tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22856721369105769722024-03-13T12:03:32.624-07:00The Book PlateLooking for something to read? Me too! Join me as I navigate the shelves of bookstores, libraries, book sales, and the growing world of ebooks to find my next read, and hopefully yours as well!Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-39176911320211266252010-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:002010-12-22T08:00:02.159-08:00Notable Reads of 20102010 is coming to a close, and I'd thought I'd celebrate by wrapping up some of the more notable books I read this year. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Gatsby-F-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0743273567?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Great Gatsby" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0743273567&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Gatsby-F-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0743273567?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Great Gatsby</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0743273567" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by F. Scott Fitzgerald</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">First off, when I get off my butt and decorate my library with notable book covers, this is going to be the first to go up. But man, what a book. I'm not sure what made it so awesome for me. The decadence? The sin of it all? The setting? When I finished it, I sat for a good half hour just enjoying the aftertaste. On a side note, Baz Luhrmann is directing a movie adaptation of it, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire (may have to see that one).</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Priceless-Undercover-Rescue-Worlds-Treasures/dp/0307461475?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0307461475" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></strong><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0743273567" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Robert K. Wittman</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I may have to save most of my comments for a later FBI related post, but this was a really fun autobiography of the man in charge of recovering lost art, working most notably on the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum heist. I also got to see him speak and meet him, and he was a really cool guy. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/She-Penguin-Classics-Rider-Haggard/dp/0140437630?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>She (Penguin Classics)</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0140437630" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by H. Rider Haggard</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/SHE-H-Rider-Haggard/dp/0141031301?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="SHE" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0141031301&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a>I love a good Victorian yarn as much as the next person, and this one tops my list. It was a close call between this and <strong>King Solomon's Mines</strong>, but Ayesha decided it. <em>She Who Must Be Obeyed...</em>indeed. Also, for your viewing pleasure, I've included one of Penguin's covers for this book (this one will also be added to my library wall). </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Book-1/dp/0439023521?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Hunger Games: Book 1</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0439023521" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Suzanne Collins</strong> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This series was a huge phenomenon this year (obviously). I picked it up rather late, which ended out working in my favor - massive cliff-hangers, anyone? As a whole I enjoyed the entire series, but the first was by far the best. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Changes-Dresden-Files-Book-12/dp/045146317X?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Changes (Dresden Files, Book 12)</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=045146317X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Jim Butcher</strong><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Followers of the series know what poor Harry had to go through in this book. If you still haven't read the series, please just go out and buy the first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451457811?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Storm Front </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451457811" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />. You'll thank me later :)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Sleep-Raymond-Chandler/dp/0394758285?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Big Sleep" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0394758285&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Sleep-Raymond-Chandler/dp/0394758285?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Big Sleep</strong></a><strong> by Raymond Chandler<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0394758285" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am now officially hooked on detective fiction. Probably would have never picked it up if it weren't for the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, but of course I'm glad I did. I also read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Goodbye-Raymond-Chandler/dp/0394757688?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Long Goodbye</a>, considered by most Chandler's masterpiece, but I think Marlowe's inner struggles were too much for me. <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0394757688" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0394758285" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />I also felt the pacing of this one was better. Now, any target shooting with crazy heiresses has been crossed off my to-do list.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blades-Rose-Bundle-Scoundrel-ebook/dp/B004CLYLRG?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Blades of the Rose Bundle: Warrior, Scoundrel, Rebel, & Stranger" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004CLYLRG&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Other Notables:</strong> I read the entire <strong>Percy Jackson & the Olympians</strong> series (including the first of the new series <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Olympus-Book-One-Lost/dp/142311339X?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Lost Hero</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=142311339X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />) which were tons of fun, and was introduced to Elizabeth Peters' <strong>Amelia Peabody </strong>mysteries (love love love!). On the romance front, Zoe Archer's <strong>Blades of the Rose </strong>series was my favorite of the year, with exotic locales and paranormal elements (a great twist on your usual regency). <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004CLYLRG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />My two favorite indie books were <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Radium-Halos-novel-Painters-ebook/dp/B002FL3K40?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Radium Halos (A novel about the Radium Dial Painters)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002FL3K40" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Shelley Stout and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boomerang-ebook/dp/B002BWPDYS?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Boomerang</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002BWPDYS" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Alan Hutcheson.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If you'd like to see my whole list of books read for the year, click <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/264493-jessica-s-2010-250-challenge">here</a> (my official tally on Goodreads). </div></div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-68670621415335892972010-12-18T18:28:00.000-08:002010-12-18T18:29:28.354-08:00This is what happens...<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Summit-Everests-Controversial-Season/dp/0805083103?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0805083103&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0805083103" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span>A quick followup to last week's book sale post: I immediately started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Summit-Everests-Controversial-Season/dp/0805089918?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season</strong></a> by Nick Heil. Much to my suprise (and glee), it featured the story of the climbers of the TV show "Everest: Beyond the Limit" which my TiVo had been recording for me sporadically the past few months. I remembered someone had died (not from that team) but didn't think much about it. After reading<strong> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0805089918" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/0385494785?