2011: The Best of the Best

2011 was a fantastic year for reading. Although there were some disappointments along the way, I wouldn’t change a word of what I read this last year. Here are the highlights as both a reader and a blogger: As a blogger: I want to start here because 2011 brought the opportunity to interview Simon Vance [...]

The Marriage Plot Readalong ~ Week 2

Week 2 is finally here. I’ve heard from a couple participants that while it was relatively easy to put the book down after the first section, it’s not as easy after finishing this week’s sections. I hope that everyone is feeling that way at least a little bit. It’s a sign you’re enjoying the book. [...]

3, 2, 1 Update

As it’s 11/9, I’m well into 3, 2, 1 month (3 Authors, 2 Books, 1 month). I began November by starting the audiobook version of House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III and a print version of The Violent Bear it Away by Flannery O’Connor.   Thoughts: House of Sand and Fog was [...]

The Marriage Plot Readalong ~ Week 1

Welcome to the first installment of The Marriage Plot readalong. I’ve been excited about this book since I first heard about it’s impending release. I’m glad to have others reading along with me. When setting up this readalong, I had every intention of reading just ahead of the group so that I would be able [...]

The Marriage Plot Read-A-Long

Beginning November 1st, Jen from Devourer of Books, Matt from A Guy’s Moleskin Notebook and Tina from Reader for Life will be reading Jeffrey Eugenides’ new novel, The Marriage Plot. This is his first novel since the publishing the Pulitzer Prize winning Middlesex and we are all excited. Description from the Publisher It’s the early [...]

3, 2, 1 ~ Three Authors, Two Books, One Month

After listening to Townie, I knew the time had come to read Andre Dubus III’s novels. He’s written two: House of Sand and Fog and The Garden of the Last Days. Although I didn’t do it last year, I have taken the month of November to highlight authors in the past. November became the logical [...]

Distance Makes the Ears Grow Fonder

On Handling Narrator Changes Within a Series Sometime within the last year, it seemed that everyone began talking about Maisie Dobbs, a private investigator created by Jacqueline Winspear. There are many books and series that have a great deal of hype swirling around, but when some of my favorite book bloggers and publicists joined the [...]

Great GWTW Readalong Part I Recap

Gone With the Wind captured my imagination from the first time I opened the front cover in my Catholic school’s library. When I finished it the first time, I immediately started over again. In high school I must have read it 4 or 5 times. I read it a couple times in college and at [...]

Three for Thursday

I really feel that 2011 is one of the most outstanding years to be a reader I’ve ever experienced. Everywhere I turn, there are more books I must read. With rare exceptions, those books released this year that I felt I had to read have not disappointed. I usually write about books I have read, [...]

March Madness ~ Reading Edition

February was kind of a meh reading month for me, but that isn’t stopping me with coming up with mad reading plans for March. Hell no! There’s so much great stuff out there floating around my house and the Twitterverse that it’s impossible not to feel almost giddy with anticipation. March is definitely going to [...]