FridayReads

We're Moving!

2011-06-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

As FridayReads continues to grow, we're thrilled to announce that we have a brand new website! Starting later today, you will find us at www.FridayReads.com.

The new site has an archive of everything posted here, along with a bunch of new features.

See you there!

Prizes 6/10/11

2011-06-10T09:04:00.002-04:00

If you participate in FridayReads, whether it is on Tumblr or Twitter, you could win a copy of Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany and published by Simon & Schuster!

Every participant in FridayReads is also eligible to download a free copy of the latest Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the very best in indie publishing!

Guest Blogger: Jessica Mahajan

2011-06-10T07:44:00.005-04:00

Jessica Mahajan
Blog: mrsgregginson.posterous.com
Twitter: @MrsGregginson

Throughout my years as an avid reader, I've noticed that the right book always finds me when I need it most. Like a well-timed hug or a breakthrough with a psychologist, the book I need comes to me to comfort, to help me realize something I've been denying, or to make me laugh at myself or life.

Whether it's the Nora Roberts book that helped me realize that choosing to be a stay-at-home mom is as feminist a decision as working full time (it is the right to choose that is key) or Francois Lelord's HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS that reminded me that happiness is relative and dependent on your view of what's important and how you treat those important things, each book has value because each book gives you a new perspective.

The joy of books is that each one, whether a classic or a beach read, has something to offer. It's thanks in great part to my love of so-called "trashy" romance novels and the gruesome horrors of Stephen King that I have a substantial vocabulary.

Often, our first ah-ha moments come in books chosen by someone else, where we realize the world is bigger than us, more magical and frightening and amazing than we knew; that people are capable of expressing what feels like our thoughts with their words. (For me, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH by Roald Dahl, Doctorow's RAGTIME, and the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis stand out.)

When we get to choose our own books, it's all about looking through the stacks or shelves until something catches the eye, something about a color or the shape of the letters that stands out. Or, if we're lucky, there's the helpful clerk or fellow customer so in love with an author that they want you to be as well. And now we have social media to introduce us to authors and writing styles we might not have considered before.

Wherever you prefer to scan the titles, the book you need will find you and you will learn something, whether you meant to or not. That's why I keep reading.

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-06-10T07:20:00.044-04:00

Bethanne: I just finished a delightful memoir, SEASON TO TASTE by Molly Birnbaum -- about how she lost her sense of smell after being hit by a car and renegotiated her path as a budding chef and food writer while learning about how smell affects our lives and brains. It's a must-read for foodies!

I'm starting THE RIDGE by Michael Koryta -- last week I was blown away by his THE CYPRESS HOUSE, and book blogger Jennifer Lawrence was kind enough to get me an extra copy of this new one. I'm already hooked.

Lastly, plan to start reading TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER by Tom McNeal. I've heard great things, and after seeing his home in the New York Times I am taken with his imagination.

Erin: I'm also a happy member of the Michael Kortya Fan Club, and am loving THE RIDGE.

Also still reading Mark Billingham's BLOODLINE and Bill Cameron's COUNTY LINE.

Ian: I'm still reading about the Norse mythology in MYTHS OF THE NORSEMEN FROM THE EDDAS AND SAGAS by Hélène Adeline Guerber on my Kindle for Android. Eldest son is still wanting to learn more about the sagas and I'm happy to oblige.

Other reading includes THE NO-CRY SLEEP SOLUTION by Elizabeth Pantley. Still not sure if it is to help the parents to stop crying or the baby. ;)

Margaret: Starting Ann Patchett's STATE OF WONDER. Heard her yesterday on NPR and became intrigued with the book. And BEL CANTO is one of my all-time favorite books.

Rebecca: I just finished STATE OF WONDER (so fantastic!) and am now reading SEX ON SIX LEGS by Marlene Zuk and learning more than I ever wanted to know about insects, and it is fascinating. Also enjoying NOTHING DAUNTED by Dorothy Wickenden.

Lisa: I've been so consumed with end-of-year duties for school for the kids that I'm not making much progress. I am still loving the galley of Susan Orlean's RIN TIN TIN and reading more of it this morning. Next Friday the 17th is my live #fridayreads event at the Darien Library... looking forward to that.

Lydia: I am trying to clean up my act as far as eating and exercising goes, so it seems fitting that I’m currently reading STARVE BETTER by Nick Mamatas. Even if its subtitle IS “Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life.”

Leslie: I'm still reading MISTS OF AVALON and still enjoying it! Since MISTS is really too big to take with me anywhere, I've been toting around my ereader and this week I've been reading MAINE by J. Courtney Sullivan, which I'm loving so far.

Ian C.: Ready for a big surprise?

I am reading Jasper Fforde's SHADES OF GREY and Jon McGregor's EVEN THE DOGS and, still, Tom McCarthy's REMAINER.

But I am threatening to finish them come what may by next week because I desperately want to move on to Emma Donoghue's ROOM.

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-06-03T08:40:00.009-04:00

Bethanne: I am finally reading QUEEN OF AMERICA by my beloved Luis Urrea (@Urrealism on Twitter), a copy he inscribed to me during Book Expo America. Just terrific, but I am happily biased...

Over the weekend I also plan to read THE BIRD SISTERS by Rebecca Rasmussen.

Erin: I'm continuing my "reading multiple books simultaneously" experiment, and it's going well. I've dived right in to COUNTY LINE by Bill Cameron, an author deserving of all the acclaim he's received.

I'm also finishing up Reginald Hill's THE WOODCUTTER.

And I've started BLOODLINE by Mark Billingham, which is fantastic so far!

Ian: I'm still reading about the Norse mythology from Eddas and Sagas. I'm reading the book on my Kindle for Android app so it is hard to judge how thick it would be if on paper. The great thing is that my eleven year old son is interested too so he wants me to read bits to him. Last night we read about Loki's punishment. You've got to hand it to the Norse gods, they had some really creative punishments.

Still trying to get back to WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell. I put it down somewhere then lost it after picking up the baby. :)

Margaret: I'm reading ENDGAME: BOBBY FISCHER'S REMARKABLE RISE AND FALL by Frank Brady (in anticipation of the HBO documentary "Bobby Fischer against the World").

Rebecca: I'm reading THE RESERVOIR by John Milliken Thompson, out from OtherPress this month. It's a historical mystery set in Richmond (holla!) with a rich sense of place and terrific writing.

Also plowing through GETTING THINGS DONE by David Allen in my continuing quest to become an efficiency machine, and ZAZEN by Vanessa Veselka, the first title from Richard Nash's new Red Lemonade project.

Also want to mention that I just finished THE MISTRESS CONTRACT (October, Unbridled Books), an anonymous memoir by a couple who created an unconventional arrangement for their 30-year affair. Challenging, fascinating, and sure to have tongues a-wagging.

Lisa: I am reading a galley of Susan Orlean's RIN TIN TIN this week and have put everything else on hold while I do so. It's fabulous.

Lydia: As temperatures where I am hit and stick in the mid-90s, I continue to shiver my way through Jo Nesbo’s THE SNOWMAN. Not recommended for the faint of heart – but a great read for anyone else.

Ian C.: Despite my best efforts to get through my to-read list - I am still reading Jon McGregor's EVEN THE DOGS, Jasper Fforde's SHADES OF GREY and Tom McCarthy's REMAINDER.

And so, unless something monumental happens over the weekend, like me winning the lottery, I suspect I will still be reading them by next Friday. Ah well, they are thoroughly enjoyable books anyway. So no loss.

Leslie: I'm currently immersed in TOMATOLAND: HOW MODERN INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE DESTROYED OUR MOST ALLURING FRUIT by Barry Estabrook. Let me just tell you, it will make you never want to eat another tomato from the grocery store again. I'm also still reading THE MISTS OF AVALON. This is the longest it's taken me to finish a book in a while, but not because it's dull, it's just so detailed.

Prizes for June 3, 2011

2011-06-03T08:03:00.005-04:00

If you participate in FridayReads, whether it is on Tumblr, Facebook or Twitter, you could win a copy of Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods and published by Gotham Books!

Watch videos about Woods and the bonobos she studied here.

You can also learn more about bonobos and the two researchers, Vanessa Woods and Brin Hale, in this NY Times interview.

Finally, for more information, visit the Bonobo Handshake website, which has links to reviews and other sites about bonobos!

Every participant in FridayReads is also eligible to download a free copy of the latest Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the very best in indie publishing!