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385494785" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></strong> by John Krakauer I learned this is pretty commonplace, rescue being incredibly difficult at 8,000 meters. It turns out because several members of the team passed the man while he was still alive, major controversy ensued. The book details the circumstances of the situation as well as another climber that season left for dead but ultimately rescued. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0006IXL5M" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Everest-Search-Mallory-Irvine/dp/B0006IXL5M?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0006IXL5M&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a>So, of course, I had to watch the show in it's entirety (both seasons) over the next few days (gotta love Netflix Instant Watch on my TiVo Premiere). I'm just itching to read something else about Everest. I managed to find <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Everest-Search-Mallory-Irvine/dp/B0006IXL5M?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0006IXL5M" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />, which will be next and I can't wait. Super frustrated because I've blown my book budget for the month and I want this one now! Ack! I'm glad to have found it though - I mentioned in an <a href="http://bookplatereads.blogspot.com/2009/12/climbing-mt-everest.html"><strong>earlier post about Everest</strong></a> I was searching for a good title on Mallory & Irvine. I've also just revisited the comments, and forgot about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Touching-Void-Story-Miraculous-Survival/dp/0060730552?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060730552" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> </strong>by Joe Simpson. Double Ack! </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Side note: Does anyone know how to find the PBS NOVA program on Mallory & Irvine? I can't find it anywhere, but maybe I'm looking in the wrong places.Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-64549440374995931052010-12-11T12:01:00.000-08:002010-12-18T18:05:19.538-08:00Book Sale Finds for the week<div style="text-align: justify;">First order of business: I'm coming to the sad conclusion that there's probably no way I'll make my reading goal for the year. I just wrapped up book #219 (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Most-Frothy-Coffeehouse-Mysteries/dp/0425211134?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Murder Most Frothy (Coffeehouse Mysteries, No. 4</strong>)</a> by Cleo Coyle), and with 20 days left to go in the year, <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0425211134" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />I'll need to read 1.55 books a day. I'm hoping to at least get close though. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So of course, instead of reading this morning I went to a book sale at a local library. I found few books of interest in fiction, but snagged quite a bit of non-fiction.</div><ul><li><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Secretary-Further-Adventure-Sherlock/dp/0312352042?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Italian Secretary: A Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0312352042" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Caleb Carr. I"ve read all of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes so I guess it's time to move to other versions. I'm a little hesitant, but who knows? Maybe it'll be like visiting an old friend. </div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Summit-Everests-Controversial-ebook/dp/B0013TPX5O?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0013TPX5O" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Nick Heil. I'm still obsessed with all things Everest, this should do nicely.</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Eve-Paula-Uruburu/dp/B002PJ4L9A?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>American Eve</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002PJ4L9A" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></strong> by Paula Uruburu. I won't lie, I bought it because the spine looked cool. </div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Packing-Mars-Curious-Science-Life/dp/0393068471?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0393068471" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Mary Roach. I read her most recognizable book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393324826?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0393324826" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />, but wasn't really interested in this one until I heard her on NPR's <em>Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! </em>She was terrific on the show, and she made it clear that her ten-year-old boy syndrome (obsessions with all things gross and disgusting) carried over into this book. </div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oryx-Crake-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0385721676?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Oryx and Crake</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385721676" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Margaret Atwood. I still have not read a single book by Atwood, but I get the feeling I'm going to enjoy her books. This makes book #3 I own by her.</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suspicions-Mr-Whicher-Victorian-Detective/dp/080271742X?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=080271742X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> by Kate Summerscale. Sounded cool, and for 25 cents not a lot of thoughts were going through my head other than that when I put it in my bag.</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crossword-Die-Mysteries/dp/0425190757?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>A Crossword to Die for (Crossword Mysteries)</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0425190757" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></strong> by Nero Blanc. I'm on a cozy mystery kick, and this was the only one I found. </div></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">I also picked up two true crime books for my mother, all for the grand total of $6.50. See why I love book sales? If you want to see if there are any in your area, check out <a href="http://www.booksalefinder.com/">http://www.booksalefinder.com/</a>. It's a great resource, and I check it weekly. If you want the best selection of books to choose from, go on the first day of a sale. If you're not picky and want to save money, go on the last day. They usually do some sort of special to move the books. Bring your own tote bags if you can, it'll make shopping much much easier (I have a nice canvas Ikea bag with huge straps,which eases some of the stress on my shoulders - laugh until you try to carry around 50 pounds of books around for over an hour). The big ones (20,000+ books) usually have a great selection of collectible books as well, but you'll need to go to the preview to get anything valuable. You can also pick up movies, audiobooks and puzzles at these sales. Happy hunting :)</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-32912590871275439352010-12-02T16:51:00.000-08:002010-12-02T16:51:06.348-08:00Bankers Behaving Badly<span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001TEGEBA" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">I heard today that the now-infamous Wikileaks is set to drop a "bombshell" about a large bank in 2011 (story and speculation <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-does-wiki-leaks-have-on-bank-of-america-2010-12">here</a>). I'm not sure what they have to say that we don't already know (or think we know), but at least it gave me inspiration for today's blog post. I always love to read books on things that interest or impact me, and the "Great Recession" is no exception. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dumb-Money-ebook/dp/B001TEGEBA?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Dumb Money" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B001TEGEBA&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a></div><span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dumb-Money-ebook/dp/B001TEGEBA?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Dumb Money</strong></a><strong> by Daniel Gross<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001TEGEBA" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> (<a href="http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/daniel-gross/dumb-money/_/R-400000000000000123399">Sony</a>, <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dumb-Money-How-Our-Greatest/book-gSBb-QhVgE6ObYVjscitQA/page1.html">Kobo</a>)</strong></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span>This book came out right when things were really starting to get bad, early in 2009 as an ebook exclusive (since it has come out in paperback as well). It's a short, easy to understand explanation of the borrowing trends that got us into this mess, filled with the author's humor. I found the language easy to follow and it was very informative. As you might expect from the title, the author tosses a lot of blame at people, but I think it's clear today that there is plenty of it to go around.