harold Robins would publish over…
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About.com Contemporary Literature
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The Tragedy of Mister Morn by Vladimir Nabokov
22 May 2013 | 10:21 pmOriginally written in the winter of 1923 when Vladimir Nabokov was only 24 years old, The Tragedy of Mister Morn is the author's only full-length play. With a conflict appropriate of its time, The Tragedy of Mister Morn is pulled between two realms of Russian literature. Opening with a traditional Chekhovian setup, a story of duels and triangulated, unrequited love is quickly derailed and creeps towards the post-modern, dystopian realm of such later works like Bend Sinister and Invitation to a Beheading....Read Full Post -
The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristpoher Jansma
19 May 2013 | 10:20 pmThe Unchangeable Spots of Leopards follows an uninspired writer who attempts to bend the truths around him into a compelling work of fiction. Jansma's whole book is built of nested metafictional vignettes: an author writing about authors writing about authors. This is a book not about what happens but how that story is told, and while that's a bold thesis for a novel, it doesn't leave room for much else to succeed....Read Full Post -
Stephen King Flowchart
16 May 2013 | 9:59 amStephen King fans - you're going to love Tessiegirl's Stephen King Universe Flowchart, a comprehensive mapping of the intricately interwoven world of Stephen King characters! Kind of difficult to read online? No worries, there. The Stephen King flowchart is available in print, self-published by the artist....Read Full Post -
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
8 May 2013 | 11:12 pmRuth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being is a story about a Japanese-American novelist named Ruth who, while walking the beach of her small island, happens upon a diary that has washed ashore. The diary, belonging to a 16-year-old Japanese girl named Naoko, reveals a narrative so compelling that it draws Ruth into the world of the storyteller in a fantastic exploration of story, how we make it and how it makes us....Read Full Post -
The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond
5 May 2013 | 11:36 pmJared Diamond, the author of Collapse and Guns, Germs, and Steel, delivers a fascinating portrait of primitive societies in The World Until Yesterday based upon research and his own experience living among New Guinea Highlanders. Diamond is an astute thinker draws his readers into considering the modern world in light of the experience of our predecessors....Read Full Post
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Black Heart Magazine
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Three poems by Merica Teng
22 May 2013 | 8:00 amRejection Those hideous words, “Unfortunately, we regret to inform you…” come to me, only after I’ve poured my wishes into the new year for a fresh purpose— they come without a scene. Telling my best friend on more days than she wants to hear, during car rides where I cannot see, “If I don’t get it…I’ll die.” With pink sunlight on one side of her face, she says this, repeating in her mind her own crisis, “Stop it. You’ll be fine.” We both keep driving, so that dinner will replace our mood. “Urban rejects” (photo by Flickr user macinate) Pen Pals He and I… -
The Cheese Man by Kelly Evans
17 May 2013 | 8:00 amI had a normal childhood in every way. We lived on the outskirts of town in a new housing development with plenty of woodland and fields nearby in which to play. I remember hot humid summers, crisp fresh autumns and cold sharp winters. I recall playing outside my house – kick the can, hopscotch, stick ball, all the childhood favourites. We’d be amusing ourselves and having fun when the music would start. The kid with the best hearing would suddenly stop and put his finger in the air to silence us. Say Cheese (image via Flickr user theredmission) As the music got closer, we all… -
Three poems by Richard King Perkins II
15 May 2013 | 8:00 amBecoming Serpent Ex-marine seen too much killing wants to be a serpent has a plan and much money removes lips splits tongue head already shaved pulls teeth snips ears reticulates skin with tattoo cuts off fingers cuts off toes grinds down nose stitches snake-eyed lenses to his eyes fuses foot to foot hands to hips learns to wriggle and hiss and swallow things whole there is problem with sex organs and then there is not. Ex-marine transformed to serpent has a plan writes to tattoo mags and swinger rags asking to be less than a slave or man no one responds to the simple plea by the ex-sergeant… -
Dodging Bullet Points by Andy Millman
14 May 2013 | 7:00 amHe watches the cursor blink and feels his heart beat. They are in rhythm, which is fitting, because this should come from the heart. Even so, he can’t help but form a list of supporting points like they are evidence in a case he will argue. AP English has had some impact. He begins to type. We’ve known each other for ten years, since the third day of first grade. We eat well together. I eat your fries, you eat my dessert. We prefer the book to the movie, except for “Lord of the Rings.” We actually finish homework when we study together. You never laugh at me in gym class. I love your… -
The Easier Thing by Brianne M. Kohl
13 May 2013 | 7:00 amJonah lay dead on the black and white checkerboard tile of the bathroom. The wound in his stomach had only taken moments to bleed out, to stain through the blue towel tied around his waist. His blood began to pool and work its way through the grout lines between the porcelain tile. Margaret had laid the tile herself, a year earlier when she’d still been hopeful the apartment would sell for close to what they’d paid for it. How many times had Margaret heard the realtor say, “Relax. Be patient. It’s a buyer’s market.” Only just last week over breakfast,…
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Flavorwire » Books
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Seafaring Must-Reads for a Swashbuckling Summer
22 May 2013 | 1:15 pm“Down dropped the breeze, the sails dropped down, / ‘Twas sad as sad could be; / And we did speak only to break / The silence of the sea.” –- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Samuel Taylor Coleridge). If you’re planning on spending some time on the open water this summer — or, more likely, if you only wish you were, you’re in luck. After all, you can get a taste of sea salt air from your living room… if you choose the right book. To that end, Flavorwire asked Ethan Rutherford, whose own excellent debut collection, The Peripatetic Coffin, is a perfect… -
Flavorwire Exclusive: Saïd Sayrafiezadeh on His Favorite Short Story
22 May 2013 | 7:15 amThe short story can be a magical thing. It’s a breath, a moment, a captured mood — or an entire teeming world packed into a few pages. Maybe, if it’s really great, it’s both. The only trouble with short stories is that not enough people read them. So, in a series to celebrate Short Story Month (and help you add to your reading list), Flavorwire is asking some contemporary masters of the form to talk about the short stories they love. In this installment, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, whose collection Brief Encounters with the Enemy is one of our most anticipated books of the summer, tells… -
Michelle Tea’s 5 Favorite Books About Teen Girls in Trouble
21 May 2013 | 12:15 pmLast week marked the release of Flavorwire favorite Michelle Tea’s newest novel Mermaid in Chelsea Creek, a YA stunner filled with old magic, grit, love and girls making trouble. To celebrate the book, Flavorwire asked Tea to suggest a few more literary teen girls in trouble, each of them likely to sneak into your garden shed and/or soul. She writes, “I started reading YA when I was a little too young for it, and the many 1970s books I read about teenage girls getting into trouble filled me with an awe and and anxiety that kept me reading… forever. Though I will always have… -
The 20 Most Beautiful Libraries on Film and TV
21 May 2013 | 10:05 amIf you read this space with any frequency, you’ll know that Flavorwire is perhaps unnaturally fond of the beautiful library. Recently, Book Riot mused over which Doctor Who library is the best — or perhaps the most beautiful. But why stop at the Doctor Who universe? Countless gorgeous libraries have appeared on screens large and small (if only there were set designers in all of our homes), whether old and dusty, shiny and modern, underground, filled with water, or, um, animated. After the jump, 20 of the most beautiful libraries on film and television. If you don’t see… -
Flavorwire Exclusive: Ramona Ausubel on Her Favorite Short Story
21 May 2013 | 6:00 amThe short story can be a magical thing. It’s a breath, a moment, a captured mood — or an entire teeming world packed into a few pages. Maybe, if it’s really great, it’s both. The only trouble with short stories is that not enough people read them. So, in a series to celebrate Short Story Month (and help you add to your reading list), Flavorwire is asking some contemporary masters of the form to talk about the short stories they love. In this installment, Ramona Ausubel, whose incredible collection A Guide to Being Born was one of our favorite May releases, recommends a…
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Pixel of Ink
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[Pixel Picks] Deals & Steals for May 22nd: Part 2
22 May 2013 | 9:32 amKeep your Kindle full and happy with tonight’s Deals & Steals! For non-U.S. readers, Kindle content availability and pricing will vary. Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Legal Thriller, Mystery, Romance Little Sacrifices by Jamie Scott Still free? Click Here to find out! How much would you risk to stand up for your beliefs? When Duncan and Sarah Powell move with their daughter, May, to Savannah Georgia in 1947, they hope against hope that they’ll be welcomed. But they’re Yankees and worse, they’re civil rights advocates almost a decade too early. At first May… -
[Save $11] The Light Between Oceans
22 May 2013 | 6:10 amThe Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman Genre: Literary Fiction After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living… -
[Pixel Picks] Deals & Steals for May 22nd: Part 1
22 May 2013 | 6:03 amFor even more of the best eBook deals, be sure to check Pixel of Ink every day! For non-U.S. readers, Kindle content availability and pricing will vary. Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult Charlie by Dalya Moon Still free? Click Here to find out! Charlie’s not like the other girls. When they dress up in short skirts for Halloween, Charlie comes to school as a lumberjack, complete with a cardboard ax. She’d like to catch the eye of the dark-haired, moody boy in her homeroom, but she only attracts weirdos, like Ross, the class clown who… -
[Pixel Picks] Deals & Steals for May 21st: Part 2
21 May 2013 | 9:37 amHere are a few more Deals & Steals that we hope you enjoy tonight! For non-U.S. readers, Kindle content availability and pricing will vary. Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Post-apocalyptic, Romance Yesterday’s Gone: Episode 1 by David Wright Still free? Click Here to find out! On October 15 at 2:15 a.m. everyone on Earth vanished. Well, almost everyone. A scattered few woke alone in a world where there are no rules other than survival…at any cost. These survivors aren’t alone… Someone or something is watching them. And waiting. Strangers unite. Sides are chosen. -
[Hot Deal] Sink or Swim – On Sale for 99c!
21 May 2013 | 6:20 amSink or Swim by Stacy Juba Genre: Mystery, Suspense Ambitious personal trainer Cassidy Novak has gained fame for starring on Sink or Swim, a hit reality show. Not only does she lose and have to walk the plank, but after the game show ends, the terror begins… Upon returning home, Cassidy discovers she has attracted a stalker masterminding his own twisted game. She struggles to focus on her health club job and celebrity endorsement opportunities, but her stalker has other plans. As her former competitors get knocked off one-by-one, Cassidy refuses to play by the stalker’s bizarre…
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THE FIRE WIRE
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My Office
23 May 2013 | 2:00 amSuperman needs his Fortress of Solitude and Batman has the Bat Cave. We all need a favorite space to relax, reflect, write, read a book, watch a movie or showcase a favorite collectible or souvenir. Perhaps it’s a game room, library or secret room hidden by a moveable bookcase that leads to a man cave. I’ve always been curious what curios J.J. Abrams keeps close by, what books fill Stephen King’s shelves, what collectibles does Patton Oswald possess, what artwork lines Jim Lee’s walls, how many toys fill John Lasseter’s Pixar office and what movie memorabilia does Steven Spielberg… -
The New Lone Ranger Trailer
23 May 2013 | 1:00 amFrom producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “The Lone Ranger,” a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes… -
MONDO To Release 3 Texas Frightmare Posters On May 23: The Thing By Randy Ortiz, Son of Frankenstein By Rich Kelly & White Zombie By Ghoulish Gary Pullin
22 May 2013 | 2:03 pmTomorrow MONDO will be selling three prints, previously sold at this year’s Texas Frightmare Weekend: The Thing by Randy Ortiz, Son of Frankenstein by Rich Kelly, and White Zombie by Ghoulish Gary Pullin. Detail shots of each poster can be seen HERE. Please follow MONDO on Twitter for the on sale announcement. These posters will be available online at a random time on Thursday, May 23rd. Poster by Randy Ortiz. 24″x36″ screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 325. $45 Poster by Rich Kelly. 18″x24″ screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 175. $40 Poster by Rich… -
Entertainment Weekly’s Summer 2013 Calendar Issue Features Hugh Jackman As Wolverine On The Cover
22 May 2013 | 1:39 pmHugh Jackman will return for his sixth appearance on the big screen as Logan this summer in The Wolverine and in preparation for the film, he will appear on the cover of Entertainment Weekly’s “Summer 2013 Calendar” issue. The magazine also spoke with him about working on this film as compared to his first solo effort, which didn’t get the reception he had hoped for. “Somehow the first Wolverine movie ended up looking like the fourth X-Men – just with different characters,” Jackman said. “I left unsure if we’d achieve our goal, which was to make sure… -
Space The Gallery Show Curated By Mike Mitchell Opening At Gallery1988 On June 21st
22 May 2013 | 1:13 pmMike Mitchell just announced an upcoming show at G1988 (West) that he’ll be curating. The show will celebrate the past, present and future of space exploration and the awesomeness that is the universe. Scott. C, Daniel Danger, Olly Moss, Ken Taylor, Kevin Tong and many more artists will showcase their work. Bobak Ferdowsi, flight director on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission will be the special guest on opening night.
