June 2012

June 30, 2012

7 Questions for Seamus McGraw, Author of The End of Country

Liz Sullivan of Liz & Giana's Adventures in Bookland recently caught up with Seamus McGraw recently to talk Playboy, music, and more.

June 29, 2012

Say ‘Yes’ to Chef Marcus Samuelsson: A Culinary Memoir to Please the Palate

The 2010 winner of 'Top Chef Masters' shares the story of his life -- from Ethiopia, to Sweden, and beyond -- to his current life in Harlem.

June 28, 2012

Believe the Indie Hype? Miranda July’s No One Belongs Here More Than You

There's a lot of chatter around the doe-eyed indie darling -- but is her work worth the buzz?

June 27, 2012

Meat, Potatoes, and The Innocent: On the Appeal of David Baldacci

David Baldacci escapes the pitfalls that many authors of his genre tend to fall into -- and comes out on the other side with riveting, thrilling fiction.

June 26, 2012

A Coming-of-Age Unlike Any Other: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Remember when you were in middle school? Remember what mattered to you? Now, imagine that the earth begins slowly, almost imperceptibly, until the days stretch to twice in length and beyond. What matters now?

June 25, 2012

The Timeless Resonance of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

To say that Dorian Gray is an exemplar of self-indulgence, vanity, and sensual greed is too simple, for the novel resonates in more complex -- and always modern -- ways.

June 24, 2012

Author Caroline B. Cooney Discusses the Creation of Her 5 Suspenseful ‘Janie’ Books

Five books about Janie and Reeve! No one is more astonished than I am. Over twenty years ago, I saw a homemade missing child poster and my heart broke for the parents whose child had vanished. But their task was hopeless -- nobody would recognize their daughter's photograph after so many years … except, I thought, if the little girl herself sees that picture.

June 23, 2012

The Lovely, Uncomfortable Intimacy of Rajesh Parameswaran’s I Am An Executioner

A collection of strangely loveable characters are deeply confused about the choices they are making, inspiring you to want to reach out to each of them, grab them by the shoulder and say, 'Friend, please, take a second to look at what you’re doing here.' But I assure you they won't listen.

June 22, 2012

Life, Loss, and the Secrets That Bind Us: Carol Rifka Brunt’s Tell the Wolves I’m Home

Brunt's debut novel about a young woman, the uncle she's lost, the secrets uncovered in the wake of his death, and the relationships affected by this will move you -- and continue to speak to you long after you finish it.

June 21, 2012

Ghetto Nerd Rising: Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Diaz's Pulitzer Prize-winning book is more than a novel; it is an oral tradition, an epic mythology.

June 20, 2012

Erik Larson’s Gripping Account of Pre-War Germany: In The Garden of Beasts

For those of you not yet familiar with Larson's work, be prepared to encounter an historian, a storyteller, unlike any other, in this meticulously researched walk through the Third Reich's Berlin.

June 19, 2012

Maggie Shipstead’s Sparkling Social Satirical Debut: Seating Arrangements

This is not a novel about a wedding; it's a novel about what happens in the wake of the pursuit of imagined perfection.

June 18, 2012

A Q&A With Self-Proclaimed Geek Ernest Cline, Author of Ready Player One

Truth be told, Ready Player One will leave you feeling a little nostalgic for the gloriousness of the 1980s. Here, Cline offers insight into geeking out and why '80s pop culture is still relevant today.