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Short-Inside-Doomsday-Machine/dp/0393072231?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0393072231&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Short-Inside-Doomsday-Machine/dp/0393072231?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine</strong></a><strong> by Michael Lewis<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0393072231" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> (<a href="http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/michael-lewis/the-big-short/_/R-400000000000000231365">Sony</a>, <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Big-Short-Inside-The/book-1svoxtZq0UaTYlh0SJGCoA/page1.html">Kobo</a>)</strong></span></div><div align="justify"><span>This one is not for the faint of heart. Lewis spends the whole book chronicling those who saw the economic collapse coming and decided to profit on it. On first thought it sounds incredibly distasteful, but after reading I couldn't help but being awed by these people's brilliance (if they were truly gleeful of their possibly ill-gotten riches, it's not shown in the book). I spent a good hour after I finished the book trying to think my own investment strategies.</span></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-O-U-Why-Everyone-Owes-One/dp/1439169861?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1439169861&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><span></span></div><div align="justify" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span><span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-O-U-Why-Everyone-Owes-One/dp/1439169861?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay</strong></a><strong> by John Lanchester<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439169861" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> (<a href="http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/john-lanchester/i-o-u/_/R-400000000000000191227">Sony</a>, <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/-Why-Everyone-Owes-Everyone-And/book-DCNyy7CQHU6C4uiY4PrwHA/page1.html">Kobo</a>)</strong></span></span></div><div align="justify" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span><span>I just learned about this book via the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/award/choice">2010 Goodreads Choice Awards</a> (it's a contender in non-fiction) and I'm just itching to buy it. Through the description and the reviews, it looks like it goes over similar information as <em>Dumb Money</em>, but focusing mostly on debt (I'm writing this and thinking, "duh!"). I'm wondering if the presentation of it will be different, as the author is British (UK title is <em>Whoops!</em>). It'll be interesting to get a less US-centric view on the meltdown. If anyone here has read this one, let me know what you thought!</span></span></div><div align="justify" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span><span>Well back to reading. There are 29 days left in the year, and I still have 34 books to make my goal. Crunchtime!</span></span></div><div align="justify" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span><em></em></span>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-53234726771835267772010-11-28T14:49:00.000-08:002010-11-28T14:49:54.498-08:00So yeah...it's been a whileI have a confession to make...I bit off waaaay more than I could chew this year. I gave myself a goal to read 250 books this year <em>and </em>I started this blog, intending to make one post a day. As you can see, at least on the blog side, I failed miserably. On the book goal side, I'm cutting it close: at current count I'm at 213 books for the year. If you do the math, I have to read more than one book a day at this point to make it. <br />
<br />
Uggh.<br />
<br />
So for 2011, I'm toning it down big time. I'll keep a goal (probably a more reasonable 200), and start the blog back up again, but without daily postings. In the meantime I'm going to try and pop in when I have a few minutes (or, more likely, need a break from reading).<br />
<br />
Also, just saw my earlier post in the year about 1001 books I wanted to read, here's an update:<br />
<br />
1) <em>The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers. </em>Read in February. I have to say I liked <em>Murder Must Advertise </em>better, but I was still swooning over Lord Peter Wimsey in this book.<br />
2) <em>The Plague by Albert Camus</em>. Didn't read yet.<br />
3) <em>The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams</em>. Didn't read this yet either, although a coworker lent me a copy a month or so ago. He probably wants it back...<br />
4) <em>The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel by Tom Wolfe</em>. Sigh. Also didn't read yet.<br />
5) <em>The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. </em>Read in April. Easily one of my favorite books ever. <br />
6) <em>Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury</em>. Also read in April, but not one of my favorites. <em>1984</em> and <em>Brave New World</em> still win for me in the dystopian fiction front.<br />
7) <em>The Secret History by Donna Tartt. </em>Read in May. Another phenomenal book. I'm not sure what turned me off the first time I tried to read it (only got through the first few pages then), but this time I devoured it. <br />
<br />
My count is up to 48 this year, and will be 49 if I actually finish <em>Catch-22 </em>by Joseph Heller, which I've been stuck in for over a month now. <br />
<br />
Wish me luck for the rest of the year, and have a safe and wonderful holiday if I don't see you until then ;)Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-33249588607720305232010-01-18T16:46:00.000-08:002010-01-18T16:46:39.088-08:00Delayed eBook Release - The Swan Thieves<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Thieves-Novel-Elizabeth-Kostova/dp/0316065781?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Swan Thieves: A Novel" height="200" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0316065781&tag=widgetsamazon-20" width="130" /></a><span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0316065781" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span>A big controversy is heating up in the ebook market - delayed ebook releases by the publishers, who say that low priced ebooks are cutting into the high-margin hardcover profits. Big publishers today keep shooting themselves in the foot these days, and frankly, I'm pretty content to sit back and watch them collapse. In cases like this, I smack my forehead and think, <em>why? </em>Let's use Elizabeth Kostova's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Thieves-Novel-Elizabeth-Kostova/dp/0316065781?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Swan Thieves</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0316065781" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></strong> as an example. I see a blurb on this book and go, "Ooh, that sounds interesting!" I have not read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Historian-Elizabeth-Kostova/dp/0316070637?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Historian</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0316070637" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> yet, but <em>The Swan Thieves</em><strong> </strong>sounds like it's right up my alley (I love art history). So I amble my way over to the Sony eBookstore and my search comes up empty. Hrmm, that's weird, I thought it was out already. Well, yes and no. The publisher is delaying the ebook release for three months, so more people will buy it in hardcover.<br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's where I have a problem: I would never have bought this book in hardcover. I don't buy any hardcovers actually, unless they are used or on the bargain table. The one thing I love about ebooks is that I can buy a book that's out in hardcover, for about the same price as a trade paperback. I'll even pay a little bit more of a premium on one if I don't want to wait til the price drops to $9.99 (I did this recently for Karen Marie Moning's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dreamfever-Karen-Marie-Moning/dp/0385341652?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Dreamfever</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385341652" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" />, and if you've read this series you'd too pay the extra $3 to have it a few days sooner). But now I'm stuck. I refuse to purchase this book now, because I want to make a point. Usually in circumstances like these, I'll email the publisher stating my thoughts, and pointing out that I bought the book used (no profit for them) or skipped it all together. I've never gotten a return email. