The Book Fair

Tonight, I’m signing books at my old school’s book fair. There’s something about going back to your old school that creates its own time warp. In my head, it’s suddenly 1989 again and I’m in a kilt. Or 1995 (still in a kilt!). And I remember, very vividly, just what that book fair meant to…

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Mapping the Bookstores of My Youth

This morning, Helen sent me this picture of The Ashford Affair at the B&N on 86th Street– and it started me off on a spate of nostalgia about the bookstores of my youth. That particular B&N wasn’t there when I was little, but there was always a B&N on 86th Street. The B&N of my…

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Pink Goes on Vacation

Sadly, not my vacation (I’m still here with Miss Gwen), but I was thrilled to read this article in Kirkus by the wonderful Sarah of Smart Bitches Trashy Books about vacation reading generally and the Pink books specifically. If my books go to the beach, does that mean I get a tan? What’s your vacation…

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Hither and Yon

Out and about on the internet, there are a few interesting things going on. Vintage Reels is hosting a Pink Carnation book club. Pop by to discuss your reactions to Pink I– or invite a friend to get started on Pink! One person chosen from the comments section will receive a copy of The Masque…

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The Book Stash

Today on AAR, there’s a post about book hoarding. It’s the book equivalent of saving the cherry on the top of the cupcake for last: holding books you’re excited about in reserve for some particularly meaningful moment. This hit home today because I’m finally reading Kate Morton’s The Distant Hours, which I’ve had sitting around…

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Best Of….

That title is a little misleading. As we hover on the edge of 2012, the books I’m thinking of are those that made the deepest impression on me in the old year, that impacted or changed me in some way. — Frances Osborne’s The Bolter, which set me off on my Kenya project. — Kate…

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Romancing the Improbable

Last night, I re-watched one of my favorite movies, While You Were Sleeping. I hadn’t seen it in a very long time and I was struck, once again, by the fundamental paradox of it: they manage to build plausible characters and realistic character development within a plot frame that, by all rights, shouldn’t work at…

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Links, Links, Links

It’s been a particularly good week for entertaining bits of this and that on the internet. So, for those who haven’t already stumbled across these…. — A lyrical essay on why men should date women who read: “If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads. Or better yet,…

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Guilty Pleasures

Do you ever go through book or television fads? Ones that you feel rather silly about but can’t stop reading/watching anyway? My latest is a British TV show called Doc Martin. No, nothing to do with the iconic 90s footwear. It’s about a doctor in a small Cornish town. What I find fascinating about this…

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Happy Halloween!

To everyone who was pummeled by this weekend’s blizzard, I hope you’re staying warm and dry. A white Christmas is one thing; a white Halloween quite another! In honor of Halloween, I’ve reproduced a blog post from the vault, from October of 2007: The Costume Less Traveled. Because, let’s face it, my costumes were always…

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