Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you are enjoying your time with family and friends.
Who Are Your Auto-Buy Authors?
December 12, 2014 by
Hello everyone! The holidays are nearly here, but I have a treat for you! If you haven’t liked the Savvy Verse & Wit Facebook page yet, go do it now.
Beginning Dec. 12 (sometime this afternoon the first pick will be revealed), I’ll reveal one of the books on my Best of 2014 book list, through Dec. 24.
That’s one book from the list per day, with a tidbit about why I loved the book and a link to where you can buy it.
Today, I wanted to talk about those authors we love so much that we buy their books automatically no matter what the subject. I used to have just a few of those authors, but my list is now growing! I thought today would be a good day to share not only the older ones on the list, but also the newer ones that have joined the ranks.
My previous list:
- Yusef Komunyakaa
- Tim O’Brien
- Stephen King
- Anita Shreve
- Amy Tan
- Isabel Allende
- James Patterson
- Anne Rice
- Mary Oliver
- Billy Collins
My additions to the list:
- Beth Kephart
- Jeannine Hall Gailey
- Jane Odiwe
- Syrie James
- Abigail Reynolds
- Karen White
- Beth Hoffman
- Jill Mansell
- Janel Gradowski
- Diana Raab
- C.W. Gortner
- John Shors
I find it interesting that there are many more female authors being added to my auto-buy list.
I’m not really sure why so many great female authors are being added to my auto-buy list these days. It isn’t that I haven’t read some great male authors, but perhaps I need to read more of them to get a true sense of their work and whether I want to buy it automatically no matter the subject.
Do you have auto-buy authors? Who are they? What attracts you to their work?
Don’t forget to like the Savvy Verse & Wit Facebook page to find out over the next 12 days which books made the 2014 Best list.
Read-a-Long of Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien
December 5, 2014 by
In the final read-a-long for the 2014 War Through the Generations, we will return to a favorite author of mine — Tim O’Brien.
We’ll be reading Going After Cacciato, which I haven’t read since sometime shortly after college. It will be only the second time I’ve read it, and I hope that some of you will join us for your first reading of this novel about the Vietnam War.
Since the holidays are approaching for many of us, we’ve split the book into two parts for the read-a-long to make it easier.
Discussion questions will be posted on Fridays for the designated chapters. Here’s the reading schedule and discussion dates:
- Friday, Dec. 12: Discussion of Chapters 1-24
- Friday, Dec. 19: Discussion of Chapter 25-the end
We’re wrapping up another year at War Through the Generations, and we’re hoping that you’ll join us for the final read-a-long.
Kobo Sales!
November 30, 2014 by
For those of you looking for great deals on Kobo items; check out these deals:
Black Friday Sale! Up to 75% Off Bestsellers From Every Genre! Valid through 11/30/14! 
Black Friday Sale! Up to 50% Off Select Popular Magazines! Valid through 12/3/14!
Black Friday Sale! Get $40 Off Kobo Aura- Now Only $99.99! Valid through 12/1/14!
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2014 by
Join Us for the Going After Cacciato Read-a-Long
November 23, 2014 by
As part of the War Through The Generations 2014 Reading Challenge with a Twist, we’ll be hosting our final read-a-long in December for the Vietnam War.
For December, we’ll be reading Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien.
Discussion questions will be posted on Friday for the designated chapters. Here’s the reading schedule and discussion dates:
- Friday, Dec. 12: Discussion of Chapters 1-24
- Friday, Dec. 19: Discussion of Chapter 25-the end
We’re breaking up the book into just two weeks given the holidays at the end of the month, and we hope that you’ll carve out some time to read along with us.
Something Wicked Read-a-Long
October 24, 2014 by
Ti and Sandy are hosting the Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury read-a-long. We’re discussing it on blogs and Twitter with the hashtag #EnterTheRingmaster.
We read the second section, which is Ch. 25-44, and it is getting tougher to hold off reading the rest before the final discussion on Halloween!
This section moved a lot more quickly for me with the hiding from the carnival gang and the boys being scared out of their minds. Will and Jim are still a bit interchangeable to me, but at this point I’m over it. And the language hasn’t been as difficult to get through — it’s like they have some kind of mid-western dialect or some language that’s all their own. The revelations about the carnival were not all that revealing to me, but maybe that’s because I’ve read too much Stephen King and other odd little stories about carnivals. But it wasn’t so predictable that it made me stop reading.
I am still wondering about the relationship between Will and his father and why they have never communicated before now, and where are Jim’s parents — we know he at least have a mother — but where has she been all this time. It seems like his parents are not around much for him, which is why he seems to be expected to get in trouble.
Sisterhood of the Bloggers World Award!
October 19, 2014 by
Many thanks and good wishes to Diane of FictionZeal for nominating me for the Sisterhood of the Bloggers World Award! Here’s the post she did.
Diane’s blog is new to me, but from the posts I’ve seen, she likes some great historical crime fiction and fantasy-like novels.
Here are the rules:
- Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their site
- Post the award’s logo on your blog
- Answer the 10 questions you’ve been asked
- Nominate 10 bloggers
- Set 10 new questions for your nominees
Here are my nominees:
- BookChatter
- Diary of an Eccentric
- Bermudaonion
- Rhapsody in Books
- Under My Apple Tree
- I’d Rather Be at the Beach
- Booking Mama
- Suko’s Notebook
- Everything Distils Into Reading
- Musings From Sri Lanka
Diane’s questions for the nominees:
- What’s the last book you’ve read and why did it appeal to you?
I read several books at a time, but the last book I finished was Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming, which is a memoir that is not only about his relationship with his father, but also about his whole family and how his past influenced him as an adult. I have a hard time finding memoirs I love, but since I love his acting on The Good Wife, I couldn’t resist reading this one.