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-05-27T08:47:00.029-04:00

Bethanne: This week I've dived into THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern (big BEA buzz book), and re-read Gail Caldwell's memoir LET'S TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME because today I was part of a Random House testimonial video with four other bookish people, for the book's paperback release. On Sunday in the hammock, before BEA, I finished a gorgeous, quiet-ish galley from Graywolf Press called IN CADDIS WOOD by Mary F. Rockcastle -- wonderful story about a long marriage.

Erin: I just started THE WOODCUTTER by Reginald Hill. I've never read his books before, but this one sure seems like a cracker. Creepy in all the right ways!

Ian: My reading time is somewhat curtailed at the moment but I am persevering with reading about the Norse mythology which is incredibly interesting. All the more fascinating when you learn just how many 'heathen' festivals have been subsumed into the Christian festivals. Quite a PR job that one!

I'm still picking at WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell. I don't mind if it takes a while as the articles are very interesting

Margaret: I'm re-reading parts of QUIET AMERICANS by Erika Dreifus. It's an extraordinary short story collection.

Rebecca: I'm working my way through CRAZY: NOTES ON AND OFF THE COUCH by Rob Dobrenski. It's part memoir, part psychology-for-beginners.

Also enjoying DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB, a collection of personal essays by mostly southern writers about the dayjobs they worked before they hit the big time, edited by Sonny Brewer.

Lisa: I'm still reading John Sellers's THE OLD MAN AND THE SWAMP on the Kindle I have checked out from the Darien Library.

Lydia: I’m moving cautiously into Jo Nesbo’s THE SNOWMAN. I love Nesbo’s writing, & have read all the books that are translated, but oh, he terrifies me…what a cold, cruel world.

Ian C.: This week I have mostly been reading Tom McCarthy's REMAINDER, Jasper Fforde's SHADES OF GREY, and Jon McGregor's EVEN THE DOGS. I hope to finish these three soon!

Leslie: Since I'm down in the Outer Banks, I decided to wait until this week to read THE WATERY PART OF THE WORLD by Michael Parker. It's beautiful and I love reading about places that I'm surrounded by. I'm also slowly reading THE MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which is giving me strange dreams. It's so engrossing and the characters so real that sometimes you forget it is a fantasy.

Erin C.: I am still reading Tracy Kidder's STRENGTH IN WHAT REMAINS...I set it down briefly, but I'm back at it!

Prizes for May 27, 2011

2011-05-27T07:11:00.002-04:00

If you participate in FridayReads, whether it is on Tumblr, Facebook or Twitter, you could win a copy of Something for Nothing by David Anthony and published by Algonquin Books. Watch the book trailer of Something for Nothing to see an interview with author David Anthony!

Praise for Something for Nothing:

“Anthony’s first novel...speeds to an adrenaline-charged climax in a conflict fueled by greed. Provocative, genre-spanning fiction by an author to watch.”—Booklist

“[A] clever and surprisingly heartfelt debut... The parallels Anthony draws between the 1974 economic crisis and our own are successful precisely because they’re not overt, just like his depiction of Martin as an antihero succeeds because his ridiculous antics are laced with a yearning to belong that’s so intense it borders on deranged innocence, rendering him the most lovable drug smuggler in ages.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Funny, sly, gritty and hugely entertaining, Something for Nothing is quite an accomplishment, kind of James Lee Burke crossed with John Cheever, but utterly sharp and distinctive in its own right. This is a fantastic, big-time book."— Martin Clark, author of The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living and The Legal Limit

"Insightful and wickedly funny, SOMETHING FOR NOTHING tells the story of a nefarious charmer caught up in the excesses of his American Dream. David Anthony has crafted a whip smart debut, what is certain to be a word-of-mouth sensation. This is a book for our times."—Amy MacKinnon, author of Tethered

"Something for Nothing is a terrific debut novel--meticulously detailed, fluent, and even wise. Make room on your bookshelves for David Anthony."—Thomas Perry, author of Strip

Every participant in FridayReads is also eligible to download a copy of Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the absolute best in Indie publishing!

Giveaway 5/20

2011-05-20T11:19:00.006-04:00

If you participate in FridayReads, you could win a copy of Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda! It doesn't matter where you participate, whether it is Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr, you are entered to win! Next Friday we will announce the winners of Secret Daughter. Stay tuned to Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr for the announcements of the winners for last week's giveaway of The Year We Left Home.

Every participant in FridayReads is also eligible to download a copy of Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the absolute best in Indie publishing!

Guest Blogger: Charles-Adam Foster-Simard

2011-05-20T09:33:00.010-04:00

Charles-Adam Foster-Simard
Blog: Book's End
Twitter: @cafsimard

Comfort Reading

I was very ill the first time I read one of Diana Athill's books. I left school
early on a Friday with a bad cold, my head pounding and my nose dripping uncontrollably. As soon as I got home I drew myself a hot bath and slipped into the steaming water with the elegant but unassuming hardcover edition of Yesterday Morning. Diana Athill, as it turned out, was just what I needed that day. Yesterday Morning is as unassuming and elegant as its cover, but it’s also touching, human, funny, and written with beautiful simplicity — as are all of her books. Reading Athill on a bad day is like having an adorable grandmother there to take care of you.

I’ve now ambled my way through the four books at the core of Athill’s memoirs: Stet, about her career as a literary editor to such big names as Jean Rhys and V. S. Naipaul; Yesterday Morning, in which she revisits her happy childhood in the country manor her grandparents owned and the complicated relationship between her mother and father; Somewhere Towards the End, her Costa Prize and NBCC award-winning account of growing old with wisdom, wit, and lots of optimism; and Instead of a Letter, which is mostly about her doomed love affair with a man to which she was engaged, who stopped writing for years during his military service, eventually communicated with her by telegram to break up the engagement so he could get married to someone else, and finally died in the war.

Instead of a Letter is the first volume of memoirs Athill wrote, when she was 43, and the latest one I've read, in order to unwind at the beginning of the spring holidays. I was surprised to find as much of her bright intelligence and wonderful understanding of the human nature as in all of her other books. There’s a fair bit of overlap in subject matter between all of these, so I wouldn't recommend reading all of her books in one go, but it’s charming to plunge into one of them every so often. The repetition is part of the charm, part of way Athill tells her story, just like you’d expect a slightly extravagant British lady to recount bits of her life to you.

Yet writing is not Athill’s principal vocation. It’s something that happened to her along the way and something she’s always done on the side. Because of that, I think, she writes with an honesty that is rare and appealing, especially in an era of celebrity memoirs and loud voices that have nothing to say. Athill doesn’t shy away from writing about deeply personal things like sex and humiliation, and lays out her emotions with touching truthfulness and a deep understanding of herself — but she never falls into self-pity. Her prose is simple and straightforward, but all the more enthralling because she doesn't seek to embellish or excuse. Athill’s goal is to write about life “just as it was”, and it makes her life — and prose — all the more fascinating.

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-05-20T09:02:00.003-04:00

Bethanne: About to start IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING: A Memoir by Susan Gregory Thomas. Her editor sent it to me, and since that editor also edits Robin Black, I have a feeling I'll enjoy it.

Erin: I'm reading YOU'RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz. This excellent book was released in Europe in January and has been inhabiting the bestseller lists there ever since (European readers obviously have most excellent taste!). American readers will be able to get their hands on it on July 5, and readers who pre-order it can take part in this fantastic giveaway!

Ian: I am still enjoying reading about Norse mythology and the origins of the gods and demi-gods found there. There is a lot of resonance with the JRR Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS as the characters and themes used there are so familiar. That may be part of its success.

I've just found my copy of WAR ON THE MARGINS by Libby Cone for a re-read. It is a brilliant book, historical fiction but firmly grounded in the Nazi Occupation of the English Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey). The characters are beautifully described and the progressive horror you feel as the Germans take over and dehumanize anybody remotely Jewish is unforgettable. Excellent reading.

Margaret: I am reading THE L LIFE: Extraordinary Lesbians Making a Difference by Erin McHugh (an interview with McHugh will appear in the next issue of Shelf Unbound magazine).

Lisa: I am trying a Kindle for the first time this week. Our wonderful local Darien Library has them to lend. I chose THE OLD MAN AND THE SWAMP by John Sellers after hearing his interview with Julie Klam, Laura Zigman, and Ann Leary on their Hash Hags radio show. I'm enjoying the book and surprisingly am also enjoying the Kindle. I will never leave books but reading on the Kindle is much better than on my iPad for travel and outdoor reading.

