...and again!

Okay, I'm a little embarrassed now...I won my third GoodReads "first reads" book. This one is Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens. There were 20 copies being given out - it must have increased the odds.

Looking ahead, there are some other books coming up on the list that I'm really excited about, including an ARC of the sequel to The Hunger Games and the new Margaret Atwood book. I was interested to see that it's not at all just unknown authors trying to drum up publicity.

Julie & Julia

A little off topic, but there is an article in today's NY Times about the filming of "Julie and Julia," specifically about the food styling involved in it. I found this interesting because there was an article a long time ago - 15 years? More? - in Harper's (I think) that deconstructed a food photo shoot. Ever since then, I find myself staring at the food in both print and film, wondering how much of it is real.

Nikolski: A Review

Since I got a free copy of Nikolski from the publisher, I thought I would publish my review here as well as on Goodreads. I apologize for those who have to read this twice.

Nikolski: A Novel by Nicolas Dickner


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this novel though I find it difficult to neatly summarize. It's three different stories about three different people--an unnamed male narrator who works in a used bookstore, a young man who leaves his mother and their vagrant lifestyle to go to university, and Joyce, a young woman who flees her small town in search of a long-lost relative (and modern day pirate), who ends up becoming a tech pirate herself. All three characters spend time in Montreal, have an absent parent, become fixated with travel, cartography, and/or pirates.

These three characters are also connected in other ways though only the reader realizes it and that makes their brief interactions all the more poignant. The writing, in translation, is both beautiful and engaging and I'm tempted to read this over again at some point to think more about how its parts relate.

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Did you know this and not tell me??

According to the Guardian (via the Star Tribune books editor), "Final Anne of Green Gables book reveals dark surprises." Did you all know this but no one told me??? This could be as earthshattering as Harry Potter 8!! Full article...

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Sensibility-Monsters-Jane-Austen/dp/1594744424/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247780928&sr=8-1

Oh my.

I just don't know what could be next. But I'm a little surprised they didn't go with Persuasion for the sea monsters, what with all that travelling to Bath and that nasty sea wall. I bet Wentworth could handle those sea monsters.

i won again!

Last night I went through the First Reads list of giveaways, figuring that there were a whole bunch that had a June 30/ July 1 giveaway date.

I checked my e-mail this morning, and I won another one! This one is After You, by Julie Buxbaum. I know nothing about this book...hope it's good.