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, a group of people have tried a different tactic - they are leaving one star reviews on amazon.com expressing their displeasure (article <a href="http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2010/01/kindle_punish_book_on_amazon_that_delayed_digital_edition.html">here</a>). I'm torn on this tactic. On one hand, people use amazon reviews heavily to decide whether to read a book or not (I recommend using a site like GoodReads instead), not to mention that it also affects the author, not just the publisher. On the other hand, I can see this as being very effective, considering the clout that amazon reviews have and the amount of press it's getting. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what do I do while publishers get their act together? Read something else! I picked up <em>The Historian </em>at a book sale last week, although I have no idea when I'll get to it. But since I'm in the mood for some art history, I picked up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forgers-Spell-Vermeer-Greatest-Twentieth/dp/0060825421?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060825421" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /> </strong>by Edward Dolnick (and it's available in ebook!). I can't think of a good alternate read in historical fiction, so if you think of one post it in the comments!<br />
</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-25862880326584412472010-01-13T19:35:00.000-08:002010-01-13T19:35:33.672-08:00So you want to read...True Crime<span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0375507906" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Want to read true crime, but unsure of where to start? Here's a few books to get you started. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Blood-Truman-Capote/dp/0141182571?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="In Cold Blood" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0141182571&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a><strong><em>In Cold Blood</em> by Truman Capote</strong><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">"<em>With the publication of this book, Capote permanently ripped through the barrier separating crime reportage from serious literature. As he reconstructs the 1959 murder of a Kansas farm family and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, Capote generates suspense and empathy."</em><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">This book is credited with starting the entire true crime genre, and what better place to start than the beginning? When I told my mother I was writing this post (she's a big true crime fan), she took the opportunity to admonish me for the umpteenth time for not reading "In Cold Blood." Mom, if you're reading this, I promise I'll get to it soon. <span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0141182571" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cases-That-Haunt-Us/dp/0671017063?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Cases That Haunt Us" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0671017063&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a><span><strong><em>The Cases That Haunt Us</em> by John Douglas</strong></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span><em>America's foremost expert on criminal profiling provides his uniquely gripping analysis of seven of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime -- from the Whitechapel murders to JonBenet Ramsey -- often contradicting conventional wisdom and legal decisions.</em></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span>A great book combining all of the famous unsolved murders: Jack the Ripper, Zodiac, Black Dahlia, the Lindbergh baby, etc. There could be no one better to come up with theories on these cases than John Douglas, and his expertise in the profiling field shows here. <span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0671017063" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span><span><strong><em>Devil in the White City </em>by Erik Larson</strong></span></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devil-White-City-Madness-Changed/dp/0375725601?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0375725601&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a><span><span><em>Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.</em></span></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span><span>If you have not read this book yet, please, do yourself a huge favor and run to your nearest bookstore. This is also a good choice for those who want their true crime with a side of American history. <span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0375725601" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></span></span></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span><span><span>Happy reading!</span></span></span><br />
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</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-91443802802613912402010-01-11T18:32:00.000-08:002010-01-11T18:32:18.885-08:00Books about Books, v 2.0<span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1555975100" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span><span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=030727733X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0425219585" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A few more selections for the bibliophiles out there. I noticed while I was compiling these that they all had to do with bookstores in particular. After years of working in a bookstore (and missing it terribly) I felt like I was home again reading these books.<br />
</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop</em> by Lewis Buzbee</strong><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Lighted-Bookshop-Memoir-History/dp/1555975100?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1555975100&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><em>In The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, Buzbee, a former bookseller and sales representative, celebrates the unique experience of the bookstore—the smell and touch of books, getting lost in the deep canyons of shelves, and the silent community of readers. He shares his passion for books, which began with ordering through The Weekly Reader in grade school. Interwoven throughout is a fascinating historical account of the bookseller’s trade—from the great Alexandria library with an estimated one million papyrus scrolls to Sylvia Beach’s famous Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, which led to the extraordinary effort to publish and sell James Joyce’s Ulysses during the 1920s. Rich with anecdotes, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is the perfect choice for those who relish the enduring pleasures of spending an afternoon finding just the right book.</em> <br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><strong>Genre: Non-Fiction - Memoir</strong>. This is a must-read for any former bookseller, or anyone who gets that shaky feeling every time they walk into a bookstore. <br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Binding-Lorna-Barrett/dp/0425219585?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Murder Is Binding" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0425219585&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><strong><em>Murder is Binding </em>by Lorna Barrett</strong><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>The streets of Stoneham, New Hampsire are lined with bookstores...and paved with murder. </em><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.</em><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Genre: Mystery - Cozy Mystery. </strong>I read all three books in this series in one week. Need I say more?<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>The Secret of Lost Things </em>by Sheridan Hay</strong><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Lost-Things-Sheridan-Hay/dp/030727733X?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Secret of Lost Things" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=030727733X&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><em>Eighteen years old and completely alone, Rosemary arrives in New York from Tasmania with little other than her love of books and an eagerness to explore the city. Taking a job at a vast, chaotic emporium of used and rare books called the Arcade, she knows she has found a home. But when Rosemary reads a letter from someone seeking to “place” a lost manuscript by Herman Melville, the bookstore erupts with simmering ambitions and rivalries. Including actual correspondence by Melville, The Secret of Lost Things is at once a literary adventure and evocative portrait of a young woman making a life for herself in the city.</em><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><strong>Genre: Fiction - Literary Fiction</strong>. I'll be honest, I couldn't really get into this book. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads. I'm including it here because it fits the topic, and who knows? Maybe you'll love it.<br />
