Archive for

Nov 30

Terrible Reviews of Great Books: Orwell’s 1984

There is no such thing as a universally loved book. Each month, we’ll feature a book from Time Magazine‘s list of the best 100 English language novels of all time. From the mean to the funny, to the downright absurd, we will highlight some of the strange reasons why some people hate these great reads. This month’s book is 1984 by George Orwell. I have to admit that I last read this in high school and it wasn’t my favorite book, but it certainly merited better than some of these 1-star reviews from Amazon. Keep reading to see why some people hate this book. Read more

Nov 29

2 Comments

November Monthly Recap

It’s time for our monthly recap! Find out which books were favorites, which were duds, and which ones we plan to read the following month. We’ll end our wrap up with a calendar of book-related events/facts from the month of November and we’ll highlight our December content. We’ve also added a list of upcoming book releases for December (scroll to the end for the list).

One randomly selected follower (email or wordpress follower) will win a $10 amazon gift card. Scroll down to see if you are the winner. The prize is only awarded if you contact us with your email address so make sure to check these monthly recaps each month to see if you won! We also want to hear from you so let us know what you read in November and what you look forward to reading in December. Read more

Nov 27

1 Comment

Bookish Gift ideas for the Holidays

Looking for the perfect gift for that special book lover in your life? Here are a few ideas.

Nov 24

20 Comments

Ghostwritten by David Mitchell

I’m just going to go ahead and acknowledge that David Mitchell can do no wrong in my eyes. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I love his writing and, by extension, I love him. Many of you know that after reading Cloud Atlas I had avoided reading his other books because I didn’t want to be disappointed. My co-blogger Book Worm convinced me to keep going, however, and I’m glad she did. Here’s what I thought of Ghostwritten: Read more

Nov 23

2 Comments

Kid’s Corner Interactive Picture Books: Tap the Magic Tree

E has always loved books and story time but some children are more reluctant readers. Interactive books may be one solution to increasing reading engagement. This month, E and I take a look at a few of our favorite “interactive” picture books. Keep reading to find out which ones are our favorites and why. Read more

Nov 20

2 Comments

1001 Book Review: Broken April

Broken April by Ismail Kadare
First Published in: 1978
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by: Jen
Find it/Buy it here: Broken April

In the last three weeks I’ve been reading a lot of books set in the Balkans, but none have stood out as much as Broken April. Ismail Kadare is Albania’s most well-known author and in 2005 he became the first winner of the International Man Booker prize. Broken April is a powerful novel about Albania’s tradition of blood feuds. Read more

Nov 19

7 Comments

The National Book Award Winners 2015

national book award

Last night they announced the winners of the National Book Awards. Keep reading to find out who took home the prize. Read more

Nov 17

21 Comments

Winter Reading Challenge: Reader’s Room Scavenger Hunt

It’s time to announce our upcoming challenge: The Reader’s Room Scavenger Hunt! The challenge will start December 1 and end March 15, 2016. Detailed instructions will be posted on our challenge page (in the pull down challenge menu tab under “winter challenge”). Keep reading to find out more about the upcoming challenge. Read more

Nov 16

5 Comments

Featured Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

This month’s featured author is one of my (Jen) favorites: Jeffrey Eugenides. Next month we will feature one of Book Worm’s favorite authors.
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Nov 16

5 Comments

The Heart Goes Last: Giveaway Winner

The winner of The Heart Goes Last signed copy goes to… Read more

Book Worm’s rating system

★ Bah I really hated this would not even pass this to my worst enemy
★★ I really didn't like this but would consider giving it to my worst enemy for vengeful purposes
★★★ this was an enjoyable way to pass the time not great not horrendous
★★★★ really enjoyed this book there was something about it that made me think
★★★★★ wow I loved this book I am now out recommending it to all my friends, will keep to re read even though I have banned re reads