Lydia: I am reading 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES by Maureen Johnson, and enjoying it very much.

Ian C.: I am still reading my usual suspects, but everyone does this right? I am also reading Alex Bellos ALEX'S ADVENTURES IN NUMBERLAND.

A fascinating stroll through mathematics of every level. It appealed to the number geek in me!

Leslie: I'm currently reading LET'S TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME by Gail Caldwell. I'm not very far in, but I love it when Caldwell describes her friendship and her relationship with her dog. I also have TRUTH & BEAUTY by Ann Patchett, but I'm going back and forth about whether or not I should read them together. Both are memoirs by writers who lose their best friends, and I'm interested in how they are similar or different, but I'm also not sure that I can take that much sadness.

Guest Blogger: Dom Testa

2011-05-13T13:39:00.000-04:00

Dom Testa
Blog: www.domtesta.com
Twitter: @HeyDomTesta

With Apologies to Herman Melville

As readers, we leave a little trail behind us. It’s a trail that shows our course from early childhood, through school, early adulthood, and onward until it reaches this day. It’s marked with the books that affected us somehow, often creating a link to that particular place and time.

I’m a writer, which means that by law I have to keep a bookshelf in my office with V.I.T. (Very Important Tomes). When I was younger I carefully chose the volumes which would occupy the top row, the ones that I thought would add the necessary sense of importance to a literary workplace. So you would've seen the usual suspects: To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch-22, Atlas Shrugged, and probably a mishmash of Wilde, Huxley, Fitzgerald, and -- my, my -- Joyce.

I kept an edition of Ulysses by James Joyce on the top shelf until I finally broke down and had this conversation with myself:

Why is this getting top billing?

Because it’s...well, it’s a classic.

But you haven’t read it.

Of course not. NOBODY has read it. But it’s a classic, dummy.

Today the top few rows of my bookshelves illustrate my actual path in life. You’re welcome to impress everyone with Joyce and Melville, but those aren't the books that instilled the writing bug in me. My path -- now represented by a new Row 1- - includes the books that entertained me as a young man; the ones that kept me up past my bedtime; the ones that blazed a mark of joy on my soul.

What’s up there today? Well, I have an original copy of The Tower Treasure, by Franklin W. Dixon. Yep, the Hardy Boys kept me out of trouble for a few years, and for that they deserve a place of honor. Stephen King’s The Stand is sitting there, still freaking me out after all these years. I credit Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama as the book that lit a fire in me to write, and it’s on Row 1. I don’t often laugh out loud while I’m reading, but I practically wept while laughing through Lamb, by Christopher Moore.

And yes, because she wrote the greatest book I've ever known, Harper Lee still makes the cut.

The point is, anyone who hangs out on FridayReads is probably -- if they’re honest -- going to have a path similar to mine. Lots of corny adventure stories from their childhood, a few late-night-thrillers that they talked about with friends, a book or two that truly inspired them in some manner, and a volume that evoked pure, unadulterated fun. These represent my literary path in a more honest manner than plopping Virginia Wolff up there and hoping that someone’s impressed.

No offense to Wolff fans; she was a major talent, no doubt. So was Faulkner, so was Steinbeck, so was Dostoevsky … and I've read and appreciated them all. But I’m past the point where I want to fool myself. I’m proud of my writing, which has fortunately entertained both young adults and their parents; I’m also proud of the heritage of books that delivered me to this stage of my life.

It’s a fun path, a trail that reminds me of the best times of my life. And that’s what I want staring back at me when I’m sitting patiently at the keyboard, pounding out chapter eight.

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-05-13T13:26:00.000-04:00

Bethanne: VACLAV & LENA by Haley Tanner, which is the story of two Russian immigrant children in present-day Brighton Beach who have dreams of performing a magic act at Coney Island, despite real-life drawbacks. Utterly original, charming, poignant, and most important -- real.

Erin: I'm reading FUN & GAMES by Duane Swierczynski, which is out June 20. Is ever there was an instant classic, this is it. And it makes me want to visit LA.

Also still reading THE CAMELOT CONSPIRACY by E. Duke Vincent.

Ian: Still reading MYTHS OF THE NORSEMEN FROM THE EDDAS AND SAGAS by H.A. Guerber. Published in 1909, it's a great book for getting into Norse mythology. I'm reading it on my Kindle for Android app as I travel to and from work.

Still reading WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell. Still enjoying the detail into which he goes. Some of the stories are very moving.

I'm obviously in the 'slow readers' group at the moment. My only excuse is that I have to spend lots of time looking lovingly at my baby daughter.

Margaret: Still reading A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD for my book club!

Rebecca: I'm reading THE FILTER BUBBLE by Eli Pariser, about what the internet hides from us and LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, a collection of short stories by Adam Ross whose debut novel MR PEANUT was one of my favorites of 2010.

Lisa: I wish I had more exciting reading news but I am still on BLOOD, BONES & BUTTER by Gabrielle Hamilton this week...
send me more hours in the day, please!

Lydia: I’m reading Nick Hornby’s A LONG WAY DOWN, the story of four diverse people who find themselves turned into an odd family when they all try (and fail) to jump from the same building on New Year’s Eve. It’s written in the voices of all four by turns; conversational and touching. Honest. Really makes you think!

Erin C.: LETTERS TO MY TORTURER by Houshang Asadi. He just won the International Human Rights Award for the book, which is his story of being imprisoned in one of the cruelest prisons in Iran in the form of letters to Brother Hamid, the man who torturered him. So powerful and moving. It comes out in paperback in the US next month.

Ian C.: Another update from the Slow Readers Group:

I am currently reading REMAINDER by Tom McCarthy, Jasper Fforde's SHADES OF GREY and last but not least Jon McGregor's EVEN THE DOGS.

Foolishly or not, this might be why I'm not finishing anything, I have also started reading--on my Kindle--TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf

Leslie: I'm reading THE WATERY PART OF THE WORLD by Michael Parker. I loved the first two chapters and I am excited to read more.

Guest Blogger: Melissa Dalton

2011-05-06T09:29:00.005-04:00

Melissa Dalton
Blog: www.eulana.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Eulana

How Reading Changed My Life

I still remember the day I received my first full series of books: Little House on the Prairie. I was in the second grade, and my teacher had just opened the box of book club books that my classmates and I had ordered. You remember those, right? The Scholastic book club for children? Imagine my surprise when my teacher, pulling books out the box, said, “Another one for Melissa!” Nine books later, my desk was covered, and I was in love. I found it hard to concentrate the rest of the day because I kept glancing at my new treasures and running my fingers over their spines. I absolutely couldn't wait to get home and read, and as soon as I got off the bus that afternoon, that’s exactly what I did.

As a young girl growing up in the middle of nowhere, it was easy for me to identify with the Little House books. All I had to do to imagine Laura Ingalls’s life on the prairie was to look outside my window. I could close my eyes and almost hear the sound of the covered wagons as they made their way over the trails, and I could feel the prairie grasses under my own feet. Needless to say, I was hooked. I read all of the Little House books and then moved on to the Little House on Rocky Ridge series and then any other books I could get my hands on.

Even now as an adult, I still read as much as possible and am a firm believer in promoting books, libraries, and literacy throughout our society. My passion for reading is also the reason I believe that FridayReads is so important. Each week around the world, book lovers unite by shouting out their favorite books and current reads, whether they be books, blogs, or audio books. FridayReads not only encourages people to read but also exposes us to authors who we may not see on our own.

Looking back on my life, I know that books have shaped the woman I am today. And if they can do that for me, I can only imagine what they can do for others. I encourage everyone to participate in FridayReads this week (and every week!). You might just find that it’ll change your life.

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-05-06T08:30:00.054-04:00

Bethanne: Right now, reading STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett, a June release from HarperCollins. It's an engrossing novel about big pharma and the Amazon that brings it all so close I'm practically scratching phantom insect bites.

I'm also happily engaged with Stephen Greenblatt's upcoming THE SWERVE: How the World Became Modern, from Norton. How can I resist an argument positing that the Renaissance exploded with the find of a single important...book?

Erin: I've traveled back in time via THE CAMELOT CONSPIRACY by E. Duke Vincent, which is brand new from Overlook Press. Mafia + Government = Great Read!