</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-91461659390121387812010-01-10T13:23:00.000-08:002010-01-10T14:35:53.000-08:00Good Deal - Smart Women Read Between the Lines<div style="text-align: justify;">I usuallly track my books on an excel spreadsheet and have a black book I carry around with series orders and notes on books I'm interested in, but I'm tempted to switch to this just for it's awesome cover. Here's the product description:<br />
</div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Women-Read-Between-Lines/dp/B0030EG0ES?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Smart Women Read Between the Lines: A Reader's Journal" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0030EG0ES&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><em>With this handy, totable reader's journal, keeping tabs on literary adventures is a breeze. <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0030EG0ES" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Track and review books read and books recommended. Jot down favorite passages and authors. Keep literary lists, including books lent and borrowed, a book club selection log, and must-attend literary event dates. With inspiring quotes from outstanding smart women sprinkled throughout, plus an A to Z list of great books by women, this journal is a must-have for smart readers everywhere.</em> <br />
</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">And it's cheap, too. I think I just might have to have this.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Price: $5.83 - <em>(</em></strong><em>Book picture goes to Amazon listing)</em><br />
</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-29217027772753546472010-01-10T08:36:00.000-08:002010-01-10T18:58:09.696-08:00My Library Haul<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060535172" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fault-Line-Novel-Barry-Eisler/dp/0345505085?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Fault Line: A Novel" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0345505085&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a>I've been dying to get over to the library, but for the past few weekends it's been closed for the holidays, and I can never get over there during the week. So after paying about $9.00 in fines, I checked out the following books:<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Fault Line </em>by Barry Eisler</strong><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0345505085" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Not something I would pick up normally, but I saw on a few blogs he's been trying to get romance readers to check out his books. This intrigues me - does he recognize the buying power of the romance reader? Does he think simply because that there's some hot scenes in his book that the romance community will love his book? I've started it, but I'll hold my judgement until I finish.<br />
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</div><strong><em>Monet Talks</em> by Tamar Myers</strong><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monet-Talks-Antiquity-Tamar-Myers/dp/0060535172?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Monet Talks (Den of Antiquity)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0060535172&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a>I'm on the worst kind of cozy mystery kick right now, and I heard about Myers' "Den of Antiquity" series and had to check it out (with that series title, how could you not?). Unfortunately, the first book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Larceny-Old-Lace-Den-Antiquity/dp/0380782391?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Larceny and Old Lace</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0380782391" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> is way too much in ebook form, and the library didn't have it. So I'm just going to read the series out of order. Hopefully it won't be an issue. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">The great thing about my local library is that it has an ongoing book sale. It doesn't have quite the selection that other library book sales have, but I usually come out of there with a handful of books. Immediately I saw <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Persuasion-Tessa-Dare/dp/034550688X?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Lady of Persuasion</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=034550688X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Surrender-Siren-Novel-Tessa-Dare/dp/0345506871?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Surrender of a Siren: A Novel</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0345506871" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Tessa Dare, which I've heard good things about but haven't gotten around to checking them out. Even better, they were in almost new condition. I also grabbed <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fax-Life-Molly-Masters-Mystery/dp/0449001601?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Fax of Life (Molly Masters Mystery)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0449001601" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Leslie O'Kane in hardcover. I've never heard of this author, and considering the title and the publish date ('99), I'm hoping for some spectacularly dated technology. <br />
</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-11888236518221298282010-01-02T09:33:00.000-08:002010-01-02T10:19:34.627-08:001001 Books You Must Read Before You Die<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/1001-Books-Must-Read-Before/dp/0789313707?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0789313707&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0789313707" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />I found this book at the library last year, and was interested to find out how much of the book universe I was missing. Flipping through, I figured I had tackled a decent number of the books. I spent a day compiling the book into spreadsheet form, and at the end I was shocked to learn that I had read <em>less than twenty. </em>Needless to say, I felt pretty depressed. What have I been reading all this time? Apparently junk, if this book was any indicator. So slowly but surely, I've been attempting to tackle some of the titles listed in this compilation. My number is now up to 34, and I've picked out a few specific books to read this year with my other goals for 2010. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Tailors-Dorothy-L-Sayers/dp/0156658992?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Nine Tailors</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0156658992" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Dorothy Sayers. I just read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Advertise-Peter-Wimsey-Mysteries/dp/0061043559?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Murder Must Advertise</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061043559" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> for my book club and really enjoyed the character of Lord Wimsey, so I was happy to see that <em>Nine Tailors </em>also featured him, and even better, I could cross another book of the 1001 list. It's in the public domain, so if you have an ebook reading device, it's free.<br />
2) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plague-Albert-Camus/dp/0679720219?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Plague</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0679720219" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Albert Camus. Book about the bubonic plague? I'm there.<br />
3) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Dark-Tea-Time-Soul/dp/0671742515?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0671742515" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Douglas Adams. I read the first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dirk-Gentlys-Holistic-Detective-Agency/dp/0671746723?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0671746723" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> last year, so it's about time I read the second. I'm never disappointed with Douglas Adams.<br />
4) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bonfire-Vanities-Novel-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0312427573?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0312427573" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Tom Wolfe. Grabbed this one at the library book sale, and it's just waiting to be cracked open.<br />
5) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Gatsby-F-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0743273567?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Great Gatsby</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0743273567" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by F. Scott Fitzgerald.<br />
6) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fahrenheit-451-Ray-Bradbury/dp/B000HB2G5O?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Fahrenheit 451</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000HB2G5O" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Ray Bradbury. Still can't believe I haven't read this one yet.<br />
7) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-History-Donna-Tartt/dp/1400031702?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Secret History</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1400031702" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Donna Tartt. My mom's been trying to get me to read this one for years, and I grabbed a copy of it at the book sale. Maybe I'll read that first, so she can stop bugging me. <br />
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If you want to see the full list for yourself, check out the google doc <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AlZiu_2_7O1CcDc0Q29DaDNxOFo3ZzQweGZFcGlXS3c&hl=en">here</a>. I do highly recommend the book itself, which is beautifully illustrated and has nice essays on each book. There's some glaring omissions and questionable entries, but all in all it's a good place to start if you want to start reading more "classics." Also, there's a big group on GoodReads dedicated to finishing these books, which you can find <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/970.1001_Books_You_Must_Read_Before_You_Die">here</a>. I'll be tagging this post "1001 books," and in the future I'll spotlight some more entries.<br />
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Happy reading!<br />
</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-59402665150904418012009-12-29T18:23:00.000-08:002009-12-29T18:25:04.460-08:00It's the End of the World as We Know It...and I Feel FineAt around 3:30 this morning I woke up, and while I was trying to figure out exactly why I would wake up at such an ungodly hour of the morning, 50 mile per hour winds told me why. I'm a recent first-time home buyer, and I'm quite convinced my house is going to collapse while I'm sleeping. We had some pretty nasty winds a few weeks ago in the middle of the night, which caused my house to shake. Last night was a repeat performance - needless to say I got very little sleep. <br />
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Since I tend to lean towards the melodramatics and because of my (what I consider) life-threatening experience last night, today's post features non-fiction disaster books. I just cannot get enough of this stuff. Am I just a horrible human being that revels in other people's misery? Regardless, recently I've read quite a few books in this vein and I've got quite a few on my TBR pile to get to. I'll keep this post on the ones that I've read, and will do a follow up post later when I've read more. (<em>note: I found several of these books on the fantasic user-voted list on GoodReads </em><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1299.Non_fiction_Disaster_Books_">here</a>). <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Johnstown-Flood-Paperback-McCullough-Author/dp/B002X7OW52?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Johnstown Flood (Paperback)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B002X7OW52&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><strong><u><em>The Johnstown Flood</em> by David McCullough</u></strong><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002X7OW52" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Man, David McCullough knows how to write a book, no doubt about it. This is one of three in his engineering series (the other two go over the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal). Being from Pennsylvania myself, this hit a little closer to home, mostly by being able to recognize some of the main characters in the steel business. Thousands of people died in this disaster, a result of a dam failure. McCullough does an excellent job recounting the exact events in this book and is easy to follow, but also shows a lot of respect for the tragedy that occured and those who lost their lives. This was one of my favorite books that I read in 2009. Pennsylvania residents as well as people interested in the steel business will also enjoy this book.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Isaacs-Storm-Deadliest-Hurricane-History/dp/0375708278?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0375708278&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><strong><u><em>Isaac's Storm</em> by Erik Larson</u></strong><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Best known for the book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devil-White-City-Madness-Changed/dp/0375725601?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Devil in the White City</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0375725601" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> (a phenomenal read), Larson's earlier work <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Isaacs-Storm-Deadliest-Hurricane-History/dp/0375708278?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Isaac's Storm</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0375708278" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> should not be overlooked. It tells the story of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 mostly through the eyes of the meteorologist of the town. If you though Katrina was bad, you were wrong. Larson has a particular gift for weaving a story without getting into to much speculation on the thoughts of historical figures. If you can, read this after the Johnstown Flood, since this event did occur later and there are a few meaningful references to it. <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0375708278" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
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</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Sea-Tragedy-Whaleship-Essex/dp/0141001828?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0141001828&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><strong><em><u>In the Heart of the Sea</u></em> by Nathaniel Philbrick</strong><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If you like your disaster books a little, well, less <em>national </em>but still want a fascinating slice of American history, I highly recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Sea-Tragedy-Whaleship-Essex/dp/0141001828?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0141001828" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Nathaniel Philbrick. The sinking of the Essex was the inspiration for Melville's Moby Dick, but the true story goes so much further than that. It does go into detail in the whaling industry, so if you're squeamish about that kind of thing you might want to steer clear of this book. If not, please do not miss this one. I found it incredibly riveting, and was also one of my favorite reads of 2009. <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0141001828" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I think the reason I enjoy these types of books so much is it shows two extremes of human nature: the lengths that man will go through for money, fame, and respect, and the the lengths that man will go through to survive. Just like any Shakesperian tragedy, these real-life events feature a villian whose decisions (often small ones) come at the expense of the others, and the heroes who manage to live through some of the most daunting experiences humankind has ever faced. Or maybe I really am just a sucker for tragedies. <br />
