Contest! Win a Free Book!

On Reading September 28, 2007 Superfast Reader 10 Comments

I’m excited to announce that I’m giving away a copy of Jeffrey Overstreet’s Auralia’s Colors, a book I enjoyed tremendously. If you would like a chance to win, send me an email (superfastreader -at- gmail -dot- com) or use the contact form below. Please put AURALIA in the subject line. I’ll be accepting entries until October 4th at midnight EST (that’s GMT -4), and I’m welcoming entries from anywhere in the world. The winner will be announced on Friday, October 5th with an even more…

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

British Literature September 27, 2007 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: The last of a dying breed, a proper English butler reflects on his life in service. Review: I had no idea I would love The Remains of the Day as much as I did. To be honest, I love Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go so much that I was afraid that if I didn’t like this book, my love for that one would be tainted irrevocably.

Books In Movies

On Reading September 26, 2007 Superfast Reader 9 Comments

No, not books TO movies, books IN movies, used as props or set dressing. Whenever I see a character reading, I want to know what they’re reading. All too often you can’t tell, but when you can, it’s usually informative. The AMC series “Mad Men” has had some fun book cameos. Set in the 1960s New York City advertising world, the show consciously references books and films of the time. I noticed in the first episode that the main office set appeared to be an…

Some Changes Under the Hood

On Reading September 25, 2007 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

I upgraded to WordPress 2.3 this morning, and after a few hours of hacking I think I managed to get everything up and running smoothly. If you’re interested: You’ll now find tags at the bottom of each post, instead of at the top. I am still using Categories as a section in the sidebar. I use these for Genre, Century, and Author’s Nationality. The tags have individual authors, titles for trilogies and series, and some quirky, intuitively created classifications that could be fun to browse.…

World of Wonders by Robertson Davies

Canadian Literature September 24, 2007 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: The premature baby of Fifth Business was kidnapped by roustabouts, grew up a circus performer, and has grown into the greatest magician in the world. His life story offers the final piece to the question posed in The Manticore: “Who killed Boy Staunton?” Review: Robertson Davies’s masterful Deptford Trilogy deserves to be on more must-read lists. I discovered it thanks to Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose, and can say that Davies’s writing not only warrants Prose’s close reading, it actually provokes it…

Eaten by the Monster of Mooch

On Reading September 22, 2007 Superfast Reader 24 Comments

Thanks largely to BookMooch, I have accumulated quite a massive TBR stack, which I thought I’d share with you in honor of the book I read for work today, which was a good story but just made me want to reread Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. But no re-reading for Superfast anytime soon… If you’ve read any of these books, please tell me if it was love or hate! I really need help figuring out what to read next. The List:

This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

American Literature September 22, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Basically Brave New World crossed with 1984. Review: There isn’t an original idea in This Perfect Day. It’s also got one of those scenes where the main character rapes his love interest to prove his mastery, and she resists then totally gets into it and it ends up being just what she needed to become fully alive. Blech. I’m already annoyed at the time I lost reading this thing, and I don’t feel like giving it any more of my life, so that’s it…

Reeling and Writhing

On Reading September 21, 2007 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Two work reads in one post–one a horror manuscript that managed to be plotless and scary at the same time, the other a YA adventure manuscript. So I’m copying off of Dewey and posting the same two memes in one post. A meme about reading: My Reading: Like Dewey (and probably many of you), I read every single day of my life. I even brought books on my honeymoon. Total Number of Books Owned: Librarything tells me I have 708 books. This does not count…

The Minotaur by Barbara Vine

British Literature September 20, 2007 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: Hired to be an au pair to a schizophrenic man, a Swedish girl watches as interfamilial tensions come to a boiling point, with deadly results. Review: Barbara Vine (the alter ego of best-selling crime novelist Ruth Rendell) has carved out a niche as deft portrayer of tightly interwoven groups of people who are all set to go poof! in spectacular and surprising ways. The Minotaur concerns a family that revolves itself around the supposed schizophrenia of the only son and heir to the family…

Random Advice on Random Topics

On Reading September 19, 2007 Superfast Reader 11 Comments

I participated in the recent Daily Blog Tips writing project, contributing a post on Crafting Effective Criticism, in the hopes of winning a prize. All of the participants are posting their favorite posts, and the posts with the most mentions are eligible to win. So, here are my five favorite posts from the contest. None of them have anything to do with reading, but there’s more to life than books, right? (Oh, who am I kidding…?) Top 7 Tips for Brand New WordPress Blogs –…

reading is my superpower

i read all the books

Monthly Archives: September 2007