Category Archives: reading

Three cheers for Barnes and Noble

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jenn

I read this article and then immediately made a purchase from their web site. “The Bookstore’s Last Stand: Barnes and Noble taking on Amazon in the Fight of Its Life.” The article paints Amazon as the biggest, baddest villain in … Continue reading →

Posted in current events, economy, news, reading | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review: Tiny Book of Tiny Stories by Joseph Gordon-Levitt et al

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Jenn

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 1 by Joseph Gordon-Levitt My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a fairly twee and in many ways adorable book produced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s hitRECord open-collaborative creative arts company. The book’s cover … Continue reading →

Posted in pop culture, reading | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

B&N considering spinning off Nook

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jenn

This sounds like a terrible idea: Barnes & Noble’s Nook is selling exceptionally well, by the company’s reckoning. So the bookseller is considering spinning off the e-reader unit. The company said on Thursday that it was beginning “strategic exploratory work” … Continue reading →

Posted in news, reading | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New Year, new book: Madeline Dare #1

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Jenn

Yesterday, I saw A Field of Darkness recommended on Wormbook as a “creepy grown-up Nancy-Drew suspense novel.” It was on sale at Amazon (e-book) for $1.99, so I decided to try it. I’m only 45 pages through the book, which … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Review: A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #8)

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Jenn

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear My rating: 4 of 5 stars In the eighth entry in the Maisie Dobbs series, Maisie is drawn into the British Secret Service again as fascism begins to flash in Germany and even … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Better Christopher Hitchens obit: Ian McEwan on Hitch’s last days

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Jenn

The man died surrounded by books, talk of books, and love. Here’s a fitting tribute from a close friend (well worth a read just because, God, Ian McEwan. Must he nearly make me weep with everything he writes?): Consider the … Continue reading →

Posted in pop culture, reading, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review: Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Jenn

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James My rating: 2 of 5 stars I have been looking forward to this book from the very moment I heard about it. P.D. James! Murder mystery set at Pemberley! A return to Elizabeth … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Smart Phones in Bookstores Can Mean Smart Shoppers in Bookstores

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Jenn

The New York Times’s Media Decoder blog writes about Showrooming, the practice of looking at a book in a bookstore and then buying it online (via Wormbook): According to the survey, conducted in October by the Codex Group, a book … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Jenn

11/22/63 by Stephen King My rating: 4 of 5 stars Though I’m not a regular Stephen King reader, I picked this up on a whim after seeing it on the New York Times notable list for 2011. I’m so, so … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Please, no one buy me this book: National Trust Manual of Housekeeping

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Jenn

I like a clean house. Honest! I do. The thing is, though, I like it to happen by magic, preferably while I’m sleeping (and silently. Did I add, silently?). Since I cannot afford silent night-time maid service (or even loud, … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged , | Leave a comment