Lately I’m finding myself embroiled in a lot of stories that take place in the Southern US, an area of the world known only to me through books and movies. In my mind I can feel the oppressive humidity, the mercurial weather, the misleadingly murky swamps that mask hidden dangers with sharp teeth. In my READ MORE
READING: THE CLOSEST TO MAGIC YOU’LL FIND OUTSIDE OF HOGWARTS
Though technically that’s in a book, too, so…. I remember as a child when I first learned how to really read. Not just laboriously figure out what each word was and then have to go back and figure out the meaning of the sentence, but how to read well enough that I could see the READ MORE
REVIEW | THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH – MAUREEN JOHNSON
WARNING: Do not read this is you haven’t read The Name of the Star!!! Trust me. You’ll regret it. Part two in Maureen Johnson’s Shades of London series (find my review of the first book in the series, The Name of the Star, here), the book picks up where the last one left off. READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | THE ROSIE PROJECT – GRAEME SIMSION
Don is a professor of genetics whose life follows a very structured routine – he gets up at the same time every day, shops at the same markets, eats the same meals and goes to bed at the same time. Everything in his life makes sense. Everything is rational. Until he meets Rosie. Rosie READ MORE
DISCUSSION | ARE YOU A RESTLESS READER?
Oh man, this is SO familiar. My biggest problem occurs when the book I’m reading is so engrossing that I don’t even notice I’m uncomfortable before serious (and probably permanent) damage is done. This reminds me of a hilarious YouTube video I watched ages ago: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPIVOXJk2zA?feature=player_detailpage] Which caused me to exclaim: “WHO WAS READ MORE
DISCUSSION | THE WORLD IS A SCARY AND SAD PLACE
Did you know that the four Twilight books sold over 116 million copies – and Stephen King’s entire works sold only twice that? Check out this and 12 other booky facts in Buzzfeeds’ article “13 Utterly Disappointing Facts About Books.” Though it might depress you, it’s interesting nonetheless – and makes me really inspired READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | PAPER TOWNS – JOHN GREEN
After finishing The Fault In Our Stars (aka The Blue Book) enveloped in a blizzard of Kleenex, I wanted more of John Green’s writing. So I moved on to Paper Towns looking for more of the poignant and humorous narrative. The first thing I’ll say is this definitely is not The Blue Book. Don’t READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES – RACHEL COHN & DAVID LEVITHAN
First thing to say about this book is that it was written by the same duo responsible for Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (yeah, the one that was made into a movie with Michael Cera and Kat Dennings). So that gives you an idea of the sort of story it is. Cute and quirky. READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | THE NAME OF THE STAR – MAUREEN JOHNSON
This book grabbed my by the throat and just wouldn’t let go. It’s the story of Rory Devraux, a Louisiana teen whose parents relocate to Bristol (in England), giving Rory a choice of schools for her senior year of high school. She picks Wexford, a boarding school located in London – right in the READ MORE
BOOK SALE | BOOK DEPOSITORY’S 25 HOURS OF DEALS – ON NOW!!
My favourite online book-shopping destination is at it again! Book Depository is offering 25 hours of book deals – a new one every 15 minutes. But the catch is that when they’re sold – they’re sold! Follow them on Twitter (@bookdepository) to see all the new deals as they come out.
BOOK REVIEW | THE FAULT IN OUR STARS – JOHN GREEN
Better known amongst my group of friends as “The Blue Book” (for obvious reasons), this book took me completely by surprise. A friend of mine recommended it, saying that he loved it, that it made him all emotional and that I should definitely read it. So one Sunday when I was recovering from a READ MORE
BOOK REVIEW | COMPACTS AND COSMETICS: BEAUTY FROM VICTORIAN TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY – MADELEINE MARSH
Back in the day (i.e. about 5 years ago) I took some Women’s Studies courses in college. One of the main things I learned that stuck with me was that the worse things are for society in general, the better they are for the relative status of women in that society. For example, during READ MORE
DISCUSSION | BOOK OR MOVIE?
There’s often a bit of debate about this question. I’ve heard many people have heated and lengthy discussions about the relative value of the book or movie version of a beloved story, and whichever side people are on, they rarely change their minds. I must say that as a general rule, I do prefer READ MORE
IN CASE YOU MISS ME…
I’m moving soon, which means that, sadly, my books are in the boxes up there. Because of that, and the fact that I’m not particularly fond of stress, I’m taking a wee break from Backlist. But don’t fret – I’ll be back in a month or so! Just as soon as my books are READ MORE
24 HOURS OF BOOK DEALS!
Dude. You gotta check this out. Book Depository (my fave online book store – cheap new books, free shipping – need I say more?) is hosting an AMAZING book sale. One book deal an hour for 24 HOURS! Now that’s worth missing some sleep for, am I right? The sale is in celebration of solstice READ MORE
1001 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE (LIKE YOU DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH TO READ ALREADY)
Who doesn’t like a good list? I very much enjoyed going through the BBC list of 100 books most people haven’t read and discovering that I’d read about a third of them (though I do feel as if I should get on with it and read more). So when a friend told READ MORE
EX LIBRIS
While shopping at Chapters a couple of weeks ago, I stopped by their section full of random knick knacks and notions. I’ve always been a sucker for the sort of things you don’t really need, but that you desperately want. These fit that description perfectly. Aren’t they cute? I particluarly like the little READ MORE
PICK ME!
I assume, since you’re here reading this, that you love book shopping. I also assume you can spend hours (if not days) wandering around a bookstore picking up and putting down various books before carefully selecting one or two (or, if you’re me, ten) to take home with you. But what makes you pick READ MORE