- Do you have a favorite book? Please name it.
My favorite book…just one?! That’s tough, but it’s a tie between The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux and Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.
- I could drink coffee all day. If you’re a coffee lover, what do you take in it? If not, what do you drink in the morning?
I LOVE coffee, but French Vanilla or dark roasts. I take mint creamer when its available or some kind of caramel creamer.
- How do you choose books to review?
I choose books to review based on mood, synopsis, and author. I have authors I love to read no matter what they write and then there are wars that I like to read about — WWII and Vietnam War — but I also like books set in Spain, Portugal, and Asia.
- What does your review process look like?
I tend to write up the reviews right after I read the book. I take an hour or so between the end of the book and when I begin writing a review. If there are aspects of a book that bother me, I tend to put notes in my review to go back and look at those things. Sometimes I incorporate those notes in the review and sometimes I don’t, especially if by the end of the book they are no longer as bothersome or important to my enjoyment or lack thereof of the book.
- If you could sit with any author for the day (living or dead), who would it be and what would you talk about?
I honestly have no idea who I would choose. Probably the poet Sylvia Plath to talk about her poetry and her work as a poet. Whether she ever struggled to write poems or if they just flowed freely.
- Do you have any suggestions for bloggers who are just starting?
Be true to yourself and write reviews that tell the truth about how you felt or liked a book — do not compromise your integrity for a free book.
- Do you have any authors that you consider ‘autobuy’?
Some of my auto-buy authors are Stephen King, Yusef Komunyakaa, Anita Shreve, Jill Mansell, Mary Oliver, Richard Blanco, Isabel Allende, Beth Kephart, Billy Collins, Pam Jenoff, Syrie James, Sarah McCoy, Pablo Neruda — there are many more….
- What do you find most challenging about blogging?
Time management because it isn’t just writing reviews, but also reading entire books. I have a 3-yr-old who demands a lot of attention, not to mention house work, a full-time job, and a husband. I have to juggle quite a bit.
- What was the process in choosing your blog’s name?
There was no process really. It just came to me at first as Savvy Verse (for poetry) and Wit just happened to come naturally — hence Savvy Verse & Wit.
Here are the questions for the nominees:
- Why/when did you start to love reading?
- Ebooks, Paperback or Hardcover?
- Who would be your fictional boyfriend?
- What’s the last book you’ve read and why did it appeal to you?
- How do you choose books to review?
- What does your review process look like?
- If you could sit with any author for the day (living or dead), who would it be and what would you talk about?
- What do you find most challenging about blogging?
- Do you have any authors that you consider ‘autobuy’?
- If you could only read series or standalone books for the rest of your life, which would it be?
The Monuments Men Read-a-Long
October 17, 2014 by
The read-a-long of The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter with Anna from Diary of an Eccentric has begun at the War Through the Generations blog. Last week, we read Ch. 1-14, and this week we read Ch. 15-28.
If you missed the first discussion, go here.
If you are ready for the second discussion, go here.
Next Friday, we’ll be discussing Ch. 29-42.
Read-a-Long Fun….
October 10, 2014 by
So, I’ve joined the War Through the Generations read-a-long of The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter with Anna from Diary of an Eccentric. I hope you’ll join the discussion for chapters 1-14. We’ll have a discussion for chapters 15-28 next Friday, Oct. 17.
Here’s the discussion for week 1.
I’ve also joined Ti and Sandy for the Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury read-a-long.
I was having a tough time following the narration because the dialogue and the narration prose was a little off. Will and Jim seem very similar, though I think one is more daring than the other. Not sure which one that is at this point. I am hoping to have a better handle on these boys now into the next section, but we’ll see. The narration is too close to the boys for my liking in a third-person narrator.
I do like the creepy nature of the town and the carnival, especially the “nephew” of their school teacher. I always am down for creepy carnivals and characters….I’ve always been a little creeped out by these things. I’m looking forward to what happens next as the boys uncover more about the carnival and its residents/workers.
Bradbury does seem to be keeping things close to the vest here and he does appear to be making fun of adults as naive and the kids more observant and in the know about the carnival and the evil things to come. I’ll also still be looking forward to uncover the secret between Will and his father. Are you reading along with us? What are your thoughts so far?
Final Week: Read-a-long of Stella Bain
August 29, 2014 by
This year at War Through the Generations we’ve been hosting a read-a-long specific to one of the 6 wars we are covering.
As this year marks the 100th anniversary of WWI, we’ve decided to select one of our favorite authors — Anita Shreve — to honor the war.
Stella Bain is our selection for August. Synopsis from GoodReads:
When an American woman, Stella Bain, is found suffering from severe shell shock in an exclusive garden in London, surgeon August Bridge and his wife selflessly agree to take her in.
A gesture of goodwill turns into something more as Bridge quickly develops a clinical interest in his house guest. Stella had been working as a nurse’s aide near the front, but she can’t remember anything prior to four months earlier when she was found wounded on a French battlefield.
In a narrative that takes us from London to America and back again, Shreve has created an engrossing and wrenching tale about love and the meaning of memory, set against the haunting backdrop of a war that destroyed an entire generation.
Beware of spoilers.
Discussions will be posted on Friday for the designated chapters. Here’s the reading schedule and discussion dates:
Friday, Aug. 8: Pages 1-70
Friday, Aug. 15: Pages 71-138
Friday, Aug. 22: Pages 139-207
Friday, Aug. 29: Pages 208-end
We hope that you’ll join us for the read-a-long and discussions at War Through the Generations.
