To wrap up this week’s theme of Women’s Nonfiction, permit me to introduce you to one of the most intellectually challenging books I’ve ever read. Don’t be deceived by the illustrations: yes, it’s a graphic novel, but it nonetheless had me racing for the dictionary, the encyclopedia, and, on three separate occasions, a volume of [...]
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Our economy stinks right now. You will have noticed this, provided that you do not live in a cave. To improve your personal finances, you may wish to consider getting a better job (see yesterday’s post for some advice in that regard), or you may wish to ask for a raise (hellllllloooooooooooo, library administrators!).
But those [...]
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Sometime last year I discovered skirt! books, an imprint dedicated to Women’s Nonfiction, and so far I’ve liked everything they’ve published (see also, for instance, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips).
Which means that, yes, I have become a total library dweeb. You know it’s bad when you develop a fondness for particular publisher imprints.
skirt! Rules for the [...]
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Posted in Books, Characters, Coming of Age, Historical Nonfiction, Jessica's Picks, Memoir, Nonfiction, Quirky characters, Sense of place, Setting, Women's Nonfiction on April 8, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Here in the oldies-but-goodies category we have Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady. You can tell it was published in 1985. Just look at that cover. That particular shade of pink has been extinct for well over twenty years now.
The story itself, fortunately, has aged far better than the garish cover art. This is the [...]
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Posted in Books, Fast-paced, Graphic novel, Historical Nonfiction, Islam, Jessica's Picks, Memoir, Nonfiction, Quick read, Setting, Women's Nonfiction, Young Adult on April 7, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Common knowledge suggests that men tend to read nonfiction and that women tend to read fiction. Is this really true? Beats me– but I know this much for sure: There are a lot of women who like to read nonfiction. Some nonfiction titles have appeal that transcends sex or gender (think John Grisham’s book The [...]
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There’s a lot to love about the Oxford English Dictionary, I mean a lot: We’re talking about twenty volumes of lexicographical bliss.
But there’s a lot not to love, too. Let me address the downsides first.
Initially, the book is really difficult to get into. The text is composed of short vignettes, each one a gem, but [...]
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Here, read the first sentence and see if you’re hooked:
“I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; [...]
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Boobs! This is a book about boobs!
In this captivating, fast-paced, utterly readable investigation, Seligson invites us to examine breasts. (With words, I mean. No pictures here. Sorry.)
What a great topic! Sure, you could read Henry Petrosk’s latest microhistory, Toothpick (and I’m sure it’s a very fine book, haven’t read it myself) but let’s be honest: [...]
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Water for Elephants is a bestselling, popular title, so I’d heard a lot about it based on reviews and word-of-mouth. I knew the basic plot summary: Old man reflects back on his work with a traveling circus during the Depression.
“Blech,” I thought. “I do not want to read that. I will never read that. No [...]
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Here, let me go ahead and give you an excerpt from the best passage of the book. This will save you the chore of reading the rest of the review:
Melinda [the cow] raised her head and uttered a low, haunting howl. The rest of the herd joined her in a bloodcurdling moan that seemed to [...]
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