Category Archives: American Literature

Chicks With Sticks Guide to Crochet by Nancy Queen and Mary Ellen O’Connell

Synopsis: A full color introduction to the craft of crochet, with 30 patterns. Review: I am a dedicated knitter and have never really understood the appeal of crochet–until I started thumbing through the Chicks With Sticks: Guide to Crochet. The patterns are gorgeous and I found at least four things I want to make immediately. I’m particularly drawn to the flower-shaped washcloths, which would be perfect for using some cotton yarn in my stash. The illustrations make the stitches very easy to understand. The patterns…

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Sexless in the City by Anna Broadway

Synopsis: The misadventures of a hapless twenty-something woman whose greatest fear is that she will die a virgin, and whose second greatest fear is that she’ll have sex before marriage. Review: I’ll let you know up front that there’s no way that I can be objective about Sexless in the City, because Anna Broadway met the woman who bought her book in my very living room. (Yes, I am Blogyenta, formerly known as Girlfriend #6.) Reading Anna’s book was like sitting down to have a…

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How to Raise Your Parents by Sarah O’Leary Burningham

Synopsis: A cute, sassy “manual” for teen girls on how to make the most of their teen years without making Mom and Dad crazy. Review: How to Raise Your Parents definitely has the big sister tone down pat, and, for the most part, it doesn’t court too much controvery. I can see parents buying this book for their daughters, but I’m not sure I can see girls buying it for themselves, not because the advice isn’t good but because it’s a little preachy at times.…

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Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Synopsis: A boy marked for termination and organ harvesting escapes into a world where he has no legal right to live. Review: I heard about Unwind from the Queens Library, in an email newsletter talking up good new young adult books. I’m so glad that I did, because it’s a dystopian thrill ride in the same vein as Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies trilogy, only with the same intellectual depth and emotional heart that you find in Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Here’s the deal with unwinding. Anyone…

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World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler

Synopsis: The world has moved on, thanks to climate change, a worldwide oil shortage, and population devastation from superbugs, and in one small corner of New York State, the world is being rebuilt by hand. Review: Anyone who spends much time with me will eventually learn that I am obsessed with The Long Emergency, one of World Made By Hand author James Kunstler’s non-fiction treatises. I have always been drawn to the apocalyptic, and now that I am a mother I can worry about the…

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2 New Photography Books

This is a total PSA for 2 new photography books from Watson-Guptill. They publish great books on knitting & crafting that I adore reviewing, and they also send me review copies of photography books that my husband says are really awesome. I am not equipped to comment so this is just a shameless plug in the hopes that you’ll click through to buy the from Amazon. Mastering HDR Photography by Michael Freeman Use HDR technology to create dramatic images that meld photography and art High…

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Household Gods by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove

Synopsis: A San Francisco lawyer finds herself magically spirited back to ancient Rome, where she ends up running a tavern and weathering a German invasion. Review: I’m reading Household Gods for an online book club, and the only reason I didn’t quit this book is because I really like the people in the book club. I am not worried about hurting anyone’s feelings by admitting it, because I’m the one who chose it! It’s been languishing in my TBR stack since Christmas 2006 when my…

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Beauty by Robin McKinley

Synopsis: A retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. Review: I suppose it’s because of all the babysitting I’ve done, but I just couldn’t shake the image of Belle in her big yellow dress as I read Robin McKinley’s Beauty. But setting that aside, I would have loved this when I was 12. It’s swoony and romantic, featuring a narrator who’s my kind of girl. It hews very closely to the classic tale, while adding some imaginative elements such as the whispering…

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Sexless in the City–Win a Free Copy!

My dear friend Anna Broadway‘s book Sexless in the City is coming out on Tuesday, April 15th. I’m so thrilled for Anna, who met the editor who bought her book in my very living room! I’ve read some sections of it and it’s just great. So how do you win a copy? Easy–just blog about it. Mention the soundtrack and get a second entry. Even if you don’t win, I hope you’ll check this book out.

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