Review: Glad No Matter What: Transforming Loss and Change into Gift and Opportunity
Glad No Matter What: Transforming Loss and Change into Gift and Opportunity by SARK My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was my first exposure to SARK’s writing, aside from her posters. It was a gift from a former co-worker as I left my job at the San Francisco Public Library. At the time, I didn’t feel very gracious about the transition, and so it has taken me a while to finish reading this. “Glad No Matter What” is primarily a book about the type of loss and change that surrounds the death of a loved one, but I could apply some of it to the loss and change I am currently experiencing as I transition to my new home. SARK’s unbridled enthusiasm and good nature bursts from every page, and it is difficult not to be cheered by...
Read MoreReview: We Need to Talk about Kevin
We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver My rating: 3 of 5 stars I really do not know what to write about this book. On the one hand, it is a known quantity; no one starts reading it without knowing, at least in the most general sense, what it is about. On the other, it answers none of the questions the reader will have about its horrific central narrative. Shriver is, undoubtedly, a talented writer. The story made me feel ambivalence for every single character introduced, no small feat considering how easy it would be to create a maudlin mother or monstrous son. No, in fact, every single person involved has realistic foibles, making the absence of the great “why” at the end all the more appalling. It could happen to any one of...
Read MoreReview: The Dewey Decimal System: A Novel
The Dewey Decimal System: A Novel by Nathan Larson My rating: 4 of 5 stars It may be weird to say that I am a fan of dystopian near-future settings. I have a morbid fascination with bleak, sparse landscapes and crumbling infrastructure; I remain hopeful that I will never have to live in such a world, but constantly wonder what type of person I would be if I survived in one. In “The Dewey Decimal System”, Larson creates an instantly engaging survivor as a protagonist, and a compelling city in ruins around him. Larson’s staccato, fragmented style makes this a quick and brutal read with plenty of physical and emotional carnage. I only wished for more scenes in the New York Public Library, yearning for more details of this...
Read MoreAuthor and publisher Carmen Callil has withdrawn from the judging panel of the Man Booker International prize
Author and publisher Carmen Callil has withdrawn from the judging panel of the Man Booker International prize over its decision to honour Philip Roth with the £60,000 award. Dismissing the Pulitzer prize-winning author, Callil said that ‘he goes on and on and on about the same subject in almost every single book. It’s as though he’s sitting on your face and you can’t breathe’.Judge withdraws over Philip Roth’s Booker win | Books | guardian.co.uk
Read MoreReview: Bossypants
Bossypants by Tina Fey My rating: 4 of 5 stars Because I am not up on these things, even though I really should be, I had no idea that Tina Fey had written a book. If I had, I would have pre-pre-ordered it as those of us in the librarian cabal are able to do. What? That’s not a thing? I have been lied to! Anyway, I stumbled across the disturbing cover of her not-quite-memoir "Bossypants" three seconds after stepping into a local bookstore, and even though I am trying very (kind of) hard not to buy any new books, I bought it.And I devoured it in less than 24 hours."Bossypants" is a fast, sparkling read, with plenty of LLOLL (legitimate laugh-out-loud in the library) moments. Fey is funny and smart, which everyone already knew, and also...
Read MoreGoogle Digital Library Settlement Rejected
From the Am Law Daily: “The [amended settlement agreement] would grant Google control over the digital commercialization of millions of books, including orphan books and other unclaimed works,” Judge Chin wrote. “And it would do so even though Google engaged in wholesale, blatant copying, without first obtaining copyright permissions.” (via FunkyPlaid)
Read More“A Dance With Dragons” arrives this summer
George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series proceeds, finally, with a hard publication date of 12 July 2011. Nine hundred pages? Let’s do this.
Read MoreGoodnight Dune
The children’s book “Goodnight Moon” reimagined in only the most wonderful of ways. Thanks, Julia Yu. And thanks, MetaFilter.
Read MoreThe Malcolm Gladwell Book Generator
The Malcolm Gladwell Book Generator, via Poets & Writers Magazine: My favorite is Germs, Steel, & Guns: A Slightly Reorganized Version of That Other Book.
Read MoreLotR II: Sauron’s Boogaloo
I would read this. I would read this very much. The Last Ring-Bearer, by palaeontologist Kirill Yeskov, retells Tolkien’s epic story from the perspective of the region of Mordor, from where Sauron, the Dark Lord, waged war on the free peoples of Middle Earth in the War of the Rings, eventually to be defeated by Gandalf. But I understand why Tolkien’s estate is displeased. Because they are part of the political machine devoted to suppressing the Mordorian minority’s historical relevance! Er. Or copyright. That. via Lord of the Rings reworking a hit with fans, but not Tolkien estate | Books | guardian.co.uk.
Read MoreHello What
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Blog: Day 72 of Project 365: honey lentils: I wanted to cook dinner tonight but I was feeling very lazy and stil... http://t.co/jSV6GtGf
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Shared 72.365: honey lentils.
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“Great Expectations” by Elbow is my new jam. ♫ http://t.co/ZgaGjVqt #thisismyjam
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Cities In Motion: U.S. Cities Lets San Franciscans Try Their Hand At Running Muni (VIDEO) - http://t.co/NQ6TgQSB (h/t @FunkyPlaid)
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Blog: Day 71 of Project 365: cooking the brains: Last October, I was so worked up about bringing the cats overse... http://t.co/0oJgTljQ
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Shared 71.365: cooking the brains.
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Re: the Naked Face Project, I want women to be inspired and inspiring, but I don't want it to be about our beauty regimen.
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Listened to 19 songs.
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RT @tadwilliams: RT @subpress: Read "Three Lillies and Three Leopards" a Poul Anderson tribute novella by @tadwilliams at Subterranean: ...
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