A Cineaste’s Bookshelf
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ARMCHAIR BEA: Wrap-Up
As I always do at Armchair BEA, I’ve *met* some new bloggers. My resolution this year is to do a MUCH better job of keeping in touch with their posts and leaving comments. I know how much I enjoy reading comments on my own blog, it seems only fair to spread the love around. I… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA: Keeping it Real & Children's/Young Adult Literature
Feeling a bit stuck (ironically) with this one: New projects, redesigns, collaboratives–what do you do to keep blogging fresh for you? I’ve been doing this for almost 4 years now. I think because I am a writer at heart, I don’t have much of a problem writing a few words about a book I recently… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA: Ethics & Non-Fiction
Ah… the tricky question of ethics. Today Armchair BEA tackles: Do you have recommendations to new bloggers to ensure credit is given to whom/where credit is due? Have you had an experience with plagiarism? How did you deal with it? What are the guidelines as bloggers that we must follow? Giving credit is really easy… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA: Literature & Literary Fiction
With such a broad category it is difficult to know where to begin… Lately I have been really connecting with books that put a twist on the the typical storytelling model. These books alter the framework and force us to experience story in a different way. Gillespie & I — by Jane Harris A fascinating and… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA: Giveaways
Hello Book Lovers! Thanks to some awesome publicists, I’ve got some great giveaways for you, so let’s get going! Up first is SHADOW OF NIGHT by Deborah Harkness, along with a pack of exclusive buttons! A Discovery of Witches introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA: Blogger Development & Genre Fiction
No doubt my blog has, well let’s say matured, over the past few years. But one thing I decided when I started and what I aim to continue is that my reviews are actual reviews. I give only brief summaries and try to focus instead on characterizations, themes, and writing style. When someone reads one… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA: Introduction and Classics
This year I will be blogging once again from Virtual Booth #221b for Armchair BEA 2013. Yes, that is a Sidney Paget illustration of Holmes in an armchair, with his ever faithful companion Watson in one as well. But on to the introduction… – Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did… Read More »
REVIEW: A HALF FORGOTTEN SONG by Katherine Webb
On the eve of World War II, a small village on the Dorset coast is about to change forever. Artist Charles Aubrey brings his family — Celeste, Delphine & Elodie — to the seaside for the summer. Dimity “Mitzy” Hatcher, just 14 herself, a local, becomes fast friends with young girls. The long days are… Read More »
REVIEW: APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA by John O'Hara
Flavorwire named it one of the ten books to read “While You’re Waiting for The Great Gatsby to Come Out.” Fran Lebowitz said John O’Hara is the “real F. Scott Fitzgerald.” So what’s with all the praise? This was O’Hara’s first novel (published in 1934), but he also wrote BUtterfield 8 (made into a film… Read More »
REVIEW: THE ACCURSED by Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is often heralded as the Queen of American Gothic, at least of modern day writers. Recently she has focused her efforts on short stories and editing collections of others’ short stories. This offering is a hefty novel that she began working on nearly 30 years ago while living near Princeton, NJ. Set… Read More »
REVIEW: DEATH IN THE VINES by M. L. Longworth
Every summer reading list needs a cozy mystery. This one is nestled in the community of Aix-en-Provence. Magistrate Verlaque oversees Commissioner Paulik’s investigation of a possible wine theft. A local vineyard is stunned to discover a number of irreplaceable bottles from its cellar. Soon local law enforcement will wish the only crime they had to… Read More »
GIVEAWAY: THE BOOKMAN'S TALE by Charlie Lovett
Hello Dear Readers! I have a great giveaway for you. Just leave a comment and be entered to win this new book. I just started reading it myself and am enjoying it quite at bit. Description: Hay-on-Wye, 1995. Peter Byerly isn’t sure what drew him into this particular bookshop. Nine months earlier, the death… Read More »
REVIEW: THE HONEY THIEF
By Nasaf Mazari & Robert Hillman Hazarajat, a central area of Afghanistan, has remained rural for centuries. Though modernity has seeped through the cracks of this archaic land, traditions have remained. One of those customs is storytelling. The authors bring their type of storytelling heritage to a Western audience. In the city where I live… Read More »
REVIEW: THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI by Helene Wecker
In the turn-of-the-century New York City, a Syrian tinsmith names Arbeely is repairing a copper flask, when he unwittingly releases a jinni. The spirit has been captive an untold number of decades, unable to enjoy the freedom he once enjoyed. The tinsmith, stunned, takes in the wayward jinni. He gives him a cot and the… Read More »
Armchair BEA - 2013
I will once again be participating in Armchair BEA. I’ve had a great time these past 2 years and look forward to “meeting” even more fellow bloggers. Watch this space from May 28-June 2 for themed posts and giveaways! (Image by Nina of Nina Reads)Read More »