Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving, the time to spend with family and friends stuffing yourself full of lots of good food!

There are so many things I love about this holiday, but (besides taking time out to be thankful for all I have) my favorite part is eating! My grandma always made some wonderful food when we went to her house for Thanksgiving, but this year, my family is staying at home. That means we have to cook ourselves!

Any favorite Thanksgiving cookbooks? I'd love to hear what your family makes each year for the holiday!

Stumped!

Alright, it's that time of the year where I am completely unmotivated and braindead. This makes it hard to come up with original ideas for my blog. Is there a certain topic you think I should bring up, or a particular book you'd like me to read and review? I'm open to suggestions! Heck, I might even subject myself to reading a Twilight series book if you asked me to.

Anyone out there?? Please help me!

Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?

Today, I want to highlight one of my favorite book bloggers, Trish at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'? She always has interesting posts and reviews lots of good books, which, of course, she reads a lot of (64 so far in 2009). I'm waiting for her review of "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro, which she recently tweeted that she loved. It was shortlisted for the 2005 Booker Prize so it must be pretty good!


But one of my favorite of Trish's posts didn't actually have to do with books, but with "bookish" wedding invitations and business cards. They are absolutely adorable! I love my wedding invites, but if I had had tons of cash/time to spend, I would have really enjoyed having invitations like these. Check out the post and let me know what you think!

So Many Books, So Little Time

What title better evokes the feeling of voracious readers everywhere than So Many Books, So Little Time?

Sara Nelson's work is a book about books, one of my favorite genres. This is a wonderful read, not only because she recommends some amazing novels, but also because she relates the books to experiences in her own life.

Nelson's writing is relatable and funny. Reading "So Many Books" is sort of like talking to a friend about favorite books as well as literature in general.

I have it on my shelf and will definitely be reading it again some time. It's that enjoyable.

Live Alone and Like It

Since I've recently been talking about fairly lengthy and serious novels, I thought today I'd feature a fun, little read that I find rather hilarious. It's called Live Alone and Like It by Marjorie Hillis.

It was originally published in 1936 and holds advice for single women on how to live by oneself stylishly. It contains chapters with titles such as "Pleasures of a Single Bed," "A Lady and Her Liquor" and "Solitary Refinement."

I recently lent this to a friend who loved it so much that she immediately ordered two copies, one for herself and the other for her sister.

So ladies, if you're in need of a Christmas present for a single friend or just a pick-me-up for yourself, I highly recommend this book. I guarantee you'll love it!

Annette Vallon

So, I am still reading "The Peabody Sisters" which is no surprise to me since 1) it's a hefty book and 2) I have not had much time to read recently. I am thoroughly enjoying it so far though, and it brought to mind another book about an extraordinary woman that I wanted to share with you.

It's called Annette Vallon: A Novel of the French Revolution by James Tipton. It is another long one (528 pages) but it is such a good read that it doesn't matter.

The book is a historical fiction based on the life of Vallon, a lover of the poet William Wordsworth as well as a worker with the underground revolution fighting the Reign of Terror in France. As I was reading Tipton's work, I kept thinking to myself, "How did I never know about this amazing woman?"

"The Peabody Sisters" and "Annette Vallon" have both caused me to appreciate the fact that I am a woman living in the 21st century. Although still many injustices are done to women around the world today, the challenges women faced up until the 20th century were incredible. Annette and the Peabody sisters all went against the grain and fought for their right to education, life and love, and, for this, they should be commended.

Christmas List!

Yes, it's only mid-November, but I am beginning to think about what I want for Christmas. This could also be attributed to the fact that my grandma wants my list early this year to get a head start on shopping!

I was looking at the Bas Bleu catalog the other day (see my last post for a full description) and just couldn't stop marking up the pages with books I want for the holidays.

I am still looking for more suggestions though. Any of you have any ideas of books I absolutely must ask for?

Bas Bleu

OK. I am going to tell you all about one of the best kept secrets in the literature world, for which you should be eternally grateful to me. It's called Bas Bleu.

Bas Bleu is a book catalog as well as Web site that has one of the best selections of literature I've ever seen. The books that they feature are always interesting and, for the most part, relatively unknown.

It is well worth checking them out!

Can you match the author with the book?

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Missing home..

About this time every year, I begin to get really homesick. Even though I now consider Pittsburgh my home, I do miss my hometown and family a lot sometimes.

One of the things I miss most about back home is our cute little bookstores like the Doylestown Bookshop. It's literally a few blocks from my house and has a great selection.

Another favorite of mine is a used bookstore that's in this huge, old townhouse and is divided into two parts. The first part has a lot of contemporary fiction, biographies and such and the other specializes in older copies of classics. I've got many a book there, and for a great price, too!

Although I love the smell of new books just off the press (yes, I know I'm a nerd), I don't think anything can beat the worn appeal of an old novel. In my new apartment, I have lots of bookshelves and plan to fill them to the brim with old books.

Do you have a favorite used book?

What fictional character from a novel are you?

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Controversial Religious Debate Books

I just read a review for this book called The Case for God and it intrigued me. Recently, there are has been a trend of books being written by atheists and agnostics about God, such as "The God Delusion," "God is Not Great" and "The Evolution of God."

"The Case for God," however, is written by a former nun who, unlike most of the authors of the books mentioned above, believes that there is a higher being. Looks worthy of checking out.

And here is a cartoon that I just had to share because it made me chuckle a little:

"Where the Wild Things Are" Interview