CarrieK | August 17, 2010
As I stood on the edge of Walden Pond, about to make a symbolic leap into what had become in my mind a scared place, Hawthorneâs poetic observation was not present in my thoughts. For a summer day, it was unusually cold; a light mist rose above the surface of the water; and having forgotten [...]
CarrieK | July 13, 2010
Title: Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature’s 50 Greatest Hits Author: Jack Murnighan Genre: Non-fiction, books on books Publisher: Three Rivers Press Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Source: Print copy from my personal library First line: What, you weren’t planning on packing Beowulf with your flip-flops and [...]
CarrieK | May 20, 2010
Title: Far From the Land: An Irish Memoir Author: Thomas J. Rice Genre: Memoir Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Source: ARC from the author’s publicist First line: On a beautiful June morning in 1983, I was startled from a deep sleep by a loud banging on my bedroom door. Thomas Rice [...]
CarrieK | May 11, 2010
Title: Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie & Foklore in the Literature of Childhood Author: Jane Yolen Genre: Essays Publisher: August House Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Source: Print copy from my personal library I had the delightful experience of reading Touch Magic along with Vasilly and Kelly. Below you will find part three of our [...]
CarrieK | April 29, 2010
Title: Shakespeare Wrote for Money Author: Nick Hornby Genre: Essays Publisher: Believer Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Source: Print copy from my personal library First line: I like liking things. I’m just a little sad to know I’ve read the last collection of Nick Hornby’s “Books I’ve Been Reading” columns from The Believer [...]
CarrieK | April 16, 2010
Title: Love in a Time of Homeschooling: A Mother and Daughter’s Uncommon Year Author: Laura Brodie Genre: Nonfiction, memoir Publisher: Harper Collins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Source: Review copy from the author First line: On a cold October morning my ten-year-old daughter, Julia, sat at our kitchen table and contemplated the Earth’s layers. [...]
CarrieK | April 5, 2010
Title: Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands Author: Michael Chabon Genre: Essays, non-fiction Publisher: Harper Perennial Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Source: Print copy from my own library First line: Entertainment has a bad name. The best part about book blogging is connecting with other book bloggers – on their blogs, [...]
CarrieK | March 25, 2010
Title: The Woman Who Can’t Forget: The Extraordinary Story of Living with the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science Author: Jill Price Genre: Memoir Publisher: Free Press Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Source: Audiobook from the public library First line: I know very well how tyrannical the memory can be. Jill Price has a [...]
