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I’m a bit AWOL this week

September 22, 2010 by

I’m sure you’ve all been wondering where I’ve been the last few days.  In short, my parents are in town and we’ve been very busy, so all is quiet here on the blog at least for the time being.

I will have a review for you if not tomorrow, maybe the end of the week.  Please bear with me.  I’ll also have festival reports for you as the National Book Festival and Baltimore Book Festivals are this coming weekend.

If you haven’t checked out these festivals and you are in the area, you should drop by even for a few hours.  You’ll not only get to meet great authors but some great readers as well.  I should be at one or both of these events.  Maybe my clan will run into you.

Filed Under: announcements

BBAW Short Lists Are Out

September 1, 2010 by

bbaw2010_poetrybbaw2010_authorinterviews

Can you believe I’ve been short listed in two categories? I can’t! I’ve been short listed alongside some of my favorite blogs and even some others I haven’t heard of.

For the best Poetry Blog category, I’m happy to share the short list nomination with Jeanne at Necromancy Never Pays!

In the Best Author Interviews category, I share the honor with some other great bloggers:

Presenting Lenore
Savvy Verse & Wit
Wicked Lil Pixie

I hope that everyone voting will be sure to check out the links above and make the best selection in each category.  These posts contain the submissions for their respective categories.

Good luck to everyone.  And thanks for the nomination and short list!  I appreciate it.

Stay tuned for giveaways here on the blog during BBAW.

Filed Under: announcements, BBAW, Events

Colossal Milkshakes

August 9, 2010 by

When asked what I wanted to do for my birthday, which falls on a Tuesday this year, I told everyone that I wanted to visit the land of the colossal milkshake at Chick & Ruth’s Delly in Annapolis, Md.  I watch Man vs. Food when I remember that it’s on, and one episode was set in DC, though how Annapolis is DC, I’ll never know.  Anyway, the host of the show Adam Richman can put away food like I’ve never seen and the colossal challenge at Chick & Ruth’s is one of the closest to my house.  Let’s just say that I didn’t do the challenge because you have to drink the entire 6 POUND milkshake by yourself.

Anna and her family joined me and my hubby for lunch at this place, and while it was supposed to be just me and The Girl drinking down the 6 pound milkshake, we had to have some help and it took all five of us to finish it.  I’ve put together a slide show of our drinking adventure.

So what’s on my agenda for the rest of this birthday long weekend — yes, I took 2 days off to have a 4-day weekend and a moment of rest — I’m home and plan on reading and relaxing.  If I have any big adventures I’ll let you know!  Have a great week everyone!

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: ,

Ratings Poll Results

July 26, 2010 by

Looks like my readers are as on the fence as I am about whether I should include ratings in my reviews or not.

The votes were tied 13 in favor and 13 against.

So for now, I think I’ll stick with the end of year ratings breakdown.  Thanks for all of your input.

What do you think ratings do for reviews?  Do you use them and why?

Filed Under: announcements, poll results Tagged With:

eBooks Mess With Poetic Intent

July 22, 2010 by

eBooks continue to receive a lot of press, particularly when James Patterson becomes the first to sell more than 1 million ebooks and Kindle ebooks have outsold hardcovers.  But are ebooks the best option for all genres and will they translate into sales for short stories and poetry.

One poet — Billy Collins — has taken issue with ebooks.  The recent translation of his book, Ballistics, into an ebook was a disaster.  In one poem, a word was pushed onto a new line, creating a four-line stanza rather than the three-line stanza of the original poem.  According to a recent Associated Press story, ebook distributors and publishers cannot guarantee that the integrity of poems will be maintained once in electronic form.  Large indentations and other styles will likely lose their integrity in ebook form, creating new poems that are different than the poet envisioned or than the originally published poem.  These changes do not only apply to new poems, but also for the poems of older, dead poets.  Think of what [raise the shade] by e.e. cummings would look like in an ebook.

Collins says, “The critical difference between prose and poetry is that prose is kind of like water and will become the shape of any vessel you pour it into to. Poetry is like a piece of sculpture and can easily break.”  He’s right, and there are many other poets who are wary of providing their books electronically, even though it would behoove them to do so if they hope to sell more books.

Poets by and large do not earn a lot from their work, but the integrity of each poem is highest in their thoughts and actions when they produce, read, and sell those poems to the public.  However, poetry is available electronically across the Internet from online literary journals to other resources.  The question is how long will it take ebook publishers to get the poems right, especially when other online poetry magazines are ensuring the integrity of poems.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: ,

To Kill a Mockingbird is 50

July 11, 2010 by

Learn more about the 50th Anniversary of To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, re-released by Harper Collins, is a book I remember reading in middle school.  I was always a reader, but when it came to this book, I had misgivings.  I wasn’t sure I’d like the book at all, especially given the bland cover:

Would you want to pick up this book and read it for fun?  But what amazed me then is that this book stayed with me long after I’d read it, unlike many of the other books we had read in class.  Racism was not something we thought about in my tiny classroom, which was mostly white until I neared graduation in high school.  We lived in our own little bubble where we thought everyone was equal because that’s what we were taught.  Talk about ignorance.