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The Truth About Lies
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The Silence of Gethsemane
19 May 2013 | 4:00 am…ecce homo… – John 19:5 (Latin Vulgate) Basically there are three kinds of novels: novels where everything is made up (e.g. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), historical novels where the author aims to be as accurate as possible and often goes to great lengths to research the topic under discussion (e.g. Wolf Hall) and then there are the novels that are based on an historical event but play fast and loose with the facts (e.g. Stephen King’s 11/22/63). I mention this because on the cover of The Silence of Gethsemane is says, “A Novel” and I’m not sure what kind of novel it is. -
Niches
12 May 2013 | 4:00 amI think that there are empty ecological niches in the literary landscape crying to be filled and when a book more or less fills a niche it's seized on, even when it's a far from perfect fit – Edmund White When I think of niches I think of porn. As a kid growing up like most kids it was where I learned much about sex and the female anatomy along with words I couldn’t pronounce because I’d never heard them spoken aloud—honestly it was cun-i-ling-you-is for years. Not so much about males but we are talking Scotland in the sixties and seventies; I’d seen enough willies down the baths or… -
The Humans
5 May 2013 | 5:00 amMark Shermin: "Have people from your world been here before?" Starman: "Before. Yes, we are interested in your species." Mark Shermin: "You mean you're some kind of anthropologist? Is that what you're doing here? Just checking us out?" Starman: "You are a strange species, not like any other... and you'd be surprised how many there are. Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you?" Starman There’s nothing new under the sun. If you’re a writer and you really want to depress yourself spend an hour or so (as I’ve just done) clicking through the links on TVtropes.org. There… -
A Tale for the Time Being
28 Apr 2013 | 3:30 amInspiration is a happy convergence of random factors, which if you are lucky, you notice and then can use. And it helps if you have a husband who sends you interesting links! – Ruth Ozeki This is a book about time and being, about cats—both real and figurative—and crows—both literal and mythological— about Japan and Canada and America too a little; it’s about life and death; about war and peace; about Buddhism, philosophy and quantum mechanics; about superheroes and living ghosts; about coming of age and dying with dignity; it’s about the interchangeable roles of readers… -
Me and You
21 Apr 2013 | 3:30 amA sibling may be the keeper of one's identity, the only person with the keys to one's unfettered, more fundamental self. - Marian Sandmaier I have mixed feelings about this book. When people say stuff like that I usually assume that what they mean is, “I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it as much as I might have.” That’s not really the case here. What I mean is that the book made me feel a lot of different things at the same time. It’s like one of those blended fruit drinks—5 Alive jumps to mind—that have too many flavours and confuse people like me with unrefined palettes…
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Silk Spun
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Find Your Spot
25 Apr 2013 | 10:01 pmFind Your Spot is a website that gives you twenty-four possible locations you might like to move to, based on a series of questions about your living preferences–the climate and geography you prefer, your feelings about taxes and politics and religion, what you like to do for fun, housing costs, et cetera. Each location has its own page, with more information about it than you probably really care to know. Unless you’re me, in which case you’ll waste hours reading through every one. It appears to be only geared toward the US, which is a shame, but it’s still… -
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
9 Apr 2013 | 1:00 pmThis is just a quick little post to say that in addition to National Poetry Month, April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, which is something that I am very passionate about, and if you are too, there are things you can do to help. RAINN has some suggestions, including that if you make a donation to them this month, it will be doubled by a group of donors, up to a maximum of $30,000. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) has a campaign that focuses on healthy sexuality and its connection to child sexual abuse prevention, with lots of resources for community… -
A few good men
12 Feb 2013 | 6:51 pmMy god. How many ways are there to love men? It’s enough to break a heart open. The images in my head and heart. I know what they are. I do. They are a family album. It is possible to make family any way you like. It is possible to love men without rage. There are thousands of ways to love men. –Lidia Yuknavitch, “The Chronology of Water” This is a post dedicated to the warm fuzzy feelings I have about John Scalzi and Jim C. Hines, and the appreciation I feel for their presences on the Internet and all that they do. I have a very difficult time with men. Perhaps because I… -
All girls allowed
8 Jan 2013 | 6:20 pmI have been noticing a disconcerting trend more and more recently, not exclusive to the Internet but definitely helped along by it, to split girls into two neat categories: girlie girl and cool tomboy. Just one more way to find us wanting, one more set of impossible standards that not every girl can reach because, as amazing a concept as it seems to be, girls are not just one homogeneous group. The example I see most often based on my own interests is the ASOIAF/GoT fandom, where Sansa is insulted and ridiculed for being a young girl who is interested in boys and clothes and songs about… -
2012 in books
1 Jan 2013 | 12:12 pm2012 was a terrible year for reading. I don’t know why, but for months I just couldn’t make myself read anything, and then I started several books and neglected them all less than halfway through. My focus was not good. I have set a reading goal of thirty-six books for 2013, which works out to three books a month, so I am hopeful that this year will be better. I wanted to try for fifty, but that felt too ambitious. So here, as always, is my end-of-year booklist. My favorites (which means five-star books only) are bolded, and if you would like to read my reviews for any of them,…
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Free Book Reviews
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Honor All Mothers
12 May 2013 | 5:03 amToday is Mother’s Day. It is the one day each year that we men put aside to honor our mothers and the mothers of our children. And they happen to be the one person we will generally buy a gift for, and we will still anguish over what to buy. If you have not yet purchased a gift for your mother or your wife, let me give you a couple of quick hints on what not to buy. Do not buy her anything that plugs in. If something needs to be plugged in, she will only see it as a tool. Also, do not get her any exercise equipment or videos, as this will lead to six months of her asking you why you think… -
Jesus and Women
12 May 2013 | 5:00 am“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” I find it interesting and very revealing that of all the people to whom Jesus could have appeared first, He chose to reveal Himself to the women in His following. I am going to begin today a short series that will deal with women and what the Bible teaches about them in the church. It is my intent to demonstrate that Jesus placed a very high value on women through His life and teachings. The place of women in the first-century Roman world and in the Jewish… -
Author Interview: K. L. Dillon author of One Day in 2056 & Other Stories
18 Apr 2013 | 6:35 amAbout Your Book One Day in 2056 & Other Stories My book, which is a short story collection, is titled "One Day in 2056 & Other Stories." While the title story is, in fact, set in the future, this isn't strictly a science fiction collection of stories. It's a collection of stories about people thrown into impossible situations. The six stories compiled into this collection span the genres of science fiction, mystery, thriller, while tackling themes such as: fate, destiny, futurism, time travel, love, loss, and revenge. The Blurb for ONE DAY IN 2056 & OTHER STORIES: “People just can’t die. -
Book Review: Secrets by S.L. Pierce
17 Apr 2013 | 8:30 amDescription from Amazon Secrets...we all have them. Do you have a secret nobody knows? Not even your spouse? Gwen Michaels is a former assassin, emphasis on former. She walked away two years ago and had no plans to share her secret, least of all with her husband Jack. But when she is attacked in her own home by an unknown assailant, she is thrust back into her old element. More shocking to Gwen than the man hired to kill her, is that he knows nothing of her past. Now Gwen and Jack are on the run until Gwen can discover who wants her dead, and why! Secrets is a fun thriller delving into the… -
Book Review: From Destinations Set by Christopher Nosnibor
17 Apr 2013 | 8:12 amDescription from Amazon Tim and Anthony are very different people, leading very different lives, following different careers in different cities. Tim is a conformist: office job, moderately successful, and teetering on the brink of a premature midlife crisis. Anthony is a rebellious non-conformist: a writer who sneers at the humdrum and derides 'corporate sell-outs.' But are they really so very different? The two narratives of From Destinations Set trace these characters' activities as they occur in parallel - not only in terms of time, but also literally, with the page divided into two…
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Novelicious.com | The Women's Fiction Blog for Readers and Writers
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Feasting on Romantic Comedy – Scones from The Drowning of Arthur Braxton by Caroline Smailes
22 May 2013 | 6:30 am"If she's baked on the Sunday afternoon, she'll bring me a scone or a fairy bun wrapped in a piece of kitchen roll..." First things first. The Drowning of Arthur Braxton by Caroline Smailes is not romantic comedy. It's a modern fairy tale with swearing, gritty realism and characters who are, by their own admission, a bit wonky. It focuses on adolescence and the pain that comes with it. It is, however, about love. It's powerful, emotional and beautifully written. Laurel, a school girl, is working and earning money at The Oracle, an old Edwardian bathhouse. The Oracle is a place where people go… -
Novelicious Chats To...Helen Chandler
22 May 2013 | 5:30 amNovelicious catches up with Helen Chandler to talk about her writing her debut novel Two for Joy, which is released on 6th June. Can you tell us a little about your average writing day? There’s not really any such thing as an average day when you’re a stay-at-home mum to a lively four-year-old! My writing tends to get squeezed into odd moments whenever I can, although my mother-in-law looks after Anna on a Thursday afternoon, so that time is sacrosanct for writing, and now Anna has started nursery every morning things are a bit more predictable. I often write in a local café – I like… -
Novel News – Avon Announce Short Story Collection
22 May 2013 | 4:30 amThe lovely folks at Avon will soon be releasing two collections of short stories as ebooks, one of which will be a women's fiction title called The Perfect Escape. The stories will be written by some of women's fictions best known authors including Sunday Times bestsellers Claudia Carroll, Miranda Dickinson and Julia Williams, and will contain exclusive extracts from their upcoming titles! The Perfect Escape will be released on 27th June and will be free to download. -
The Novelicious Indie Book Shop Tour – Mostly Books, Abingdon, South Oxfordshire
22 May 2013 | 3:30 amMostly Books is like the very best sort of bookshop. You duck through a bottle-green door, and make the fish-with-bells ring above your head. Then you step in, and it smells of paper and ink and something beeswaxy and timeless. It’s the sort of place to find an adventure, or a secret, or something that thrills you right out of your ordinary life. There’s a slim, smart-looking lady in front of me, and a young girl pops up from behind the counter. You get the impression she may have arrived there through a secret till-hatch. The young girl is wearing shorts and a pair of thick… -
Review – The Wish List by Jane Costello
22 May 2013 | 2:30 amReviewed by Victoria Sutton As a fellow ‘Liver bird’ I have a definite soft spot for Jane Costello and her novels. She quickly became a heroine of mine when I read that she wrote her first novel Bridesmaids whilst on maternity leave. It is always nice to read something set outside the traditional London location, and obviously for me the Liverpool settings of Costello’s novels are especially exciting. I love how the locations are places that I know and frequent. In actual fact I am writing this review on the Mersey promenade very close to where the main character of The Wish List…
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Reading With Tequila
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Ann Whitely-Gillen, Last Train To Omaha
6 May 2013 | 12:26 pmAnn Whitely-Gillen Ann Whitely-Gillen resides in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where she is a full time communications advisor and freelance writer. In the 1990s, Ann lived in British Columbia, Canada and Australia where she volunteered her writing and public relations expertise to organizations including Greenpeace. She is also an accomplished musician and vocalist. Ann has always wanted to write a screenplay and, in fact, Last Train to Omaha started out with that in mind. After forty pages of writing, Ann decided to turn the screenplay into her debut novel as she wanted to delve deeper into… -
Calling All Authors
6 May 2013 | 11:07 amBeth here again. So terribly sorry for being out of touch. I do intend to post more and do intend to eventually answer all of your lovely emails. I’ve had some personal trials and tribulations going on, but all that is resolved and I’m back and ready to talk books and booze. I wasn’t sure what to do with this site, but have had some time to think over this past month and decided I’d really like to make this a forum for authors to talk about their books. With that said, I’m putting out an open call for authors who want to talk about writing, life, their books, and tequila. I’m sort… -
Interview with Kelly Keaton
6 May 2013 | 10:26 amKelly Keaton, author of Darkness Becomes Her, has been kind enough to stop by Reading with Tequila to answer some questions. Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. She likes pre-Raphaelite art, moonlight on snow, and MMORPGs. She lives in North Carolina with her family, one Great Dane, and two incredibly hairy cats. Kelly’s alter ego, Kelly Gay, is a 2010 double RITA finalist and a recipient of North Carolina’s Art Council… -
Interview with Michelle Rowen
6 May 2013 | 10:21 amInterview with Michelle Rowen Michelle Rowen, author of Bloodlust, has been kind enough to stop by Reading with Tequila to answer some questions. National bestselling author Michelle Rowen writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult fantasy. She was the winner of the 2007 Holt Medallion for Best First Book and the 2009 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Vampire Romance. Michelle lives in Southern Ontario. Please feel free to contact her at michelle@michellerowen.com. She loves hearing from readers! Reading with Tequila: For an urban fantasy heroine, Jill is refreshingly… -
Guest Author: Heather Webber
6 May 2013 | 10:16 amHeather Webber, author of Truly, Madly, has been kind enough to stop by Reading with Tequila to talk about Valentine’s Day. A Little Goes A Long Way… By Heather Webber Valentine’s Day has all the earmarks of what society expects women to love. Usually a man doting on us, confessing his undying love, showering us with jewelry (“He went to Jared!”) and cards so oooey and gooey they should embarrass us but don’t (the gooier the better, am I right?). It is THE day for guys to go all out, over the top. The day to show us how much he loves us. Personally, I think yes and no. Yes,…
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Blkosiner's YA and Teen Book Blog
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Tale of Mally Biddle Guest Post and Tour Giveaway
21 May 2013 | 9:55 pmTour ScheduleThe Tale of Mally Biddle by M.L. LeGetteWhen Mally Biddle agreed to spy upon the King of Lenzar and his overbearing knights she knew she was heading into danger. She didn't know she'd find a family unlike any other.Posing as a servant in Bosc Castle, Mally serves tea and tends fires for the most dangerous men in the kingdom. Her goal is to learn the truth of what happened sixteen years ago, when the infant princess met her death ... a death that is surrounded by more questions than answers.Along her search for the truth, Mally meets the energized Lita Stump, the strict and… -
Waiting on Wednesday
21 May 2013 | 9:00 pmWaiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I also feature books that may have already released, but I am anxiously waiting to read. This week, I'm featuring:Deception (Defiance, #2)Redwine, C.J. Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his… -
Review: Elemental, Fearless and Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer
21 May 2013 | 5:00 amElemental by Brigid KemmererEarth, Fire, Air, Water – they are more than you dream.As an air Elemental, 17-year-old Emily Morgan doesn’t have much power. That’s okay—she knows what happens to kids who do.Like Michael Merrick. He’s an earth Elemental, one with enough power to level cities. Which makes him sexy. Dangerous. And completely off limits. At least according to Emily’s family.But her summer job puts her in close contact with Michael, and neither of them can help the attraction they feel. When forces of nature like theirs collide, one misstep could get someone killed. -
Review: Spark by Brigid Kemmerer
20 May 2013 | 5:00 amSpark by Brigid KemmererGabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can't. Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he's not doing it. And no one seems to believe him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Because Layne has a few secrets of her own...Publishes in US: August 28th 2012 by KensingtonGenre: YA paranormalSource:… -
Link up your giveaways 5/20
20 May 2013 | 1:04 amInspired by Got Great Giveaways at Iamareader.com. I decided to host while Kathy is taking a break from hops, and I imagine from this feature as well.
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The Official BookBuzzr BlogThe Official BookBuzzr Blog
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Announcing a New Tool to Get More Book Reviews
10 May 2013 | 4:30 amHow BookBuzzr’s New, One-Click-Win Feature is Different from Amazon Free Day Promotions Reviews! You can love them or hate them. But you can’t ignore them. All your marketing efforts will come to naught if your readers land on an Amazon page with just 1 or 2 reviews which look like they’ve been written by your friends. One way to get reviews for your book is running an Amazon free day promotion. This works well for many authors although I’ve read on a few forums that the efficacy is going down over time. At BookBuzzr, we’ve been playing around with a number of solutions for… -
Find your horse to ride
2 May 2013 | 3:00 amIn life, we all need a horse to ride. Without the horse, we are a small fraction of what we could be. When I was 13, my parents took me to a motor museum at a grand country house. Big yawn. Happily, there was a donkey derby alongside it, and they agreed to let me ride a donkey. Being bigger and heavier than the other kids, nobody backed me and the bookmakers pushed my odds out to 66-1 against. Whereupon my dad surprised them by plonking down a fiver on me – after a moment’s hesitation, the bookie took the bet and rubbed out 66-1 and put 25-1 instead. When the race started, I was… -
Why do so many writers use words that might be difficult for some readers?