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</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-52230052451040236972009-12-28T17:38:00.000-08:002009-12-28T17:38:30.457-08:00Spotlight on Series: The Dresden Files<span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462343" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span><span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451458125" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span>Alternate title: <i>"Yes, please, I have way too much time on my hands so I'd be delighted to read a series of 11 books that's showing no signs of slowing down."</i><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451457811?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451457811&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A year or so ago I happened to catch a few episodes of "The Dresden Files" on a marathon. It was a SciFi original series that, unfortunately, only lasted one season before it was cancelled. Flash forward to January of this year - I was going through my TiVo Season Passes and lamenting that SciFi couldn't even play reruns of the show for my enjoyment, when I ambled over to IMDB to learn more (I have the unfortunate habit of looking up any movie or TV show I watch for interesting facts). Turns out, the series was based on a series of books by Jim Butcher. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I immediately bought the first one, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451457811?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Storm Front</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451457811" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></strong>, and downloaded it to my Sony Reader. By May, I had read the entire series (including the latest book, which was released that month). And that was <em>trying </em>to stretch it out as long as I possibly could. I'm not sure what made this series so deliciously awesome, but I'll try and put my finger on it. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fool-Moon-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451458125?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451458125&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a>The main character, Harry Dresden, is a wizard for hire in the city of Chicago. This is modern day Chicago though, so don't expect everyone to believe he's a wizard. You might be thinking, gee, this sounds an awful lot like a recent young adult series that took over the entire world, and you'd be slightly right. The Dresden Files is a Harry Potter for grownups. Yup, evil forces are always trying to take over the world and it seems like Harry Dresden is the only one who can stop them. Also like HP, you've got a great cast of mythological creatures (such as vampires, ghosts, zombies and werewolves) and other occult references. But what Harry Potter doesn't have is a millenia-old talking skull named Bob that has an addiction to cheap romance novels. That in itself should give you an idea of what you'd be expecting from this series. <br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grave-Peril-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451462343?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, Book 3)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451462343&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I loved the "snarkiness" of Harry Dresden, who is really just sick of dealing with all of this crap with bad guys trying to take over the world, all the while he can hardly afford to pay his rent. But when push comes to shove, he's a guy you can count on. He's constantly struggling to portray himself as a good guy (he's had some black marks against him in the past), and some of the best parts of the series are when he realizes that what he's about to do, even though he knows it's right, will push him back in bad-guy territory in the eyes of others. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I've recommended this series to many people, and almost all of those who tried it out enjoyed it as much as I did. The rest stumbled around book four, but kept with it and said that the series picks up after that. Here's the series order (links go to amazon.com)<span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462750" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Knight-Novel-Dresden-Files/dp/0451462750?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Summer Knight: A Novel of the Dresden Files (The Dresden Files, Book 4)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451462750&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a>#1- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451457811?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Storm Front</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451457811" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#2- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fool-Moon-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451458125?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Fool Moon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451458125" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#3- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grave-Peril-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451462343?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Grave Peril</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462343" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#4- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Knight-Novel-Dresden-Files/dp/0451462750?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Summer Knight</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462750" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#5- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Masks-Novel-Dresden-Files/dp/0451462947?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Death Masks</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462947" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#6- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Rites-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451459873?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blood Rites</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451459873" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#7- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Beat-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/045146091X?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dead Beat</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=045146091X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#8- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Proven-Guilty-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451461037?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Proven Guilty</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451461037" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#9- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Night-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/045146155X?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">White Night</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=045146155X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#10- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Small-Favor-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451462009?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Small Favor</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462009" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#11- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Coat-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451462564?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Turn Coat</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451462564" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=045146317X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Changes-Dresden-Files-Book-12/dp/045146317X?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Changes (Dresden Files, Book 12)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=045146317X&tag=widgetsamazon-20" /></a>Book #12, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Changes-Dresden-Files-Book-12/dp/045146317X?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><strong>Changes (Dresden Files, Book 12)</strong></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=045146317X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />, comes out in April 2010, and looking at the description it is sounding <em>really </em>good. I'm honestly not sure how I'm going to make it that far. Anyway, if I still haven't convinced you to give this series a shot, feel free to check out the TV show, which is available for free viewing on <a href="http://www.hulu.com/the-dresden-files">Hulu.com</a> (<em>note: the TV series was aired out of order, and the pilot was meant for later in the series. "Storm Front" was meant to be the pilot, and should be viewed first).</em><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I really enjoyed this series, and I hope you do to! This series is available at all bookstores, and is also available in ebook from the major retailers. <br />
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</div>Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-20703075535614810682009-12-27T19:11:00.000-08:002009-12-27T19:30:14.505-08:00Climbing Mt. Everest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcURP0VSvOKSSz4ZCNhhpQ8WTbVtjcBVzRG2qbEGkMlVu81RnMqRBRT9JlEck0bzn1EhNlyhMQPVY2c6S2y8n0N8MpBwHtU0-FyHE6YI7CvKG2iJw2EiRJDu3Muycwe0r7IWjWEScLKrYd/s1600-h/everest1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcURP0VSvOKSSz4ZCNhhpQ8WTbVtjcBVzRG2qbEGkMlVu81RnMqRBRT9JlEck0bzn1EhNlyhMQPVY2c6S2y8n0N8MpBwHtU0-FyHE6YI7CvKG2iJw2EiRJDu3Muycwe0r7IWjWEScLKrYd/s320/everest1.bmp" /></a><br />
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No, I'm not talking about my to-be-read pile (although that's a serious contender in size). It's Sunday night, and on the Discovery Channel they are running a marathon of "Everest: Beyond the Limit." If you've got even a passing interest on this famous mountain and those determined to scale it, check out Jon Krakauer's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/0385494785?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385494785" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />. This riveting book is about the tragedy on Mt. Everest in 1996, which the author was witness to. It spotlights the incredible lengths these climbers go through to scale the mountain, and the very high costs of that goal.<br />