I also revisited A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF, out May 12 from legendary author Lawrence Block, when he was gracious enough to let me interview his lead character, Matthew Scudder.

Ian: I'm still reading WHAT THE DOG SAW by the one and only Malcolm Gladwell. Fascinating, I like my books that way.

I am also dipping in to MYTHS OF THE NORSEMEN FROM THE EDDAS AND SAGAS by H. A. Guerber. It's great source material as I'm now working on a blog article about archetypes and stereotypes (inspired by the response to my earlier article about comics).

Margaret: I'm reading Emma Forrest's memoir YOUR VOICE IN MY HEAD. Quite compelling thus far.

Rebecca: Right now, I'm reading Holly Tucker's BLOOD WORK, about the first blood transfusions and the (incredibly fraught) scientific and moral battles that surrounded them in 17th century Europe. It's an obscure subject I never knew I'd want to read about, but Tucker makes it work.

And I'm in my happy place with SUGAR IN MY BOWL, a collection of essays and short fiction about sex by women writers, including friend of FridayReads Julie Klam!

Lisa: I have just started BLOOD, BONES AND BUTTER by Gabrielle Hamilton. I lack all cooking ability so I am anxious to read more about this world. I'm only a few chapters in but have heard only wonderful things about it. I am focusing on one book this week because the schedule has been so hectic.

Heading off to Dani Shapiro's writing workshop in the Berkshires for the weekend and am considering doing an audio book for the drive because it will be a rare occasion where there are no children in the car. If anyone has a great suggestion for that let me know (sometimes great books are not good audio books depending on the reader, so if you particularly liked one you've listened to lately please share. I'm not a frequent listener of audio books).

Lydia: I am feeling that summer “I wish to travel” feeling, & satisfying it with Susan Orlean’s MY KIND OF PLACE and THE BULLFIGHTER CHECKS HER MAKEUP. As someone who used to plan pre-child vacations with her husband on the fly, Mobil Travel Guide on her lap, I’m loving these character-filled essays that wander into places tony guidebooks would never dare to go.

Erin C.: I've got a lot on my plate this week! I'm reading and blown away by the manuscript for my brilliant writer, Mike Scotti's memoir THE BLUE CASCADE. I can't wait to deliver it to his editor. A fantastic novel set in East Texas in 1929 (and the second in a collection) by Monte Schulz entitled THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER. And, Tracy Kidder's brilliant STRENGTH IN WHAT REMAINS. MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS is one of my favorite books and Kidder knocks it out of the park again with this one.

Ian C.: I'm reading the amazing time-shifting narrative of Jon McGregor's EVEN THE DOGS. Broken sentences, time lapse paragraphs that are stunningly creative.

Also, Tom McCarthy's REMAINDER, which is devilishly good. And Jasper Fforde's SHADES OF GREY. I'm in a happy book mood.

Leslie: I'm reading REAL WORLD by Natsuo Kirino. Set it Tokyo, it follows four girls who are going to summer school and also happen to be involved in a murder. I like it so far, but I'm just a few pages in.

Since I'm still in the middle of finals, I've been a little bit more stressed out than usual. When I get stressed out, I like to re-read Harry Potter. It's like comfort food for my brain. It relaxes me and gives me something to look forward to when I can take a short break from my work.

Prizes for May 6, 2011!

2011-05-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

It's that time again! If you participate in FridayReads this week, you could win:

Every FridayReads participant receives:

A free copy of Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best in indie publishing.

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants, we will give away 20 copies of:

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

Praise:

“A masterful, hilarious picaresque that keeps company with the best of Charles Portis and Mark Twain, The Sisters Brothers is a relentlessly absorbing feat of novelistic art.” —Wells Tower, author of Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned

“Both homage to the classic Western and knife thrust to its dark underbelly, this novel has a quirky, deadpan exterior and a hard-beating heart; we come to see how men die and how the brotherly bond shifts but holds.... I was intrigued by page one.” —Library Journal

“DeWitt creates a homage to life in the Wild West but at the same time reveals its brutality.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A bright, brutal revision of the Western, The Sisters Brothers offers an unexpected meditation on life, and on the crucial difference between power and strength.” —Gil Adamson, author of The Outlander

Also check out DeWitt's guest blog at Powell's!

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-04-29T08:30:00.046-04:00

Bethanne: I am reading an advance copy of MAINE by J Courtney Sullivan and THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McClain.

Erin: I'm loving every word of James Lee Burke's THE GLASS RAINBOW. Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel are in fine form. I was lucky enough to write about JLB, Dave and Clete earlier this week.

Ian: I'm about halfway through WHAT THE DOG SAW and OTHER ADVENTURES by Malcom Gladwell. Enjoying the stories very much. As it's taken from the New Yorker articles pieces are that bit more intense and focused than the books.

Margaret: I'm reading PHYSICS OF THE FUTURE: HOW SCIENCE WILL SHAPE HUMAN DESTINY AND OUR DAILY LIVES BY THE YEAR 2100 by Michio Kaku. It's highly readable and fascinating. Did you know, for example, that your cell phone has more computing power than ALL of NASA's computers in 1969?

I started BOSSYPANTS and was underwhelmed. Much to my surprise because I love Tina Fey and was fascinated by her NPR interview about the book. Hmmm ...

Rebecca: I read BOSSYPANTS last week and kept wanting to go into therapist mode and ask her to "say more about that." She lights on interesting topics and ideas and then bounces off too quickly. I did love her voice, though.

I'm reading THE LAST WEREWOLF by Glen Duncan, which comes out in July from Knopf. Dark, gristly literary fiction about the man who is supposedly the last werewolf on earth. Not my usual fare, and it is fan-freaking-tastic.

Lisa: After having breakfast with Liza Donnelly this week I am paging through her book WHEN DO THEY SERVE THE WINE? again which is a compilation of sharp and witty cartoons from this talented New Yorker cartoonist.

I am also reading Tina Fey's BOSSYPANTS this week for something light. I am enjoying it a lot but am wondering about my sense of humor; I'm not laughing out loud the way so many people are reporting! Maybe I am a tough sell...

Lydia: I’m smiling my way through ATTACHMENTS by Rainbow Rowell, the story of a knightly IT guy who’s falling in love with an invisible movie critic princess in a computer tower.

Erin C.: In honor of SETI shutting down, I'm reading WE ARE NOT ALONE by Dirk Schulze-Makuch and David Darling...a fascinating look on how we have already found extraterrestrial life. It's time to believe.

Ian C.: I have just finished Mary Roach's BONK. An excellent read, as if Malcolm Gladwell wrote about sex. But funnier.

So, I'm still reading Jasper Fforde's SHADES OF GRAY, Tom McCarthy's REMAINDER, and Jon McGregor's EVEN THE DOGS.

Hope to finish all three over the long Bank Holiday weekend!

Leslie: I'm reading THE CIVILIZED WORLD by Susi Wyss, a book of connected short stories about people who live in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. I'm trying to read a book by an author from every country in the world and I had a difficult time finding an author from the Ivory Coast at my local library. Susi Wyss spent much of her life living in the Ivory Coast, so I decided to read this one for now.

I'm also reading THE PRESIDENT by Nobel-prize winner Miguel Ángel Asturias for class. I'm writing my final paper on the translation of this novel because it incorporates a lot of surrealism, which is understandably difficult to translate. What I have learned from reading this again in English: I understood nothing the first time around. Surrealism is hard in your second language.

Guest Blogger: Alexandra Robbins

2011-04-29T08:10:00.003-04:00

Alexandra Robbins
Blog: alexandrarobbins.com
Twitter: @AlexndraRobbins

On an overcast April evening, I’m strolling through a marvelously quirky independent bookstore with Danielle, 18, who chose her college partly because of its proximity to this converted 19th-century building, her favorite store in the world. Danielle trails her fingers along the shelves as we browse. She has preferred bookstores to libraries ever since the time a friend opened a library book to find a most unexpected piece of salami.

“Did anyone ever call you a bookworm to your face?” I ask her.

“So much,” she says. “In seventh grade, when I was grounded, someone at school asked, ‘What are you grounded from?’ and I said, ‘Everything. Even reading.’ Everyone laughed, and she said, ‘You’re such a nerd, you get grounded from reading? Who does that?!’”