15 Apr 2013 | 2:36 amI’ve never understood this. The message becomes more difficult to decipher, and more than half the time I quit reading due to the complexity of the article/blog/novel. Why wouldn’t you want a more simple message, that could target a broader audience? Read Quote of Laura Copeland’s answer to Writing: Why do so many writers use words that might be difficult for some readers? on Quora ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Vikram Narayan is the founder of BookBuzzr Book Marketing… -
BookBuzzr Interviews Best Selling Author Roberta Kagan
5 Apr 2013 | 11:50 pmBB: Hello Roberta. We recently saw that your book – ‘All My Love, Detrick’ broke into a top 10 list on Amazon. Congratulations! Thank you so much. I appreciate your taking the time to interview me. The screenshot below was taken on March 26th, 2013. BB: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Since I was a kid I loved to read. It was my escape whenever things got rough. I learned that books can take you anywhere, to another country, to another time period, or even to a fantasy world. When I began writing I wanted to give that same gift to others. I wanted my readers to… -
Easter Season is Here Again and So is the Easter Landing Page Widget from BookBuzzr
12 Mar 2013 | 5:27 amAah … Easter! The season conjures images of bunnies, chocolate eggs and candies. To celebrate the season, we’ve released the Easter egg widget which showcases your book with an ‘Easter spirit’. All landing page themes from BookBuzzr now come in three sizes. One size is a large, overlay screen (useful when you really want to get the attention of your visitors such as when you are doing a book launch), the second size is Enlargeable Mini (smaller in size so that it can be embedded in side bar of your website/blog; it has got a button that enables the visitor to enlarge…
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Reading With Tequila
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Ann Whitely-Gillen, Last Train To Omaha
6 May 2013 | 12:26 pmAnn Whitely-Gillen Ann Whitely-Gillen resides in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where she is a full time communications advisor and freelance writer. In the 1990s, Ann lived in British Columbia, Canada and Australia where she volunteered her writing and public relations expertise to organizations including Greenpeace. She is also an accomplished musician and vocalist. Ann has always wanted to write a screenplay and, in fact, Last Train to Omaha started out with that in mind. After forty pages of writing, Ann decided to turn the screenplay into her debut novel as she wanted to delve deeper into… -
Calling All Authors
6 May 2013 | 11:07 amBeth here again. So terribly sorry for being out of touch. I do intend to post more and do intend to eventually answer all of your lovely emails. I’ve had some personal trials and tribulations going on, but all that is resolved and I’m back and ready to talk books and booze. I wasn’t sure what to do with this site, but have had some time to think over this past month and decided I’d really like to make this a forum for authors to talk about their books. With that said, I’m putting out an open call for authors who want to talk about writing, life, their books, and tequila. I’m sort… -
Interview with Kelly Keaton
6 May 2013 | 10:26 amKelly Keaton, author of Darkness Becomes Her, has been kind enough to stop by Reading with Tequila to answer some questions. Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. She likes pre-Raphaelite art, moonlight on snow, and MMORPGs. She lives in North Carolina with her family, one Great Dane, and two incredibly hairy cats. Kelly’s alter ego, Kelly Gay, is a 2010 double RITA finalist and a recipient of North Carolina’s Art Council… -
Interview with Michelle Rowen
6 May 2013 | 10:21 amInterview with Michelle Rowen Michelle Rowen, author of Bloodlust, has been kind enough to stop by Reading with Tequila to answer some questions. National bestselling author Michelle Rowen writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult fantasy. She was the winner of the 2007 Holt Medallion for Best First Book and the 2009 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Vampire Romance. Michelle lives in Southern Ontario. Please feel free to contact her at michelle@michellerowen.com. She loves hearing from readers! Reading with Tequila: For an urban fantasy heroine, Jill is refreshingly… -
Guest Author: Heather Webber
6 May 2013 | 10:16 amHeather Webber, author of Truly, Madly, has been kind enough to stop by Reading with Tequila to talk about Valentine’s Day. A Little Goes A Long Way… By Heather Webber Valentine’s Day has all the earmarks of what society expects women to love. Usually a man doting on us, confessing his undying love, showering us with jewelry (“He went to Jared!”) and cards so oooey and gooey they should embarrass us but don’t (the gooier the better, am I right?). It is THE day for guys to go all out, over the top. The day to show us how much he loves us. Personally, I think yes and no. Yes,…
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Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
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Film Review: The Agent
22 May 2013 | 3:19 amAbout The Agent (2008)It’s all in a day’s work for high-flying literary agent Alexander; manuscripts to read, deals to be done, celebrity clients to be taken out to lunch… but first there is an author to deal with whose latest book the agent thinks is, frankly, not up to scratch. However he hadn’t counted on the author’s resourcefulness… This bitingly funny film takes you behind the scenes of the publishing world to witness the wheeling and dealing required to create the next best-seller. Screenplay by Martin Wagner DVD includes the following extras: Klaus… -
Book Review: Reaping the Harvest
21 May 2013 | 5:08 amAbout Reaping the Harvest (2013)On his way home from a moving job, Rhychard Bartlett heard a scream and ran to help. That action changed his life forever and tossed him into a war between the Way and the Void. Given the Guardian Sword, assisted by an ellyll who only stands two feet tall, and bonded to a mind speaking coshey the size of a Newfoundland canine and a taste for pepperoni pizza, Rhychard must stop the demon Vargas from carrying out his plans. Once he finds out what they are, of course. In the meantime, he longs for the girlfriend who left him because he suddenly had too many… -
Film Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats
21 May 2013 | 5:07 amAbout The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)Kevin Spacey, George Clooney and Ewan McGregor star in this war spoof based on the non-fiction book by Jon Ronson. With a freshly-failed marriage behind him, rookie reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) decides to lose himself in the romance of war by travelling to Iraq to report from the front line. Bob gets more than he bargains for when he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), a ‘psychic’ special forces agent who reveals the existence of a secret, New Age-influenced military unit whose goal is to put an end to war by using mind control techniques, peace… -
Book Review: Rape is Rape: How Denial, Distortion, and Victim Blaming are Fueling a Hidden Acquaintance Rape Crisis
20 May 2013 | 10:28 pmRape is Rape (2013) “More than half of women and girls lie about rape…” “Feminists exaggerate rape prevalence to demonize men and raise money for their cause…” “Girls cry ‘rape’ when it’s nothing more than regret over bad sex…” Such emotionally charged false accusations have convinced much of the general public and the media that acquaintance rape is a figment of the imagination. As author Jody Raphael reveals in Rape Is Rape, the more acquaintance rape is reported and taken seriously by prosecutors, judges, and juries, the louder the clamor of rape… -
Book Review: Rabid: A Cultural History of the World’s Most Diabolical Virus
20 May 2013 | 6:56 pmRabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus (2012) In the tradition of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Great Influenza, journalist Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy chart the history, science, and cultural mythology of rabies. In the absence of vaccination—as was true for thousands of years, until the late nineteenth century—the rabies virus caused brain infections with a nearly 100 percent fatality rate, both in animals and humans, and the suffering it inflicted became the stuff of legend. The transmission of the virus—often from rabid dog to…
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Vampire Book Club
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Round 9: Ryodan vs. Ethan Sullivan [Alpha Showdown 2013]
22 May 2013 | 10:01 pmThings are advancing in the Alpha Showdown 2013. We’ve hit the second tier of the event. Winners will start battling winners. Expect the stakes to be raised and the smack talk to increase. Ryodan dominated the first round of the Showdown. Taking out Mercy Thompson with the power you’d expect from one of the Nine. How will he fare against the cunning Ethan Sullivan, who already bested stellar assassin Secret McQueen? Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days. Remember,… -
Early Review: Tempest Reborn by Nicole Peeler (Jane True #6)
22 May 2013 | 10:10 amTempest Reborn (Jane True #6) Nicole Peeler Published: May 28, 2013 (Orbit) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Reviewed by: Candace Rating (out of 5): 5 stars “Come back,” was all Anyan said, holding me even closer even as I knew he was letting me go. “Come back to me, Jane. And hurry…” I can not go into too much detail on this book, because it will spoil things for you. But I will tell you this—Anyan wasn’t lost to us at the end of Tempest’s Fury. Jane’s going after him, UFC style. She has the backup of everyone near to her. Speaking of everyone… When I… -
Round 8: Reyes Farrow vs. Trehan Daciano [Alpha Showdown 2013]
21 May 2013 | 10:01 pmIt’s officially time for Alpha Showdown 2013! You made your nominations and we have 16 of the most badass, alpha characters from urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels locked into the bracket. Only one will be named champion and today’s first bout is sure to end in a knockout. Round eight brings the son of Satan against one mighty vampire. Will Darynda Jones’ Reyes be able to take down Kresley Cole’s Trehan? You decide. Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two… -
Review: Written in Red by Anne Bishop (The Others #1)
21 May 2013 | 10:30 amWritten in Red (The Others #1) Anne Bishop Published: March 5, 2013 (NAL) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Written in Red takes place in a modern, alternate reality where Others, or terra indigene, dominate over the humans. Luckily Anne Bishop provides a little “history of the world” introduction to explain things a little. The Others are the ruling faction in Thaisia (what we consider America). In the beginning all that humans were to Others was meat (literally). Over time, the Others have come to understand the usefulness of the… -
Round 7: Curran vs. Holden [Alpha Showdown 2013]
20 May 2013 | 10:01 pmIt’s officially time for Alpha Showdown 2013! You made your nominations and we have 16 of the most badass, alpha characters from urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels locked into the bracket. Only one will be named champion and today’s first bout is sure to end in a knockout. Round seven is sure to be a tough one. Last year’s champion Curran returns to battle Alpha Showdown newcomer Holden from Sierra Dean’s Secret McQueen series. Your votes decide who is the most alpha. Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown?
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LATINA BOOK CLUB
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REVIEW: FROM MACHETE FIGHTS TO PARADISE by Daniel DiMarzio
19 May 2013 | 9:00 pmThe air was charged with electricity as the crowd held their breath in suspense. Both men took their left hands, which were wrapped in their shirts, and put them behind their backs. They then held their machetes out in their right hands and approached one another. It looked like an ancient duel...and it was. It was a real life duel with swords. No rules. Real swords. May the best man win.--FROM MACHETE FIGHTS TO PARADISEDaniel DiMarzio's book about the machete fighters in the Dominican Republic intrigued me from the first, because it was ...real. … -
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! // FELIZ DIA DE MADRES!
11 May 2013 | 9:00 pmBest wishes for a beautiful day to Mother's everywhere. -
REVIEW: GOD, PLEASE SEND ME ANGELS by Tomie Gomez
5 May 2013 | 9:00 pmDo you believe in Angels? For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your… -
PICTURE FRIDAY: LITERARY WAY #2
2 May 2013 | 9:00 pmHere's another picture from one of the bronze plaques on New York's Literary Way, which is on 41st Street between Fifth and Park. Happy Friday!by Emily Dickinson from 1212 -
WRITERS WEDNESDAY: BEATRIZ F. FERNANDEZ
30 Apr 2013 | 9:00 pmThe Latina Book Club's mission is to promote Latina / Latino authors, which we do through book reviews, author interviews, publicity announcements, book of the month selections, etc. A new feature we are adding is "Writers Wednesdays." The first Wednesday of each month we will feature a writer talking about .....writing. Enjoy!ENRICHING THE JOURNEY: DISCOVERING MY MUSE IN LATER LIFEby Beatriz F. FernandezMy writing journey began with a column cut out from a local paper: “The Poet’s Corner” by Rita Dove in which she showcased a poet, Andrea Hollander Budy, (now Andrea Hollander)…
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21tiger
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Social Networks and the Death of Traditional Advertising
21 May 2013 | 8:46 pmThe earliest forms of paid advertising date back to the early 19th Century, when soap companies would try to associate their brand names with images of beautiful young men and women with perfect skin. In my research, I was hoping to find that the earliest forms of advertising were naive and sweet, and even (shudder) honest about the prices and value of the products. I’m guessing that didn’t last too long. But that’s all changing. For one thing, we have TiVo now (or specifically, DVRs are ubiquitous). We can skip ads. On the Internet, we can opt not to click on any ads… -
The Authentic Career
30 Apr 2013 | 10:29 pmRecently, I’ve been writing about how all of us can create “works of art” which are authentic, and why it’s so much more productive and interesting to create work of your own surroundings and your own life. So in this post I want to highlight someone who has created everything from his surroundings, and managed to make millions off it, and become incredibly famous. As it turns out, some of the most successful celebrities are ‘creative’ in the ways they’ve been able to monetize (or productize) various aspects of their lives. This is taking the… -
Art as a Reflection of the Life you Lead
26 Apr 2013 | 5:09 pmIn Conversations with Students, legendary Graphic Designer Paul Rand put forth a challenge to all young design students to read through John Dewey’s “Art as Experience”. Rand contended that most students would not have the gumption to read the lengthy tome on Art Theory, and that its considerations went so far beyond ‘make it look pretty’ that most young students would get bored five minutes in and give up. It reminded me of a similar hammer being thrown down to young students by one Bill Gates years ago, who contended that he would hire anyone who could read… -
On Moralism: The Truth shall set you Free
12 Apr 2013 | 6:43 pmLately I’ve been re-reading an amazing book called ‘Radical Honesty‘ which espouses a lifestyle of 100% complete honesty. This can obviously lead to some awkward “Yes, in fact that dress does make you look fat honey” moments, but there is a bright side: complete and total clarity. Also know as, getting your sanity back. The author, a Phd and eccentric Therapist named Brad Blanton, points to Moralism as the source of all our anxiety and stress. Moralism Definition: The practice of moralizing, esp. showing a tendency to make judgments about others’ morality. -
Wild Horses: Renaissance 2.0 in the Technology Industry
4 Apr 2013 | 10:38 pm“People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.” – Alan Kay, 1982 Back in 2011, then-CEO of Google Eric Schmidt was asked which are the most important companies in the Technology business: he named Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook. What do these companies have in common? Each of them dominates their respective corner of the Tech industry: Google clearly dominates Online Advertising and Services, Apple dominates Mobile Devices, Amazon dominates eCommerce and Facebook dominates Social networking. a) You may have noticed that since those words…
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Better World Books Blog - Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Community Outreach & more
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BWB Remembers The Books Of Our Childhood (3 of 3)
17 May 2013 | 1:45 pmThe third and final part in our Children’s Book Week series on the books that BWB employees remember from their childhood. Don’t forget to stop by our children’s book sale, too! To chose just one favorite would be impossible but here is one that I was JUST telling my daughters about (and am about to buy at BetterWorldBooks.com). The Borrowers by Mary Norton was among my most favorite books. The story of the Clock Family and their adventures living under the floorboards of a home in England fostered my imagination and entertained me for hours…and weeks! After I read… -
BWB Remembers The Books Of Our Childhood (2 of 3)
15 May 2013 | 11:26 amChildren’s Book Week continues, and here’s part 2 of our the books we remember loving in our own younger years. What were yours? Let us know in the comments. (image courtesy of Goodreads) Nuttybub & Nittersing by May Gibbs, published in 1923. I loved reading and being read to. Pretty much any book my dad read to me became a favorite. However, this one stood out in my mind and when I asked him what my favorite book was, this is the one he said without a prompt. “It’s the one you made me read over and over again with all the voices. These two little guys go… -
Encouraging Summer Reading: Book reviews by kids, for kids
14 May 2013 | 6:20 amLooking for a way to encourage your young library visitors to read this summer? Then look no further than the DOGObooks Summer Reading Program sponsored by Better World Books. DOGObooks.com, the largest website dedicated to kids’ reading and book reviews-by-and-for children, has built an online program that rewards both kids and schools for reading and reviewing books. The four month online program will launch at the start of Children’s Book Week on May 13th and run through mid-September. With the help of its children’s book publisher partners, DOGObooks has assembled a… -
BWB Remembers The Books Of Our Childhood (1 of 3)
13 May 2013 | 8:05 amChildren’s Book Week (May 13-19) is all about igniting a love of reading for young people, one that will stick with them and positively shape the person they one day become. What books stuck with you when you were growing up? We asked Better World Books employees just that question. Throughout this week, we’ll be posting the books that we can never forget, the books that had a lifelong impact on our young minds. We also have a whole lot of children’s books on sale as part of the celebration. The Little Prince This book, The Little Prince, was presented to me when I was 12 years old by… -
Your mama’s so smart, she probably reads lots of books!
