Outlander premiere — the anticipation builds…

I’m nervous about how excited I am for this series! Does that sound weird? I’m usually disappointed by movie/TV adaptations of books I love (case in point: Johnny Depp’s horrible Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or the recent Wizard of Oz). I just don’t like things I love to be messed with. Why remake something…

Kindle Unlimited: What do you think?

What do you think of the Kindle Unlimited plan? For $10 a month, you can “rent” as many books as you want. Two questions immediately come to mind: 1) which books are available? And 2) does the book disappear from my Kindle at a certain point? A quick scan of my Kindle purchases shows that…

Thoughts on Amazon, Hachette, and publishing in general

Yesterday’s New York Times had a good article yesterday about Amazon, Hachette, and publishers’ growing concerns about the power that Amazon wields. I have to tell you I’m feeling very mixed about the whole thing. For one, it’s a little hard to feel outraged that Amazon wants writers to see more of the profit from their…

Reading in the News: Outlander, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Neil Gaiman and the Nook

While I’m finishing some reviews, here are some bookish news items seen recently: Outlander the TV show: I am all about the new Outlander cable TV show. Diana Gabaldon is heavily involved in every aspect of production, and it’s being made by Ronald Moore, the guy who made Battlestar Galactica. Moore and Gabaldon have given…

Review of Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica

I had mixed feelings about this book, but I’ll start by saying it was a perfect beach read and a fun adventure/fantasy story. The downside for me was that I found the writing style distracting, and the main character a little annoying at times. But I think other readers might react differently and really enjoy…

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Note: The Book Stop is on vacation! This post was written in advance, which means I won’t be responding to comments. But thanks for reading. Wow. If I had to pick a favorite book of the year, so far, this would be it. Everything about this book exceeded my expectations, even though acclaim for this…

Has the Internet Changed Our Ability to Read?

I have a lot of reviews to catch up on, but I was intrigued by an article in today’s Washington Post, and wanted to get readers’ opinions.  The article says that the way we read online, basically scanning bits and pieces, is making it more difficult for us to read novels in a linear, focused…

Looking for recommendations: what are some good hospital reads?

My sister had open heart surgery on Thursday.  Thankfully, the surgery went well and her recovery seems to be going well, too.  Big relief!  I’m flying to Wisconsin tomorrow to spend a week with her — I can’t wait to see her. I wasn’t going to write about it, but it’s been a tough week. …

Reading Insecurity, Literary Criticism and Negative Book Reviews

Recently, I saw an interesting article in Salon about an essay by Booker Prize winning author Eleanor Catton on whether literary fiction is elitist.  Catton took exception to a negative review by a guy who was upset because he had to look up a word in The Luminaries, which makes literature therefore “elitist”.  Author and…

Thanks to Roof Beam Reader and an upcoming giveaway

As I’m catching up on a few reviews, I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to Adam at Roof Beam Reader.  Roof Beam Reader hosts the annual TBR Pile Challenge.  In 2012 I fell one book short of finishing, but in 2013 I completed the challenge, got entered for a giveaway, and won a…

Countdown to 2014 #2: My Year in Reviews

2013 was an interesting year.  It was a year of health scares and hospitals.  A year we lost our last grandparent and gained a tiny new member of the family.  A year my sisters all became friends again.  A year we went Down Under and I went back to school.  A year the government shut…

Merry Christmas to all, from The Book Stop

Merry Christmas! It’s Christmas Eve so I wanted to wish everyone a very happy Christmas with family and friends!  Being Jewish, Christmas has always been an interesting holiday for me.  It’s something I’ve never taken for granted because it’s not my holiday.  When we were kids, Christmas was a day we didn’t know what to…