Book selection is not always about finding a good book to read. It's about finding a good book to read that fits your mood. Here's the solution an indie bookseller gave me, and it worked.
Category: Good Books
Shopping New York City bookstores
It's that time of year when holiday shoppers head to NYC to spend at Bergdorf Goodman, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and the many other stores decked out with merry-making windows. I went to shop the bookstores, including this odd one. Check out its unique name.
The monster in my home
A snake of books covering my dining room table became the sign it was time for a reality check.
Small press book wins the fiction NBA
The National Book Awards for fiction, non-fiction, poetry and young people's lit were announced Wednesday night. Here's the list of winning books.
The claims books place on readers
Audrey Niffenegger is known for her best-selling novel "The Time Traveler's Wife" and recent novel "Her Fearful Symmetry." She also penned a graphic novel serialized in the Guardian two years ago and published in book format this year. It's a story for and about readers.
“Speak, Memory” and a book club
Jonathan Yardley of The Washington post wrote: "The impulse to rediscover and reclaim childhood is deep in human nature, and thus the chord 'Speak, Memory' touches is truly universal." His words define why this memoir became a classic and continues to be a favorite. I recently discussed it with a book club.
A ghost and a fugitive on my mind
Two new books that look interesting. One by prolific U.K. writer Susan Hill and the other by NYT Opinionator blogger Stanley Fish.
Who’s the girl in that song?
Music critics Michael Heatley and Frank Hopkinson have written an entertaining book that reveals the women who inspired legendary singer/songwriters to compose what have become classic rock songs. "The Girl in the Song: The True Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics" took me down a nostalgic lane of rock 'n' roll, and it was a blast.
This week’s surprise book announcements
First Britain's Man Booker Prize winner is announced, delivering comedy (for the first time), and then the finalists for the National Book Award, delivering omission (shock!). The NBA finalists are listed here, providing good selections for your Reading Table.
The heart that knows Latin America
Alma Guillermoprieto is an award-winning journalist highly respected for her reports on Latin American culture, politics and society. She's to receive a lifetime achievement award this month from the International Women's Foundation. The news recalled to mind her book "The Heart that Bleeds." If you don't know her work, here's why you should.
Why Ladbrokes suspended Booker bets
In these final days leading up to the announcement of the Man Booker Prize, Britain's well-known bookmaker stopped accepting wagers on which of the six shortlisted novels would take the award. It's because they experienced "something we have never seen" before.
Lavaca County & the fate of Karel Skala
Bruce Machart's debut novel, "The Wake of Forgiveness," takes place in Texas ranch land in the early 1900s. It's a richly told story about brothers divided by the outcome of a wager between their father and a Mexican patriarch. Machart received a lot of pre-publication starred reviews, and his book stands up to their promise.
A war not destined to be the last
Russell Freedman has won nearly every award given to writers of nonfiction for children, including the Newbery Medal. His new book presents an informative account of the Great War, 1914-1918, with many b&w photographs of the soldiers and the event. It's categorized as a history book for kids, but so well written and presented, this adult found it to be good reading.
Is this book offensive?
"The Slap," written by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, became a surprising word-of-mouth success this year and even landed on Britain's 2010 Man Booker Longlist. Many think the book is too offensive for such recognition. I wanted to find out why.
This debut tells a remarkable story
I had a feeling "The Gendarme" would be a good book, and that instinct was on target. Author Mark T. Mustian's fictional story is unusual, set during the Turkish deportation of Armenians during World War I. Not only an engaging story, but an important one for the history it brings to light.
The Longest Chapter 