11 May 2013 | 8:00 amCan we talk about your mom for a minute? She’s a classy lady. She raised you right. And (Note: moderate guilt trip beyond this point) you haven’t gotten her anything for Mother’s Day yet! Now, don’t panic. Fortunately for you, we planned for this. Mother’s Day is tomorrow, May 12. No matter where you’re shopping, the shipping is going to cost a very figurative arm-and-leg combo in order to ship something to you on time. Unless you read on, reader! Using the magic of Internet, we have devised a way to equip you with (a) the perfect present, which will (b) be ready for you to give…
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KID BOOK RATINGS
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Work Gets In The Way
6 May 2013 | 6:57 pmHey gang, sorry for the delay in reviewing. Things have been crazy in non-family life. Not bad crazy, just crazy.I'll be back later this week. Thanks for your continued readership!!! -
Amazing ABC
26 Apr 2013 | 8:21 pmDid you know that Lego is based in Billund, Denmark? Ironic, since you can't spell Billund without build... THREE PROSThere's a reason Lego has been so successful for so long with this age group... so why not extend its magic to another educational sector The images of Sean Kenney's creations are a million times more fun to marvel at than your typical ABC bookThe cake and the piano are just awesomeTHREE CONS It might be a little unfair, but I have a problem with author/builder re-using his models across the Lego board book line (as evidenced by the back… -
The Loopy Coop Hens
24 Apr 2013 | 8:56 pmThese birds are makin' me angry! THREE PROSIf you go to Janet Morgan Stoeke's website, you'll see it has a whole page dedicated to her illustration -- makes sense since this is her strong suit On those days where you just want to hand a book to your kid instead of reading, this one wouldn't be a bad choiceStoeke is from the DC area, so she obviously has made some good choices in her lifeTHREE CONS Wait, let me get this straight: the hens catch the rooster in a lie and, instead of him getting his comeuppance (or at the very least learning something), the ladies fawn… -
Hot, Hot Roti For Dada-ji
23 Apr 2013 | 8:46 pmC'mon now, give it a chance... THREE PROSSurprisingly few children's books come off the way you would recount a fascinating personal tale to your child, but this one nails it A perfect recipe composed of the following ingredients: culture, characters, mysticism, rarely seen topics, cool illustrations (by first-timer Ken Min), and pro #1If eating good roti can give me tiger powers, I've been doing it all wrong for the last three to four decadesTHREE CONS I'm afraid that title will scare a large percentage of American parents away from what is an amazing work Author F. -
Dancing Fruit Put On A Show!
22 Apr 2013 | 8:44 pmAfter reading this, you won't need another serving from one particular food group for at least a week. THREE PROSAuthor Ruth Wilkes (with an assist from illustrator James Cross) jams an orchard full of info in here: from gardening facts, to jokes, to recipes, and more I almost always enjoy a book with a positive message related to kids trying something they're feeling timid aboutA banana splitting his pants - never not funnyTHREE CONS Pro #1 is also con #1 - the whole effort can be a tad overwhelming if you're dealing with a child who expects you to read cover to…
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Publishing Perspectives
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Eagles vs. Dragons and the Battle for the Future of the Web
23 May 2013 | 12:00 amWhen it comes to the future of the internet, Chinese and American companies are facing off and taking very different strategies. Which is likely to be victorious? -
Matt Costello on StoryDrive China and the Future of Storytelling
23 May 2013 | 12:00 amIdeas not technology should lead story development in the digital age, says multiplatform creator Matt Costello, a featured speaker at next week's StoryDrive China conference. -
PP Redux: Why Fanfics are Like Startups
22 May 2013 | 3:29 pmWith today's launch of Kindle Worlds, it's worth remembering that fanfiction is rewriting the narrative of publishing and challenging convention, much like technology startups. -
Amazon Publishing Introduces Kindle Worlds: A New Model for Fan Fiction
22 May 2013 | 3:16 pmAmazon announces Kindle World, the first commercial publishing platform that enables writers to create fan fiction and earn royalties doing so. -
Jeffrey Yamaguchi, Director of Digital Marketing at Abrams, Tweets about Advertising
22 May 2013 | 1:08 pmFrom native advertising and creative content campaigns to banner and print ads, Abrams' Jeffrey Yamaguchi tweets with @pubperspectives about the latest in book advertising.
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Quill & Quire
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Amazon launches digital platform for fan fiction
22 May 2013 | 3:22 pmAmazon announced the launch of Kindle Worlds, a new digital publishing platform for fan fiction, touted as the first legal commercial platform of its kind. Despite the prevalence of online fan fiction, copyright laws make it illegal to profit from it. Kindle Worlds, however, has acquired licences for three book series from Warner Bros.’ Alloy Entertainment: Gossip Girl, by Cecily von Ziegesar, Pretty Little Liars, by Sara Shepard, and Vampire Diaries, by L.J. Smith. More licences will be announced soon. Royalties will be paid by Amazon to rights holders of the original work, and authors… -
Trevor Cole wins Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for writing
22 May 2013 | 1:15 pmTrevor Cole The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the winners of the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Awards. The seven recipients are mid-career artists who have been recognized in the seven arts practices funded by the Canada Council: writing and publishing, integrated arts, dance, media arts, theatre, visual arts, and music. Writer Trevor Cole is one this year’s winner. Cole’s third novel, Practical Jean, won the Leacock Medal for Humour in 2011, and his first two novels were both nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award. Before starting to write fiction, Cole… -
Amazon announces Breakthrough Novel finalists, ChiZine putting together horror anthology, and more
22 May 2013 | 9:25 amAmazon Publishing reveals Breakthrough Novel Award finalists ChiZine accepting terror and supernatural fiction submissions Plagiarism controversy hits poetry community again Children’s publisher Barefoot Books leaves Amazon Association of American Publishers merging with the Association of Educational Publishers -
Richard Wagamese wins First Nation Communities Read competition
21 May 2013 | 1:26 pmFirst Nation Communities Read has revealed Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse(Douglas & McIntyre) as the winner of the annual community-reading program. Chosen from more than 35 submissions, a jury of librarians from First Nation public libraries in Ontario called Indian Horse “strong, humane, and engaging.” Now in its 10th year, the First Nation Communities Read program was developed to promote and increase awareness of aboriginal authors and illustrators, and to encourage family literacy, inter-generational storytelling, and the understanding of aboriginal voices and… -
David Rakoff book trailer, likeable characters in fiction, and more
21 May 2013 | 8:48 amBook trailer for David Rakoff’s posthumous book Authors discuss “likeability” of fictional characters Tragedy motivates Indian school to open student book bank Harry Potter first edition auctioned in U.K. Gerbrand Bakker wins Independent Foreign Fiction prize
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The Goddess Blogs
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Song Sung Old
22 May 2013 | 11:53 pmOkay, you won’t understand my blog title unless you’re a Neil Diamond fan, but it fits my subject. Because, you see, I WAS a Neil Diamond fan in my youth. And then I wasn’t for years and years, and then a few years back I became one again. Why? I. Don’t. Know. I’m hoping to [...] -
How does your garden grow?
21 May 2013 | 10:49 pmMy grandfather was a gardener. These days we call them landscapers. Gardener/landscaper, the man had an ultra green thumb. He grew everything from beautiful flowers to fruits and veggies. I mean the kind of vegetables not everyone can grow, not like zucchini. Everyone can grow zucchini. Although I don’t know why anyone would. I get [...] -
Balance, or something like it.
21 May 2013 | 2:30 amI was going to write a funny blog about my book release today, but then the tornado hit Oklahoma and I saw the rubble of two elementary schools and all of my happy juice drained right out of my heart and into my feet. I don’t have big feet, so it hurts when that happens. [...] -
Sick Day
20 May 2013 | 4:04 amI’ve had a lot of sick days in my life. I’m what used to be called “sickly.” If I’d been born in any other century I would have been one of those “died in childhood” statistics one hears so much about regarding bygone population rates. I missed so many days in high school that my [...] -
Good News/Bad News
19 May 2013 | 1:35 amGOOD NEWS: I went to NYC for a quickie visit with some friends and got to see my daughter. YAY! BAD NEWS: I didn’t see Hugh Jackman once, BUT WHEN I WENT SHOE SHOPPING, SOMEONE IN MY GROUP SAW HIM IN A COFFEE SHOP . *sob* I need a pick me up. Hang on …. [...]
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BOOKVISIONS
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No One Else to Kill by Bob Doerr
20 May 2013 | 1:41 pmNo One Else to Kill is book 5 of the Jim West Mysteries. Since this was my first Jim West book, I expected to feel as though I was missing something. I am pleased to say that I was not, and this is definitely a stand-alone book. Jim West travels to a remote hunting lodge in New Mexico with the intent of meeting up with an old friend to do some therapeutic hiking. The friend is a no-show, but before he can head for home a murder occurs at the lodge. Not yet twenty four hours later, another murder occurs. While Jim could have been one of the suspects, the police recognize his… -
When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason
6 May 2013 | 5:02 pmI didn't realize while reading When a Secret Kills that it is the third of a series. To me, that means it is a great stand-alone book. I never felt I was “missing something,” and I never thought that there were back-stories that needed to be explained. We do know at the beginning that the two main characters, Colton & Jillian, had a previous relationship, and that trouble follows Jillian everywhere. This is a good mystery with a light romance. The main characters are believable and likable even when the story is not quite as believable. Even… -
If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico... by Carole P. Roman
3 May 2013 | 3:17 pmIf You Were Me and Lived in Mexicoby Carole P. Roman is part of a series of books to introduce children to different cultures around the world. It is a nice way to establish an understanding of children who may look different but are the same in many ways. The book explains common names, terms for parents, coins, and a variety of other daily activities in which children are interested. The book has brightly colored full-page illustrations that bring the book to life. A few simple Spanish names and words are introduced, and included is a pronunciation guide at the back of the… -
There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron
21 Apr 2013 | 10:33 amAlthough There was an Old Woman was not at all what I expected, I was pleasantly surprised. I also think that this is one of the better books I’ve read so far this year. While it doesn't have the intensity that is usually consistent with a psychological thriller, I still think it belongs in that category. If you are waiting for a slasher to jump out and cut someone’s throat, this isn’t the book for you, but if you like a slower steady story that reaches a climax and has well-developed characters, you will like There was an Old Woman.It was a good story that held my… -
Frozen Solid by James M. Tabor
4 Apr 2013 | 4:42 pmA unique location and unique characters, Frozen Solid is set at the remote ASRS, Amundsen-Scott Research Station at the South Pole. The settings and are described very well, as is the deadly cold temperatures and their impact on the human body. The main character Hallie takes at short-term job at the Station. She is replacing a friend that died suddenly while working there. She has a complicated relationship with Wil Bowman and complicated problems that will have to wait. The book is interesting and starts off at a fast pace. I had a difficult time relating to the main character and her…
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Assisting Authors
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Spotlight on “Eye of the Sage by Peter J. Ochs II
13 May 2013 | 8:31 pmI would like to welcome Peter OchsII to our blog as a stop on his virtual book tour. I invited him to write a guest blog. I am sure you will find it interesting. I have also included an excerpt from his book, For a complete description of the book, Eye of the Sagc; click on the Amazon link below. Please give a generous response by commenting or asking questions below. Guest Post I wrote this shortly after the events of 9/11. I include it here as a blog-post because it is a story about Oman, and it is just as relevant today as it was twelve years ago. A Voice from the Sands A… -
6 Free Book Promotion Opportunities
27 Apr 2013 | 12:55 pmNow that you have decided to do a book give-away, it is time to get the word out. Thanks to Kindle Boards, I have found and tested sites where you can get free book promotions and/or reviews. So here are the links I have tested and find to be worthwhile:: Addicted to Books (http://addictedtoebooks.com/submission) : This site is great because you can rate your book’s content for the reader so they know what they are getting. Also you will have your book on the front page of the site for one day and on subsequent pages after. The requirements: You must register an account… -
More Preparation for KDP Book Give-Away
5 Mar 2013 | 3:36 pmI mentioned the last post that it is important to have from 5-10 or more book reviews on Amazon before you launch your book give-away. I suggested that one way to get reviews is to go on a Virtual Book Tour that promises some reviews. I also suggested that you have a contest and give-away an Amazon Gift Certificate for a Kindle Fire . In the Rafflecopter form (see the previous post), I give away 10 entries for a book review (honest review) that is put on Amazon. In order to review the book they have to purchase it and I give away 25 entries for a purchase. That is a good way to… -
Prepare and Manage a Virtual Book Tour
27 Feb 2013 | 9:09 amPlease read my previous two posts in this series to make sense of this one. Kindle Publishing Direct Select or KDP will allow you 5 days during the 90 day period to give away your book. I suggest that you use one or two of the days for a Book Launch. Your book does not have to be new to launch. A launch is a good way to draw attention to your book, Over the next couple of posts , I will suggest a blue print to follow to prepare for the launch and the Book Give-Away. Let’s start with a Virtual Book Tour. The Virtual Book Tour should drive your launch. I select the… -
Why Book Give-Aways: KDP Select
17 Feb 2013 | 11:43 amThis is t he second post of the blog series Why Give Away Your Books for Free. This post will explain why Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing Select program (KDP) is a fantastic tool to use to promote your book. I will explain what the program is, why you should take advantage of it, and how to use it. Let’s get started. This is a program Amazon offers where you as an author can: Earn higher royalties Earn your share of the KDP Select Global Fund amount when readers borrow your books from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Plus, earn 70% royalty for sales…
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Market Your Book
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Co-op Book Marketing: Antidote for the Solitary Writer Syndrome
22 May 2013 | 12:30 pmWriting is a solitary occupation. It’s hard to concentrate on getting words on paper among the hubbub of ordinary life. But even as I complain about the hubbub, I know that it’s the source of anything useful I have to say. Anything creative, helpful, thought-provoking, or entertaining comes from the daily activities of acting, planning, [...]The post Co-op Book Marketing: Antidote for the Solitary Writer Syndrome appeared first on Market Your Book. -
Author Beware: Self-Publishing Book Scams Abound
7 May 2013 | 6:23 amSome aspiring authors still have the idea that once they’re published, everything will be sunshine and roses. People will buy their books, the thank-you emails will come rolling in, not to mention the royalty checks, and they can happily work on the next book in peace. Once the rejections start rolling in, reality — and [...]The post Author Beware: Self-Publishing Book Scams Abound appeared first on Market Your Book. -
Book Review: Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins
2 May 2013 | 11:31 amNovelists and screenwriters, of course, study story structure because it’s what they do. But story has become more and more prominent in nonfiction uses, too — persuasion and negotiation. Working as a management consultant and presenter, in her book Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins (affiliate link) Annette Simmons brings story into the boardroom, the [...]The post Book Review: Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins appeared first on Market Your Book. -
I Want to Talk to a Memoirist
1 May 2013 | 9:00 amMy inaugural issue of Author Marketing Ideas will be released on May 9. The focus of the issue is how to market your memoir. I have some good content lined up, but what would make it really stand out would be a conversation with a memoir author. I’m looking for someone who was published in [...]The post I Want to Talk to a Memoirist appeared first on Market Your Book. -
Use an Author Ezine to Connect with Your Audience
30 Apr 2013 | 1:11 pmI often tell authors that they need an e-newsletter, often called an ezine. I subscribe to newsletters from different people and find them to be valuable sources of valuable information (if they’re not, it’s easy to unsubscribe). Expert marketers I trust add that a newsletter can introduce you, along with your knowledge and skills, to [...]The post Use an Author Ezine to Connect with Your Audience appeared first on Market Your Book.