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Also, if you want to inject some mystery into Everest, check out the story of Mallory and Irvine. I have not read any books on the topic, but there are several books mentioned in the Wikipedia article that sound interesting (if I do read one of these, I will post an update). George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine may have reached the summit of Mt. Everest years before Sir Edmund Hillary's successful attempt, but they disappeared in the attempt. In 1999, Mallory's body was located, but only deepened the mystery. Check out the Wikipedia article <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory">here</a>.<br />
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And, if you're still in the mood to read about more mountain disasters, you can check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alive-Seventy-two-Insurmountable-Odds-Adventure/dp/B000ECXDWQ?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Alive</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000ECXDWQ" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Piers Paul Read. This book (and the movie of the same name) covers the 1976 Andes plane crash in which the survivors were reduced to cannibalism for survival before they were rescued. I have not read this book, but it is on my list for 2010.<br />
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Now that we're on to mountain disasters and cannibalism, let's go to the more recently released <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indifferent-Stars-Above-Harrowing-Donner/dp/B002U0KP8K?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Indifferent Stars Above</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002U0KP8K" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> by Daniel James Brown. It recounts the tragedy of the infamous Donner Party and is getting great reviews. I have this book on loan from the library and should be getting to it in the next few days, so check back for a followup.<br />
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If anyone has anything to add to this list or has read any of the books mentioned in the Mallory Wikipedia article, get over to the comments section and let me know. In the meantime, I'll be staying somewhere near sea level sipping some nice warm hot cocoa.Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-20141727067237631792009-12-27T16:42:00.000-08:002009-12-27T20:01:41.865-08:00Books about BooksOver the past few months I've read several books I've enjoyed that are about, well, books. I'll put the spotlight on some of my favorites.<br />
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<b>John Dunning's <i>Cliff Janeway Series</i></b> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0743410653" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Booked-Die-Cliff-Janeway-Novels/dp/0743410653?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Booked to Die (Cliff Janeway Novels)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0743410653&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a>(<i>Booked to Die</i> is the first book in this series)<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Description:</strong> <i>"Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he is an avid collector of rare and first editions. After a local bookscout is killed on his turf, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect's spine. But the suspect, local lowlife Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding the law, and Janeway's wrathful brand of off-duty justice costs him his badge. <br />
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Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a small bookshop -- all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. But when prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now, Janeway's life is about to start a precarious new chapter as he attempts to find out who's dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains."</i> <b>Genre: Fiction- Action/Thriller</b><br />
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<b>Allison Hoover Bartlett's <i>The Man Who Loved Books Too Much</i></b><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Loved-Books-Much/dp/1594488916?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1594488916&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1594488916" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><strong>Description:</strong><i>"Rare-book theft is even more widespread than fine-art theft. Most thieves, of course, steal for profit. John Charles Gilkey steals purely for the love of books. In an attempt to understand him better, journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett plunged herself into the world of book lust and discovered just how dangerous it can be.<br />
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Gilkey is an obsessed, unrepentant book thief who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books from book fairs, stores, and libraries around the country. Ken Sanders is the self-appointed "bibliodick" (book dealer with a penchant for detective work) driven to catch him. Bartlett befriended both outlandish characters and found herself caught in the middle of efforts to recover hidden treasure. With a mixture of suspense, insight, and humor, she has woven this entertaining cat-and-mouse chase into a narrative that not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his dirtiest crimes, where he stashed the loot, and how Sanders ultimately caught him but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. Immersing the reader in a rich, wide world of literary obsession, Bartlett looks at the history of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages, to examine the craving that makes some people willing to stop at nothing to possess the books they love."</i><br />
</div><b>Genre: Non-Fiction- True Crime</b><br />
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<b>Kate Carlisle's <i>Bibliophile Mysteries</i></b><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homicide-Hardcover-Bibliophile-Kate-Carlisle/dp/0451226151?ie=UTF8&tag=rfbookreviews-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Homicide in Hardcover: A Bibliophile Mystery" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0451226151&tag=rfbookreviews-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rfbookreviews-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451226151" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />(<i>Homicide in Hardcover</i> is the first in this series, with the second, <i>If Books Could Kill</i>, due out in paperback in February 2010)<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Description:</strong> <i>"The streets of San Francisco would be lined with hardcovers if rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright had her way. And her mentor wouldn’t be lying in a pool of his own blood on the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration.<br />
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With his final breath he leaves Brooklyn a cryptic message, and gives her a priceless—and supposedly cursed—copy of Goethe’s Faust for safekeeping.<br />
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Brooklyn suddenly finds herself accused of murder and theft, thanks to the humorless—but attractive—British security officer who finds her kneeling over the body. Now she has to read the clues left behind by her mentor if she is going to restore justice… "</i><br />
</div><b>Genre: Fiction: Mystery/Cozy Mystery</b><br />
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Since I can always read books about books, I'm going to keep this as an ongoing series as I find them. Got any recommendations on where I should look next? Let me know in the comments!Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2285672136910576972.post-9881794462721368122009-12-27T14:37:00.000-08:002009-12-27T14:52:15.422-08:00Welcome to my blog!My first post will be short and sweet. I started this blog in the hopes of sharing what I learn every day about books with others. I love recommending books to people, and I get a lot of satisfaction when people report back to me saying they enjoyed what they read. I hope to take things to the next level with this blog by exploring genres, resources for reading, and sharing deals. <br /><br />So if you need something to read (or need something to read like a hole in the head), check by here and see what I've got going on. Or if you need something more specific, drop me a line either through the comments or email. <br /><br />Happy reading!Jessica G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09600847136154234908noreply@blogger.com1