Seventh grade was tough for Danielle. That year, more than half of her classmates joined a popular club. Danielle didn't discover until they eagerly persuaded her to join that it was the I Hate Danielle Club. They had convinced her to become a member of her own hate club. When I began following Danielle three years later as The Loner, a character in my book, she was still haunted by seventh grade. But she didn't let her classmates’ continued taunting deter her from reading at every opportunity.

During the reporting of THE GEEKS SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH, which follows six outsiders and one popular cheerleader through a school year, I heard from many students who had been alienated and harassed for being “bookworms.” Classmates made fun of them not only because of what they read (classics, fantasy, foreign-language novels, manga) but also that they enjoyed reading at all.

Contrary to stereotype, they didn't read because they were outsiders; they were outsiders because they read. But these students recognized that reading is more than just reading. Reading can be solitary and sedentary, yes, but it can also be expressive, energizing, cathartic, and reciprocal: Books are both a repository for overflowing emotions and a catalyst that can arouse new feelings and spur one to action. At the same time, reading is un-meditative introspection, a way to learn about yourself without a focused inward gaze.

Most of all, reading is fun. In a landscape fraught with standardized tests demanding rote memorization, not enough schools are sending that message. But Sachse High School is. Every day at the Texas school, for fifteen minutes after third period, all 2,600 students and every professional staff member must sit in a classroom and read for pleasure. In the years since Sachse introduced this program, the culture of the school has changed. Students who would have been shunned in years past for reading for fun are no longer automatic outcasts. Everyone does it.

FridayReads is like a global Sachse High School, a regular reminder to people like Danielle that a love of reading is a quality to treasure, rather than an idiosyncrasy to mock. FridayReads exemplifies the connectivity of reading, that to be a bookworm is more than just burrowing through pages, digesting word after word until emerging from the back flap, satiated and engorged. Bookworms are members of an affable, responsive community in which reading alone doesn't make someone a loner.

Danielle knows this now. Not only did her passion for books lead me to choose her to be a main character in mine, but also it doesn't spoil too much of her storyline to reveal that ultimately, the first new friendship she was able to form after four years of reticence was forged by a love of the same novel.

“I like being a bookworm,” Danielle tells me now. “I am not ashamed to read.”

The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School will be published May 3 and can be pre-ordered at any major bookstore. For more information, please visit alexandrarobbins.com. Contact Alexandra Robbins at facebook.com/thegeeksshallinherit or on Twitter @AlexndraRobbins.

Prizes for April 29, 2011

2011-04-29T07:55:00.016-04:00

Every FridayReads participant receives:

A free copy of Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of THE HYPNOTIST by M.J. Rose

Learn more about THE HYPNOTIST on Facebook

Read the backstory of THE HYPNOTIST

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-04-22T09:48:00.044-04:00

Bethanne: I'm finishing Tina Fey's BOSSYPANTS, getting back into THE ILLUMINATION by Kevin Brockmeier, and trying to find time for OPEN CITY by Teju Cole

Erin: I'm still reading Alafair Burke's new stand-alone novel, LONG GONE. It gets better with each page. It comes out on June 21, and is definitely worth a pre-order!

Ian: I'm just finishing up SUPERFREAKONOMICS, and will be starting on WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell. Looking forward to that. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is now on my 'backlist' until I can summon an attention span long enough to concentrate on it. Still in new baby phase at the moment.

Margaret: I am still reading A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD, and although I am very late to the game with regard to this book at least I can feel timely since it just won the Pulitzer. (PS: I think Ian's subconscious is at work--what new parent wouldn't be wishing for "all quiet on the western front?")

Rebecca: I'm finishing KRAKEN by Wendy Williams and am back into WAR AND PEACE. (Pick your jaws up off the floor. I really am!)

Lisa: I've been away on vacation this week, so I finally had time to read some books! It's been heaven. I finished my second reading of Dani Shapiro's DEVOTION. Then I moved on to her first memoir SLOW MOTION. It was fascinating for me to see the transformation that had occurred in her/her life in the years between the two books.

After SLOW MOTION I continued my theme of change as written in memoir and read Josh Kilmer-Purcell's I AM NOT MYSELF THESE DAYS. It's hard to believe that this is the same Josh I see each week on TV on "The Fabulous Beekman Boys"!

I'm now reading a novel called THE SPACE BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar. It's set in India and explores the relationship between two women in this class-based society. I've just started it but am enjoying it very much; it was a recommendation by the folks at Diane's Books in Greenwich, CT (always happy to give a plug to a great independent bookseller). It's been such a joy to have time to read this week...

Lydia: I’m still reading the Stephens! Fry’s THE ODE LESS TRAVELLED and King’s FULL DARK, NO STARS. They’re not as long as they might be, but they’re meaty reads, both of them, and both, in their own ways, teaching me things I need to know.

Erin C.: In honor of Earth Day on Friday, I'm reading CLIMATE WARS by Gwynne Dyer, which shares some of the apocalyptic predictions that experts have made should we not take control of global warming. It's a really powerful and compelling look at the realities. I'm also re-reading THE SCIENCE OF LIBERTY by Timothy Ferris, which discusses global warming as well, but from a political standpoint of trying to understand why politicians focus on their own perspectives and ideologies when the science don't lie. Two compelling books on the subject. Happy Earth Day!

Ian C.: This week I am reading Tom McCarthy's REMAINDER, which drew me in as soon as I read the blurb:

Traumatized by an accident which involves "something falling from the sky" and leaves him eight and a half million pounds richer but hopelessly estranged from the world around him, Remainder's hero spends his time and money obsessively reconstructing and re-enacting vaguely remembered scenes and situations from his past.

A darkly comic meditation on memory, identity and history, Remainder is a parable for modern times.

And it is brilliant.

Leslie: I'm about half way through THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER by Jael McHenry and I'm absolutely loving it. The descriptions, especially of voices as tastes, are amazing.

Guest Blogger: Melysah Bunting

2011-04-22T09:34:00.018-04:00

Melysah Bunting
Blog: http://www.4theloveoflit.com/
Twitter: @MelysahBunting

For The Love of Lit

Reading was very important to me as a child. My fondest memories of elementary school are of the Greenes, the music teacher and the librarian. Mrs. Greene’s Chorus was the highlight of my day. She was so passionate, and I was keen on her fiery red hair. I also loved going to the library, where Mr. Greene taught us how to care for books.

Going to the library was like going to Disney World. Sometimes we'd have book fairs in the library. And we got to order Scholastic books from a catalog.

I enjoyed reading Judy Bloom, R.L. Stine, Ann Martin. Notable books I remember reading are ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS, A SUMMER TO DIE, THE BABYSITTER'S CLUB, and SWEET VALLEY HIGH. I also was fond of the books that allowed you to choose the outcome of the story.

After elementary school, I starting reading Stephen King. My first adult book was THE STAND. I figured I should go big or go home. I read all thousand pages during the summer. I think it took me a few months to finish it. I then read more than 20 Stephen King novels.

I was partial to drama and mystery as an early reader, and I still favor those genres. A SUMMER TO DIE by Lois Lowry was the first book that made my cry. And I fed off of the drama of books like BLUBBER by Judy Bloom. I cherished the Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

FridayReads gives me the sense of community that I felt as a child in the library with Mr. Greene. I can see who is reading what and know that there are bookworms out there just like me. As a freelance writer and budding novelist, I take the advice of my favorite author: "If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."

Prizes for April 22, 2011

2011-04-22T08:50:00.019-04:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of IF I LOVED YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU THIS by Robin Black

Heralding the arrival of a stunning new voice in American fiction, IF I LOVED YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU THIS takes readers into the minds and hearts of people navigating the unsettling transitions that life presents to us all: A father struggles to forge an independent identity as his blind daughter prepares for college. A mother comes to terms with her adult daughter’s infidelity. An artist mourns the end of a romance while painting the portrait of a dying man. Brilliant, hopeful, and fearlessly honest, IF I LOVED YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU THIS illuminates the truths of human relationships, truths we come to recognize in these characters and in ourselves.

Learn more about IF I LOVED YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU THIS on Facebook

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-04-15T09:30:00.004-04:00

Bethanne: I am ill in a motel in Massachusetts! No that is not a country song; it's the truth. Chaired a panel of romance writers yesterday at Smith, then collapsed. So have spent day in bed, reading the new Maisie Dobbs mystery by Jacqueline Winspear, A LESSON IN SECRETS.

