We’ve all been there. You accidentally delete an important work project and unthinkingly empty your trash. Your PC succumbs to a virus. Your laptop gets run over by a car. And you sit, numbly, too heartbroken for tears, as you realize that a labor of love—or, at least, tons of time—has been lost forever.
January is one of two magical months where I focus on reading books from the winners and nominees of the Orange Prize, my favorite literary award. (Hence the name “Orange January.”)
Happy new year! In 2012, I had a lot of competing priorities, and sadly I had to stop blogging for a while. I’m still pretty busy, but I’m trying to make my blog a higher priority this year. I miss interacting with all of my bookish friends, and even thinking about blogging regularly again has put a smile on my face.
The Beginner’s Goodbye by Anne Tyler I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed Dust to Dust by Benjamin Busch I receive a very small commission when you purchase the book through the above links to Indiebound. Thank you for helping to support my site–and my book addiction!
It’s incredible to think that 2012 is halfway over. What a busy but fun year so far! This month, I will be participating in Orange July, a twice-yearly challenge to read more books from the winners and nominees of the Orange Prize, my favorite literary award. This month, I’m planning to read We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver; State of Wonder by Ann Patchett; The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison; and The History of Love by Nicole […]
Two things: I swear that I know the real title of Jenny Lawson’s memoir, despite what I say in the video; and I think my hair is preparing an uprising against me. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson Matched by Ally Condie The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova SprinkleBakes: Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist by Heather Baird Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner I receive a very small commission when you purchase the book […]
10. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson This hilarious memoir would be closer to #1 on my must-read list for summer, except I’ve actually already started it. So, technically, it’s #1 on my currently-reading list this summer. And well deserved! Jenny Lawson spoke to BEA Book Bloggers a few weeks ago, and she blew me away with her humor–but more than that, with her honesty. Her book is doing the same. 9. I Am Forbidden by […]
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer Jesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin Property by Valerie Martin I receive a […]
I read these books shortly before I began my blog, but too much time had passed to do them justice. Now that I’ve compiled the list, though, I’d kind of like to re-read and review these titles, because they were just that good.
Today, I’m headed to New York for book blogger’s Christmas: Book Expo America. I’m beyond excited to meet my fellow book bloggers, as well as publishers, authors, and others in the book business. I’ll try to take careful notes and report back on everything I see. (I’m also trying to bring back only so many free books as I can carry… but we’ll see how well I do on that resolution.)
A friend of mine once shared a thought that I’ve since adopted as my own mantra: “I no longer do for fun that which I do not enjoy.” There are some things that are unavoidable. I need a job, at least at this point of my life; I need a place to live and nutritious meals and regular doctor’s visits. But I have a tendency to overcommit my personal time, to view the things I’m choosing to do as duties rather than […]
Here are a few facts you may not have known. 1. I have seen nearly every film made by the Coen brothers. The ones I’ve seen: Blood Simple Raising Arizona Miller’s Crossing Barton Fink The Hudsucker Proxy Fargo The Big Lebowski O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Man Who Wasn’t There Intolerable Cruelty No Country for Old Men Burn After Reading True Grit The ones I haven’t seen: The Ladykillers A Serious Man 2. Ethan Coen, one half of the duo responsible […]
This is one of my favorite weekends of the year–Spring Readathon! Jack is away for the weekend, and I’ve got a stack of books that I have fallen behind on reading and reviewing. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot more writing and research than reading. I’ve got a list of books I’d promised to review already, and I feel terribly that I haven’t finished them yet. This weekend will change all that. Today I’ll be finishing a few books I’m already in […]
Spring is in the air in D.C. As the season changes, of course my mind turns to books, books, and more books. Here are a few I’m planning to read over the next few weeks–hopefully outside, in the shade of a blossoming tree! 10. More Like Her by Liza Palmer From the cover: Sometimes the golden dream you fervently wish for turns out to be not at all what it seems–like Emma Dunham’s enviable suburban postcard life, which is about to be […]
Up until now, the worlds of rappers and book nerds were largely separate. This video changes everything. Happy Tuesday!
Happy Monday! To start your week off right, check out this rap version of the classic usage guide by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White.
Melody Schreiber 