Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

I'm waiting for my Captain Wentworth Source: etsy.com via Andrea on Pinterest

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green My rating: 5 of 5 stars I should have known better than to listen to this book as an audiobook.  I should have realized that I would be caught crying in my car.  Even though I spent the last three days of listening to this story sobbing on my drives to and from work, it was completely worth it.  This story was amazing. I became invested in the lives of these characters. I've said this in a lot of reviews but this is the most important part of reading to me. I need to feel connected and this book was a glimpse into the lives of Augusts and Hazel. Their dialogue was great and almost seemed like something out of Gilmore Girls; fast paced and witty. They were teenagers even through everything they were dealing with, they still came across as teens. I loved Hazel's mother and her enthusiasm for holidays.  I enjoyed Issac's sense of humor through his tough times. Lidewij Vliegenthart was great. This is...

For tonight's Writers' Group Meeting: From John Gardner's "The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers" Write an honest and sensitive description of a ghost Here is my "story": Are you embarrassed about the state of your very old house? Are you disappointed with the ambiance of your home? Would you like to get more frequent "visitors"? Good evening. My name's Jared. I'm the owner and founder for Ghosts ‘R Us. If you're looking for a ghost then pay close attention because I'm going to share with you the amazing power of Ghost in a Jar . Lets talk about the benefits of Ghost in a Jar ... Each jar contains it's very own unique ghost; Each ghost comes with their very own back story; Each ghost is at least 50 years old.                             Here's what one of our customers said in a recent e-mail to us: My old farmhouse was lacking...

ABOUT THE BOOK: When a simple round of truth or dare spins out of control, three girls find it's no longer a party game -- it's do or die. It all started on a whim: The game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin "Angel" Thomas to prove she's more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn't even there; she was hiding behind her camera, as usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they're forced to play along -- or risk exposing their darkest secrets. How far will Tenley, Caitlin, and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who's behind this twisted game? Set against the backdrop of Echo Bay, an isolated beach town haunted by misfortune, Truth or Dare is a highly charged debut that will keep readers in suspense from beginning to end. This sounds interesting.  I'm adding it to my TBR list.  I will say I really liked the typewrit...

Hooch: Simplified Brewing, Winemaking, and Infusing at Home by Scott Meyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Publisher Description: For anyone who has considered brewing a batch of beer or mead at home, or making a custom barrel of wine with local fruit, this thorough guide will clear a path to the bottle. It demystifies the process: from planting hops and fruits to pruning, harvesting, fermenting, flavoring, and bottling one-of-a-kind drinks from your own backyard. It serves as a starting point not only for wines and beers, but also hard ciders, meads, and infusions, and even touches on at-home distilling Perfect for the city-dweller, urban gardener, or anyone with limited space and a desire to make custom concoctions,  Hooch  offers projects to suit any lifestyle. With recipes for brews made from grapes, hops, and herbs, DIY boozers will find everything they need to begin a brewing journey. My Review: I have never consider...

From Roof Beam Reader: The Beats of Summer: A Reading Event!  Summertime is coming, and what better time than Summer to immerse ourselves in the works of the most rebellious, daring, and “hot” generation of American writers??  For this event, the goal is to read as many pieces of “Beat Generation” literature as you want to, from June 1st through July 14th. Audiobooks, fiction, poetry, and non-fiction all count, as long as the writer is considered to be a part of the Beat Generation. Memoirs, biographies, essays, theory/criticism or other works of non-fiction written about The Beats are also acceptable! I remember my first time reading anything from the Beat Generation in an American Lit class.  I really enjoyed it and had wanted to read more, but unfortunately I never got the chance. Here are just some things I may read for the event. On the Road Naked Lunch Howl Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg: the letters American Scream: Allen Ginsberg's Howl and t...

I need to take a step back from my novel.  I'm not geting anything accomplished when I sit down to write.  I think I'm going to focus on reworking some of my short stories from college for awhile. The writer's group that I work with has started to express the desire to expand on their own writing. Our facilitator has recently sent out this writing prompt: I have enclosed an exercise of John Gardner's from his book, " The Art of Fiction ."  Please limit your writing to 2 pages.     The exercise:   Describe a lake as seen by a young man who has just committed murder.  Do not mention the murder. I'm really excited to write this! It's been awhile since writing has excited me and not seemed like work.

The Espressologist  by Kristina Springer It looks like the book is being made into a Web series .  I guess I'm going to have to get my hands on a copy before the series starts!