Erin: I'm reading an advance copy of Alafair Burke's new stand-alone novel, LONG GONE. I've been a fan of her writing for some time now, and have enjoyed both her series. This book, however, is a real achievement, demonstrating that good writers can become great ones. It comes out on June 21, and is definitely worth a pre-order!

Ian: I'm still reading ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, which is going rather slowly I have to admit. My attention span is limited by tiredness brought on by having a 19-day old daughter [who is gorgeous]. Looking forward to finishing it sometime this year...

I've also picked up SUPERFREAKONOMICS by Stephen J.Dubner and Steven Levitt. Fascinating, humorous, serious and well written. The shortness of the items is perfect for me at the moment and I love reading popular science books.

Margaret: This week I'm starting A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD -- my book club's unanimous choice for our next read.

Rebecca: I'm reading THE PUN ALSO RISES by John Pollack, who is a former winner of the national punning championship (who knew?). It's a look at language, turns of phrase, and the uses/meanings of puns in communication and creative work.

Also enjoying MOONDOGS by Alexander Yates. This book is ca-razy awesome, and it's the most fun I've had reading in a while. And KRAKEN by Wendy Williams about the science and search for giant squid. Because I'm nerdy like that.

And WAR & PEACE? Don't ask.

Lisa: In preparation for an upcoming writing seminar I'm taking with Dani Shapiro I re-read her beautiful memoir DEVOTION this week. I'm now going to read her first memoir SLOW MOTION for the first time. I'm also still nibbling at Malcolm Gladwell's WHAT THE DOG SAW.

Lydia: I am still reading Stephen Fry’s THE ODE LESS TRAVELLED (which apparently will be my read all Poetry Month!) but in keeping with the Stephen motif, have begun Stephen King’s FULL DARK, NO STARS. What’s in a name, indeed…

Erin C.: I'm reading the galley [an advance copy] of a brilliant biological memoir called MY BEAUTIFUL GENOME by Lone Frank. An internationally known neurobiologist, Frank examines the current consumer-led genomics craze through her own personal genetic structure. It is a really compelling look at whether knowing our genetic structure can actually give us happier, healthier lives...or if it's all a myth.

Ian C.: This week, having finished the marvellous WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell I am currently blitz-reading a number of books.

My main read is CITY OF BOHANE by Kevin Barry, which Waterstones describes as a 'Cool, culty and futuristic novel set in a crime-ravaged Irish city and starring a crime lord beset by threats to his power. A book that has language all of its own.' It sounded so similar to how I felt about Robert Ranking when I first read his Brentford Trilogy that I snapped up a copy. Verdict so far: Inspired, evocative and an instant favourite.

I am also reading Susan Hill's THE WOMAN IN BLACK, both the short novel and the play-script.

Dipping in and out of Jasper Fforde's SHADES OF GREY and Tom McCarthy's REMAINDER.

Oh, also HAMLET by William Shakespeare for my final year's course at the Open University, studying Literature.

Leslie: I'm reading BLACK JUICE by Margo Lanagan, a collection of short fantasy stories. I was completely blown away by the first story, which is making moving on to the second one a little difficult. I'm also reading a collection of poetry by Sharon Olds called ONE SECRET THING.

Guest Blogger: Peter Labrow

2011-04-15T09:15:00.010-04:00

Peter Labrow
Blog: http://blog.peterlabrow.com/
Twitter: @Labrow

Reading Made Me a Writer

I think it’s fair to say that some people are entranced by books – they frequently get more pleasure from words than from most other art forms. Where does that start? At what point does the requirement to read become self-motivation? How is that fueled?

As a child, my main source of entertainment was the public library. From where I lived, the public library was well over a mile if you walked – which I did every Saturday morning. As a child member, I was allowed just one book a week. One book a week! What nonsense. I’d often finished that by Saturday afternoon.

I quickly outgrew the children’s section. I was drawn very much to science fiction – enjoying especially authors such as John Christopher, who wrote for both children and adults, so sometimes his books were helpfully misfiled in the child section.

When I was finally old enough to be given an adult library ticket, I was ready to break into the place at night just to get my hands on anything by Arthur C. Clarke. An adult library ticket was a passport to three books a week. This made walking home more uncomfortable but delivered a far more satisfactory reading week.

I have no idea how I was able to read so many books. We had a television and I was no stranger to sitting in front of it. But I also recall lying on my bed for hours, reading books and discovering words. I devoured books which should have been, according to my teacher, “too old” for me (whatever that means) such as 1984, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Day of the Triffids, and Lord of the Flies.

I’ve never stopped reading. Some years I read less, but never nothing. I can immerse myself in a book in a way that I can’t in a film. And I can draw so many more things from books.

Reading great stories has given me the desire to tell stories – hopefully great ones too. Even as a teen this was something I wanted to do, although it’s taken me years to do it. Reading has not only given me the desire and motivation to write, it’s given me a lot of clarity about what I want to write and why. The vocabulary I want to use. The themes which interest me. The people I want to reach.

It saddens me that public libraries may become a thing of the past. I could be wrong – after all, the world turns and stories are hardly unavailable. But I came from a one-parent, low-income family. Reading was a lifeline out of that – for entertainment and later as a career. I want reading to be available to all because I want others to be inspired. Iif, as some say, we all have a story to tell, will we have the ability to tell it if we’re denied easy access to literature?

Prizes for April 15, 2011

2011-04-14T12:38:00.001-04:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of MOM: A CELEBRATION OF MOTHERS edited by Dave Isay

Learn more about MOM: A CELEBRATION OF MOTHERS on Facebook

Buy the Book

Guest Blogger: Professor Paul Senior

2011-04-08T14:29:00.000-04:00

Welcome to a new FridayReads feature! We asked bloggers to share their thoughts on reading (generally) and FridayReads (specifically), and we've been overwhelmed by the fantastic response.

Each week, we'll feature a post or two from folks around the world. The first, below, comes from Sheffield, England.

Enjoy!

Professor Paul Senior
Sheffield Hallam University
Blog: http://yorkhull.wordpress.com/category/all-about-books/
Twitter: @Yorkhull

I have spent the last five months in Hong Kong as part of a secondment to a local university. Devoid of TV, distanced from friends and out of the loop of my routine I have taken to reading with an increasing momentum over this period. So far I have worked my way through some 24 novels, which I have commented on in my limited critical way in my blog.

I like to have goals when reading as well as recommendations. Goals are achieved by following book prizes, as trying to read their nominees in the often short period before the winner is announced means that reading has to be focused. But you get the pick of the bunch -- or at least the pick of the bunch associated with the judges! Before setting out to Hong Kong I had completed with friends the Man Booker short list, and over a long food- and wine-filled evening we had debated the merits of the six finalists, agreeing only that the Jacobsen should not win -- what do we know!! On arrival in Hong Kong I searched for books associated with the Asian-Pacific region (though stopping off to read the incomparable Larsson trilogy) and eventually via Ha Jin and Ruth Rendell (I know, not an Asian author, but to discover a new Vine and a new Rendell was heaven!) I found the Man Asian Literary Prize. Though tracking the books down was more of an issue here than reading them I eventually completed the short list in good time, met the authors the night before the announcement, blogged about my favourites and then once again saw another book win.

Recommendations for books come from a variety of sources -- trusted friends (the discovery of William Boyd the top of my inspiring suggestions from friends), book reviews (though rarely, as I prefer to read a book first before reading a review) and now FridayReads. I have looked forward to seeing and sharing a wonderful variety of recommendations in these Facebook pages and have developed an eye for those repeating novels which form then a list for my attention. Jonathon Franzen has come my way via FridayReads and I am searching for the Weird Sisters oft recommended in recent weeks. So my list of books to read grows bigger and was recently boosted by 20 novels with the announcement of the long list for the Orange Fiction prize. Book buying here in Hong Kong is a bit pot luck so I’ve ended up reading those I can acquire, which has meant four good reads so far and Room in the bag from the Man Booker.

As an academic criminologist I spend my days reading academic scripts of various hues, and though it can feel like a busman's holiday to read novels in my spare time it has been wonderfully stimulating and I know that come Friday if I am running out of ideas FridayReads and my brief conversations and connections with fellow readers await. Magic!!

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-04-08T13:35:00.000-04:00

This week's report is proof positive that some books take more than one week to read!

Bethanne is reading ONE OF OUR THURSDAYS IS MISSING by Jasper Fforde and THE ILLUMINATION by Kevin Brockmeier, both as e-books.

