Mary Daniels Brown

Mary Daniels Brown learned at an early age how to read people, and she’s been doing that ever since. Combining advanced education in both literature and psychology, she reads and reviews novels that explore identity, the search for meaning and purpose in life, and the varieties of human experience. She’s been blogging about books at Notes in the Margin for more than 25 years. Mary believes that her focus on Life Stories in Literature has made her both a more astute reader and a happier, more human person.

Best of 2011: 3 More Lists

Yes, the lists just keep coming. Here are 3 more from NPR: Fired Up: The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Fantasy Here are five of the best, most interesting, most mutated science fiction and fantasy novels published this year. A Dance with Dragons, George R. R. Martin The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of […]

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Steve Jobs Biography and Other Hot Titles Bookstore Lures

Steve Jobs Biography and Other Hot Titles Bookstore Lures – NYTimes.com the initial weeks of Christmas shopping, a boom time for the book business, have yielded surprisingly strong sales for many bookstores, which report that they have been lifted by an unusually vibrant selection; customers who seem undeterred by pricier titles; and new business from

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32 of the year’s best books | Seattle Times

Books | 32 of the year’s best books | Seattle Times Newspaper Seattle Times book editor Mary Ann Gwinn is a bit of a rebel when it comes to these annual book lists. Here’s how she introduces this one:   Before I share The Seattle Times list of 2011’s most worthy books, I’m going to

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Monday Miscellany

If your life is anything like mine, you’re swamped right about now with holiday preparations and festivities. This week’s installment of Monday Miscellany, therefore, will be mercifully short. An Introduction to Psych You Up. Literally. Maria Konnikova is a woman after my own heart. At Scientific American she has just introduced her new column, Literally

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Conversation Starters: 2011’s Top 5 Book Club Picks : NPR

Conversation Starters: 2011’s Top 5 Book Club Picks : NPR. “Here are five fascinating books that will be sure to catalyze serious and lively conversation”: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes We the Animals by Justin Torres Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak

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Best Books of 2011: Two More Lists

Booksellers’ Picks: Catch The Year’s Freshest Reads This winter, our independent booksellers have selected books that range in subject from toasters to typeface, odd bookmarks to old Volkswagens, department stores to pasta design. Whether you need a picture book for a toddler, kid lit for a young reader, or quirky nonfiction for the grown-up set,

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Famous Writers as Handcrafted Dolls

Just in time for your holiday gift giving! Tipped off by a Facebook post by literary scene fixture Miss Sara Rosen, we just discovered the most amazing treasure trove of handcrafted, miniature versions of some of our favorite writers of all time over on Etsy — and they’re all available for purchase. Just think, you

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