Subscription Saturday: The Believer
I subscribed to The Believer because of Nick Hornby, and the only regret I had in ending the subscription was Nick Hornby. His column, “Stuff I’ve Been Reading,” is my favorite column from any publication.
Top Ten Halloween Reads
This week, I’m writing about the top ten books to read to get into a frightful mood for Halloween. I realized, in preparing this list, that I don’t read too many spook-tacular books–which is a real shame! As a result, many of these titles are classics that appeal to a more literary crowd–but all should be tempting to readers with a taste for terror. Next year, I hope to spend October reading more scary books in anticipation of the holiday; I’ll start […]
Top Ten Book Covers (and Titles)
I am a firm believer that you can–and should–judge a book by its cover. After working for a book publisher and now as a book reviewer, I have come to the realization that the time spent perfecting a book’s title and cover art is usually a pretty good indication of how successful the publisher thinks it will be.
Saying Goodbye
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.
Video Review: “Book Lust to Go” by Nancy Pearl
Though I was thrown off by the book’s confusing layout and titles, this is a fun source of inspiration for readers who want to learn more about the countries they plan to–or dream of–visiting.
Top Ten Surprise Endings
This week, I’ll be writing about the top ten book endings that left me with my mouth hanging open–because of a cliffhanger, because the ending was mindblowing, and so on. Because of my reading preferences, I’m not often left hanging off cliffs; I prefer books that build and allow me to solve mysteries before we reach the conclusion. But there have been a few books that pleasantly surprise me with the ending.
September 2011 in Review
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!) […]
Top Ten Favorites to Re-read
I rarely re-read books. There are hundreds–thousands–of book out there that I want desperately to read, and my bookshelves are lined with dozens of tomes that taunt me when I walk by. (In a good way. I think.)
Book Festivals and “The Wire”
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
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
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.
Melody Schreiber 