Mary Daniels Brown

My mother always insisted that, as soon as I was old enough to sit up, she’d find me in my crib after my nap babbling away, with a Little Golden Book on my lap. I’ve had my nose in a book ever since. I grew up in a small town, with the tiny town library literally in my backyard. As an only child in an unhappy home, I found comfort and companionship in books. As an adult I wanted to be Harry Potter, although I admit I’m more Hermione. My life has been a series of research projects. Reading has taught me that human lives are deliciously messy and that “it’s complicated” isn’t a punchline.

2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced

This article in the New York Times includes all winners. Here are the winners in the arts and letters categories: FICTION – “A Visit from the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan (Alfred A. Knopf) DRAMA – “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris HISTORY – “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” by Eric Foner (W. […]

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Borders Files for Chapter 11, Announces Store Closings

Borders Group, Inc. Website The book world has been speculating on this for a long time, and now it’s official. Borders will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and, as part of its reorganization strategy, will close about 200 stores nationwide. You can download the store list from the sidebar on the left of this page.

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“Sing Them Home” by Stephanie Kallos

Kallos, Stephanie. Sing Them Home   Atlantic Monthly Press, 2009, 560 pages ISBN: 0871139634   Audiobook by Blackstone Audio   Narrated by Tavia Gilbert The sudden death of physician Llewellyn Jones brings together his three grown children in their small hometown of Emlyn Springs, Nebraska. Nearly 30 years earlier the children’s mother, Aneira Hope Jones,

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“Room” by Emma Donoghue

Donoghue, Emma. Room  New York: Little, Brown, 2010  ISBN 978-0-316-09833-5 Five-year-old Jack lives with Ma in an 11-foot square room. This room is Jack’s whole world. It’s where he eats and plays and learns. It’s where he watches the unreal pictures, made only of colors, on the television. Room is filled with Jack’s friends: Bed,

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The Best Books I Read in 2010

This has been an abysmal year for me in terms of pleasure reading: I read a mere 18 books. The reason for this low count is that I’ve spent the entire year researching and then writing my dissertation, which I hope to finish up in early 2011. So I’m looking forward to 2011 being a

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My LIst: Best Books Read in 2010

This has been an abysmal year for me in terms of pleasure reading: I read a mere 18 books. The reason for this low count is that I’ve spent the entire year researching and then writing my dissertation, which I hope to finish up in early 2011. So I’m looking forward to 2011 being a

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5 unusual gift ideas for booklovers

5 unusual gift ideas for booklovers – Book purses and wallets – CSMonitor.com: If you’re still in need of some last-minute gifts for the bibliophiles on your list, the Christian Science Monitor offers a few possibilities. (Note to Santa: My favorite is the jewelry made with tiles depicting the covers of commonly banned books.) And

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Books | 27 best books of 2010: The Seattle Times looks back at a year of great reading

Books | 27 best books of 2010: The Seattle Times looks back at a year of great reading | Seattle Times Newspaper: Yet another list.

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14 best crime novels of 2010

Books | 14 best crime novels of 2010: Tana French, John le Carré and more | Seattle Times Newspaper: One of the things I have missed most since a return to full-time school took away f my reading time is curling up with a good mystery. Here Adam Woog lists his top 14 mysteries of

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The 10 Best Books of 2010

The 10 Best Books of 2010 – NYTimes.com: The New York Times weighs in with its list of the year’s best books, five each in fiction and nonfiction.

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