If you entered my giveaway for The Sweet Relief of Missing Children, check your email. One lucky winner has about 48 hours to respond and claim their copy. Otherwise, I pick a new name. Read more
Yearly Archives: 2011
Giveaway! The Sweet Relief of Missing Children
Okay, time for a freebie! If you were intrigued by yesterday’s review of The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein, here’s your chance to win a copy. Just fill in the entry form below and click Send – you’re entered! If you mention this giveaway on your blog, website, Facebook or Twitter, I’ll give you extra chances to… Read more
Review: The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein
The Sweet Relief of Missing Children begins with the story of Leonora. She is pretty and tidy and protected. She has her vaccinations, she knows not to talk to strangers, she eats her vegetables and she never takes the shortcut through the alley. She is precious to her parents and she understands these precautions because she understands that she cannot… Read more
Wondrous Words Wednesday!
It’s Wednesday and I have some words! This week I am reading Corrag, a story about an English witch accused of a massacre. An excellent story so far, but there are a lot of Gaelic words that I’ve had to check on: 1. Byre: a cowshed “It has the smell of a byre — dung and dampness.” 2. Jeddart’s Justice:… Read more
Teaser Tuesday!
Welcome to another Teaser Tuesday! You know how this works – grab your current read, open it to a random page and give us 2 teaser sentences that will make us want to put it on our TBR list. Don’t forget to tell us about the book and author, and no spoilers, please! This week, I’m reading Corrag, by Susan… Read more
Library Porn
I love a good library, and this is not only a great library, it’s a really cool picture. This is the largest indoor photo in the world (as of March 2011 – there might be a bigger one tomorrow). It’s a 360-degree view of the inside of the Strahov Philosophical Library in Prague. You can see the amazing ceiling murals… Read more
When Authors Attack – or, how not to handle a bad review
I admit it: I don’t always give good reviews. I don’t give a lot of really bad reviews, which I think is partially due to making good choices about what to read. There have also been a few books that I declined to review, usually because I declined to finish reading them. I don’t get paid for this; my payment… Read more
Review: Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Winter’s Bone is not a new book — it was originally published in 2006. If not for this year’s Academy Awards, I might never have heard of it, and that would have been a loss. Daniel Woodrell’s story of courage and desperation in the Ozark mountains is beautiful and haunting and deeply moving. Mostly, I was moved to fury —… Read more
New books!
Spring is in the air and the books are starting to sprout. Two more new books appeared in my mailbox (or tucked behind the screen door by the UPS man) this week, and they both look good! Dominance by Will Lavender got me interested as soon as I read the synopsis: 1994: Jasper College is buzzing with the news that… Read more
Review: Dead Head by Rosemary Harris
Paula Holiday left the stress and grind of New York City for a “smaller and simpler life” in Springfield, CT. She runs a landscaping business, Dirty Business, helping realtors dress up the houses they’re selling and local businesses put in pretty patios. Her friend and client, Caroline Sturgis, has approached Paula about opening a business. The offer appears to good… Read more