Blog Archive

Dealbreakers and Spoilers

Note: This piece contains spoilers for Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs. Be warned! As a reviewer, avoiding spoilers in my assessment of a novel is important. Generally, the rule is that anything that is revealed…

The Oscars

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKo-GBt5M0U It may be silly, but I really love awards shows– especially the Awards Show of All Awards Shows, the Oscars.  I hardly ever see many of the nominated movies (I think this year I’ve seen…

Stuart’s Coat, Sara’s Spectacles, and Jessica’s Glove

I’ve been thinking lately about what is it about some writers that make their books magical for readers in ways that others aren’t. First, a confession: I read contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormals, but historical…

Pets and Romance

As I was reflecting this week on elements that unify us as readers, it occurred to me that many of my reading colleagues are also fellow animal lovers. I live in a house filled with rescued…

I definitely take these photos.

I saw this on Engadget the other day, and thought it was pretty cool. Basically, a Swiss photographer named Corinne Vionnet searched the Internet for hundreds of tourist photos of major attractions (Eiffel Tower, Big Ben,…

Apple Has Caused a Ruckus. Again.

But this time it’s not over the latest iPod iteration or another generation-defining device.  Nope, now they’re pissing people off with their new subscription rules. The facts are these: Consumers can now subscribe to magazines and…

Buried Treasures of 2010

2010 seems to have been a good reading year for many of our readers and also for AAR staff. Some of the books we’ve loved have gotten lots of buzz, but there are always those buried…

Homemade Veggie Burgers

My go-to quick meal of late has been Morning Star Garden Veggie Burgers.  I had never really liked veggie burgers, but when there wasn’t anything else in the kitchen during a trip home, I thought I…

Speaking of Audiobooks: March 2011 Releases

Two categories are now marked completed in my 2011 Listening Challenge.  I’m going for Level Three which means completing 12 of the 14 categories.  First up was Listen to an Abridged Audiobook.  Last year this category…