Archive for April, 2009
« Previous EntriesReview: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a compelling YA novella that opens on Melinda’s first day of high school. That’s typically an anxiety filled day for anybody, but it’s excruciating for the girl who called the cops at an end of summer party, getting a lot of kids in trouble. [...]
April Jacket Flap-a-thon
Submitted by Book Nut
The end of another month already? Would someone please tell me where this year is going? I can’t believe it’s May tomorrow…
At any rate, on with the flap-a-thon:
Caddy Ever After (Margaret K. McElderry Books): “Love is in the air for the Casson family! Four hilarious, endearing tales unfold as Rose, Indigo, Saffy, [...]
Soon it will be Happy Birthday To me
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
After 350 posts in 23 months, I find myself looking forward to The Thin Red Line’s second birthday on June 1, 2009. And after all those posts, the thousands of books I have checked out and brought home to create those posts and the growing number of review copies and [...]
Teaser Tuesdays
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” [...]
People of the Book
Submitted by Book Nut
by Geraldine Brooks
ages: adult
First sentence: “I might as well say, right from the jump: it wasn’t my usual kind of job.”
I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this book (a close friend of mine adored it, as well as many of the book bloggers I read), and so when Julie at [...]
Library Loot #16
Submitted by Book Nut
What does one do when one doesn’t want to read anything on the dresser? Why, go to the library, of course! (I really didn’t get all that much for me… only two books. That’s not that bad…)
For A/K:
The Castaway, by James Stevenson
A Friend for Minerva Louise, by Janet Morgan Stoeke
I Will Surprise [...]
Artichoke’s Heart
Submitted by Book Nut
by Suzanne Supplee
ages: 13+
First sentence: “Mother spent $700 on a treadmill ‘from Santa’ that I will never use.”
Weight is always a tricky subject. Writing about it, talking about it, thinking about it… everyone (read: girls and women) seems to have an opinion on it, obsess over it (or say they don’t obsess [...]
Book Review: The Aleutian Islands of Alaska–Living On The Edge by Kenneth F Wilson
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
Once before I wrote about one of my “once-in-a-lifetime dream trips (to the South Pacific) and today I have a book about another distant part of the planet that I would love to visit. Someday. And today’s post, my 350th by the way, features an absolutely, stunningly gorgeous book of [...]
LA Times Festival of Books and Bloggers!
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Natasha, Amy, Tracy, Ti, Jill, Trish, Lisa
This weekend I attended a super-fun two day event, the LA Times Festival of Books. That would have been exciting enough for a book geek like me, but what made it super-fun (as opposed to just regular fun) was getting to meet some of [...]
Aurelia
Submitted by Book Nut
by Anne Osterland
ages: 13+
First sentence: “Death disturbed the night.”
There are several elements that make a good fantasy tale, at least for me. There must be:
A feisty hero or heroine — I do better with feisty heroines, but a good, swashbuckling hero is great, too.
Action — swordfighting, adventuring, chasing, etc.
Romance — must have [...]
The Film
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
The paper came home with the fourth grade girls yesterday- the one that says they’ll soon be watching “the film”.
“Mom! You have to sign this! We’re going to see a film about growing up and I can’t watch it unless you sign!” She is excited, of course.
My 4th grader [...]
My New Favorite Movie
Submitted by Book Nut
I know I have a thing for Austen movie adaptations. I’ve seen them all — or at least most of them — and I adore every single one (or at least most of them). But, I think this one has to be my current favorite: Lost in Austen. It was a BBC/ITV [...]
Ancedotes of Destiny and Ehrengard
Submitted by Book Nut
by Isak Dinesen
ages: adult
First sentence (of the first story): “Mira Jima told this story.”
I bought this book ages and ages ago (maybe 12 years?), and although I read it when I first got it, I have to honestly say it’s been sitting on the shelf, mostly unwanted. It’s managed to survive a [...]
Book to Movie Friday: 84 Charing Cross Road
Submitted by Book Nut
Back when I read the book, and people mentioned that there was a movie starring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins, I have to admit I was suspicious. It’s a book written in letters, one that doesn’t have much of a plot to begin with. How on earth could the movie do it [...]
Book Review: Leisureville by Andrew D Blechman
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
Andrew Blechman was concerned when his neighbor in a small town in Massachusetts decided to sell their house and move to a retirement community in Virginia. And in following up on the story of that one particular move, Blechman delved head-first into the ever growing array of age-segregated retirement communities [...]
BoB Round 2 Commentary
Submitted by Book Nut
Match 1, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing , The Kingdom on the Waves vs. Trouble at 8. Winner: The Kingdom on the Waves. As judge Wynne-Jones said, “The Kingdom on the Waves is dense, grand, epic in terms of its scope and virtue. And yes, it’s a marathon to read, by [...]
Library Loot #15
Submitted by Book Nut
Pretty normal week. I’m getting a big pile of library books on my dresser, though…
For A/K:
Save the Elephants! (Go, Diego, Go! Ready-to-Read)
The Jellybeans and the Big Dance, by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans/Illus by Lynn Musinger
Jibberwillies At Night, by Rachel Vail/Illus, by Yumi Heo
How to Be a Good Dog, by Gail Page
The [...]
Earth Day: Curious George Plants A Tree
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
Happy Earth Day. Today bloggers all over the world unite to support the observation of Earth Day 2009. This year’s theme is the Green Generation and is focused on orgainizing activists to bring about real progress on climate change. For more information be sure to visit the Earth Day 2009 [...]
Review: The Mechanics of Falling by Catherine Brady
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Title: The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories
Author: Catherine Brady
ISBN: 9780874177633
Pages: 248
Release Date: February 28, 2009
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
Genre: Short Stories, Contemporary Fiction
From the publisher’s website:
The stories in this collection explore those moments when the seemingly fixed coordinates of our lives abruptly give way - when mother love fractures, [...]
Interview: Catherine Brady, author of The Mechanics of Falling
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Today I welcome the lovely and talented Catherine Brady, author of The Mechanics of Falling and Other Stories (reviewed HERE). I wanted to find out more about her after reading her outstanding collection of short stories, and she thoughtfully answered all of my nosy questions for your reading pleasure.
BOTB: Where were [...]
We Are the Ship
Submitted by Book Nut
The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson
ages: 8-12
First sentence: “Seems like we’ve been playing baseball for a mighty long time.”
I am not a baseball fan. I did not grow up in a baseball house (which is odd, since my dad played ball when he was a teen). Football and basketball were [...]
Why Keep It Up?, Part 2
Submitted by Book Nut
Just a quick bloggy thank you to all those who commented on my last post. I appreciated all your thoughts, your insights, and your kind words. They’ve given me something to think about, which is basically why I put up the post in the first place.
It’s good to know I have such [...]
Why Keep It Up?
Submitted by Book Nut
I have to admit that I’ve been thinking about why I blog quite a bit lately. Some of it was spurred on by extraneous events a couple months ago, some of it by this post by Becky, and some of it by my attempt to label all my old posts (not an [...]
A Kid’s Review: Slob by Ellen Potter
Submitted by BOOKS ON THE BRAIN
Slob by Ellen Potter
Product Description from Amazon.com:
Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But he’s also a genius who invents cool contraptions— like a TV that shows the past. Something happened two years ago that he needs to see. But genius or not, there is much Owen can’t [...]
Book Review: rash by Pete Hautman (YA)
Submitted by The Thin Red Line
First off, a tip of the hat to Becky over at Becky’s Book Reviews for bringing this one to my attention. Pete Hatman’s rash was first published in 2006, though the edition I got from the library is a 2008 trade paperback. The book is set in the year 2074 [...]
