Archive for December, 2008

Lipstick Jihad - Book Review

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni
Azadeh’s mother and father left Iran to be near an ailing parent in California, only to be trapped outside of their home country by the Revolution.  Being Iranian in the United States after the hostage crisis wasn’t easy, nor was it easy to be raised by an Iranian mother who hadn’t [...]

BTT: Gifting Books

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

Do you give books as gifts?
To everyone? Or only to select people?
How do you feel about receiving books as gifts?
I sometimes give books as gifts.  I don’t want to give books to non-readers, unless it is really the PERFECT thing for them and they will actually enjoy it.  My mom is generally an easier one [...]

Overheard at a Funeral - Guest Blog by Karen Harrington

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

ep·i·log n. - A piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work.
I was struck with a new revelation after attending a funeral recently. I realized someone else gets to put an end to your story. In novels, it’s called the epilogue. In [...]

Tuesday Thingers - Home, home on the page

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

The LT Home Page feature. How are you liking it? Or not? Do you go here when you log into LT or do you use your profile page more?
I really like the LibraryThing home page feature a lot.  I like seeing my personal Zeitgeist, checking out the tag watch and connection news, and seeing the [...]

The Believers - Book Review

Monday, December 15th, 2008

The Believers by Zoe Heller
I was quite excited to receive “The Believers” from the Barnes and Nobles First Look Book Club.  Unfortunately, I found it to be not at all my cup of tea.
“The Believers” tells the story of a family whose socialist 1960s ideals have gone awry.  When lawyer Joel has goes into a [...]

Paging Stephanie Plum Fans

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

I haven’t actually read any of Janet Evanovich’s work, but I’ve heard good things and I know the Stephanie Plum books have a good sized fan base.  For those of you who include yourself among that fan base, you may enjoy the following video, which is a “Plum Spooky”-inspired Twelve Days of Christmas.  Hopefully it [...]

Eclipse - Book Review

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Okay, so it ihas been a little while since I actually read “Eclipse” (it basically led me into my book funk, along with “Breaking Dawn”).  However, I think it is a bad sign for the book that I had to go back and get a reminder of what on earth happened during [...]

Booking Through Reading

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read?
2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?
You know, a few months ago I would have said that I actually do read about as much as I want to.  Nowadays this little [...]

The Heretic Queen - Book Review

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
Nefertari is the orphaned neice of Queen Nefertiti.  Once adored, Nefertiti is now reviled as a heretic who banished the traditional gods of Egypt.  Unfortunately for Nefertari, the transgressions of Nefertiti have become a stain on her reputation as well. As the member of a despised family, Nefertiti is [...]

A is for Atticus - Book Review

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

A is for Atticus by Lorilee Craker
“A is for Atticus” is a fun book, as far as baby naming books go.  Craker provides background and entertaining commentary on each and every name.  Her personality really shone through - not something I would expect in a baby name book.  I must say, I grew a [...]