by Robert Galbraith Release Date: October 20, 2015 – today! J.K. Rowling delivers her third installment in the Cormoran Strike detective series. The Cuckoo’s Calling was a true page-turner and well-crafted (read my review here), The Silkworm was decidedly gruesome and stomach churning (read my review here), so readers have had fair warning for […]
Today I’ve been thinking about these lines from Roald Dahl’s Matilda: “So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” This […]
by The Oatmeal (aka Matthew Inman) “How you see your cat: pet here to feel better about life… How your cat sees you: Giant Hairless GorillaPig Slave.” Fans of Matthew Inman’s website, The Oatmeal, will enjoy this extended comic look at the relationship between humans and their housecats. Beyond the titular list of ways to […]
by Daniel James Brown Genres: U.S. History, Nonfiction, Biography Publisher: William Morrow Length: 352 pages Published: April 28, 2009 Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble Note: Daniel James Brown is the bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat, a 5-star read. “In April of 1846, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set […]
Today I’m featuring the final installment in a three-part interview with my friends Chadd VanZanten and Russ Beck. In June, the History Press published their humorous collection of essays On Fly-Fishing the Northern Rockies: Essays and Dubious Advice. You can read part one and part two of the interview and be sure to add your […]
by Aaron Blaylock Today I’m happy to participate in a book spotlight on Aaron Blaylock, author of the new YA novel The Land of Look Behind. Blaylock was born and raised in Arizona, but later moved to Sacramento, California. As a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Blaylock served a two-year […]
by Agatha Christie “What I am about to write down I have never told to any living soul. I was not asked any question to which I returned an untrue answer. Nevertheless I was guilty of withholding certain facts—I do not repent of that. I would do it again. I am fully aware that in […]
When I like something, I am more than happy to spread the word. I’ve recently had a wonderful experience purchasing some literary art prints from Carl Batterbee Illustration and I wanted to share his work. I saw his Etsy store a year or so ago, recently worked with Carl on ordering some custom prints, and […]
In case you weren’t aware, Disney is releasing a live-action version of The Jungle Book this April 15th. I think most everyone who grew up watching the 1967 animated film or read the original book by Rudyard Kipling is totally stoked. I’m interested to see in what direction they take the film. Purportedly, it’s a […]
Chickpea Tomato Minestrone [adapted from Kitchen Daily] Ingredients 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, not drained 6 c. vegetable broth (you can also use chicken broth) 1 tsp. dried oregano 2 […]
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt illustrated by Oliver Jeffers“Hey Duncan, It’s me, Red Crayon. We need to talk.” It would be really difficult not to love this picture book narrated from the perspective of some of kids’ favorite tools–crayons. Each crayon writes a letter to their owner, Duncan, with humorous individual requests […]
I stumbled across a statue of the Greek God Pan and it reminded me of a passage from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. Ratty and Mole are out searching for Toad, but they meet Pan instead: Slowly, but with no doubt or hesitation whatever, and in something of a solemn expectancy, the two […]
Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl “I was beginning to realize that sometimes a person doesn’t get to choose whether she joins or fights. Sometimes the joining is impossible, sometimes the fight chooses you. The universe plucks you–you, specifically–out of all those souls out there and hands you something that makes fitting in and going […]
Jactionary: Happy Independence Day 2015!
Happy Independence Day to readers and book lovers everywhere! I got one of these cute “Home of the Free because of the Brave” cards from my friend. Isn’t her handwriting amazing? I thought I’d share her talent and the motto with you. I hope you each get to spend the 4th of July with your […]