Sunday Salon

2011 in Review

February 12, 2012

2011 Stats Books read: 62 Pages read: 18,731 Books reviewed: 62 Total posts: 152 2011 was a very exciting year for me. I was able to travel to Thailand and Indonesia, Jack and I moved into a new house, I began ice skating lessons again, and I started a graduate program in writing. I’ve certainly stayed busy! I also began experimenting with new things on this site, including Top Ten Tuesday lists, the biweekly Subscription Saturday feature, Wordless Wednesdays photographs, my Bookshelf […]

January 2012 in Review

February 5, 2012

Though my stats aren’t terribly high for January, I had a truly enjoyable month reading and reviewing some great titles. (Scroll down to see which books I’ve been diving into recently.)

National Book Critics Circle Awards

January 29, 2012

I don’t usually pay a great deal of attention to awards, but there are a few that usually fall in line with my tastes; the Orange Prize is one, and the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) awards are another. When an award is successful, it serves as an introduction to a previously unknown but soon-to-be-beloved author. I end up reading not only her award-winning title, but also her backlist. The shortlist of books published in 2011 was released recently, and more than […]

Reading Challenges in 2012

January 22, 2012

Despite not getting much reading done this weekend, I’m still excited to share with you the reading challenges in which I will participate this year. After all, ’tis the season to make promises that this year will be different–this year will be better!

December 2011 in Review

January 8, 2012

December was a good month for me. Thankfully, I had time off to relax, which of course means I was able to read and review several great books. I’m feeling rejuvenated heading into a new year; I’m confident 2012 will be even better!

Blogging Resolutions in 2012 and Orange January

January 1, 2012

Last month, I found myself thinking about what books would be on my Top Ten Books of 2011 list when I realized that I had fallen inexcusably far behind on my reviews. I had a stack of great books I’d been wanting to share for months, but for various reasons hadn’t gotten to. Therefore, my 2012 blogging resolution is to review every book I read within a month of finishing it. Sounds easy, but sometimes life gets in the way!

Tying Up Loose Ends in 2011

December 11, 2011

As cold weather descends and shows no sign of budging, my thoughts turn to holidays and family and, far too soon, the end of the year. But before I can even start thinking about 2012, I first need to finish up a few things from 2011.

November 2011 in Review

December 4, 2011

November 2011 Stats Books in progress: 13 Books read: 7 Pages read: 2,421 November was a busy month, and I fell a little behind in my reviewing. The same thing happened last November too; maybe I should plan on a less ambitious schedule for November 2012? In any case, I’m almost all caught up now. Thanks for bearing with me! Books reviewed This month, I read some great historical fiction. I liked both Vivienne Schiffer’s novel Camp Nine and Caroline Moorehead’s work […]

Thankfully Reading (and Writing!)

November 27, 2011

First of all, I would like to apologize for my recent lapse in blogging. Between school, my birthday, and Thanksgiving–not to mention a terrible cold–I haven’t been able to keep up with my usual posts. I’ve got a few entries drafted that I intend to post over the next week, so please be patient with me. It’s good to be back! And I thought I’d come back with a bang. This weekend I participated in one of my favorite readathons, Thankfully Reading. […]

A Time to Dance

October 23, 2011

Last weekend, Jack and I traveled to Lynchburg for his grandmother’s memorial service. It was wonderful to spend time with his family, celebrating the life of a woman who impacted us all and also celebrating the lives of those who are still with us. Jack’s aunt, Susie, celebrated her birthday while the family was gathered in Lynchburg, and I think we all had a great time.

Saying Goodbye

October 16, 2011

I’m writing this in advance of the weekend, because I will be without internet connection. This weekend, Jack and I will be traveling to Lynchburg for the memorial service of his grandmother, Gene Joiner.

September 2011 in Review

October 2, 2011

September 2011 Stats Books in progress: 6 Books read: 6 Pages read: 935 Books reviewed: 6 Posts on book reviewing: 12 (includes features like In My Mailbox, Top Ten Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday, Subscription Saturday, and Sunday Salon; reading challenges; and news) My stats are not nearly as impressive as they were in August, but I’ve been having a great time nonetheless. This month, I began my first graduate writing class, which has been marvelous. (Last week our guest speaker was Paul Dickson!) […]

Book Festivals and “The Wire”

September 25, 2011

Book Festivals This has been an excellent weekend for books. The National Book Festival, now in its eleventh year, added an extra day to the festivities on the National Mall. And the Baltimore Book Festival also happened this weekend, though I was so busy with NBF I couldn’t attend. I had a great time wandering through crowds of book lovers swarming the Mall, watching lines of eager fans snake by the book-signing booths, and listening to great talks about books and writing. […]

August 2011 in Review

September 11, 2011

August 2011 Stats Books in progress: 6 Books read: 7 Pages read: 2,382 Books reviewed: 6 Posts on book reviewing: 6 (includes features like In My Mailbox, Wordless Wednesday, and Top Ten Tuesday; reading challenges; and news) August was a great month for me–I read several great books that I’m excited about reviewing, and I reviewed several books that I enjoyed a great deal. I loved John McWhorter’s What Language Is and Noelle Hancock’s My Year with Eleanor. And I also enjoyed […]

July 2011 in Review

July 31, 2011

I started the month of strong in terms of books read, but Sapphire’s The Kid dragged on and George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons tops 1,000 pages–I’m about halfway done with it.