Tag: Books

QOTW — What to Read This Summer?

Filed in Open Thread by on June 22, 2013 5 Comments
QOTW — What to Read This Summer?

QOTW = Question of the Weekend. So it is officially summer and I know some folks will try to catch up on their reading while the world slows down a little. Sometimes the reading is in taking up a challenge (like the Infinite Summer group reading Infinite Jest, or last summer’s OccupyGaddis group) or just moving something long intended to the top of the stack or some new summer blockbuster (there’s a new Dan Brown out) or escaping to some spy or romance world. So do we have any summer readers here?

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50 Shades Of Agony

Filed in Arts and Entertainment by on May 23, 2012 15 Comments

It’s rare that I don’t finish a book, but I just couldn’t make it through the latest sensation 50 Shades of Grey.

Before I get into my review of a book I didn’t finish, let me tell you that I’m a sucker for a good, steamy romance.  After a day of pouring over political articles and listening to pundits I love to be swept away in romantic fantasy.  There.  That’s my confession… and guilty pleasure.

Moving on… I heard about the book from my mother (who hasn’t read it, but had heard about the hoopla) who knew I indulged in the genre.  Out of curiosity I downloaded the book to my Kindle.   I tried to read it, and in my defense I don’t expect romance novels to be great literature, but… Oh. My. God.  What I read of this book was terrible.  Poorly written, poorly edited, and with a heroine no one but Twilight fans could relate to.

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The Pulitzer Fizz

Filed in Arts and Entertainment by on April 20, 2012 1 Comment
The Pulitzer Fizz

If you haven’t heard by now that there has been no Pulitzer Prize granted for Fiction, then you don’t listen to public radio.

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Fun With Lists

Filed in National by on June 9, 2011 32 Comments

How many of these 100 books have you read?

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I’m Glad I’m Raising A Buffy And Not A Bella

Filed in Delaware, National by on April 29, 2010 14 Comments

Given the Twilight series rage I purchased the books for my preteen daughter.  I mean, everyone was reading them.  Everyone was raving.  But… My daughter doesn’t like Twilight.  She likes the Vampire Diaries and the Vampire Academy, so it isn’t the genre… It’s Twilight specifically.  Which I found perplexing, since the back covers all read […]

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‘Bulo Remembers 2009 (And the Noughts): Book It, Bulo

Filed in National by on December 7, 2009 2 Comments

These likely won’t be the last Best-of book lists that you see from me this year. And, like with music, there are no definitive ‘ best-of’ lists anyway. My lists today feature books I’ve read and would recommend, and/or books that I’d like to read based on the lists. After all, the purpose of lists […]

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How Obama Won — Exerpts from David Plouffe’s Book

Filed in National by on November 1, 2009 3 Comments

Both Time Mag and ABC have put up excerpts from David Plouffe’s forthcoming memoir about the Obama campaign:

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Banned Books Week

Filed in Arts and Entertainment by on October 3, 2009 6 Comments
Banned Books Week

This past week has been Banned Books Week, the week the ALA and American booklovers shine a light on the effort to censor or remove books from public libraries or classrooms and to celebrate the freedom to read. The ALA has provided an interesting map of the books banned and removed from public facilities. A […]

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Calls for Book Banning and Book Burning in Wisconsin

Filed in National by on July 25, 2009 9 Comments
Calls for Book Banning and Book Burning in Wisconsin

Another fight started by more folks who want the government to control the media available to you. This is Wisconsin, not the Swot Valley, mind you:

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Happy Banned Books Week!

Filed in National by on October 1, 2008 22 Comments
Happy Banned Books Week!

With everything that is going on this week, it would be a real shame not to remind ourselves that intellectual freedom must always be defended and to reminded ourselves of the great pleasures and solace of reading. I am a voracious reader. It is not often when I don’t have reading material close by and […]

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