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Book Dirt
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In Which I Go to Ireland for Other Reasons and Accidentally Find Bookish Things
19 May 2013 | 3:08 pmA few weeks ago, I was sent to Ireland in my capacity as a food writer. It’s too bad the focus of Book Dirt prevents me from giving you much detail about how well I was wined and dined by the folks at Good Food Ireland, so I will simply state that Ireland’s poor food reputation is vastly undeserved (The seafood! The cheese!) and leave it at that. I took so many notes, it's a wonder I didn't get a hand cramp. (Photo by fellow foodie Eric Cathcart.)I didn’t expect the trip to have much to do with books other than what I read on the plane (J. S. Le Fanu’s Carmilla, a short by noir… -
Bill Gates Has a Book Blog (Just Like Everyone Else)
8 Apr 2013 | 7:26 amI don’t have a lot in common with Bill Gates. I’m not the second-wealthiest person in the world. (I’m barely the second-wealthiest person in my house.) I didn’t found Microsoft, and I don’t have an underwater music system. While I do have a large-ish personal library, it is not housed under an oculus, it doesn’t change temperature based on the personal preferences of whoever enters the room, and I don’t have an original Da Vinci codex for my cats to nap on.Screenshot of Bill Gates' book blog at Gatesnotes.com.But, if I ever happen to meet Bill Gates at a cocktail party, I’ve… -
Book Review: Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
11 Mar 2013 | 8:03 amThree Graves Full/Gallery Books/February 2013A purported dark comedy proves that marketing is a very powerful thing.Three Graves Full, the debut mystery novel by Jamie Mason, has some darned compelling jacket copy. Dig this:For fans of the Coen brothers’ films or for those who just love their thrillers with a dash of sharp humor—an engaging and offbeat story about a man driven to murder, who then buries the body in his backyard only to discover that there are two other shallow graves on his property.The Coen brothers? Sharp comedy and multiple graves? Add in some fawning praise from… -
Quotable: Poetic Subjects, Dirty Children’s Books, and Other Reader/Writerly Things
20 Feb 2013 | 2:18 pmWell-loved books. Better? (Andrea_R/Creative Commons license)Another roundup of nifty things I’ve encountered around the web in my never-ending attempt to procrastinate as much as possible. Take some time to read the articles from whence these came, then get back to writing, for the love of Pete!Poet Christian Bok believes in taking poetry to new frontiers, which is why he injected poetry-encoded DNA into bacterium, essentially making the microorganisms create their own poetry. He wonders about the limited subject matter of other poets:“I am amazed that poets will continue to write about… -
People Are Freaking Out About the New Cover of The Bell Jar
4 Feb 2013 | 1:06 pmHere’s why they should calm down. Faber's new cover for The Bell Jar.Faber has published a new edition of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar for the book’s 50th anniversary, and the internet is totally losing its shit. If that sounds like an exaggeration, consider some of these diatribes:“If Sylvia Plath hadn't already killed herself, she probably would've if she saw the new cover of her only novel The Bell JarJezebel “What is this monstrosity?” -The Jane Dough“I think, after that Bell Jar cover, my next pitch for a kids book will be The Big Pink Book of Low…
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But What Are They Eating?
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FOODFIC: Please Welcome Cindy Bennett, Author of Rapunzel Untangled
9 May 2013 | 6:08 amImagine living your life only exposed to foods that someone else has decided you can have. Close your eyes and think of your top five favorite things to eat, the things that bring you the most pleasure. Now imagine being locked in a tower where not only can you not have those foods, you haven’t even heard of many of them.In Rapunzel Untangled, a modern-day retelling of the classic fairytale, Rapunzel is kidnapped as a baby and locked in a tower by the crazy witch Gothel. That means that she doesn’t get to experience teen life as most American’s do—or teens from anywhere, for that… -
FOODFIC: The Space Between - Brenna Yovanoff
3 May 2013 | 7:45 amI once saw a comedian do a bit about cave people, noting that the first man to eat a raw egg had to be the bravest person in history. My husband finds pretty much no humor and all horror at the consumption of un- and under-cooked eggs, going so far as to knock the spoon out of my hand when I’m shoveling cookie dough into my mouth and cringing almost cartoonishly when I use runny egg yolk as dip for my homefries.Whether you view it as brave, stupid, or simply a matter of (good ;) taste, Between’s heroine Daphne dives right into her first diner experience by devouring bacon swirled… -
FOODFIC: Please Welcome Michael Gallagher, Author of Tsunami Connection
25 Apr 2013 | 10:42 amMonths spent taking tango courses in Buenos Aires provided most of the scenes relating to tango in the story. Passion for tango spills uncontrollably into life. From gun-metal colored mussel shells to raw beef turning on a spit, Argentinean cuisine reflects a diverse culture. The meal lays bare hopes and then a denouement lends a human aspect to the nature of lust and love.In this scene I used the meal to set up a fall, to be a little unpredictable.Tsunami Connection tells the story of a ballsy woman spy, Kefira. Guided by her eclectic intuitions, she builds on a chance meeting. The allure of… -
Authors in Bloom Giveaway Hop!
9 Apr 2013 | 8:15 amWelcome, hoppers!Now just because I only planted my first garden last summer, don’t think my post stop isn’t clearly the one you should read the most thoroughly and take to heart!I have one stellar piece of gardening advice and here it is:Leave. It. Alone.Brilliant, right? Okay, maybe I should give a little background so you can appreciate the wisdom of those words.I’ve had plants in my life. Lots, actually. And I’ve killed them all. Even my “indestructible” brain cactus grew some sort of fungus and died. (It may or may not be relevant that the rotting began after my cat ate a… -
FOODFIC: Please Welcome Grant Overstake, Author of Maggie Vaults Over the Moon
28 Mar 2013 | 7:36 amMaggie Vaults Over the Moon retells the story of Maggie Steele, a gritty farm girl from tiny Grain Valley, Kansas, who pours her broken heart into the daring and dangerous sport of pole-vaulting. Kirkus Reviews says the novel “…exudes sweetness; in some ways, it feels as if it takes place in another era, as it lacks the dark edge seen in other popular YA stories…”A morsel of this story’s other-era sweetness can be tasted in a nostalgic food scene in which the stressed and grieving Steele family takes a break from a long day’s harvesting to savor a fresh, home-cooked dinner –…
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Packabook
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Retracing Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – a Modern Day Pilgrimage
22 May 2013 | 7:38 amA little while back I came across the story of some modern day pilgrims who had decided to retrace the steps of Chaucer’s pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales, by walking from London to Canterbury. I was intrigued, and thought I’d investigate further. The result was this little video… Does this inspire you to read Chaucer’s Tales for yourself? If so – which version of this 14th century collection of stories should we be tackling…? According to Henry Eliot, it’s worth having a go at the original Middle English version if you can cope with a bit of a… -
The mystery of Easter Island…
27 Feb 2013 | 1:51 pm“Look.” Mahina pointed at the sea below them. She spun slowly in a circle. ‘’Horizon. All around.” It was true; for an entire three hundred and sixty degrees, Greer could see the hazy line of ocean meeting sky. This, then, was the grandeur. Other sights were of things: monuments, snowcapped mountains. This view was one of absence: a horizon unblemished. (Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes - p396) Rano Kao crater on Easter Island. Image courtesy of Professor X via Wikimedia Commons Easter Island is a long way away. From anywhere. Even if you lived on Pitcairn Island, Easter… -
And the results are in…
31 Jan 2013 | 2:02 pmHuechulafquen Lake Patagonia – Image courtesy of Andres2190 via Wikimedia Commons Thanks to one and all for your votes on which country, state and county we should be adding next to Packabook. And I’m pleased to say, the results are in… Here is the current tally following the latest voting. COUNTRIES Albania – 1 Argentina – 3 Austria – 1 Belize – 1 Canada – 1 Costa Rica – 1 Ethiopia – 1 Israel and Palestinian Territories – 1 Kenya – 1 Myanmar/Burma – 2 Scotland – 1 Seychelles – 1 Sri Lanka – 1 Qatar… -
Thank goodness for Colin Cotterill…..Books set in Laos
18 Jan 2013 | 7:33 pmA national symbol of Laos – the Pha That Luang in Vientiane - Image courtesy of Aaron Smith via Wikimedia Commons Thank goodness for Colin Cotterill… I mean it, we are very lucky that writer Colin Cotterill exists and that he is so prolific, otherwise we’d be drawing an almost blank for the fiction section of our Laos category. Laos is not a destination of choice for most novelists who write in English, or indeed who do English translations! Let me introduce Cotterill’s creation – Dr. Siri Paiboun, the protagonist of a series of crime novels, eight of which have been… -
January country – let’s have your votes!
16 Dec 2012 | 9:31 am…and whatever happened to Laos, Oregon and Tyne and Wear? Well, I have to apologise for being so late with our new additions to the Packabook site. I have been doing a lot of traveling and had far less computer time than I was anticipating…but I’m pleased to say I’m on track to upload the pages for Laos, Oregon and Tyne and Wear by the end of the year!! So far I’ve come across around 50 novels set in Oregon, which I think is a pretty impressive starting score for the state. Though mostly it’s due to the work of two extremely prolific writers. I look…
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Andy Straka
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Watch History Being Made
21 May 2013 | 1:37 pmEvery now and then a seminal event arrives without much notice by the public. What has been occurring this past week aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the Pacific Ocean may well qualify as such an occurrence. For the first time ever an unmanned or “drone”-type fighter-size aircraft, Northop’s X-47B, is being launched and test-landed on an aircraft carrier at sea. Anyone even remotely familiar with US foreign policy over the past 50 years, our projection of power across the globe via our naval fleet, and the significance of aircraft carriers and mobile… -
Drone Home
19 May 2013 | 7:46 pmThe Dragonflies series is of course fiction. But how drones are used in law enforcement and investigation is a topic that should be of concern to all. Lawmakers eye regulating domestic surveillance drones Published May 19, 2013 FoxNews.com April 27, 2012: Seattle Police officer Reuben Omelanchuk is at the controls of the department’s new, small radio-controlled Draganflyer X6 drone with a camera attached, in Seattle. (AP) Amid growing concern over the use of drones by police and government officials for surveillance, a bipartisan group of… -
Drones: “It’s like the Internet all over again.”
