I had brunch yesterday with fellow fast reader Alissa and Carey, who shared such astute insights into Brothers K. The time flew by, as it does when readers get together and get on the subject of books. It was such a pleasure to spend time with people who are as passionate about reading as I am. I got some book recommendations (I think I will be checking out Michael Chabon’s newest) and got to rave about mutual love for authors like Tolstoy and George RR…
Synopsis: Trinity High and the Vigils struggle to pick up the pieces after the fallout from the chocolate sale stunt, but when Vigils secretary Obie discovers that new student and loner Ray has a working guillotine, he sets in motion a plan for revenge.
I just finished a work read that was a children’s book that makes me happy that people write for children. It was simply lovely. Dostoevsky decoder & newish reader Meli has tagged me for a teeny meme, which goes well with a teeny work read. Turn to page 161 of the book closest to you (no cheating) and copy out the fifth full sentence. From page 161 of Finding Alice by Melody Carlson: “So many young people out on the streets these days.” I feel…
Here’s another meme (HT Poodlerat) that’s been going around that I’m finally able to do. Last night’s book read was an incredibly tedious memoir. Thanks for sharing! A book that made you cry: A book that seems to make a lot of my lists: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. A book that scared you: Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin. It’s five accounts of supposedly true possession and exorcism accounts, and it scared me so bad that I read it twice then…
I just added a section to my sidebar where you can check out recent articles and blog postings I’ve come across and found worth sharing. For the most part, I’ll be sharing links about books and reading. But I might go off on the occasional tangent into related areas, but I won’t stray very far from the mission of this blog, which is to celebrate the written word. If you want to be a Superfast Groupie, you can subscribe to my shared items feed here.
My dear friend Megan got to hang out with Jonathan Lethem and learn all about how he came up with the songs for You Don’t Love Me Yet. The piece made me want to reread the book, which I wasn’t crazy about the first time around. Or maybe I’ll just read more of Megan’s stuff. Either way, read the piece here.
Like Poodlerat, I like lists. British librarians were asked to come up with a list of books adults should read before they die. Like all of these lists, it’s weird. Books I’ve read are in bold; books I’ll almost certainly never read are crossed out.
Fantasy author Lloyd Alexander, beloved for his Chronicles of Prydain, died yesterday at the age of 71. From the Washington Post: Mr. Alexander preferred an unflashy life. He played Mozart on his violin, drew cartoons and fed squirrels in his back yard. He once admitted to a weakness for doughnuts and wafers before bedtime. My eternal thanks to Mrs. Phillips, who assigned us The Book of Three in sixth grade English, teaching me that fantasy IS real literature, thank you very much, even if they…
I’ve been tagged by Eva at A Striped Armchair for a meme, and I’m so tickled that I’ll break my own rule & post even though I haven’t finished a book today. Here are the rules: 1: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. 2: People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules. 3: At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names. 4: Don’t forget…
My review of Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand is up on Blogcritics.org. Here’s the opening paragraph: How Cass Neary, the protagonist of Elizabeth Hand’s latest novel Generation Loss has stayed alive this long is anyone’s guess. Super young, super talented and super stoned at the birth of punk below 14th Street in the 1970s, Cass started taking photographs of her friends and ended up publishing a briefly sensational book called Dead Girls. Now it’s 30 years later and Cass has never managed to make more…