Erin is still enchanted by Marcus Sakey's THE TWO DEATHS OF DANIEL HAYES, and (still) highly recommends pre-ordering it (release date is June 9). And when you do so, you can win an iPod from the author himself, complete with audiobook!

Ian is still reading ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Erich Maria Remarque - rather slowly but enjoying the descriptions and characterisations.

He's also rereading, after many years, DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP by Philip K Dick. He says that he needed to know what Rick Deckard's initial motivations were for taking on the hunt for the Nexus-6 androids. He always loved PKD's characters as they are so believably flawed. Ian also just ordered WHAT THE DOG SAW and SUPER FREAKONOMICS and is reading THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE to his son, and really appreciating the poetic devices Awdry used to evoke the sound of coaches on the rails or a steam engine's chuffing.

Margaret is reading VISITATION by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated from German by Susan Bernofsky. Reads like poetry.

Rebecca is reading READING WOMEN by Stephanie Staal, in which she revisits seminal feminist texts she originally read in college through the lens of marriage and motherhood. She's also reading THE THREE STAGES OF AMAZEMENT by Carol Edgarian, and all she can say is WOW.

Lisa is reading OTHER PEOPLE WE MARRIED by Emma Straub. She loves reading short stories... the last collection she enjoyed this much was Robin Black's II I LOVED YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU THIS. It's taking her a while to read Emma's book because she goes back and re-reads many of the sentences repeatedly to study their structure; Emma writes so beautifully that she makes it look deceptively easy.

Lydia reports in this week with a poem...

Still reading Stephen Fry this week, it’s true
and learning many things each day I do;
though my iambic skills are quite unraveled,
I still recommend THE ODE LESS TRAVELLED.

Erin C. is still reading ON WINGS OF DIESEL by Jamal J. Elias, which is a fascinating and visually beautiful look at the phenomenon of Pakistan truck painting. Elias took his own photos and is one of the first to delve inside this practice which conveys a lot about the culture and religion of various parts of the country. Really interesting!

Ian C. is reading Malcolm Gladwell's WHAT THE DOG SAW. Ian received an Amazon Kindle for his birthday, and upon Lisa's recommendation--and being a huge fan of Gladwell's writing - he decided to buy the downloadable version.

It is insightful and educational reading, as always, and he's found himself re-reading sections out to family members and anyone that sits near me at lunch, at work.

Outright funny, touching and thought-provoking.

Prizes for April 8, 2011

2011-04-07T16:32:00.000-04:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of SAY HELLO TO ZORRO! by Carter Goodrich

Learn more about SAY HELLO TO ZORRO!...

Browse inside SAY HELLO TO ZORRO

Download activities that go along with the book

Read the New York Times review

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-04-01T09:28:00.002-04:00

Bethanne just finished THE TROUBLED MAN by Henning Mankell and is starting DRAWING CONCLUSIONS by Donna Leon...from Italy, no less!

Erin is reading Marcus Sakey's superlative new book, THE TWO DEATHS OF DANIEL HAYES, and highly recommends pre-ordering it (release date is June 9).

Ian has picked up his copy of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Erich Maria Remarque. Justly famous piece of literature with brilliantly drawn characters. It's not so quiet on the Lewis front at the moment so this book may occupy him for a couple of weeks! Ian received this copy as part of the UK's World Book Night initiative a few weeks back, sent to him by @insidebooks.

Margaret is reading Patti Smith's JUST KIDS (for her book club). She just started it, but can see why it won the National Book Award.

Rebecca is (still) reading SAY HER NAME by Francisco Goldman, and is loving THE PUN ALSO RISES by John Pollack, about the history of puns and their role in language and communication. Also totally in love with AQUA EROTICA, a waterproof (!!!) anthology of sexy stories that all have to do with water.

Lisa is reading WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell. This book is a collection of nineteen essays he has chosen from those previously published in The New Yorker. In typical Gladwell fashion, the author takes quirky topics and investigates their underpinnings in human nature. He addresses subjects ranging from pitchmen to ketchup to homelessness. She's almost to the section where he analyzes attempts to quantify personality and talent. Lisa loves books that are sociological in bent and readable; with chapters of varying lengths the reader can feel satisfied to complete one topic in one sitting. This is the book she has in the car right now for waiting at the bus stop or in a doctor's office waiting room.

Lydia is reading Stephen Fry’s THE ODE LESS TRAVELLED: UNLOCKING THE POET WITHIN. She's been curious about poetic forms for a while now, and so far it’s painless!

Erin C. is reading ON WINGS OF DIESEL by Jamal J. Elias, which is a fascinating and visually beautiful look at the phenomenon of Pakistan truck painting. Elias took his own photos and is one of the first to delve inside this practice which conveys a lot about the culture and religion of various parts of the country. Really interesting!

Ian C. is reading THE WOMAN IN BLACK by Susan Hill, the short novel that became the stage play that became the long-running West End hit. He would love to direct the play if ever the amateur rights became available. To prepare for this eventuality, he thought it would be great to read both the stage play and the source material.

Prizes for April 1, 2011 (and no foolin'!)

2011-04-01T08:35:00.000-04:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER by Jael McHenry

Learn more about THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER...
On Facebook
On Twitter
Jael McHenry's website
Jael McHenry's blog

Prizes for March 25, 2011

2011-03-25T11:55:00.001-04:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of SO MUCH PRETTY by Cara Hoffman

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

2011-03-24T18:47:00.001-04:00

Bethanne just finished THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain, a haunting portrait of Hemingway's first marriage to Hadley Richardson.

And she just started SAY HER NAME by Francisco Goldman, a gut-punch novelization of the author's beloved wife Aura Estrada's death.

Erin is reading BROKEN by Karin Slaughter, a complicated tale of murder in small-town Georgia replete with fantastic dialog and characters she's not quite sure whether to love or hate (the best kind!).

Ian has been re-reading, for about the sixth time, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Why? Not because of the films, that's for sure. It is simply because he loves the way in which JK Rowling brings together the many threads laid through the seven books. Not only that but she even introduces new ones, in the last book! There is so much detail and the complexity of the ending is well executed. Just a couple of pages to go!

Margaret is reading THE STILL POINT by Amy Sackville, which made the 2010 Orange Prize Long List. The writing is gorgeous.

Rebecca is (also!) slowly working her way through SAY HER NAME by Francisco Goldman, a beautiful and deeply moving (but also deeply sad) novel about the author's love affair with his wife and his insurmountable grief following her accidental death. It's is a mixture of fact and fiction, and it's difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins, making this feel more like a memoir than a novel. Regardless, it is a valuable and unforgettable reading experience.

And for levity, she's reading THE INTERNET IS A PLAYGROUND by David Thorne, which is a collection of the author's sarcastic-verging-on-harassment email exchanges (many of which have gone viral from his websites and off-the-wall ideas. This book is wrong on so many levels that it's right, and it keeps me giggling.

She's also working on WAR AND PEACE (if you can interpret "working on" to mean "looking at it and thinking about reading more") for an ongoing readalong.

Lisa is sharing what she's reading now, what she's reading next, and what she recommends right here.

Lydia is reading BE DIFFERENT: ADVENTURES OF A FREE-RANGE ASPERGIAN by John Elder Robison. She loved his first book, LOOK ME IN THE EYE, and she's loving this one, too. A few pages in, she started making lists of people to whom she wants to give copies.

Ian C. is reading Philip Roth's PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT.

He's also ploughing through THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

Erin C. (no relation) is reading a few manuscripts (she's also a literary agent) and SO MUCH PRETTY by Cara Hoffman, which is hard to put down. She is fascinated by how people can accept a lie that makes them feel safe instead of delving into the truth of a situation.

See you next week!

Prizes for March 18, 2011

2011-03-18T10:43:00.011-04:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

5 copies each of THE SINGING AND DANCING DAUGHTERS OF GOD and

THE PHANTOM LIMBS OF THE ROLLOW SISTERS by Timothy Schaffert

FridayReads Search

2011-03-15T12:19:00.001-04:00

Looking to see how many people are reading a particular book? Curious to see reactions to a specific author's work? Wondering who's reading the same thing you are? You're in luck...

You can now search FridayReads posts!

Our very own @bookmeme has set up a search page here. Try it out, and let Ian know what you think!

Prizes for March 11, 2011

2011-03-11T09:10:00.002-05:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of PERFECT LIVES by Polly Samson

In an English seaside town, lovers and children, young men and middle-aged women weave in and out of each other's lives and stories.