2 May 2013 | 11:11 amWhen I first started writing Dragonflies: Shadow of Drones, the technology used in the book seemed almost far-fetched. I was soon to learn otherwise. Check out this article by Chris Anderson from sUASNews: WHEN THE FUTURE SNEAKS UP ON YOU Last month, at a Congressional hearing, Sentator Patrick Leahy quoted an FAA prediction that there would be “as many as 30,000 small, lightweight unmanned vehicles [drones] operating in the national airspace by the end of this decade”. That was considered a lot. And he was talking about seven years from now. Guess what. There are more than 30,000… -
Top ten, #1 Bestseller COLD QUARRY Temporary Price Drop $0.99
30 Apr 2013 | 6:16 pmIn the run-up to next month’s publication of Dragonflies: Shadow of Drones we’re running a sale on the third Frank Pavlicek novel, the Shamus Award-winning Cold Quarry, temporarily lowering the e-book price to $0.99. The book has spent some time in the top ten on the Barnes & Noble NOOK Bestsellers list yesterday and today, peaking at #8. Cold Quarry also flirted with the top 100 in Amazon’s Kindle store this morning, moving to #1 in “hardboiled mysteries”, #1 in “men’s adventure fiction”, #3 on Amazon’s “Kindle Movers and… -
Dragonflies: Shadow of Drones
16 Apr 2013 | 8:26 amI’m excited to announce the publication of a new book, the first in a new series, Dragonflies: Shadow Of Drones. Title: Dragonflies “Shadow of Drones” by Andy Straka Genre: Science Fiction, Crime, Military, Thriller Published by: LLW Media–representation and distribution by Trident Media Group, New York ISBNs: 978-1-4756-0203-6 Mobi 978-1-4756-0204 ePub Price: $2.99 Print length: 200-240 pages Synopsis: Former Army helicopter pilot Raina Sanchez is plagued by nightmares. She can’t erase the memories of being shot down in Afghanistan, of losing her foot in the…
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The New Podler Review of Books
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Smashwords Studies Its Sales
20 May 2013 | 8:11 amFor those who don't already know, Smashwords is an all-in-one platform for authors to publish and distribute their e-books. It has its pros and cons for both writers and readers, which I don't have the time to go into right now, but it is very popular in the indie community. Authors who publish with them are able to track their sales and story sample downloads to gauge how well their works are faring on Smashwords. There's also aggregate reports of daily sales on other platforms that Smashwords distributes your work. But last year, Smashwords began collating all of that data to see if any… -
Embustero by Scott Cleveland
8 May 2013 | 10:37 amEmbustero is the follow up to Cleveland's Pale Boundaries, which I reviewed here. As there may be people who haven't read the first book, I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum in this review. Terson Reilly leaves Nivia via his reluctant rescuers. As he's a potential witness to their illicit activities, he's given a choice to join the crew or spend his time in the brig until they can drop him off some place safe. He ultimately decides that a working passage is better than going stir crazy in the brig, but he soon finds that fitting in on the ship, the Embustero, isn't much better than… -
The Participants by Brian Blose
18 Apr 2013 | 4:07 pmAmazon linkMeet Hess and Elza. Like Nick and Nora, Harry and Sally, Pat and Tiffany, they're a memorable couple, trading wisecracks and getting out of difficult situations. The difference with Hess and Elza is that they're linked eternally, through countless Iterations of worlds. They are Observers, a handful of humanoids sent by a Creator to observe His/Her/Its world (though, if this Creator is so omnipotent, why does “He/She/It” need anybody to do the observing for “Him/Her/It”?). Other Observers go through their Iterations as different genders, but Hess and Elza are always a man… -
Forward Unto Social Media
4 Apr 2013 | 7:49 amWe've finally done it. The New Podler Review of Books has taken its first step into social media. You can now find us on GooglePlus. So why did it take us so long? Because no one wanted to do it. Back when the blog's namesake founder was here, site promotion was his responsibility. There was a MySpace page, but when he went AWOL that page stagnated and died. And then MySpace died too when everyone abandoned it for Facebook. While MySpace has come back from the dead as some music and movie industries promo monster, its new form is alien to us. So that left the members of the Podler Staff to… -
In a Season of Dead Weather by Mark Fuller Dillon
13 Mar 2013 | 6:19 amGrab a comfy chair by the fire, a hot drink, and a book of good horror stories. Those rattling shutters outside? Just the blowing snow. Those shadows dancing in the corner? Fire light, nothing more. And the whispers behind your chair are your imagination.Maybe.That’s the feeling Mark Fuller Dillon conveys throughout his short story collection In a Season of Dead Weather. In most of the stories, it was never quite clear whether the “horror” was in the narrator’s mind or if it was real. The reader was left to interpret at the end.And that worked for me.
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Any New Books?
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This week’s new Kindle ebooks
22 May 2013 | 5:21 pmHere are this week’s new releases for the category ‘Kindle’. ★ Our Staff Pick ★ Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First-Century Parenthood Stores: USA By Drew Magary Publisher: Gotham Publication date: May 16, 2013 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ And the Mountains Echoed Stores: USA | UK By Khaled Hosseini Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover Publication date: May 21, 2013 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ The 100: Count ONLY Sugar Calories and Lose Up to 18 Lbs. in 2 Weeks Stores: USA | UK By Jorge Cruise Publisher: William… -
This week’s new books in Travel
22 May 2013 | 4:06 pmHere are this week’s new releases for the category ‘Travel’. ★ Our Staff Pick ★ Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World®’s Best Kept Secrets Stores: USA | UK By Steven M. Barrett ISBN: 1937011291 Publisher: The Intrepid Traveler Publication date: May 16, 2013 Binding: Paperback Estimated price: $7.54 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ New England Notebook: One Reporter, Six States, Uncommon Stories Stores: USA | UK | Canada By Ted Reinstein ISBN: 0762778415 Publisher: Globe Pequot Publication date: May 21, 2013 Binding: Hardcover… -
This week’s new Teen books
22 May 2013 | 3:57 pmHere are this week’s new releases for the category ‘Teens’. ★ Our Staff Pick ★ Storm of Sharks Stores: USA | Canada | Italy By Curtis Jobling ISBN: 067078558X Publisher: Viking Juvenile Publication date: May 21, 2013 Binding: Hardcover Estimated price: $9.95 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ We Need New Names: A Novel Stores: USA | Canada | Italy | Kindle | UK Kindle By NoViolet Bulawayo ISBN: 0316230812 Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books Publication date: May 21, 2013 Binding: Hardcover Estimated price: $13.99 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook |… -
This week’s new books in Sports
22 May 2013 | 3:45 pmHere are this week’s new releases for the category ‘Sports’. ★ Our Staff Pick ★ Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success Stores: USA | UK | Canada | Kindle By Phil Jackson, Hugh Delehanty ISBN: 1594205116 Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The Publication date: May 21, 2013 Binding: Hardcover Estimated price: $13.92 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ 18 in America: A Young Golfer’s Epic Journey to Find the Essence of the Game Stores: USA | UK | Canada | Kindle By Dylan Dethier ISBN: 145169363X Publisher: Scribner Publication date: May 21, 2013 Binding:… -
This week’s new books in Self-Help
22 May 2013 | 3:27 pmHere are this week’s new releases for the category ‘Self-Help’. ★ Our Staff Pick ★ Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life Stores: USA | UK | Canada | Italy | Kindle | UK Kindle By Ken Robinson, Lou Aronica ISBN: 0670022381 Publisher: Viking Adult Publication date: May 21, 2013 Binding: Hardcover Estimated price: $11.98 Share this book on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ Solomon Speaks on Reconnecting Your Life Stores: USA | Canada | Italy | Kindle | UK Kindle By Eric Pearl, Frederick Ponzlov ISBN: 9781401942960…
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The Virginia Woolf Blog
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Julian Bell & the Bloomsbury Group
15 May 2013 | 8:33 amThe Bloomsbury group was a close-knit group of friends who met during their college years at Cambridge. Yet after Julian Bell, the son of founding members Vanessa Stephen and Clive Bell, died in the Spanish Civil War in July of … Continue reading → -
Virginia Woolf’s Best-Selling Books
1 Apr 2013 | 1:08 pmDuring her lifetime, Virginia Woolf wrote over 10 novels and numerous non-fiction books that forever changed the landscape of modern literature. Although Virginia’s earlier books were often met with sharp criticism and poor sales, many of her later books were … Continue reading → -
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
7 Mar 2013 | 8:35 am“To The Lighthouse“, published in 1927, is one of Virginia Woolf’s best known novels and is considered by many critics to be one of the most influential English-language novels of the 20th century. The novel is a semi-autobiographical work that … Continue reading → -
Virginia Woolf on the Abdication of King Edward VIII
20 Feb 2013 | 12:47 pmIn December of 1936, King Edward VIII’s marriage proposal to Wallis Simpson, an American who was in the midst of her second divorce, sparked a constitutional crisis in the British Royal Family over whether Edward should be allowed to remain … Continue reading → -
When Sir Leslie Stephen Met Abraham Lincoln
6 Feb 2013 | 12:22 pmIn 1863, Virginia Woolf’s father, Sir Leslie Stephen, embarked on his first trip to America hoping to learn more about the ongoing Civil War. It was on this trip, during a stay at Washington D.C., that Stephen met President Abraham … Continue reading →
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Armida Books
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Author Jenny Benjamin about her debut novel “This Most Amazing”
16 May 2013 | 5:20 amThis interview was published today on OnMilwaukee.com: Milwaukee author Jenny Benjamin talks debut novel Published May 16, 2013 at 5:31 a.m. By Colleen Jurkiewicz A lot of people who read Jenny Benjamin’s new book, “This Most Amazing,” ask her if she modeled her protagonist Dahlia Conti on herself. A Milwaukee-based poet originally from Illinois (like Benjamin), Dahlia is of Italian heritage (like Benjamin). “And it’s written in the first person,” says Benjamin. But no, Dahlia is not her literary doppelganger. “Not more than all the other characters… -
A brand-new branded book
22 Apr 2013 | 2:39 amAs one of our readers states it, This challenging but absolutely rewarding manifesto offers the reader a deep insight into the shocking reality of our oncology centers. Definitely not an easy read and not for the fainthearted, this black-humorous book will stay in the readers’ memory because of Draenne’s mastery buy levitra in writing about cancer in such an honest way [...] Ignorance is not always bliss… Draenne, the author of this book, is a mental health professional who is trying not to go mental. If you dare to challenge your (in)sanity, dive into the first pages of… -
Στέφανος Εὐαγγελίδης, Στυλιανή Χ., Ἐγκλήματα καί τιμωρία.
18 Apr 2013 | 3:23 amΑναδημοσίευση από e-skepsis.blogspot.gr Στέφανος Εὐαγγελίδης, Στυλιανή Χ., Ἐγκλήματα καί τιμωρία, Ἐκδόσεις Ἀρμίδα, Λευκωσία 2012, σελ. 135. Στό βιβλίο αὐτό ὁ συγγραφέας Στ. Εὐαγγελίδης ἀναδεικνύει τίς παραμέτρους ἑνός στυγεροῦ ἐγκλήματος πού διαπράχθηκε στήν Ἀγγλία κατά τό 1954. Διότι, ὅπως φαίνεται, δέν πρόκειται γιά ἕνα ἔγκλημα πού… -
Cyprus in need of foreign currency – NEW services offered by Armida
4 Apr 2013 | 6:57 amDue to the economic crisis, we have decided to make our expertise available to all. All prices are in Euros but we even take North Korean Won… Gratuity not included : ) EDITING Basic copyediting – 5–10 ms pgs/hr – 13–15 Euro /hr Heavy copyediting – 2–5 ms pgs/hr – 15–17 Euro /hr PROOFREADING - 10–15 ms pgs/hr – 13–15 Euro /hr LAYOUT Simple books – no photos - 8–10 pgs/hr – 13–15 Euro /hr Complex books – heavy use of photos – Photoshop not included - 5–8 pgs/hr – 15–17 Euro /hr … -
In this miserable land of fools, I too exist
3 Apr 2013 | 5:43 amThis book you’ll either love or hate <3 Wisdom by a neurotic online viagra without prescription clinical psychologist ………………………….COMING OUT IN APRIL…………………………. Black humor at its finest, the manifesto MASTER & CANCER is about a man who hates you without bias. To quench his hatred, he became a clinical psychologist tending to those dying of cancer. His ways are the offspring of political incorrectness. As for you, dear reader, this despicable…
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Country Book Bumpkin
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We've Moved!
5 May 2013 | 2:18 pmCome visit me at Totally Tarah! I has the book reviews you love and so much more! -
REVIEW: Commencement
3 Nov 2012 | 8:16 pmBy Paige CuccaroSeptember 2012 Entangled Publishing In this novella Emma Hellsbane our resident Empath and girl genius is having issues. School has been going well and keeping her best friend Mijir and fellow genius’s lusty emotions out of her system is always a challenge, but predictable. Things though have started to get complicated, however with her boyfriend of six months and school soccer star Jason. All of the sudden he gets these waves of complete hatred that Emma senses that are completely out of character for him. Mijir suggests that he may be… -
REVIEW: Duck Boy
30 Oct 2012 | 10:19 pmBy Bill Bunn BitingDuck PressOctober 2012ISBN-10: 1938463609 ISBN-13: 978-1938463600For the past 2 years Steve Best’s life has been nothing like it used to be, not since his mom disappeared . These days his dad barely get by; emotionally or physically. School is a veritable hell, where he has been nicknamed “Duck Boy” for being a nice guy and trying to save a duck stuck in frozen pond near his school. Christmas is coming and it looks like it’s going to be another crappy year. Steve’s dad has to go on a business trip for work OVER the holiday. … -
Books To Be Reviewed!
6 Oct 2012 | 1:57 pmHello everyone!I hope you are all well and gearing up for Halloween! I haven't decided myself if I am going to dress up or anything, but my bosses at the bookstore have been bouncing around the idea of dressing me up like Dalek from Dr. Who. We have been real busy at the store though so finding the time to make it could be a bit of a challenge.I have managed to fit in some reading however and here is my list of books I will be posting reviews for in the coming days!Abandon Book 2: Underworld By Meg Cabot Blue Bloods Book 1By Melissa De La Cruz Thumped (sequel to Bumped)By Megan… -
What I've Been Up To
26 Aug 2012 | 5:00 pmYou guys remember that bookstore I profiled that is new in town? Well, as it happens I work there now! They just thought I was so cute and pathetic when I said hey you guys need anything? I need something to do! I work there Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for a few hours each and my job for lack of a Websters word is de-stickerator. They have worked in some and owned a bookstore before so when they moved to their newest location they packed up a ton of inventory which for the most part resides in a storage unit. It is my job as they bring a few boxes in at a time to…
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A Travelers' Library
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8 Trips to Celebrate Memorial Day with Travel
22 May 2013 | 7:00 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/feedburner/atravelerslibrary Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. -
Questions About Renting When You Travel?
21 May 2013 | 11:45 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/feedburner/atravelerslibrary Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us. -
Child Star Discovered Rita Hayworth–Read it Here
20 May 2013 | 7:00 amWe've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/feedburner/atravelerslibrary Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us.