Once we went through the incredible story, the teacher brought in the movie.  I was amazed by how this movie made this wonderful book come to life on the television.  I cannot tell you what happened to that copy of the movie or the book, but I’m sure they were used repeatedly until they couldn’t be used anymore.  This is one book that I will have to add to my collection, especially since its 50th Anniversary edition is ready!

You should check out the other celebrations across the Internet for this masterpiece.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: ,

Meeting Book Bloggers in the Nation’s Capital

June 27, 2010 by

Florinda was the first to fly into Washington, D.C., for her summer vacation, and Anna and I decided to meet her in Dupont Circle at Chipotle.  Before we had lunch, we decided to take a walk and chat and she took a few shots of the historic buildings in Dupont.  We were accosted several times by the Human Rights Campaign as one of their members was handing out stickers.  When you walk by the same person more than once, you’d think they’d realize they already asked you and that when you said no thank you, you meant it.

It was funny to realize upon meeting Florinda that she got to Dupont Circle early, just like we did, and she’d already been to one of my favorite bookstores, Kramer’s, and bought a bunch of books.  We did take her over to Books-a-Million , but we all refrained from buying any books.

Once inside Chipotle it was a quick ordering until Florinda wanted a veggie burrito bowl, and the poor man behind the counter had no idea why she didn’t want chicken.  Once we sat down to eat we chatted about crazy office structures and books, naturally.  And of course, I had to take a picture of the books we carried.  I was reading Garth Stein’s Raven Stole the Moon, Anna was reading The Visibles by Sara Shepard, and Florinda was reading This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson.

Most recently, Alyce came into town with her husband, who was apparently an important part of ALA this year.  Cecelia and Kristen met with Alyce before I could get to Matchbox DC in Chinatown with my husband.  We had a table for 12, but alas due to some cancellations and one no-show, it ended up being only the six of us.  I cannot tell you how wonderful the food and the service as at this pizzeria.  I would definitely eat there again, and they were so gracious to do a Friday reservation even though that is not their normal protocol.  Hubby and I ordered a Q Special, which was delicious, and even took a couple pieces home as leftovers.  Alyce and her husband shared a veggie pizza, and we took their one leftover slice home too.  Cecelia had her own anchovy pizza with some other stuff on it, but you know me and fish heads?!  I didn’t look to closely at her pizza.  Kristen got a crab cake sandwich that looked delicious.

We all chatted about our crazy blogging lives, with Kristen being the newbie to the blogging world, and our work lives.  It was such a great atmosphere that even my hubby chatted, and he’s not a big conversationalist…he’s pretty shy around people he doesn’t know.  He was gracious enough to take the picture of us (Me, Alyce, Terry, Cecelia, and Kristen) — going around the left side of the table around to the right front.  You should check out all these gals’ blogs!  Cecelia loves fantasy novels and more, while Kristen loves women’s fiction (even Nicholas Sparks — but we’ll forgive her for that one!)

And then came dessert, which basically meant that Alyce and myself were going to indulge in chocolate and Cecelia imbibed with a spiked and rich pecan pie.  And for some reason, my husband thought gulping down the cinnamon shot was a good idea.  Later on, Alyce, Terry, my hubby, and myself rode the metro together and got to see some interesting characters, including some girl with a red Chinese food container stuck on her head with her braids sticking out the sides.  Not sure what was up with that, but unfortunately, she was in another car of the train so I couldn’t take a clear photo . . . they all came out blurry.

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday, but I’ll be off celebrating my husband’s birthday!  Happy birthday honey!

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With:

Portugal Trounces North Korea

June 21, 2010 by

After waiting two years to see Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, score a goal with his national team, he succeeded today against North Korea as the time trounces the 105th ranked team in a 7-to-0 win.

After watching the first half of the game, it looked as though that North Korea would have a chance to come back in the second half.  But that was not to be as Portugal did not allow any openings for the North Koreans, and instead score seven goals with six different players to show the depth of their roster.

I am a happy camper that this team has finally won a decisive victory and revived their reputation as a leading soccer team.  I’ll leave you with a fun look at Ronaldo’s goal; I think he’s an acrobat:

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With:

Bloggers Converge on Washington D.C.

June 16, 2010 by

I know I love when I get to meet my book blogging buddies I can’t help but smile!  It’s a great way to put a face to a name and blog URL.  Beyond that, its an even better opportunity to get to know the person behind the blog and to talk about, what else, BOOKS.

