This Side Up

I have neglected my poor blog for over a month, but I have a really good excuse this time!  I just moved!  And yes, although my new apartment is only 5 blocks away from the old one, I still had to pack, move, and unpack everything I own, including books.  The only ONLY thing in [...]

Publishing Showdown

What a weekend in the publishing world!  For those of you who weren’t obsessively reading Publisher’s Lunch bulletins (cool people), here’s the lowdown: Amazon and “big 6″ publisher Macmillan could not come to an agreement on e-book pricing.  Amazon wants to continue to be allowed to set whatever price it wants, which is usually $9.99 [...]

Christmas Books I Heart

As part of a long-standing family tradition, every year my aunt (a schoolteacher) and I (a former child) receive a children’s book for Christmas.  They make great, easy holiday decorations and are fun to boot!  Here are a few nostalgic favorites: The Mitten by Jan Brett–more of a winter book, but absolutely lovely.  Children’s books [...]

Christmas Shopping

Okay, here’s the problem with holiday shopping.  I don’t have a clue as to what my friends and family would like, but I see lots and lots of things that I would enjoy.  And thus we enter the moral dilemma of Christmas: Should I (a) drop hints that someone should get it for me (b) [...]

Oprah Murders Books

Goodbye, Columbus Oprah Paradise Oprah Lost As I Lay Dying Watching Oprah on DVR Well that’s it folks.  In case you’ve been living under a rock, the news that we have all feared for years has finally come–Oprah is ending her long-running talkshow to become dictator of the world concentrate on her charity work.  Obviously [...]

Book Brahmin

Shelf Awareness, a daily e-newsletter for the publishing industry, has a set of questions that they ask of a different author each week (a lá James Lipton’s Bernard Piovot questionnaire).  Today I thought it would be fun to examine the questions myself.  Here we go! On my nightstand right now: My Kindle (so, theoretically, every [...]

Banned Books I Read in School

I attended an amazing high school full of wonderful teachers who encouraged thoughtful reading.  I don’t know if any books were banned in my community, but I remember that our school library always celebrated Banned Books Week.  Here’s a list of some great banned books that were part of our curriculum: The Canterbury Tales–language Grendel–violence, [...]

Banned Books Week

As someone who was raised by people who love books, has always been surrounded by books, and who was taught to truly enjoy reading, it is still incomprehensible to me that there are Americans who wish to ignore the First Amendment (I mean, it’s no Second Amendment!) and ban books.  This most un-American activity can [...]

Did Nelson Find the Secret Formula?

Thomas Nelson, the Nashville-based Christian publisher, just announced its launch of NelsonFree, a bundling of print book, e-book, and audio for one price (ostensibly, the price of the hardcover book).  From a consumer’s standpoint, I think this is great news, even if Nelson raises the price (which they should, when offering so much).  Now that [...]

Favorite Character

Someone recently asked me who my favorite literary character is and my mom immediately responded (on my behalf) “Holden Caulfield!”  (She’s so proud of herself for remembering that The Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book.)  But that got me thinking: although I love Salinger‘s writing and the story itself, does that mean Holden [...]