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Johann Thorsson
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Prompted Writing | The Night That Stayed
16 May 2013 | 6:09 pmTwitter is a place of miracles, wonder and, let’s be honest, a lot of shameless self-promotion (you know who you are). However, I somehow managed to get myself followed by a whole bunch of really interesting people who I am able to communicate with about all sorts of stuff (ok, mostly writing and books) without anyone trying to sell the other person anything. This evening, for example, I asked to be prompted for a story to write. Two very nice people responded. Beth Wodzinski with a simple image: And Josh Hanagarne with the following: @johannthors What if when the sun went down… -
I Want To Live Here | Best Writing of the Week
14 May 2013 | 2:01 pmI’m about to finish Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. It is a fantastic book that I put off reading for far too long. While reading it on the bus this afternoon I came across a passage that described the room I want to spend all my days in. Fix yourself a cup of tea, or get a glass of red wine and put a stack of books on the table next to you, just to get in the right mood. I’ll wait. Celia Bowen sits at a desk surrounded by piles of books. She ran out of space for her library some time ago, but instead of making the room larger she has opted to let the books become the… -
The Filthy Pro
12 May 2013 | 4:45 pmSo… I made the first professional short story sale of my career last month, to Fireside Magazine. This is the contract, all Instagrammed to bits so you can’t really see all the words. It’s the first time I’ve had to sign a contract for anything I’ve written, and it made me feel… official. For all other sales it’s just been a trust thing, no contracts or anything, even when I’ve been paid well (you can still make a little cash selling stories to magazines here in Iceland). Fireside put out three issues last year, each funded with it’s own… -
Book Review | The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
1 May 2013 | 4:55 pmHow do we come to read the books we do? I mean what is it that makes us pick that book over all the rest? In the case of the book I just finished, South-African writer Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls, it was a few things. First off, I knew her from her much lauded Zoo-City, though I have not read it. I then heard early reviewers speak well of The Shining Girls, and I “know” Lauren from Twitter. But it was the premise of the book that made me curious enough to buy it. (So perhaps there is our formula: previous well-reviewed book, positive early reviews, personable writer… -
Suddenly: Goosebumps. A Tribute to Chi Cheng
14 Apr 2013 | 12:39 pmMy day started with the sad news the Chi Cheng, Deftone’s bassist, died. He was in a car accident in 2008 and had been in a coma since then but his heart gave out unexpectedly last night. The Deftones’ White Pony is one of my all time favorite records, an almost perfect rock album, atmospheric, dark an beautiful. I am spending these days writing my first novel (as readers of this blog certainly know by now), which is about children who gain access to the dream world. And then, the goosebumps. Just now I was driving to the store, and put in the only Deftones CD I have in the car;…
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My Book and My Coffee
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Free eBook Feature: Fallen Ruler
23 May 2013 | 2:30 amFree Kindle eBook: Fallen RulerAuthor: Eleanor T. BeatyGenre: Science Fiction, FantasyPrice: $0.00 (May 23 and 24) Book Description: Fallen RulerFor sixteen years, Lya, has lived as a normal human, until her father, Walter, gets involved with the wrong people and puts Lya’s life at risk. During a visit to Miami, Lya’s older sister is kidnapped, and Lya and her father are subsequently taken hostage by Walter’s associates and forced to board a plane to India. When the plane lands in Delhi, Lya is rescued by three monks and taken to a Monastery. There her reality is… -
Free eBook Feature: Exodus
23 May 2013 | 2:00 amFree Kindle eBook:ExodusAuthor: Lawrence CramerGenre: Science FictionPrice: $0.00 (May 23 & 24 only)Book Description: ExodusFollowing the discovery of "wet tunnels" linking the majority of the world's oil wells together, combined with the now vividly apparent oil shortage, panic among the global populous ensues. Violent riots become commonplace as the critical infrastructure, previously dependent on the black gold, grinds suddenly to a halt. The citizens of the United States cry out for government intervention and a national savior. The response: Martial Law. Realizing they… -
Free eBook Feature: Shadowborn (Light & Shadow, Book 1)
22 May 2013 | 9:53 amMy Book and My Coffee's Free eBook Feature presents...Shadowborn (Light & Shadow, Book 1)Author: Moira KatsonGenre: Fantasy (Epic)Kindle Price: $0.00 (Permanently Free) Book Description: Shadowborn (Light & Shadow, Book 1)It has been only two generations since Arthur Warden seized the throne of Heddred from the Conradines, and now the crown rests on the head of Garad, sickly and weak. Shadows gather: legacies of the centuries-long rivalries for power, old betrayals, the endless plots of the courtiers, and the murmur of rebellion in the southern provinces… Catwin,… -
Free eBook Feature: The Paradise Lie
22 May 2013 | 9:36 amFree Kindle eBook:The Paradise LieAuthor: Paul EmilFantasy AdventurePrice: $0.00 (May 22 and 23 only)Book Description: The Paradise LieOn this island, you have the power of God. Unfortunately, so does everybody else. Seemingly the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Pacific, Gerald Franklin awakens on an island where thoughts become reality. He enjoys Paradise until he meets other people with the same power, all with very different ideas about how the world ought to be. He will engage in the ultimate battle of wills to learn the truth.Get the Free eBook here:The Paradise Lie… -
Free eBook Feature: The Book of Phinn
22 May 2013 | 9:25 amFree Kindle eBook: The Book of PhinnAuthor: Frank AnjakosParanormal RomancePrice: $0.00 (May 22, 23 and 24)Download the free eBook here:The Book of PhinnBook Description ~ The Book of PhinnPhinn is a 16 year old immortal. An Angel responsible for taking the souls of good teens that die to Heaven. Mortals can't see him, so high school can be difficult for him. It gets even more difficult when a girl, a mortal girl, a girl Phinn really likes, notices him and lets him know she likes him. When he gets the call that she has killed herself, he breaks the rules and rushes her to the…
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Where Writers Win
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More on Google+ for Authors
21 May 2013 | 6:00 amSend to KindleWith the new Google+ design comes new advantages for authors. Here are several hints on how to utilize and grow your Google+ presence: 1. The cover photo is bigger – real big! For info on sizes and proportion and even a free template download, CLICK HERE. 2. If you are an author with a book – make sure you add a book page. Just visit the “More” icon, select pages, and take it from there. 3. Visit the “People” icon to find folks you may want to add to your circles. And, while we’re on the subject, you can make circles for anything. So… -
Google+ Redesign: What it Means for Authors
19 May 2013 | 6:00 amSend to KindleThere’s been plenty of buzz in the past few days over the Google+ redesign options. According the Google+ release issued May 15, “190 million people are now active in the Google+ stream, and 390 million are active across Google (+1’ing apps in Google Play, making video calls in Gmail, sharing videos from YouTube…).” Their new redesign includes added features such as: A multi-column layout. You’ll see one, two, or three columns of content depending on your screen size and orientation. Awesome-sized media. Photos and videos can fill the entire width of… -
7 Ways to Build Your Platform Before You Publish
17 May 2013 | 6:00 amSend to KindleThanks to author Roger Harris for this guest post! Great, you’re working on a manuscript… While you’re polishing up your prose with the help of an editor (highly recommended), don’t forget to start on marketing activities that will pave the way to successfully launching your book. Building your author platform is the first step to find your readers. The goal is to create and launch a platform that quickly communicates your genre and entertainment value if you’re writing fiction, and your expertise and credibility if you’re writing non-fiction, such as a self-help… -
How To Get Your Novel Started
15 May 2013 | 6:00 amSend to KindleThanks to Winner Circle author Jeannette de Beauvoir for this guest post! (Graphic courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.net) The famous terror of the blank page (or computer screen!) doesn’t need to overcome your creativity. Here are some tips for getting started that will awaken your muse… and put the pen in her hand! Your first mistake is starting with the blank page/screen. Any project takes planning, and writing a novel is no exception. So accept that you have to do some reasonably heavy lifting before you even get to the pivotal scene that’s been playing in your head. That… -
Indie Author Marketing: Even Independence Needs Direction
13 May 2013 | 6:00 amSend to KindleThanks to author (and WWW team member) Jacqueline Gum for this guest post, timely on the heels of our look at author scams and scoundrels… Somebody has to show you how to walk before you do, but eventually you walk and then run. Independence needs direction. Never was this truer than today, particularly when it comes to marketing a book of any kind. When I published my first book I was convinced that I’d done my due diligence… hell I even drove to Bloomington, Indiana to visit the publisher’s facility and meet my author rep face to face. Then I signed the check. It…
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Bizzybiz Blog
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Here We Go
9 May 2013 | 10:18 amRight. It's May now, and I don't have a job anymore, and I promised you that I would start posting again when that happened, so I'm going to start doing that right now. I need to post about France, I need to post about the meet-up, and I need to finish reading that damn book so I can light it on fire. But as I'm just getting back into the swing of this, the first post you are going to get is one about a spider. Honestly, if you've been reading me for more than five minutes, you should have seen that one coming.So yesterday, while I was waiting for StereoNinja to finish watching Doctor Who so… -
Unintentional Hiatus FAQ
11 Apr 2013 | 9:21 pmWere you kidnapped and killed at the 50 Shades meet up?No, no one has been kidnapped and nobody died. Unless you mean OF LAUGHTER. We had an absolutely awesome time, once we completely abandoned the 50 Shades party game, which sucked horse cadaver balls, and switched to Cards Against Humanity (which is also when we found out that we are all terrible people). I am excited about the real post when I will actually tell you about it.In that case, where the hell have you been?All over the place, both mentally and figuratively. I was in England and in France for a good while, during which I was… -
50 Shades Meet Up And Why This Post Is Not About France
8 Mar 2013 | 3:38 pmHello everyone! I'm just back from France today, and I absolutely owe you a post about snails, art museum shenanigans, and a mariachi band. However this post is just a short one in order to update everyone who is not on the email list about the 50 Shades party game meet up happening this Sunday evening. I was absolutely planning to post my France recap (entitled "Is This Snails?" because I had decided that probably everything was made out of snails, including cups of tea, which I needn't have worried about because there IS NO FUCKING TEA ANYWHERE IN FRANCE) tonight, as I am currently sat in a… -
50 Shades Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
17 Feb 2013 | 10:19 pmAll right, all right, you guys. I'll get back to the reviews now. It had actually been so long since I read the three chapters I'm about to do that I had to go back and skim them all again to remember what my notes were about. I realized in doing so that just being extremely busy working on grad school applications and related moving issues wasn't the only problem I was having in sitting down to write this. I also just really don't even care. I don't think anything I write today is going to be funny because I don't care about the characters in the book. There's so much unending drama that… -
How I Celebrated Valentine's Day
17 Feb 2013 | 12:56 pmRight, so I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day or whatever, love, roses, blah blah blah. The bartender seemed to think it was also "sabotage your roommate who has to be naked on stage in four months day" and the house is now fucking full of candy.As some of you already know, I hate Valentine's Day with only slightly less passion than I love Christmas. It's almost like it was specifically set up to be a no win situation. If you're single and sad about it, the entire day is like getting stabbed repeatedly with a magical dull knife called the Knife of Loneliness that turns your…
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Country Book Bumpkin
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We've Moved!
5 May 2013 | 2:18 pmCome visit me at Totally Tarah! I has the book reviews you love and so much more! -
REVIEW: Commencement
3 Nov 2012 | 8:16 pmBy Paige CuccaroSeptember 2012 Entangled Publishing In this novella Emma Hellsbane our resident Empath and girl genius is having issues. School has been going well and keeping her best friend Mijir and fellow genius’s lusty emotions out of her system is always a challenge, but predictable. Things though have started to get complicated, however with her boyfriend of six months and school soccer star Jason. All of the sudden he gets these waves of complete hatred that Emma senses that are completely out of character for him. Mijir suggests that he may be… -
REVIEW: Duck Boy
30 Oct 2012 | 10:19 pmBy Bill Bunn BitingDuck PressOctober 2012ISBN-10: 1938463609 ISBN-13: 978-1938463600For the past 2 years Steve Best’s life has been nothing like it used to be, not since his mom disappeared . These days his dad barely get by; emotionally or physically. School is a veritable hell, where he has been nicknamed “Duck Boy” for being a nice guy and trying to save a duck stuck in frozen pond near his school. Christmas is coming and it looks like it’s going to be another crappy year. Steve’s dad has to go on a business trip for work OVER the holiday. … -
Books To Be Reviewed!
6 Oct 2012 | 1:57 pmHello everyone!I hope you are all well and gearing up for Halloween! I haven't decided myself if I am going to dress up or anything, but my bosses at the bookstore have been bouncing around the idea of dressing me up like Dalek from Dr. Who. We have been real busy at the store though so finding the time to make it could be a bit of a challenge.I have managed to fit in some reading however and here is my list of books I will be posting reviews for in the coming days!Abandon Book 2: Underworld By Meg Cabot Blue Bloods Book 1By Melissa De La Cruz Thumped (sequel to Bumped)By Megan… -
What I've Been Up To
26 Aug 2012 | 5:00 pmYou guys remember that bookstore I profiled that is new in town? Well, as it happens I work there now! They just thought I was so cute and pathetic when I said hey you guys need anything? I need something to do! I work there Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for a few hours each and my job for lack of a Websters word is de-stickerator. They have worked in some and owned a bookstore before so when they moved to their newest location they packed up a ton of inventory which for the most part resides in a storage unit. It is my job as they bring a few boxes in at a time to…
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Soul Destruction
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In the Booth with Ruth - Shelly Stoops, Interim Manager, SAFE Place Merseyside (Adult sexual assault referral centre-SARC), Liverpool Community Health, and Former Specialist ISVA for Sex Workers, Armistead Street Project, Liverpool Community Health
16 May 2013 | 6:15 amReblogged from Ruth Jacobs: How do you feel about the police? I greatly respect Merseyside Police for the way they have taken a pragmatic, human rights approach to sex workers and prioritise their safety. How do you think people in … Continue reading → -
For a Limited Time ‘Soul Destruction: Unforgivable’ is 77p / 99c on Kindle
14 May 2013 | 6:04 amFor a limited time only: Click here to download from Amazon UK for 77p. Click here to download from Amazon US for 99c. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free Kindle apps for PCs, tablets and smartphones from Amazon UK here and from Amazon … Continue reading → -
Soul Destruction: Unforgivable – Trailer
11 May 2013 | 2:31 pmFiled under: Soul Destruction: Unforgivable, Updates Tagged: addict, addiction, book, call girl, crack, crime, dissociation, drugs, escort, heroin, London, posttraumatic stress, prostitute, prostitution, PTSD, rape, revenge, soul destruction: unforgivable, suicidal, trailer -
On The Dock: Extract from Soul Destruction: Unforgivable – Chapter 1 ‘The Dead John’
10 May 2013 | 2:30 pmFeatured writer for May 2013 on The Dock: Chapter 1 – The Dead John “There’s only one kind of dead, the not moving and the not breathing kind, and that’s the kind of dead he is.” Despite her hysteria, Shelley … Continue reading → -
From the Madness and Hell of Life as a Heroin and Crack Addict with Countless Failed Overdoses, This is My Story on Getting My Life Back on Track
8 May 2013 | 7:52 amMy interview in the second edition of Robin Barratt’s Tough Talk Magazine is the most personal interview I have ever given. My interview can be read and downloaded here: From the Madness and Hell of Life as a Heroin and … Continue reading →
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Printsasia
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Guest Post by Stephen Wetta: How I Came To Write If Jack’s in Love
22 May 2013 | 4:08 amGuest Post by Stephen Wetta Many have asked me how I came to write If Jack’s in Love. The truth is, I can’t remember. My usual practice, when I am not at work on a new novel, is to sit in front of a blank screen, write a sentence or two and hope something [...] -
Groundbreaking Books Written By Popular Celebrities
17 May 2013 | 4:43 amAuthor : Sherry Helms It’s human nature to be curious about something which is unrevealed, concealed or not so known. And when it comes to the lifestyle, behind the scene stories and incidents involving a celebrity, it definitely sparks curiosity in most of us. In the dusk of their career, many celebrities resort to penning [...] -
Historical Fictions Recommended By Bibliophiles
14 May 2013 | 5:15 amAuthor : Sherry Helms If anyone is interested to learn about history in an enjoyable way, historical fiction novel may be just a right choice. It is true that a deftly written historical novel along with humor herein is sure to be a big hit with historical fiction fans. Yesterday, we asked our readers to [...] -
Mother’s Day Special: Best Books for Different Types of Mothers
11 May 2013 | 4:44 amAuthor : Sherry Helms Mother’s Day is here again- a very special day to honor mothers, maternal bonds and contribution of mothers in society. It is the time to show our due love, sincere concern and deep respect to someone who has been there always throughout our life. One of the best ways to express [...] -
Top Five Literary Crime Novels of All Time
9 May 2013 | 4:02 amAuthor : Sharry Helms Crime and suspense thrillers have always been in high demand amongst fiction aficionados. These books, if well written, completely hook up the reader and prove to be a compulsive page-turner. Lately, the popularity of this genre has seen tremendous boost because of publishing of some really great write-ups. Today, we [...]
