Blogs about: Books

As any book lover knows, there’s nothing quite so amazing as reading a book you simply can’t put down. For many of us, the love affair starts early, a la one fish, two fish. Then we get older, perhaps going through a vampires-and-romance phase (sure, today’s teens have Twilight, but teens of the 90s had Interview with the Vampire). And don’t forget the power of the magical wizard epic or an addictive biography. Fantasy or reality, reading is an indulgence that’s very good for you — the United Nations credits literacy with all sorts of important things, including ”ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy.”

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Famous Authors’ Handwritten Outlines for Great Works of Literature
Flavorwire

Writing a novel (or a story, for that matter) is confusing work. There are just so many characters running all over the place, dropping hints and having revelations. So it’s no surprise that many authors plan out their works beforehand, in chart or list or scribble form, in order to keep everything straight. After the jump, you’ll find a mini collection of those planning papers, so you can take a peek into the process of some of your favorite authors, from James Salter to J.K. Rowling. James Salter’s outline for Light Years. [via] J.K. Rowling’s spreadsheet plan for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. [via] Joseph Heller’s chart outline for Catch-22. [via] Henry Miller’s manuscript plan for Tropic of Capricorn. [via] William Faulkner’s outline for A Fable — written on his office walls. [via] Sylvia Plath’s outline for The Bell Jar. [via] Norman Mailer’s character timeline for Harlot’s Ghost. [via] Part of Jennifer Egan

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Of Making Many Books, There is No End — or Reward?
Touch2Touch

“Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” Ecclesiastes 12 It was that way right from the beginning, I’m sure. Carvers in stone, makers of runes,  scribes in papyrus and parchment, right up to workaday paper — Hebrew, Greek, Latin, English — Making books is weary WORK, not glamour. Don’t take my word for it; here is Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of, among many other long works, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera:  ”Ultimately literature is nothing but carpentry. Both are very hard work. Writing something is almost as hard as making a table. With both you are working with reality, a material just as hard as wood. Both are full of tricks and techniques. Basically very little magic and a lot of hard work involved.” Carpentry! But people persist in regarding writing books as a high road to fame and fortune. Hah!  The Biblical quote called it more accurately: there is no end

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Black Powder Brigade — 2013
Write to Perfect

John grabbed Victoria by her jacket and pulled her close. His jacket conformed to the shape of his flexing muscles. His eyes were aflame with rage and hatred. “Find those responsible and bring them to me,” he growled. “Alive.” Black Powder Brigade Coming 2013

Le mot de la fin
Which way, again ?

Cinq mois, ça passe vite. Je repars en France après-demain. Une petite preuve de cette tranche de vie bien remplie: le tableau de liège au dessus de mon bureau, qui s’est peuplé, au fil de mes aventures, de tout un tas de souvenirs. Avant Il me reste plusieurs centaines de photos à trier. Des papiers un peu en vrac. Un mémoire à finir. Un amour à retrouver, un mariage à préparer. Un chat à papouiller. Bref, plein de choses. Mais plus sur ce blog. Bye, bye, Ireland.

Summer reading – Self-improvement
Daily Blog

Life’s Operating Manual – with the fear and Truth Dialogues by Tom Shadyac is among my summer reads suggestions for you. The book suggest that similar to our smartphones, computers, etc life also has a manual and suggest that people do not have the courage to step away from their routines and experience the true essence of life. If you are like me right now, your summer hasn’t gotten to the awesome start that you thought it would. Maybe you’ve missed opportunities, experienced death of a loved one, lost a job or obtained a new job that doesn’t necessarily seem to be the right fit for you. Whatever your situation is you are in the need of self-improvement, it is the only way to make it out of your situation with knowledge gained. I really enjoyed the conversations that were brought to light in this book, it engages you in dialogue between intellectuals that are seeking the answers the the hardest question known to man, what is the purpose of life? After rea

Blood, Sweat, and Fabric (and the Hulk)
LittlePepsi became a Mrs.
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
Library Dude
WHY?
Kite String
New Camilleri book coming in September
Madcap Mary
Someone save these books!
B.A. - It stands for Brilliant Amateur
New from American Palate West: California Apricots
History Press West
Lunch Break Dates
anexcellentlibrary

Recently I feel like I’ve only been able to read on my lunch break. Have you ever seen someone scarf down his or her lunch as fast as possible and then tear open a novel with a motion and look of absolute eagerness? That’s me. Nearly every day. Except the days where I attempt to eat and read at the same time. Those lunch breaks usually end with me returning to my office with either a stained book, or more often, a stained top or skirt. I’m a talented spiller. I’m very good at missing my mouth. But I’m sure, if you read novels at all, you know what I’m talking about. Reading a story is exciting, consuming stuff. It takes you to another place, another world, another life. It lets you forget the stresses of a full email inbox or lengthy to-do list for 30, 45, or 60 minutes. It teaches you new words, new turns of phrase, new ideas. Your thoughts and your heart are stirred by a good story. This is why I love to read. This is why, when friends or coworkers ask me to join them for a lunch-dat

Gold-Hatted Gatsby
literarytaco

Gatsby-mania has swept the world recently. (And I wish to say it was because the Lost Generation are being found by the Z generation, I really do). The recent film adaptation, by Baz Luhrmann, seems to be dividing both the critics and fans of the novel. Nevertheless this publicity provides a ‘Great’ opportunity to go back in time to explore what really is the remarkable relationship between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his editor, Maxwell Perkins. Specifically their dialogue involving the publication of The Great Gatsby, as shown through these invaluable letters. Perhaps in another, less fortunate, less aesthetically aware, world we would all be watching The High-bouncing Lover, or listening to Jay-Z’s soundtrack of Trimalchio in West Egg. Or this substantially more feline version. (JG) via Letters of Note

