Conversation about Books, Music and Movies 
There’s been a lot of hoopla around here about “back to school” but not every college student is new to campus. Just as the new freshmen arrive yearly there’s a whole new batch of graduates ready terrified to face the work force. As fellow bookworms, we think the answer is[…]
Of all the mystery books I read as a kid the series I remember most is The Alfred Hitchcock Mystery series, The Three investigators. Alfred Hitchcock himself had almost nothing to do with the series, but his name helped parents decide that these books were great reading material for their[…]
Back in my day, when we had to walk forty miles buck naked through the snow to get to school, journaling was a simple thing. There were no fancy-pants trinkets or tags in fancy fonts. There was little fanciness or fanfare. Our only stickers were Lisa Frank, and these were[…]
Sororities, by their very design as secret institutions, drive speculation and gossip about what happens behind their closed doors. Supposedly the devotion to volunteering and respectability that our grandmothers associate with sorority life have been replaced by depravity and abuse. But is it true? Bestselling journalist Alexandra Robbins set out[…]
Did you know that in the US today is National Donut Day? I know what you’re thinking, this is probably one of those silly holidays made up in the last few years to sell some product or another. But actually National Donut Day has been around since 1938, and it[…]
Winners have just been announced for one of my favorite prizes, the Pushcart Prize. I’m not the only one, Publisher’s Weekly named it “among the most influential projects in the history of American publishing.” This is a prize that’s given only to works that were originally published by alternative presses[…]
Today is Towel Day, the day we celebrate the works of Douglas Adams. Adams is best known for the The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels. Douglas Adams is one of my favorite authors. Yes, he was funny, but what I love is that all his books take[…]
Today on the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian genocide, we talk to Dana Walrath, the author of a YA book about two Armenian children fleeing the violence.
I could spend all day serving you examples of whimsy and humor from these books. From page 93, “Some magic never bends, even if you tear at it with your own teeth.” From page 138, “But it’s their wedding night!” protested September. “Surely they would like to retire with milk and a nice book!” These are random examples found from flipping through the first book. (I normally mark my favorite passages as I read, but was not able to in this case.) But rather than regaling you with further quotes, I’ve brought you an excerpt from the latest book in the series, The Boy Who Lost Fairyland.
