Books I've read lately

Even thought it's been crazy, there's always time to read...

The Westing Game by Ellen Baskin, recommended by my niece. I always love a good mystery and a Newberry Award winner.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. Harlequin Romance, quick read, doesn't require thought.

The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller by Betsy Burton. Loved the stories and travails of owning a bookstore and all the book recommendations.

A Duty to the Dead: A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd. Due for release in Sept 09. Not usually a fan of historical novels, but this was a great mystery read.

Like the devil on my shoulder

the decision to to start "What would Keith Richards Do?" or continue reading "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity."

Interesting reads (or at least titles that get your attention)

Why We Suck by Denis Leary
Review from Fresh Fiction
A hilarious blast of scathing irreverence......Dr. Denis Leary uses his common sense, and his biting and hilarious take on the world, to attack the politically correct, the hypocritical, the obese, the thin--basically everyone who takes themselves too seriously.
He does so with the extra oomph of a doctorate bestowed upon him by his alma mater Emerson College. “Sure it’s just a celebrity type of thing--they only gave it to me because I’m famous...But it’s legal and it means I get to say I’m a doctor--just like Dr. Phil.”

Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? by Peter Walsh
I just like the title of this book; it didn't get a really good review (ironically, one of the words used was "bloated")

But Wait ... There's More! by Remy Stern
Tighten Your Abs, Make Millions, and Learn How the $100 Billion Infomercial Industry Sold Us Everything But the Kitchen Sink
(again, I couldn't resist the title having a little experience in the infomerical world...and a weird world it is)
Review from Fresh Fiction

"...admit it: you or someone you know has bought one—and you're not alone. Last year, one out of every three Americans picked up the phone and ordered a product from a television infomercial or home shopping network, and in But Wait . . . There's More! journalist (and infomercial addict) Remy Stern offers a lively, behind-the-scenes exploration of this enormous business—one that markets the world's most outrageous products using the most outrageous tactics."

The REAL Best Sellers List

The Indie Bestseller List
Bestseller List for June 25, 2009
Based on sales for the week ending June 21, 2009

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
2. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
3. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
4. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
5. The Shack by William P. Young (recommended by several people I know)
6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen (on my picks list!)
7. Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
8. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (snatched this one from Jackie)
9. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
10. City of Thieves by David Benioff

For an independent bookstore store near you (I hope this will be me SOON), call 1-888-266-5736 or visit IndieBound.org.

Relaxing on the beach

Waves crashing
Eyes closed
Gulls screaming
Voices murmur
Children shrieking
I sleep

Laugh for today (and Monday and Tuesday...)

What do Fu Manchu and Gary Indiana have in common?

Answer: The Shanghai Gesture
Written by Gary Indiana

Fu Manchu, Scotland Yard detective who is of course a heroin addict, an opium den (natch), Lands End, England (the site of the nefarious plot), narcolepsy...

Read a review by the Washington Post' s Michael Dirda, someone with a scary knowledge of the Fu Manchu backstory. How could you not keep reading a review that starts:

"Tremble, ye mortals, at the sound of that name! Yes, we're speaking of the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu! The yellow peril incarnate -- the gigantic intellect with a brow like Shakespeare's and a face like Satan's, the greatest criminal mastermind of all time..."

and FYI...PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES - is now #4 on the NY Times Trade paperback best seller list.