BOOKS
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Keep Your Inner Child Alive: Children’s Books We All Loved
In 1962, Philippe Ariés published a revolutionary work titled Centuries of Childhood. As part of his research, Ariés drew on a variety of sources, including paintings from the 1700s, which depicted children not as kids but as miniature adults. He asser...more
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Another Nicholas Sparks tearjerker: The dish on Dear John
Whenever I first saw the trailer for Dear John, I was more than excited. Being an avid fan of Nicholas Sparks and his super easy to read and sometimes overly sappy novels, I was hoping that a movie would finally be made about one of his books that followe...more
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A Favorite Fiction Chick: Jodi Picoult
Most chicks have heard of Jodi Picoult, probably from the movie based on her book My Sister’s Keeper, but have you checked out her other books?
If you haven’t you should really consider it, especially if you liked “My Sister’s Keeper.” She cove...more
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Young women save The Lovely Bones
Back in November The Lovely Bones was on all awards watchers list just due to Peter Jackson previous pedigree. No one had seen it, yet it was based on a best selling book and had awards potential written all over it. Then people starting seeing it and...more
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Autobiograhy of Red: A Verse Novel
Today, we have only fragments of Stesichorus’ original masterpiece, Song of Geryon, which tells the story of Herakles’ Tenth Labor and the death of the red-winged monster, Geryon. In Autobiography of Red, Anne Carson retells the myth with a modern twi...more
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Gee Whiz, Women Do Write Good Books
Unlike the Publishers Weekly year end list which included no women, the NY Times has included a bunch of women on its 10 best list of 2009. In fact, 4 of the 5 fiction books are by women.
Here they are. Full list will appear in the December 13 book r...more
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The Coal Tattoo- A Diamond in the Rough
As everyone frantically finishes up papers and crams for exams this next week, I’d like to suggest a little light reading for your after-Thanksgiving naps. I love this book so much I’d really like to suggest it to anyone, anytime. Set in the 1950’s ...more
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Sexism Watch: Publishers Weekly Top Ten Books of 2009
The editors of Publishers Weekly have thrown down the gauntlet picking the top 10 books of the year and SURPRISE they are all by guys.
Here’s what Louisa Ermelino said about how they chose the books:
From more than 50,000 volumes, we valiantly set out...more
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Awards Watch: National Book Award Nominees
Here are the women who were nominated for the National Book Awards. Winners will be announced on November 18,
Fiction
Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press)
Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Alfred A. Knopf)
Non-Fictio...more
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Ten Memoirs By Unforgettable Women
“Everyone has at least one good book in them.” The memoir, especially in recent years, has often proved this adage true. When all else fails, writers usually turn to their personal lives for inspiring material that will get the ink flowing.
The foll...more
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Top 5 best books that college professors made me read
As an English major, it pains me to admit that I hardly ever read for fun during college. While I would like to say that block classes and city internships monopolized my spare time, the truth is, I was so tired of reading for class that I could hardly mu...more
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The Top 5 Classics Every Chick Should Read Before She’s 25
In the age of HDTV, DVDs, shows online, and iPods, it’s hardly a wonder that the reading of actual books has been on the decline. While the idea of chugging through a thick classic novel may seem daunting and uninteresting, I’ve compiled a top five co...more
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Good and Bad Literary News
Let’s start with the good news.
Women dominate the long list for the Canadian award the Scotiabank Giller Prize. (The prize is named for former reporter Doris Giller.) On the list of 12, women make up 10 of the nominees.
The list includes:
Margare...more
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Diablo Cody gets new gig
Seems that Diablo Cody is continuing to beat the odds. Even though the Jennifer’s Body box office was weak she seems to have gotten her next gig. Let’s also keep in mind that Toni Collette won a surprise best actress Emmy on Sunday night for the U...more
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Superheroines can be divas, too
Lots of comic book fans were stunned earlier this month when Marvel made the unexpected decision to merge with the Walt Disney Company. But earlier in the summer, the comic book company made another unexpected decision–except this one was actually kin...more
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Top 10 Comic Book Heroines & Villains of All Time
From six-foot tall Amazon beauties to mind-controlling mutants, the heroines and villains of history’s most enduring comic books have redefined the boundaries of female empowerment and strength. No longer are feminine roles confined to screaming on top ...more
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MacArthur Genius Awards-2009
The Macarthur Foundation has annointed its list of “geniuses” for 2009 and happily its split 50/50.
Here are the women recipients (captions from AP):
Lynsey Addario, 35, photojournalist, Istanbul, Turkey. Creating a visual record of major conflicts ...more
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Remembering Silver Palate Founder Sheila Lukins
I was traveling this past Monday so missed the news of the passing of Sheila Lukins on August 30, 2009 at age 66 of brain cancer. My husband Marc said,"you should write something about Sheila since the Silver Palate was such a part of our lives together i...more
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