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Books Without Any Pictures
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Review and Giveaway: “Glow” by Jessica Maria Tuccelli
22 May 2013 | 2:00 amJessica Maria Tuccelli’s debut novel “Glow” is a joy to read. I’d highly recommend it, and invite you all to participate in a giveaway sponsored by the publisher. Just leave a comment to enter. I’ll draw the winner out of a hat on May 31. Please include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win. And now, for my review… “Glow” is a historical novel set in the American South. The story centers around a little girl named Ella McGee. Her father is black and her mother, a civil rights activist, is Cherokee. When… -
“There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister’s Husband, and He Hanged Himself: Love Stories” by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya
20 May 2013 | 7:23 pmI’m in a particularly grumpy/bitter mood tonight, so this is a perfect time to review this book. Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I’m too cynical to take most stories of happily ever after seriously, and love triangles make me want to puke. This book is different. Ludmilla Petrushevskaya’s most excellent collection of love stories, entitled “There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister’s Husband, and He Hanged Himself,” take a dark but humorous view on love and society. Her stories are… -
General Update on Life, the Universe, and Everything
8 May 2013 | 5:17 pmOne of several bookshelves, arranged in the style of Tetris, or perhaps Jenga. I’ve been very quiet lately. That’s because there’s been a lot going on, between work, school, and …moving! My new apartment is close enough to where I work that I can walk there, instead of spending almost an hour on public transit each way. Even better, I live directly across the street from a public library. It is glorious. Between Mike and I, we’ve managed to completely fill three bookshelves, and there are still two more boxes of books left to unpack. My living room is… -
“The Forever Knight” by John Marco
16 Apr 2013 | 7:10 pmI received a copy of John Marco’s “The Forever Knight” from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. When “The Forever Knight” begins, the revered knight Lukien is an old man. He’s got his share of battle scars, and only has one eye. However, he’s kept alive by a spirit that dwells within his magical sword. Lukien has lost the love of his life, and he’s bored with his immortality. He feels as if his life no longer has a purpose. In an attempt to find new meaning, Lukien sets out with a young girl named Cricket to find out the… -
“A Conspiracy of Alchemists” by Liesel Schwarz
25 Mar 2013 | 8:27 pmGood evening everyone! Today is my stop on the TLC Book Tour of Liesel Schwarz’s debut novel, “A Conspiracy of Alchemists,” which is the first book in the Chronicles of Light and Shadow series. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. “A Conspiracy of Alchemists” is a steampunk paranormal adventure. Our protagonist, a young pilot named Elle, agrees to deliver a rather unusual cargo, only to find herself caught up in a plot between the various supernatural forces that share the world. After her father is kidnapped by Alchemists,…
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Susan Roebuck
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With Friends Like This...
21 May 2013 | 7:16 amBook promotion is the bane of many authors' lives these days, both traditionally and self-published. One of our options is to go to a company who will charge 98% of your royalties to do a spot of bugging the public. But, if you have a wonderful friend like mine, she'll make you something brilliant all for free!!!Super-talented Elin Gregory made me this advert for...for...nothing!!! And she made the banner at the top of the page.Really don't deserve it, Elin, but thank you, thank you. Um...now what am I going to do with it? :-D . (Any constructive suggestions duly appreciated.)She… -
Urban Legends - True Spook Stories and Elin Gregory
25 Apr 2013 | 3:12 amElin Gregory doesn't usually wander into the realms of horror and fantasy, but since she's a brilliant all-round writer (preferring to concentrate on historical m/m literature) she's made an exception for me today. Here's Elin (and thank you!):We've all heard these. They are often told in pubs by men who will swear blind that they are true, having had the original story from someone 'who was actually there and saw it with their own eyes'.Such as the story of the couple who came home from a night out to find their german shepherd dog choking on the landing. An emergency dash to the vet ensues… -
A-Z = S for (True) Spook Tale and Steve Emmett
22 Apr 2013 | 2:17 amFirst of all, sorry, sorry I disappeared from view. A family member had to go into hospital and last week was fraught. So, I know, I've failed this year's A-Z challenge :-( Never mind I have a True Spook Tale for you today!Steve Emmett is a British author, occasional book reviewer and a member of the Society of Authors. Born in Harrogate, the genteel Yorkshire spa town where Agatha Christie hid away from the world thirty-two years earlier. He's also the acclaimed author of the wonderful horror novel: DiavolinoRead on for the spooky tale:Steve EmmetEyes Wide OpenYorkshire village Do… -
A-Z Blog Challenge - M = Marmalade - be careful, very careful
15 Apr 2013 | 6:18 amThey say that if you don't learn a language before you're 25 you'll never be bilingual, no matter how much you speak the second language.How true. Speaking another language can be a minefield of different meanings (or false friends) that can lead, in most cases, to hilarity (at your expense).Examples:Vou fazer marmelada. Nope, that's not 'I'm going to make marmalade'. That's 'I'm going to do some heavy-petting' (foreplay);Do not ask the grocery store man if he tem tomates? Because you're asking him if he has b**ls. Tem tomate? (singular) is much better if you're really want to know if he… -
A-Z Blog Challenge. L = Lisboa Linda
14 Apr 2013 | 4:38 amIt's Sunday (I know, I'm a day late), so let's take a day off and take a walking trip around Lisbon. The title of this post is Beautiful Lisbon, which I think you'll agree that it is. It's a gloriously sunny, warm day - so enjoy it.All photos were taken by my niece Ana Rita Pinto who has just graduated from university as a fully-qualified nurse - she's a talented photographer too.Thank you Rita!
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Reading Diva
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Crazy Little Thing
27 Apr 2013 | 3:51 pmI recently read Crazy Little Thing by Tracy Brogan. This is a MUST for a beach read. I found myself laughing out loud many times during the book. It's a simple plot that has been written about endlessly, but Brogan added such spice to her characters that I didn't mind.Sadie, the main character, spends the summer with her kooky aunt and colorful cousins. While her children enjoy the circus like atmosphere, Sadie finds herself in a hot romance with a doctor. Enter the ex-husband, who adds drama to the story and Sadie herself causes quite a bit of the drama as well. -
The Scottish Prisoner
2 Mar 2013 | 2:41 pmIm a terrible blogger, almost two months since I have made a post!!!!I recently read The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon. It is one of her spin-off books from Outlander, and part of the Lord John Grey series.This book is incredibly bleak and sad. Although Lord John is it's main character, Jamie Fraser is the second main. It follows him through those "lost" years when Claire went back to her time. After Culloden, Jamie was captured and imprisoned on a farm where he worked with the horses. Ever the stoic, Jamie does his work, does it well and happens to father… -
The Round House
7 Jan 2013 | 3:49 pmMy sincere apologies for being so lax in my blog posts! The holidays were very busy and I hardly had a spare minute to read, much less write! Hopefully my crazy days are behind me and I am back to being able to post with more regularity!I recently read The Round House by by Louise Erdrich. This book follows the son of a North Dakota Native American who has been viciously attacked. The details of the crime are slow to come forth as Joe tries to unravel the mystery of his mom's attacker. Joe's father, a tribal judge, also tries to come to terms with the attack… -
A Brief Reading Hiatus
22 Dec 2012 | 6:09 amLife has gotten in the way of my reading habit! I had started reading the Angry Women Suite and halfway through I had to stop reading. I don't understand why reviews were praising this book. It was very hard to follow and really the plot was hard to decipher.From there I started reading The Neighbors by Ania Ahlborn. The book was interesting and a little different than books I've been reading. Andrew Morrison moves away from his alcoholic mother only to find himself in the midst of an odd relationship with his neighbor Harlow. Harlow deceives Andrew and he… -
The Angry Women Suite
7 Dec 2012 | 8:23 amI've been busy and apologize for not posting sooner. I am still reading The Angry Women Suite. I am halfway through and really do not like this book much. The writing is fabulous and the characters are deep, however, the constant jumping between present and past has made it very difficult to stay up with the plot line. I also don't find it very interesting. There have been several mentions of murder, but nothing has even gotten close to explaining what that is about. I am almost ready to call it quits and put the book down and move on. I RARELY stop…
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In Bed With A Writer
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Judith Hermann
8 May 2013 | 7:48 amIn the distance, the Fernsehturm near Alexanderplatz faintly glistens in the first rays of a bland sun. Outside the bedroom door, soft music, tired voices and the lazy clinking of bottles form the soundtrack to the remnants of yet another night that came up short of the irreversible loss of all participating selves in a [...]The post Judith Hermann appeared first on In Bed With A Writer. -
H. P. Lovecraft
20 Mar 2013 | 1:51 amA promising name indeed – and a rightfully famous one, as its bearer has long been a splendid source of pleasure for people with somewhat darker desires. True, he’s neither elegant nor agile, neither wild and passionate nor tender and suave: usually, his moves are rather rigid, and he seeks to produce whatever effect he [...]The post H. P. Lovecraft appeared first on In Bed With A Writer. -
Michael Chabon
6 Mar 2013 | 2:56 amThis wonder boy has clearly done his homework, too. Unlike many of his nerd brethren, however, he doesn’t shy away from using his talent and expertise to tease and excite. So, instead of studying computer sciences and spending all of his free time documenting continuity errors in episodes of Star Trek, he opened up his [...]The post Michael Chabon appeared first on In Bed With A Writer. -
Karen Russell
27 Feb 2013 | 5:11 amIntriguing, you thought, when you first met her at the bar in that seedy Indian casino by the Everglades Parkway (known to the locals as Alligator Alley), and she told you about all the strange people she knows: weird people who are down on their luck, people who will always be misfits, no matter how [...]The post Karen Russell appeared first on In Bed With A Writer. -
James Fenimore Cooper
20 Feb 2013 | 3:51 amDon’t let the slutty leather stockings fool you: James is a bumpy ride, and not in a good way. In fact, after patiently enduring this eternal greenhorn’s awkward efforts at getting me excited and his ceaseless, heavy-handed groping of all the wrong spots a little while, I just rolled over and sent him back to [...]The post James Fenimore Cooper appeared first on In Bed With A Writer.
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Best Murder Books
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J.D. Robb’s “Delusion in Death”
6 May 2013 | 1:23 pmJ.D. Robb’s Delusion In Death Publisher:The Penguin Group Copyright:2012 ISBN:978-1-62090-319-3 22 Chapters: 624 Pages I.Murder Book Summary NYPSD’s lead homicide detective, Eve Dallas has encountered every kind murder imaginable.She’s seen a limo driver shot through the neck with a crossbow, and a prostitute slashed and mutilated “Jack the Ripper” style. It takes a lot to get past her stoic demeanor.And yet, standing in the middle of the slaughterhouse that used to be the “On the Rocks” club, even Dallas is dismayed. These victims are not just murdered.They are… -
Gus Pelagatti’s “The Wicked Wives”
7 Apr 2013 | 3:00 pmGus Pelagatti’s The Wicked Wives Publisher: MillCity Press Copyright: 2008, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-936780-63-1 46 Chapters; 292 pages I. Murder Book Summary It’s 1937 and Giorgio DiSipio is having the time of his life. He’s married to a disabled woman but that isn’t stopping him from having all the wild, crazy sex he could ever hope for. He’s the owner of a tailor shop in South Philadelphia, but that’s not the source of his considerable wealth. He’s a small-time gangster, but he doesn’t need the local “rackets” to pad his growing bank account. You see, Mr. -
Kathy Reichs “Bones Are Forever”
21 Mar 2013 | 1:25 pmKathy Reichs Bones Are Forever Publisher: Scribner; a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4391-0243-5 40 Chapters; 283 pages I. Murder Book Summary 27 year old Amy Roberts is a young woman with many names and many problems. She has been known at various times as Alma Rogers, Alva Rodriguez, and Annaliese Ruben. She seems to have a passion for romantic types of names and changes them often. Recently Amy mysteriously showed up at The Hospital Honore’-Mercier, in Montreal, complaining of vaginal bleeding. She appeared to be very… -
Kathy Reichs and Guatine (Gus) Pelagatti
12 Mar 2013 | 12:30 pmMy problem as a book reviewer has always been that I’m so darn slow as a reader. That has become an especially difficult problem to deal with this past holiday season coupled with a huge computer failure and a sudden and inconvenient change of address. So, how have I decided to handle the current difficulties? By taking massive action (for me) and reading and reviewing 2 books at the same time! My first project for the New Year is Kathy Reichs “Bones Are Forever”. The Lady whose work has inspired the FOX TV series “Bones” closed 2012 with this tale of infanticide on steroids. But… -
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross By James Patterson
28 Jan 2013 | 1:09 pmMerry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-0-316-21068-3 Hard cover edition, 109 chapters; 323 pages There is an old-school movie that some of you may remember entitled “Death Takes A Holiday, starring Fredric March. Released in 1934, it is about “Death” who decides to assume human form, take a 3 day break and mingle with us poor, frightened mortals. In Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, ace detective Alex wishes that crime would take a holiday, so that he (Alex) can “mingle” with his family. But then, crime is no…
