"During the month of September, I want YOU to send ME a story of how music has touched your life. [...] What I'll do, during Buy A Friend a Book Week, coming up this first week of October, is Buy a Groupie a Book. [...] Seven of you lucky groupies will win a copy of a book."Visit her blog to see all the details and learn how you can enter the contest.
Blue Angel by Francine Prose
I read the first half of the book yesterday and I have to admit that had a hard time falling asleep last night. The images and feeling invoked by the book haunted me.
Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids: his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things — like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade as they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince finally meets one who seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent — the one who wants to put his father away for good.
The first book in the Midnighters series:
Hubby and I literally just finished listening to this book. The first adjective that comes to mind when trying to describe this book is LONG (20 CDs!). It seems like we've be listening to it forever, but that's also because we could only listen to it when we were together.Book description:The best part about the book is definitely its scope. It also seems to be really well researched. Waltari does a wonderful job describing the ancient world. He brings Egypt (and the rest of the places to which Sinuhe travels) to life for his readers.
A full-bodied re-creation of a largely forgotten era in the world's history: the Egypt of the 14th century B.C.E., when pharaohs and gods contended with the near-collapse of history's greatest empire. This epic tale encompasses the whole of the then-known world, from Babylon to Crete, from Thebes to Jerusalem, while centering around one unforgettable figure: Sinuhe, a man of mysterious origins who rises from the depths of degradation to become personal physician to Pharaoh Akhnaton.
The whole of Egypt is in uproar – Akhnaton, who has just acceded to the throne, wants to ban the old deity Amon from the temples of the land. Aton is to be worshipped as the new God.
I loved The Archivist (because or despite the fact that I am an archivist), so I was pleased to be able to review Cooley's second offering for Curled Up With A Good Book.
Jake Semple is a scary kid. Word has it that he burned down his old school and then was kicked out of every other school in his home state. Only weeks into September, the middle school in Traybridge, North Carolina, has thrown him out, too.
I just finished reading Mister Monday, the first book in Garth Nix's The Keys to the Kingdom series.
Once a month, the refinery workers of the Tropical Oil Company descend upon Tora, a city in the Colombian forest. They journey down from the mountains searching for earthly bliss and hoping to encounter Sayonara, the legendary Indian prostitute who rules their squalid paradise like a queen. Beautiful, exotic, and mysterious, Sayonara, the undisputed barrio angel, captivates whoever crosses her path. Then, one day, she violates the unwritten rules of her profession and falls in love with a man she can never have. Sayonara's unrequited passion has tragic consequences not only for her, but for all those whose lives ultimately depend on the Tropical Oil Company.
Yesterday the Man Booker Judges announced the Prize's shortlist. (Check out the press release!)
A satire of the legal profession, the novel consists entirely of blog posts and email messages. It is very hard to pull off a novel in this form, but Blachman somehow makes it work. He even manages to give the story a good flow."Besides The New Chairman's quick exit, the party went off without a hitch--except for an early mishap with an associate during the cocktail hour. The Frumpy Litigator is allergic to shellfish, but one of the partners didn't know and offered her a bite of his lobster cake. Like any good associate, she knows the rules. When a partner tells you to do something, you do it, no matter what. Anaphylatic shock be damned. She politely took a bite, and as soon as she had a chance, turned and spit it into her napkin. But by then it was too late. She pulled me aside and said she thought she might need to go to the hospital. Of course I let her leave, despite the importance of the party. She handled the whole situation very discreetly. I'll be sure to send her an e-card on Monday wishing her a speedy recovery" (21-22).What is truly amazing about the book is that by the end of it we don't hate Anonymous Lawyer nearly as much as we should. I don't know how Blachman does it.
What a fascinating novel.
I came home to find a beautiful hard cover copy of Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen, a book I reviewed for Elle magazine (for more information see this post), in my mail. Having already read, reviewed, and passed on my Advanced Reader Copy, I was pleasantly surprised to receive this unexpected gift from the wonderful folks at Random House."But here's the fun part: you can't buy your friend a book because it's their birthday or they just graduated or got engaged or had a baby or anything else. You have to give them a book for no good reason. In fact, this present out of the blue from you should shock the pants off of whomever you decide to give it to. And it'll make them happy. And that's the point: promote reading, promote friendships." (BAFABW website)
"During the month of September, I want YOU to send ME a story of how music has touched your life. [...] What I'll do, during Buy A Friend a Book Week, coming up this first week of October, is Buy a Groupie a Book. [...] Seven of you lucky groupies will win a copy of a book."Visit her blog to see all the details and learn how you can enter the contest.
So far I've finished Morality for Beautiful Girls, the 3rd No.1 Ladies Detective Agency book.
I read Shopgirl by Steve Martin.
I spent some time listening to the audio version of The Egyptian by Mika Waltari with hubby.
I also read Thirty-three Swoons by Martha Cooley and am currently working on a review of it for Curled Up.