Prizes for March 4, 2011

2011-03-04T09:07:00.000-05:00

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants (and again at 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k):

A free subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine, featuring the best of indie publishing

When FridayReads reaches 3,000 participants:

20 copies of MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN by Joshua Foer
Foer's unlikely journey from chronically forgetful science journalist to U.S. Memory Champion frames a revelatory exploration of the vast, hidden impact of memory on every aspect of our lives.

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:

20 copies of THE L LIFE by Erin McHugh

Through fascinating interviews and stunning portrait photography, The L Life introduces us to women who are changing our view of the world.

Prizes for February 25, 2011

2011-02-25T12:24:00.000-05:00

This week's prizes are truly stellar!

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 participants:

A free copy of Shelf Unbound for everyone who posts a FridayReads. Post your FridayReads on Twitter or Facebook, and then email margaret (at) shelfmediagroup.com to claim your issue.

When FridayReads reaches 3,000 participants:

A "family of amazing writers" special: Two sets of DELIRIOUS by Daniel Palmer and A HEARTBEAT AWAY by Michael Palmer.

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 participants:
Our first wearable FridayReads prizes! 20 lucky winners will get their choice of t-shirts from Out Of Print Clothing.

When FridayReads reaches 5,000 participants:

A FridayReads movie tie-in special! We have 10 sets of THE BAYOU TRILOGY and WINTER’S BONE (upon which the Oscar-nominated movie is based), both by Daniel Woodrell

Prizes for February 18, 2011

2011-02-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

We have some exciting prizes this week for FridayReads!

When FridayReads reaches 2,000 Participants:

A subscription to Shelf Unbound magazine

Additional subscriptions are given away when we reach 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000 participants!

When FridayReads reaches 4,000 Participants:

10 copies of THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JENNY X by Lisa Dierbeck from OR Books

When FridayReads reaches 5,000 Participants:

20 copies of IVORY FROM PARADISE by David Schmahmann from Academy Chicago

Friends of FridayReads

2011-02-10T14:49:00.010-05:00

We're grateful for the many people who support FridayReads! They come from all walks of life and all over the world, from famous published authors to those who aspire to be. All share one important trait: an abiding love of reading.

We've started compiling a list below; if you should be on it, please drop us a line.

Authors
Joe Hill
Erika Dreifus
Alafair Burke
Daniel Palmer
Hilary Davidson
Mark Lidstone
Joanne Lessner
Neil Shurley
Ashley Ludwig
Pam Parker
Ellen Brown
Colette Caddle
C. Allyn Pierson
Niamh Shaw
Susan Kaye Quinn
Deb Simpson

Book Bloggers
Jen Forbus
Elizabeth A. White
Janel
Raimy Greenland
Shannon Johnson
Books, Personally
Paula Kiger
Jen Killius
Cheeky Reads
Erin Mulrooney
Jenna Huffman
Bri Clark
Carrie Nilles
Lindsey Sparks
Carrie Dunham-LaGree
Lynne Perednia
Laurel Marshfield
Jennifer: Literal Life
Jennifer Palombi
Lesley Slack
Susan Ujka Larson
Mary-Colleen Jenkins

Publishers
Tyrus Books
Mulholland Books
Unbridled Books

FridayReads Has an App!

2011-02-03T15:20:00.000-05:00

FridayReads now has an app that works on all all major platforms, including Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Symbian.

To get the app, click here from your mobile device or point your camera phone at the QR code (that weird picture) to the right.

Buying the Best Read List

2011-01-31T15:35:00.000-05:00

Are you looking to join in the FridayReads fun by reading some of the books on the Best Read list? You're in luck! Novel Places has gathered them all here for easy browsing/purchase. Enjoy!

Two BIG #fridayreads Announcements

2010-12-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

First, #fridayreads is a finalist in the 4th Annual Mashable Awards!

Mashable received more than 40,000 award nominees, and narrowed this list to just five finalists per category.

#fridayreads is nominated in the Best Internet Meme category. The winner will be selected based on the number of people who vote for it, so please vote today. You can vote once a day every day between now and December 15.

This is a fantastic opportunity for #fridayreads to get more visibility—and more people participating each week! And speaking of more visibility…

The amazing folks over at Rainy Day Books have issued a #fridayreads challenge! They’re putting the books where their challenge is, and all we need to do is grow the number of #fridayreads participants by December 24.

When #fridayreads hits 4,000 participants (and we’re VERY close), they will donate these prizes, which we’ll award to participants:

A signed copy of 40: A DOONESBURY RETROSPECTIVE
A complete and signed set (5 books) of THE LIGHTENING THIEF saga
Signed copy of Jonathan Franzen's FREEDOM
Signed copy of Karl Marlantes's MATTERHORN

When #fridayreads hits 5,000 participants, they will donate these prizes, which we’ll award to participants:

Signed set of Stephenie Meyer’s TWILIGHT SAGA—all four books
Signed first editions of A PHOTOGRAPHER'S LIFE, AT WORK, WOMEN, and AMERICAN MUSIC by Annie Leibovitz
Signed copies of LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER (first edition), A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by the incomparable John Irving

So please take a minute to vote for #fridayreads (every day until December 15!) and remember to tell your friends, family, coworkers and commuting buddies about #fridayreads. Thank you!

FridayReads Top 10 List: November 19, 2010

2010-11-26T12:56:00.001-05:00

Here's the Top 10 Best Read list for November 19, 2010, based on the number of FridayReads posts:

FREEDOM
FULL DARK NO STARS
SKIPPY DIES
LIFE
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
ONE DAY
CLEOPATRA
THE DISTANT HOURS
THE WINDUP GIRL
ROOM

What is #fridayreads?

2010-10-20T16:43:00.000-04:00

#fridayreads is a hashtag on Twitter. Every Friday, thousands of people post what they're reading with this tag.

FridayReads

We're Moving!

Prizes 6/10/11

Guest Blogger: Jessica Mahajan

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Top 60 Best Read List (June 3, 2011)

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Top 47 Best Read List (May 27, 2011)

Prizes for June 3, 2011

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Top 36 Best Read List (May 20, 2011)

Prizes for May 27, 2011

Giveaway 5/20

Guest Blogger: Charles-Adam Foster-Simard

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Top 21 Best Read List (May 13, 2011)

Guest Blogger: Dom Testa

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Top 47 Best Read List (May 6, 2011)

Guest Blogger: Melissa Dalton

Top 42 Best Read List (April 29, 2011)

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Prizes for May 6, 2011!

Top 39 Best Read List (April 22, 2011)

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Guest Blogger: Alexandra Robbins

Prizes for April 29, 2011

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Guest Blogger: Melysah Bunting

Top 55 Best Read List (April 15, 2011)

Prizes for April 22, 2011

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Top 32 Best Read List (April 8, 2011)

Guest Blogger: Peter Labrow

Prizes for April 15, 2011

Guest Blogger: Professor Paul Senior

Top 29 Best Read List (April 1, 2011)

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Prizes for April 8, 2011

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Top 45 Best Read List (March 25, 2011)

Prizes for April 1, 2011 (and no foolin'!)

Top 25 Best Read List (March 18, 2011)

Prizes for March 25, 2011

This is what your FridayReads team is reading now...

Prizes for March 18, 2011

Top 40 Best Read List (March 11, 2011)

FridayReads Search

Top 39 Best Read List (March 4, 2011)

Prizes for March 11, 2011

Top 34 Best Read List (February 25, 2011)

Prizes for March 4, 2011

Prizes for February 25, 2011

Top 34 Best Read List (February 18, 2011)

Prizes for February 18, 2011

Top 32 Best Read List (February 11, 2011)

Top 34 Best Read List (February 4, 2011)

Friends of FridayReads

Top 39 Best Read List (January 28, 2011)

FridayReads Has an App!

Buying the Best Read List

Top 24 Best Read List (January 21, 2011)

Top 22 Best Read List (January 14, 2011)

Top 31 Best Read List (January 7, 2011)

Top 18 Best Read List (December 31, 2010)

Top 24 Best Read List (December 24, 2010)

Top 30 Best Read List (December 17, 2010)

Top 21 Best Read List (December 10, 2010)

Top 10 Best Read List (December 3, 2010)

Top 10 Best Read List

Two BIG #fridayreads Announcements

FridayReads Top 10 List: November 19, 2010

What is #fridayreads?