Helen's Reads » Musings

Spring Flings: Books That Disappointed

helen — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:46:11 +0000

Reviews of the new spring titles are starting to pour in but what about the not to be missed books of last fall and winter? Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, Emma Donoghue’s Room and Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom certainly have lived up to their hype but others, alas, have not. Take for instance Ingrid Betancourt’s Even Silence Has An End. Last fall, The Daily Beast proclaimed it “the memoir of the season”. I salute Ms. Betancourt’s courage and political convictions, but after 150 plus pages of jungle captivity and detailed descriptions of her physical and emotional deprivations, I needed to move on. After all, I knew she had survived her ordeal and was well and alive on the book tour circuit. Another book that I finished but only because I wanted to find out if a snake really caused her demise (the jury’s out) was Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra: A Biography. This book made one member of my book club proclaim “Why?”. And then there is Tony Blair’s A Journey. Weighing in at nearly 700 pages, my husband mused that the title must have come from his proof reader. The book sits dusty and half read on our nightstand. If anyone out there reading this is interested in tackling any one of these books, I would be happy to send.

Marking Royal Wedding Time Page By Page

helen — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:35:34 +0000

Just six more weeks until William and Kate tie the knot. For those Anglophiles out there (and you know who you are) that can’t bear the wait, here are some literary suggestions to help you while away the hours.

READ:

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The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

Who can resist a quirky family novel set in the mid west about a scholarly English professor who has brought his three daughters up to communicate by spouting Shakespearean dialogue.

Publisher’s Weekly says you don’t have to be a fan of the Bard to enjoy, but it wouldn’t hurt either.

WATCH:

The latest film adaption of Jane Eyre is slowly being rolled out to theaters nationwide.

KNIT:

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Throw on a pair of wellies and knit your own Corgi. There are 24 other breeds to choose from including English Bulldog, English Bull Terrier and Old English Sheepdog. This activity alone should bring you right up until wedding eve.

Happy Holidays From Helen’s Reads

helen — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 01:12:46 +0000

This time of year, I always try to post fun ways that books are used during the holidays. You’ve heard of Christmas in July, right? Well this cleverly designed book stand actually is from a June post via OKGreat. I thought it the perfect way to wish my readers a very Merry Christmas and a New Year full of great reads!

Holiday Book Displays December 2009

Gulping My Way To Australia

helen — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:07:42 +0000

Are you a sipper or a gulper when it comes to reading? This question was posed by science fiction and fantasy writer Jo Walton on Tor.com. I am definitely a gulper. I know this because I inhaled the Stieg Larsson Millennium-trilogy by the end of June and since then have been experiencing a bit of a book reading famine. I admit I do hate getting into a new book. For that, I need pure uninterrupted time where I can focus on the new characters and plot. Summer time is too distracting for me. There is golf to be played, gardens to tend, outdoor projects to contemplate. So knowing I have airplane time to fill is the best. This week my husband and I are headed to Australia. With two 18 hour flights staring us in the face (not to mention the hours killing time at various airports), I will be dusting off my book bib and diving in dirty face to what I hope will be some great reads to report back to you on. Enjoy what’s left of the summer everyone. See you in September!

Celebrity Autobiography – One funny book club!

helen — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:10:03 +0000

Brew-HaHa Over Beer Ad and Book Clubs

helen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:44:00 +0000

According to Galley Cat, Bud Light’s Super Bowl Ad depicting a couple of beer loving boys crashing a book club has offended book clubs, literary bloggers and readers. Personally, I thought it was silly but, hey, it’s the Super Bowl people. In fact, my husband was complaining that a lot of the ads made the guys look like boobs. So lighten up folks, whether it be your beer or your attitude. Comments?

The ‘Twilight’ Zone “About An Inch From Seattle On My iPhone”

helen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:54:42 +0000

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In honor of Halloween week, here is Seattle Times pop critic Mark Rahne’s hilarious video tour of Forks, WA which any Twilighter knows is the setting for the Stephenie Meyer‘s vampire series. Whaahahahahaa…

Are You A Trade Paperback Snob?

helen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:57:28 +0000

I admit it. I am a trade paperback snob. I realized that the other day when I had the option of buying The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in either mass market paperback (MMP) or trade paperback (TPB). Even though the mass market was definitely cheaper, $7.99 vs. $16. 37, I chose the trade paperback. Why? I would like to think that its solely because I prefer the larger size (TPBs are usually about the same size as hardbacks, sightly shorter because the binding is done differently), the larger fonts (better on my aging eyes) and the thicker paper (often manufactured from the actual sheets printed for the hardcover edition). But to spend $8 more for the same book? There has got to be something deeper going on here? I know that today’s MMPs are not the dime store novels of yore. In fact, all of the current top sellers can also be found in either format. So what’s the deal? Is anyone else as stuck up as I am?

Publishing facts courtesy of http://stason.org

Worst Writing Contest

helen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:04:50 +0000

I cracked up when I read this winning entry from Eric Rice of Sun Prairie, Wis. for worst opening sentence to a novel in the detective category of The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, affectionately known as “It was a dark and stormy night” contest.

“She walked into my office on legs as long as one of those long-legged birds that you see in Florida the pink ones, not the white ones except that she was standing on both of them, not just one of them, like those birds, the pink ones, and she wasn’t wearing pink, but I knew right away that she was trouble, which those birds usually aren’t.”

No Books Will Need A Digital Converter Come February 2009

helen — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:13:15 +0000

If you watch any tv at all, than you have seen the many public service announcements about the upcoming switch from analog to digital television viewing. My husband and I lament every night that with all the cable channels available to us, why is there never anything worth watching (but I digress). Watch this funny video which first aired on the Spike Feresten Show and then have the last laugh by unplugging and READING.