Coffeespoons

T his second day of BBAW , and this is the day when we do the interview swap. This year, I feel very privileged to interview RyanG from Wordsmithonia ! Why? Because I've been lurking around Wordsmithonia for almost a year now, but now I get the chance to do an interview! So, here's your chance to get to know RyanG better. Actually, if you want to get to know him a lot better, I suggest you head on over to his blog. You won't be sorry.:) 1) Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of your blogging life.   Currently my life revolves around work and my son.  I'm an assistant manager for a shoe retailer in the mall, which I've been doing for about 5 years.  It's long hours which doesn't allow me a lot of free time but I love it anyway.  It's new and different everyday and I get to learn so much while I'm there.  My son, who is now 7, is actually my nephew who I've had custody of since he was about 1 1/2.  Taking him has been the be...

It's finally here--Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW)! I've been marginally participating for the last few years, but this is the fir http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/ st year that I'm actually going to try to write the daily posts.  Anyway, BBAW 2010 has the following theme: A Treasure Chest of Infinite Books & Infinite Blogs . So, each day, there's an assigned Treasure or blogging topic. Today's the First Treasure, wherein I share with you a great new book blog that I've discovered since last year's BBAW. And that great new discovery would have to be... Dead White Guys: An Irreverent Guide to Classic Literature Ok, I know, Jane Doe's been around a while, so I feel bad that I just discovered her this year. But she talks about classics, which I love, and she's freaking hilarious! (which I love, as well). I went through several English Lit courses in college and grad school, so I've heard all the critical analysis bo...

Seriously, what can you say about this book that hasn't already been said? I don’t remember anymore where I first read about Justin Cronin’s The Passage, b u t I do remember that, around June or July, almost everyone was talking about it or reviewing it. Never mind that it’s 766 pages long—people read it or wanted to read it. Not a surprise, considering the hype, I guess. And since I’m big on hype, of course I bought it and read it. So, does The Passage deserve its humungous hype? I’d say yes. Not a resounding yes, but a yes all the same. In The Passage , there is a scientific trip to the Amazon government that goes horribly wrong, there is a top-secret government experiment that also goes horribly wrong, and there is the world, changed forever because of both these events. Then there are the people. There’s Brad Wolgast, an FBI agent who, with his partner, rounds up death row inmates to participate in said government experiment. Nice sort of guy who has his own...

I've jumped onto the zombie bandwagon. This book marks my initial foray into the zombie-infested publishing industry. So, have I been turned? Well, let's just say that I've learned that zombie literature doesn't really have to be about the zombies, which is a redeeming thing. Feed is the first novel in Mira Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy. I first learned about it through Tina at One More Page , and I actually won it during her raffle. (So, thanks again, Tina!). It is zombie novel, yes. But it's not so much about the zombies as a discussion of the role of new media. At least, that's how I choose to look at it. Let me illustrate... The story is set 26 years after the supposed cure for the common cold becomes a virus that turns humans into—you guessed it—zombies. This plot device is hardly new, and has been used by many zombie novels and movies. There are, however, things I found new. For instance, in Feed , society goes on mostly as usual after the zombie ...

First, let me thank Aloi from guiltless reading for this award. Been a while since I got one of these (of course, it's been a while since I blogged semi-regularly), and it's always a pleasure. Anyway, to maintain the tradition of the book blogosphere's version of the chain letter (albeit with the added element of recognition), here are the rules for The Versatile Blogger award: Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. Share 7 things about yourself. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers you have just discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason. (in no particular order...) Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award. So, 7 things about me... I used to be a high school English teacher. I quit teaching after 12 years to concentrate on family and explore a career change. I have two wonderful and beautiful children. I eat like a horse... But I don't eat anything below the muscle (like liver,...

While I was reading Watership Down , my husband asked me if it was about a submarine. I laughed out loud, an indulgent and affectionate laugh because mine was the assumed arrogance and superiority of a novel reader towards a comic book reader. But then I stopped because underneath that arrogance was a humiliating truth--a couple of years back, I also thought the same thing. Until, I realized that there were no submarines on any of the covers I had seen. Only rabbits and wide open fields. So I finally checked the back covers and was enlightened. Moral of the story: He who is arrogant is probably hiding a history of ignorance. Anyway, I had to read this book because 1) I own it; and 2) it's in my Chunkster Reading Challenge list. Admittedly, aside from it NOT being about submarines and ACTUALLY being about rabbits, I knew nothing much about the story. In other words, I read this cold, which is really how I like to read my books sometimes. Especially the well-renowned, classic o...

Finally! I read the latest Sookie book! For those unfamiliar, the Sookie books are more correctly known as The Southern Vampire Mysteries , written by Charlaine Harris. The books are the inspiration for HBO's awesome, awesome vampire dramedy series, True Blood . No, the books aren't as gritty as the series. Plus, Alan Ball, the creator of True Blood, takes liberties with characters and plot lines. However, the books are the perfect fare for urban fantasy/romance fans or English majors who like having guilty pleasures. Though, come to think of it, those two sets of people aren't mutually exclusive. Anyway... [If you watch True Blood but do not read the books and do not want to know what may happen in True Blood, DO NOT READ the next part. In other words, SPOILERS AHEAD.] In this 10th Sookie Stackhouse novel, Sookie and her supernatural friends have emerged from the Fae War not entirely victorious. Many of her friends have been lost, including Sookie's fairy c...