I really, really hate the phrase “ripped from the headlines.” It ought to be on one of those lists of cliches than can never ever be used again in print. But open a newspaper or click on a news website and you are likely to see a story similar to Megan Gunther’s situation in 212: A Novel by Alafair Burke.… Read more
I know, I missed last Friday, but it’s been busy here on The Shelves. Today’s puzzle has titles and authors pulled from the Hardcover Fiction Best Seller’s list, courtesy of the New York Times. Enjoy! If you see this, you’ll need to upgrade your browser. Click here to play the crossword outside of the blog. Read more
Happy Tuesday! It’s time for another edition of Teaser Tuesday, hosted by MizB at ShouldBeReading. You know how this works: pick up your current read, choose 2 teaser sentences for us, and don’t post any spoilers — it’s that simple! Be sure to tell us a little about the book, so we are doubly intrigued. This week, my Teaser comes… Read more
Okay, a few weeks ago I posted about the NOBS Antiquarian Book Fair. Even though I was in the early stages of the Zombie Death Flu, there was no way I was going to miss that show! My cousin, Ann, and I always have a great time — it is so much fun to walk through all the booths, take… Read more
I spent 3 hours last night listening to this guy talk about literacy: No, seriously. Henry Rollins is a punk rock icon. I wasn’t a big punk fan as a teenager, but even I knew Black Flag. He’s an author, a tv show host, an actor, and a spoken word phenom. Listening to him was amazing — he talked for… Read more
Welcome to another Teaser Tuesday! You know how this works: grab your current read, open to a random page and share 2 teaser sentences (no spoilers, please). Be sure to tell us about the book, so we can put it on our wish lists. Be sure to check out all the teasers over at Should Be Reading. Today, my teaser… Read more
Julius Fromm was born in Russia in 1883; when he was 10 years old, his parents left Russia for Berlin. At the time, Berlin offered the hope of more economic opportunity and a better life. Fromm grew up feeling like a German, and a patriotic one at that. It all came to crushing end when Hitler came to power, because… Read more
There’s a heatwave in Oslo. Anyone who can’t get out of the city is sweltering in the heat. There are lines at the open-air pool, the city streets are deserted…and there is a killer on the loose. Police investigations are apparently much the same the world over, as I didn’t find a lot of procedural confusion in Jo Nesbo’s The… Read more
I’m not quite sure what inspired this puzzler, but today it’s all about couples – literary couples, historical couples, film couples. Enjoy! (And if you need more help, there are some hints in the comments…) If you see this, you’ll need to upgrade your browser. Click here to play the crossword outside of the blog. Read more
Happy Wednesday! Time for new words — check out other Wondrous Words posts over at BermudaOnion’s Weblog. I only had one new word this week, from my latest book, The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbo. This was a completely new word to me, and I bet it’s new for most of you, too: 1. Dysosmia: impairment of olfactory stimuli processing,… Read more