Wait for It

I made a commitment at Goodreads to read 100 books this year. So far I'm slightly ahead of where I need to be, but I am also cheating a bit--I've been reading a lot of children's books. Anyway, my little update here is to inform you that many more books reviews will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Even More Reviews!

It's still the holidays, but I can't sit around and do nothing, so here are some more book reviews.

Tibetan Book of the Dead by Guru Rinpoche

Death is a part of life. There’s not getting around that. Death is also a major subject in the world’s religions. One religious text that deals with death is the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Guru Rinpoche. There are many different versions and translations of this particular book. This review focuses on the Shambhala pocket edition (256 pages, Shambhala Pocket Classics, $7.00) with translation and commentary provided by Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa.

Read more: http://relijournal.com/buddhism/exploring-the-book-of-the-dead/#ixzz1ejmRbcNu

Zen edited by Randy Burgess

Zen is the feeling, the aura that many in this life want to achieve. But what is zen? Is it a feeling? A way of life? In Zen (79 pages, Andrews and McMeel, $4.95), edited by Randy Burgess, the basic history and explanations of what the idea of zen can be is explored.

Read more: http://relijournal.com/buddhism/the-little-book-of-zen/#ixzz1ejmL1ll0

Fortune-Telling Book of Dreams by A.M. McCloud

When we dream, it has been said that we are looking deep into our minds to seek out what we really want. Dreams can often be interpreted in a variety of ways. Much of what we dream must be decoded from symbols instead of reading what’s on the surface.

Read more: http://socyberty.com/psychology/reading-your-dreams/#ixzz1ejnLsTd2

New Reviews!

Finally got around to reviewing some more books... check them out and let me know what you think.

An Illustrated Romance (review of Kiss & Tell by MariNaomi)
Discovering Home (review of No Place Like Home by Brooke Berman)
Flights of Fancy: The Great Pretenders (review of The Great Pretenders by Julia Wertz)
John Lennon's Story Through Pictures (review of John Lennon: Unseen Archives by Marie Clayton)
Hostility in Writing: Passive Aggressive Notes (review of Passive Aggressive Notes by Kerry Miller)

Book clubs for the 21st century

When I think of book clubs, I always get the picture of middle-aged housewives in 1960s fashions sitting around the living room, eating finger sandwiches and drinking iced tea. That's such a stereotype about book clubs that I saw everywhere as a kid. But now with the help of social media, book clubs have really evolved.

With things like Be the Change Bookclub and Online Book Club, anyone in the world can participate in a lively discussion about books. Book clubs now feature not only people with ample time to read, but those who read a few pages a day on their Kindle while commuting on the subway.

It's such a fast paced world, but with new technology and better ways to reach out, you can quickly become a part of an online community that meets your book discussion needs. And it's a great way to get started writing book reviews too!

Going in a new direction

My favorite books are the kind with a little bit of adventure, a little bit of comedy, and a lot of romance. I tend to stay away from books that tell me how to do something or explain why others do what they do. So it's strange to be looking into books about genealogy research. I started doing this type of research recently so I'm finding books that can help me along in the process. These books claim they can tell me how to conduct research, how to cite sources, and how to write this information into a publishable format. I have base information on all of these tasks to work with, so hopefully when I get one (or more) of these books, I'll be able to just skim through and get the additional information I need.

And on the "current reads" front? I suddenly got busy. Not an excuse, because I know how important and relaxing it is to escape in a book. So, my goal for this week is to crack open a book or two so I can finally have a new review out in a few weeks. Let's hope I can find the time!

Almost finished!

I'm nearly finished with at least two of the three books I'm reading at the moment. Then I'll finally be able to write my book reviews and get back to making this blog more enjoyable for anyone that's still following it. Now I'm off to finish the books!

Life happens

Now that I have a significant amount of free time because of the end of my project at work, I can finally return to reading. I'm still working on three books: The Selected Writings of Gertrude Stein, Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, and Tom Brokaw's Boom!. It seems like a lifetime since I've picked up a book, but I'm going to pick one up today. Work is extremely slow and I don't have to worry about getting things done for the next few days.

And after finally logging into Entrecard today, we have another book review at Book Review Bin. You can check it out in the left column under Book Reviews.

Have a great week!

Ultimate Reviews

I'm just curious: does anyone read NY Times Book Reviews to choose the next book you want to read? Do you pay attention to any reviews at all before deciding to delve into a book? Personally, I have never read a book review before picking up a book. Movies - sure. Always read reviews before wasting your money. But I think that book reviews sometimes ruin the book. At least movie reviews keep out most of the surprises.

Reviews on a bad book?

It's inevitable - someday, somehow you will pick up a book that sounds interesting. Once involved in the story, you realize that the plot is weak, characters are flat, and you didn't even enjoy reading the gratuitous sex scene. It was a BAD BOOK. You want to warn your fellow reading community that this is not worth their time, but how can you effectively write a book review without getting caught up in your anger for a blatant misuse of the English language? Well, I have found an excellent handout about writing book reviews. It provides an outline for writing a review as well as tips to keep a balanced perspective in your review, even when you felt like burning the book after reading it.

You can find the handout HERE.

Hmmmm....

I think it has been way too long since this blog has featured an actual book review. I'm still stuck on reading Boom! by Tom Brokaw because lately I have been much more interested in movies than in reading books. I mean, I have to sit at the computer all day. Half the time is spent reading research and the other half of the time is spent writing about that research. So, if any readers out there have a book review they want to share, go ahead and reply to this post with a link to it. Thanks!

Ever get the feeling that if you don't share your opinions on a book that you will just explode? Sometimes it's hard to tell someone about a book if they haven't read it, or worse – they have no interest in reading it. So I thought I would together a list of the top sites for posting books reviews.

1.Goodreads
2.Shelfari
3.LibraryThing
4.Bibliophil

I have not had the chance to personally use any of these sites, but I have talked to people who have used these sites with success. Now you can finally begin a dialogue with someone else who has enjoyed the book. And what's better than a virtual book discussion? (yep, I'm a nerd)

New Book Reviews

While I'm still in the midst of reading three books at the same time, here are some other book reviews that I thought I would share with you, written by others who love reading just as much as I do.

What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Enjoy!

Any Requests?

What do you look for in a book? How do recommendations from friends, family members, and professional book reviewers impact the choices that you make when you choose the next book to read?

Anyone Up for the Challenge?

Hey all you authors out there! I know you're lurking around this site, wondering if you should submit your book to me. I do give honest, thoughtful reviews of all work. And I do reviews ebooks as well as physical, in-your-hands copies. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and send a copy my way. Guaranteed promotable book reviews in two weeks or less.

YA Reviews

Here are a couple of YA books that I reviewed recently. They are from the American Dreams series, and if you ever saw the NBC show of the same name, then you will already be familiar with the life and times of the Pryor family. These books follow the story of this 1960s era family, through the good times and the bad, as told through the perpesctive of 16 year old Meg. They are good, quick reads if you love the 60s, but they are not really deep. Here are the reviews:

American Dreams 1: Dance with Me
American Dreams 5: Fair Play

Welcome All!

If you are looking for book reviews, you will want to stay right here and check them out. This blog will be dedicated to book reviews and promoting new books in any genre. If you are an author and would like to have a book reviewed here, all you have to do is EMAIL the reviewer and get everything set up.

So why should you have your book reviewed here? Basically it's free advertising. Not only is this blog out there on the internet, but it is connected to networks and other sites that will help with the promotion of your book.
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Are you a writer that already has book reviews online? EMAIL me and I will link to your book review, as long as you can include a backlink to this blog from your own personal blog website.