Baby Got Backlist is a column in support of older titles that I feel should still be getting love and attention. So there's an epic blizzard hitting the East Coast right now, but for some reason, it's not snowing in Maine. My Instagram feed is full of pictures of snow, but my yard is empty. It's so weird to not have snow here. It just feels so unnatural. (Peter Gabriel too.) But snow or no snow, I want to tell you about one of my favorite winter reads: The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. This is a perfect book for snowstorms! The main character is … [Read more...]
Yay, Books! – January 15, 2016
In case you hadn't heard, I love books. LOVE THEM. Here are a few book-related things I'm happy about today: The 24 in 48 Readathon: It's happening tomorrow! There are over 350 participants - AMAZING. And there's still time to sign up. I've picked out what I'm going to try to read. But really, whether you read ten books or ten pages, it's all about having fun! I have just been informed that there's a new Helen Phillips coming in 2016! THIS IS SO EXCITING. I loooooooooved The Beautiful Bureaucrat. It's so wonderful and weird. Her new book, Some Possible … [Read more...]
Baby Got Backlist: Disquiet by Julia Leigh
Baby Got Backlist is a column in support of older titles that I feel should still be getting love and attention. I am obsessed with Disquiet. (Which is a little disturbing, if you've read it.) It could easily have been titled "Unsettling." It's so, so good! It's about a woman who flees to her mother's home after a long absence. With her are her two young children, their father the reason for her flight. They are joined by her brother and his wife, who are grieving the loss of their baby. In a most unsettling way. This is 120 pages of deeply disturbing … [Read more...]
Book Beginnings: A New Year of Reading
It's time to wipe the book slate clean and reset the count! That's right - it's New Year's Day. Or, The Day Everyone Posts This Song. Welcome to my new blog! My one resolution in 2016 is to post content to it two-three times a week. What better day to launch a blog than the start of a new year??? I have settled on my first read of 2016: Springtime by Michelle de Kretser. It's published by Catapult, a fabulous indie press that had a stellar start in 2015 with Cries For Help, Various by Padgett Powell and Mrs. Engels by Gavin McCrea (one of my 100 Damn Good Books … [Read more...]