There are a few meetups for D.C. Area bloggers interested in hanging out with some out-of-towners who will be visiting our nation’s capital.

First, Florinda from The 3 R’s Blog // Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness will be in town this weekend. We’re headed to Chipotle in Dupont Circle on June 19. Any of you crazy book bloggers in the area is welcome to join us at 1 p.m.

Second, Alyce from At Home With Books will be in town June 25 for dinner at 7 p.m.  If you’ll be in town and want to come, please email me so I can add you to the headcount.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With:

Welcome to Savvy Verse & Wit

May 23, 2010 by

Hello and Welcome to Savvy Verse & Wit, my online book review site that features reviews of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and other genres.

For a list of what I accept, visit my review policy.

Other policies you may be interested in are my affiliate policy and my advertising policy.  If you’d like to get to know me and the blog, please visit the About Me page.

***If you’re looking for today’s content, please scroll down to the next post.***

In addition to well written reviews that demonstrate what aspects of a book work and don’t work for me as a reader, you also will find interviews with authors, publishers, and poets and guest posts from authors and poets about their writing or writing spaces.

Occasionally, I will host giveaways for books and other items, but generally only when I’ve read the book or plan to read the book.

If you are new to blogs:

I provide honest reviews of books to help you select your next read and generate discussion with those who’ve already read the book in the comments.  To make comments, scroll to the bottom of posts and click “comments” to open the comment box and enter your thoughts.

Some recurring events here on the blog include:

  • The Virtual Poetry Circle in which a new poem is posted every Saturday and discussed in the comments using a model suggested by Molly Peacock.
  • Mailbox Monday, a book blogger community event in which I share my bookish goodies from the bookstore or publishers/authors.
  • The Literary Road Trip in which I introduce local MD/DC/VA metro region authors as part of a wider book blogger community project.
  • And occasional book blogger community events include Free Verse in which I share poetry; Library Loot where I showcase my library finds; Monday’s Movie in which I review a new or old movie I’ve seen; and a few others, which can be found in the navigation bar under Meme or Events.
  • I also participate in a number of reading challenges — click on Challenges in the navigation bar to see the list — that focus on a number of topics ranging from poetry to war-related books.

Upcoming events:

  • Guest reviews from my mom, Pat, May 24-28.
  • Review of Jill Mansell’s Rumor Has It on May 31.
  • Updates of local and bookish events; newer updates will focus on Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention in the coming weeks.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.  If you have any questions, don’t hestitate to drop me an email.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: ,

Matterhorn, Vietnam War, Read-a-long

May 16, 2010 by

Last month, we highlighted the publication of Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes, which was pared down from 1,000 pages to a cool 600 pages.

As participants of the Vietnam War Reading Challenge, I urge you to check out and think about joining the Matterhorn readalong on Twitter. Everyone who is participating seems to be reading at their own pace and discussing it online. All you have to do is follow the hashtag #MHorn.

I hope to be joining and reading along with everyone on Twitter as well, but we’ll see how far I get before Book Expo America.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: , ,

Raven Stole the Moon and Garth Stein

May 7, 2010 by

Sorry for all the posts today, but there is a lot going on these days on the blog.

Garth Stein is a phenomenal speaker and writer, and since my review of The Art of Racing in the Rain, my interview with him for the D.C. Literature Examiner, and my visit with him at a recent reading at The Writer’s Center, he’s republished Raven Stole the Moon.

Book synopsis:

When Jenna Rosen abandons her comfortable Seattle life to visit Wrangell, Alaska, it’s a wrenching return to her past. The hometown of her Native American grandmother, Wrangell is located near the Thunder Bay Resort, where Jenna’s young son, Bobby, disappeared two years before. His body was never recovered, and Jenna is determined to lay to rest the aching mystery of his death. But whispers of ancient legends begin to suggest a frightening new possibility about Bobby’s fate, and Jenna must sift through the beliefs of her ancestors, the Tlingit, who still tell of powerful, menacing forces at work in the Alaskan wilderness. Armed with nothing but a mother’s protective instincts, Jenna’s quest for the truth behind her son’s disappearance is about to pull her into a terrifying and life-changing abyss.

Before we get to the giveaway, I wanted to share with you some great video interviews with Garth Stein and Bill Kenower of Author Magazine:

You can visit Garth Stein’s YouTube channel.

Giveaway Details; I have one red, Raven umbrella, like the one on the cover of Raven Stole the Moon for US/Canada reader:

1.  Leave a comment about what interested you in these interview segments with Garth Stein.

2.  Blog, Tweet, Facebook, or spread the word about the giveaway and leave me a link.

3.  Become a Facebook fan or subscriber of the blog for another entry.

Deadline is May 17, 2010 at 11:59PM EST.

Filed Under: announcements, giveaway Tagged With: ,