Apparently, I am not the only reader who thinks Jane Austen’s novels could use a little more excitement. Last month, I reviewed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which I loved. Then, via USA Today, I got the news that Quirk Productions is negotiating a movie deal for the surprise best seller! And there are more monster novels on the way.… Read more
Sometimes, a book or movie is so bad that is is unintentionally funny. Well, the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest celebrates writing that is so intentionally bad that it is actually good – and very funny. From their website: An international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory (if not the reputation) of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The… Read more
This is an interesting little bit of trivia from yesterday, June 14th: On this day in 1966 – The Vatican announced the abolition of the index librorum prohibitum (index of prohibited books), which was originally instituted in 1557. I had no idea the Vatican kept a list of banned books (although I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised). I am surprised,… Read more
I have piles and piles of books that I need to read, but still I find myself going back to books I have read a million times. Dan Savage’s Savage Love: Straight Answers from America’s Most Popular Sex Columnist is one of my favorite bedtime books – I’ve read all the questions and answers a hundred time and they still… Read more
I found this article really interesting: Study finds that fiction helps us understand ourselves and others. That makes perfect sense to me. After all, stories are about people and what they think and what they do and how they react. What better way to learn about people and learn to deal with them? It’s especially interesting because a lot of… Read more
Attention fans of Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series: starting tomorrow night, HBO will begin airing a new series, based on the novels! I don’t have HBO anymore, so I hope someone stops by to tell me if the show is any good. (And a big thank you to Dave over at Read Street for the heads-up!)… Read more
I’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day. I have to tell you that I am not a fan. When a man buys me flowers for no reason or because he remembered my birthday or our anniversary, that’s romantic and makes me feel loved. When a man buys me flowers because the tv and newspaper ads have been screaming at him about… Read more
At least they’ve stopped blaming bloggers. Very interesting article in the New York Times today talks about the burgeoning world of self-publishing. Through this blog, I’ve gotten on a lot of mailing lists and I get emails every day offering me books for review. I think that’s great – but some of the books give me pause. For example, I… Read more
I was tipped off to this by Gwen at Literary License: The annual rating of America’s Most Literary Cities has been announced. Where does your city [or the closest city to you] rank? 1. Minneapolis, MN2. Seattle, WA3. Washington, DC4. St. Paul, MN5. San Francisco, CA6. Atlanta, GA7. Denver, CO8. Boston, MA9. St. Louis, MO10. Portland, OR11. Pittsburgh, PA12. Cleveland,… Read more