Monday Mailbox: Jon Krakauer, Gretchen Rubin, and More!

June 18, 2012

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 […]

One More Page: Chocolate and Wine

June 14, 2012

Eileen McGervey is preparing for a varietal wine tasting at One More Page Books & More. Wine and chocolate make up the “More.” She moves through the store, adjusting books on the shelves, moving chairs and tables back into place, and carefully arranging wine glasses on a table. “This is the side of bookselling they don’t tell you about,” she says with one of her un-self-conscious laughs. Bars of gourmet chocolate neatly line a table in front of the register. Orange peel, […]

One More Page: Starting a Bookstore in a Recession

June 7, 2012

“I am not crazy,” Eileen McGervey says.

Dressed in a soft pink sweater, black stretch pants, and sneakers, she never seems to stop moving; she pushes her short, curly hair out of her eyes as she scoots a table and chairs into a corner of the room. She’s preparing for an author event.

Wordless Wednesday: Capybara in Argentina

June 6, 2012

Today’s photo comes from a trip I took to the Esteros del Iberá, a network of wetlands in Argentina’s northeastern Corrientes province. Wanna learn more? Check out my recent article! Reptiles, Rodents and Ranchers: How US Profits Are Shaping Ecotourism in Argentina

Top Ten Books I Really Should Have Reviewed

June 5, 2012

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.

BEA Bound

June 3, 2012

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.)

Wordless Wednesday: Park Golfer

May 23, 2012

On my commute home recently, I saw a young man golfing in a public park. When you gotta practice your swing, you gotta practice your swing. I just hope the people walking by knew when to duck.

We’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun

May 22, 2012

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 […]

Giveaway: “The Day the World Ends” by Ethan Coen

April 27, 2012

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 […]

Spring Readathon 2012

April 21, 2012

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 […]

Top Ten Books on My Spring To-Be-Read List

March 20, 2012

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 […]