By JK, on March 10th, 2011 Hidey ho, internet neighbours, it’s time for another edition of your bi-weekly blast of book club, Books in 140 Seconds. Last week Erin and I got post-apocalyptic talking about Sweet Tooth, but this week we’re moving into material that’s possibly more distressing with Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger’s rather scathing portrait of football frenzy in small-town Texas. We both recommended it at the last KIRBC, and after the meeting we tried to jam pack all our admiration, anger and indignation into 140 seconds. We couldn’t get it all in, but here’s what we ended up with:
Even if you don’t like football or Texas, Fridays or lights, pick up this book. And watch the TV show for one of the most well-written, compelling dramas on television.
We’ll be back in a fortnight with another lightning round review, this time of Andrew Kaufman’s The Waterproof Bible, so come on back, y’all.
By JK, on August 19th, 2010
I must confess, when I first heard the term “blog,” I recoiled. Sounds like some sort of invertebrate, I thought. Further, I equated it with the self-involvement of LiveJournals, thought it was a pastime for the vain and idle. But as I realized what blogs could do and how many smart people wrote them, my prejudices were stripped away. I started exploring the blogosphere and found people that were intelligent, eloquent, and incredibly passionate about books. And, much to my own surprise, I decided to take the plunge and start my own.
Despite this rough beginning, just under a month ago I passed the two year-blogging mark. But what I found more relevant than a date on the calendar was that I was closing in on 100 reviews (a watermark I hit on Monday with my review of This Cake Is for the Party). 100′s not an insignificant number, especially when my reviews tend to be on the long side. I figure if each is an average of 800 words, I’ve written 80,000 words in the last two years — a book-length manuscript of reviews.
Or are they really reviews? I’m not the most critical blogger on the market because I tend [...]
By JK, on June 30th, 2010 So I know the KIRBC has been a little light on the reviews lately, and I’ve got my excuses ready:
My modem is fried and I haven’t had home Internet for the past two weeks (An amusing social experiment for a day or two, but severely inconvenient after that.)
My schedule is fried with travel and various social engagements. I escaped to the bush to work at an Algonquin Park summer camp the weekend before last, and this past weekend was shared between my Grammy’s wedding and my departure for Washington, D.C., for the American Library Association Annual Conference! (More on the wonders of Washington and librarians below.)
With three more weddings coming up in the next four weeks, the forecast for blog writing looks a little bleak, but here’s hoping if I announce my review goals here I be able to pick the bones of my schedule and come up with some tasty review morsels. Despite the fact that the reviews have been a little slow in coming, I’ve read a lot of great things lately, and will try to write about most of them. Things you’ll find here in the next couple weeks:
Books in 140 Seconds as per usual. Tomorrow we’ll [...]
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