The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Synopsis: In a world characterized by politics and intrigue, a sorceror unites a legendary rogue, a dandyish fighter, and an outlaw woman in the fight to… oh, I’m not really sure what, honestly. Review: Seriously, what is The Blade Itself about? I was lost from really early on. The characters were interesting, but there didn’t seem to be much of a story, just a bunch of incidents loosely threaded together. I never got the connections or what the stakes were, or what anyone’s goals were.…

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Maggie Again by John D. Husband

Synopsis: When an elderly woman’s childhood friends show up, miraculously unaged since she last saw them 60 years prior, she realizes she has a chance to correct the tragic mistakes made by her father those many years ago. Review: The brief on this book made it sound like a family adventure, and for the first half it read like a charming piece of Americana. Small town life, stowaways in a boxcar, the stock market crash of 1929. But the mood was shattered by a passage…

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May I Introduce… (Booking Through Thursday)

How did you come across your favorite author(s)? Recommended by a friend? Stumbled across at a bookstore? A book given to you as a gift? Was it love at first sight? Or did the love affair evolve over a long acquaintance? You can find my favorite authors listed in the first sidebar column. Here’s a rundown of how I met them all: CS Lewis–My father read the Chronicles of Narnia to me when was a little girl. For my 6th birthday, I had a cake…

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Superfast Baby Reads

I read books to her for the first time tonight. We read Goodnight Moon and The Going-to-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton. She made her happy baby noises so I think it was a success. I adore Goodnight Moon, which I’ve read to countless children while babysitting. It’s so tranquil & hypnotic. The Sandra Boynton book was very silly & sweet, with delightful word combinations that are perfect for tickling and cuddling.

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Anticipation (Booking Through Thursday)

What new books are you looking forward to most in 2008? Something new being published this year? Something you got as a gift for the holidays? Anything in particular that you’re planning to read in 2008 that you’re looking forward to? A classic, or maybe a best-seller from 2007 that you’re waiting to appear in paperback? I’ve got four new books I’m waiting for: Dreamsongs Volume 2 by George RR Martin–more short stories and his novella “The Hedge Knight,” set in the same world as…

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Happy New Year! Resolutions + Favorite Movies of 2007

Taking a break from book reviewing to bring some reflection and contemplation to Reading is my Superpower. I don’t generally blog about personal stuff, but the baby is still asleep and I’m showered and enjoying coffee and feel like blogging. I rang in the New Year on the couch with Superfast Husband and Bean watching the ball drop on New York 1. I have never gone to Times Square for New Year’s Eve and never will. Big crowds just aren’t my scene, and these days,…

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