Book Talk: *Small Town Sinners*, by Melissa Walker

Book Talk: *Small Town Sinners*, by Melissa Walker

Small Town Sinners Melissa Walker (Twitter) (Facebook) Bloomsbury USA Children’s (2011), Hardcover (ISBN 1599905272 / 9781599905273) Fiction (YA), 288 pages Source: ARC from publisher (pub date July 2011) Reason for reading: Faith and Fiction Roundtable discussion Opening lines: “‘Take the wheel,’ says Starla Joy, sticking the grape lollipop she’s been working on into her mouth. She doesn’t even wait to see if I’ve followed her instructions – she just lets go and strips down, pulling […]

What the Hell (House)? Discussing *Small Town Sinners* (Faith & Fiction Roundtable)

What the Hell (House)? Discussing *Small Town Sinners* (Faith & Fiction Roundtable)

Melissa Walker’s YA novel Small Town Sinners (review to be posted on Monday) is the subject of the Faith & Fiction Roundtable’s current book discussion. The novel is focused on a group of teen members of the House of Enlightenment Evangelical church in the small town of West River as they prepare for their annual Hell House presentation/spiritual outreach project, and centered on Lacey Anne Byer, daughter of the assistant pastor. If you’ve never encountered […]

Comic-Con 2011, Part 3: Who’s your Doctor?

Comic-Con 2011, Part 3: Who’s your Doctor?

Parts 1 and 2 posted on Monday and Tuesday This is NOT the Doctor! We were up early again on Sunday for the last day of Comic-Con, loading up the car and driving back to the Convention Center, since we’d be heading straight home at the end of the day…but at the beginning, we headed straight for Hall H. Once again, we had a 12:30 panel as our goal, and this was our last chance […]

Book Talk: *The Girls of Murder City*, by Douglas Perry

Book Talk: *The Girls of Murder City*, by Douglas Perry

The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired CHICAGO Douglas Perry (book page) Penguin (Non-Classics) (2011), Paperback (ISBN 0143119222 / 9780143119227) History (20th century), 320 pages (including references) Source: Publisher (new paperback edition), for review Reason for Reading: Unputdownables’ Early Reader Group selection Opening Lines: “The most beautiful women in the city were murderers. “The radio said so. The newspapers, when they arrived, would surely say worse. Beulah Annan peered […]

Comic-Con 2011, Part 2: Getting Better, or Breaking Murphy’s Law

Comic-Con 2011, Part 2: Getting Better, or Breaking Murphy’s Law

Part 1 posted yesterday When we couldn’t make it into the room – or even get near the room, really – for any of the panels we’d hoped to see on Thursday or Friday morning, we had to re-think what we wanted to experience at Comic-Con. We also thought about how the Con needs to re-think its approach to crowd management and scheduling. We heard from other attendees that the Convention Center’s huge Hall H, […]

Comic-Con 2011, Part 1: Murphy’s Law

Comic-Con 2011, Part 1: Murphy’s Law

There are many special and unusual things about San Diego Comic-Con International. Not the least among them is that it’s one of the rare places where use of the frequently-derided Comic Sans font is not only accepted, it’s encouraged. However, I will not be using it to write these posts. This was our second time attending Comic-Con, so we didn’t think we were newbies, but we got plenty of surprises. Our first day on-site was […]

Sunday Salon: More reading, more listening, less ‘riting

Sunday Salon: More reading, more listening, less ‘riting

Blogging slumps are rather unusual for me, but I think I might be in the midst of one. That may be hard to believe this week, since I have posts written and scheduled for most of it already, but I’m not feeling the itch to blog – or to keep up with the blogiverse – the way I normally do. It feels weird, and I hope it doesn’t last very long…but I’m not going to […]

BlogHer’11: You Won’t See Me (This Time…)

BlogHer’11: You Won’t See Me (This Time…)

The fact that the 2011 BlogHer Conference starts today in San Diego may not mean much to some folks who read here, particularly those who don’t blog at all, blog only about books, or are guys (all four of you). But there are others who read here – and whose blogs I read in return – for whom this is A Very Big Deal. I went to BlogHer’09 in Chicago and BlogHer’10 in New York […]

Coming Soon: Book Blogger Appreciation Week, Year 4!

Coming Soon: Book Blogger Appreciation Week, Year 4!

It’s on its way…and whether it’s your first time or your fourth, you’re invited to be a part of all the fun and festivities! Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) was founded by Amy Riley of My Friend Amy in September 2008 as a way to celebrate the community she’d found online. Since then, it’s grown into a group effort with a dedicated team of behind-the-scenes helpers and literally hundreds of bloggers joining in the daily themed […]

Book Talk: *The Girl Who Was On Fire”, edited by Leah Wilson

Book Talk: *The Girl Who Was On Fire”, edited by Leah Wilson

The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games TrilogyLeah Wilson, editor/various contributorsSmart Pop (2011), Paperback (ISBN 1935618040 / 9781935618041)Literary essays, 224 pagesSource: PublisherReason for reading: Personal interest Book description, from the publisher’s website: “Katniss Everdeen’s adventures may have come to an end, but her story continues to blaze in the hearts of millions worldwide.In The Girl Who Was on Fire, thirteen YA authors take you back to Panem with […]