Evening Bags and Executions
Professional Blog: Lauren A. DuBois

Photo Credit: barnesandnoble.com Novel Author: Dorothy Howell Genre: Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Series Rating: 3 Stars   Howell’s latest is appealing, full of light and breezy writing, a lovable cast of characters and touches of humor. But the characters fail to pop and the plot bogs down in the middle. Even so, it’s still an enjoyable enough read. Haley Randolph has landed the best job ever–as an event planner for big-deal Hollywood clients. This newly single fashion diva can’t believe her luck. Then, she’s put in charge of a hugely complicated Beatles-themed charity bash. Before she can even get the planning started, her big party becomes a murder investigation because the baker winds up dead. Haley has to not only hold onto her job, but keep herself off the suspect list. (KENSINGTON, Jul., 288 pp., $24.00)

Spring Cleaning: How it Can Earn You Some Cash & Freebies
Running To Stand Still

In between classes, work and hockey, I’ve been trying to get in a little spring cleaning at home.  One of the mottos I’ve been repeating to myself is, “To see the light of wisdom, you must first empty your cup.” So taking that thought process of emptying my cup into my home, I’m starting to look at it as a way to empty the clutter in my home. I’ve upgraded a lot of things this year throughout my apartment.  I mean…a lot of things.  I’ve been tackling one section of clutter after another as the old was replaced by the new.  Now, I’m tackling the ‘stuff’.  You know…that stuff you hide behind doors and in drawers.  Stuff that starts to overflow because you seem to have gone overboard with the abundance of ____ and you never get rid of it. My first item on the list to tackle has been getting rid of non-classic books I’ve read.  This is easier said then done. Last week, I dropped off a bag of books and a few DVDs

What I’m Reading Wednesday
A Writer's Purpose

Hello season of beach reads! Are you planning a vacation spot with a warm sandy beach? Or a flight across the country, or better yet abroad (lucky!)? Or just planning to catch some rays of Vitamin D from your own back yard? All of the above are perfect scenarios for fun and entertaining beach reading materials. May I offer a suggestion of “The Best of Us” by Sarah Pekkanen, released last month. The book’s cover art makes you wish you were on a getaway. “The Best of Us” is a sassy read about four couples in their 30s who enjoy a once in lifetime vacation to Jamaica. The food sounds amazing, the scenery sounds even better, and there is no shortage of drama when a group of friends live in such close quarters for a week. Then add in the threat of a looming hurricane… Each female character harbors secrets and insecurities that are brought to light as the story progresses and the reader gets to know them better. I started to love Allie because she seemed a

100 Healthy Foods to Eat During Pregnancy
Pat the Belly

As I’ve said before, I am very conscious about what I eat. Weight Watchers trained me to pay attention to what and how much food I eat. Since I’ve had to entirely change my eating habits since learning I was pregnant, I purchased some books that will hopefully help guide me toward good pregnancy foods during this process. The first book I bought is called, “The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About Foods You Should Be Eating During Pregnancy But Probably Aren’t.“ Sounds pretty straightforward, and it is. It starts with some basic information about certain nutrients you especially need to make sure you are getting while pregnant (iron, calcium, Vitamin D, folate, etc.) and explains why you need them. The rest of the book basically breaks your pregnancy down into trimesters, then tells you which foods are best for you during each trimester and why you should be eating them (how they benefit you and baby). The one

Bargain Dilemma
A Guy's Moleskine Notebook

At lunch break I was browsing some bookstores near campus without much of an agenda. Like I mentioned yesterday, summer is just around the corner, with Memorial day weekend being a few days away. Bookstores are gearing up for summer reading sales, rolling out books that cater to every reader’s palate. Instead I found myself standing before table full of discounted books. They’re not the publisher returns or overstock. They are books, some even by bestselling authors, that were just hot off the press. I was stunned, and so disheartened that many of the books were unsold, unread, and virtually ignored by the public. It really hit home about the plunging sales and diminishing reading culture. I was delighted that I got The Darlings by Cristina Alger, An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi and At Last by Edward St. Aubyn, all published within the last year, at heavily discount prices but sad at the same time that these books should be marked down so soon. I might be overly conc

Elie Wiesel’s Night
Away From Safe Harbor

One of the masterpieces of Holocaust literature, Night tells the true story of a father and son fighting for survival in Auschwitz. The novel is short but profound, and coupled with the two other stories in the trilogy, Dawn and Day, it creates an intense commentary on the savagery of mankind during World War II. While reading the book, I collected a few of my favorite quotes, excerpts into Wiesel’s tragic genius: “Adolescence: an age when one’s knowledge of death and evil should be limited to what one discovers in literature.” “A victim has a moral obligation to try to prevent the enemy from enjoying one last victory by allowing his crimes to be erased from human memory.” “Trust the silence that envelops and transcends words.” “Nor shall I ever forgive the world for having pushed me against the wall, for having turned me into a stranger, for having awakened in me the basest, most primitive instincts.” “Those who kept silent y

The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson
David Mendus Harris

An amazingly honest story of a young family’s journey in Mongolia on horseback to help their autistic son. What with horses, shamans and descriptions of the incredible scenery interspersed with the daily (hourly) continuous challenges of a child with autism, made the ending all the more poignant for me. A big thankyou to Mike the butcher in the village for lending it to me!