Archive for January 2007

Author David Eddings burns down his office

We all make stupid mistakes, right? But sometimes a simple lapse in judgment can be devastating. Would you, for instance, toss a lighted match onto a pool of gasoline inside your garage in order to see whether it’s still flammable? No? That’s ridiculous? A little crazy? You may be right, but that’s essentially what science […]

ALA presents Newbery, Caldecott, and other children’s book awards

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced its 2007 awards honoring the best of children’s literature. The full list of award winners is long and varied, and we’ve highlighted our favorites below:

Newbery Medal: The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron
Caldecott Medal: Flotsam, by David Wiesner
Carnegie Medal: Mo Willems (author/illustrator)
Geisel Medal: Zelda and Ivy: The […]

Browse the bookplates of the famous, infamous, and unknown

You’re a serious reader if you have your own bookplate. Or you’re a book collector. Or a dignitary. Or maybe you’re someone with a lot of time on your hands. But most bookplate users basically boil down to folks who love to read and want to brand their beloved books as their own. It’s pretty […]

Weather the winter with books … and coffee

In keeping with my winter hibernate-and-read plan, I have more books stacked everywhere that require my immediate attention. Some were purchased last year, some this year—some on whim, some after much deliberation—but all are appealing in their ability to convey information of interest. They entice and whisper “come hither, come hither, my child.” And I […]

Bill Bryson’s “Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid” is a rollicking read

David Sedaris cracks me up. Carl Hiaasen’s Floridian farces are each an entertaining hoot. And Bill Bryson is a surefire spirits-lifter, whether he’s summarizing the secrets of the universe in A Short History of Nearly Everything or expanding his own galaxy of personal anecdotes in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir. […]

While away the winter with stacks of outstanding books

I like summer, with shorts, sandals, hot sidewalks, ice cream, and long, bright sunshine days that extend well into the night. However, the cold, hard, long winter is great for hibernating and reading all sorts of interesting tomes. I’m always greatly cheered by books and marvelous titles on my just-read, going-to-read, and partially read lists. […]

Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” is 2006’s best book

No book in a long time has meant more to me than The Road. It’s been years since a book has grabbed hold of me and taken me on such a captivating, stunning journey. And I don’t remember any other contemporary literature that is more beautifully, starkly written. In other words, Cormac McCarthy has written […]

King, Rowling, Grisham: top guilty pleasures

What do Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and John Grisham have in common? They’re all authors we’re ashamed to read. Well, at least in public. And at least in the U.K. The Guardian Unlimited reports on a survey of guilty reads—the top authors readers turn to for pleasure reading. King topped the guilt-ridden list, with Rowling […]

Greet the new year with stacks of books

Despite my failure to locate a pink plastic flamingo to festoon in red, velvet, flocked ribbons as kitschy decoration for the holidays, it was a pleasant and surprisingly fun season. Now that the holidays are well over, books for my reading pleasure are in transit, resting on tables, shelved in bookcases, or piled willy-nilly in […]