tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42446008367966635512024-03-05T10:11:40.522-05:00The Maine Page Turner"When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.”<br>
― Desiderius Erasmus RoterodamusThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-44361239321833545342014-12-15T19:10:00.000-05:002014-12-15T19:10:11.919-05:00A Balm in Gilead<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I'm a tearful movie watcher, I rarely cry at a book.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Gilead</i> is an exception.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I read <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead_%28novel%29" target="_blank">Gilead</a> </i>quite a few years ago at the strong recommendation of a (bookish like me!) friend. I was instantly captured by the idea that John Ames, this aging man, would write down all the important things he would want to share with his young son, being quite aware that he likely would not live long enough to see Robby into adulthood. I was SO moved by the character of Jack (son of his best friend and colleague Robert Boughton), and the tragedy of a life of poor choices and a love that doesn't suit its time.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fast forward to <i>Home</i> and <i>Lila</i>.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-balm-in-gilead.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-14018065562631292212014-11-28T16:57:00.000-05:002014-11-29T00:56:51.997-05:00Yummy, Kitsch-y Pop Culture<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What's better than Glinda the Good Witch?</b></span><br>
<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thank you note to Glinda from Dorothy Gale.</i><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Better than 007?</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Top Secret Notes regarding the fates of 001 through 006.</i></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Better than the B-52s?</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The letter from their real estate agent regarding the efforts to sell the Love Shack. </i>"I'll be honest, this property is what's known as a 'tough sell' in our business." (p. 166) PRICELESS.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, the title is <b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Luke-Need-Talk-Darth/dp/0385349106" target="_blank">Dear Luke, We need to talk. <strike>Dad</strike> Darth</a></span></i></b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Oooh, yummy, silly, pop culture at its ooey, gooey best. </b></span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2014/11/yummy-kitsch-y-pop-culture.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-27687629304905255492014-11-21T12:05:00.001-05:002014-11-21T12:05:48.515-05:00Ooh.... trick 'em into it!I know a certain someone who isn't a big book reader. Wonder if he'd read if I tried THIS approach... a little reverse psychology....hmmmm....<br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2014/11/ooh-trick-em-into-it.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-9544405428677765602014-11-17T16:53:00.000-05:002014-11-17T16:54:17.041-05:00I'm All About That Bass<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S_3IQzltTrUYh4uLgmIi0QZ9uADo4lqyLZJRXB6RGg04F6zl-SbO7xfvZH0UiM74HYBwhAxVbQaULlS5_VhyphenhyphenPJYwxeagjeqh0v9TnSQEBkifwllhUHoIKBsnay7G0FABLKeAd4mCoP3J/s1600/All_About_That_Bass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S_3IQzltTrUYh4uLgmIi0QZ9uADo4lqyLZJRXB6RGg04F6zl-SbO7xfvZH0UiM74HYBwhAxVbQaULlS5_VhyphenhyphenPJYwxeagjeqh0v9TnSQEBkifwllhUHoIKBsnay7G0FABLKeAd4mCoP3J/s1600/All_About_That_Bass.jpg" height="172" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How cute is Meghan Trainor's "<b><a href="http://youtu.be/7PCkvCPvDXk" target="_blank">All About that Bass</a></b>"? VERY cute. SUPER cute. (I think I can even legitimately say "wicked cute" because she's from Massachusetts.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And hey, we bootylicious girls appreciate the, um, appreciation ;-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you like books, and students being super creative, what's even cuter? Mount Desert Island High School's "All About Those Books".... feast your eyes....</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/g2pu8nsUtCQ?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Right on, kids! I can't wait to see your next video!</span>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-63298017309037039802014-11-05T13:48:00.001-05:002014-11-05T14:04:51.817-05:00Aimee's Adventures Away from The Maine Page Turner, and What She Found There<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06j0ekBxdWCy16FotvoE5HudhwDfqzyebRtAMWO3MK4frGAmeplcK62M4hDfP-rfHpwScfIaVqYF-ExmjBwEOcUds8FRum9Ve6RSfeaZbLxbNzqNyhXCrMnVhqyRaF9EexQmcuWSC_IEV/s1600/IMG_5080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06j0ekBxdWCy16FotvoE5HudhwDfqzyebRtAMWO3MK4frGAmeplcK62M4hDfP-rfHpwScfIaVqYF-ExmjBwEOcUds8FRum9Ve6RSfeaZbLxbNzqNyhXCrMnVhqyRaF9EexQmcuWSC_IEV/s1600/IMG_5080.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup. This post is late. But better late than never, right?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As George Harrison once sang, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long,_Long,_Long" target="_blank">It's been a long, long, long, time...</a>"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, friends, I've taken a bit of a sabbatical from The Maine Page Turner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strike>I have a few excuses</strike> It happened for a few reasons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. At the time of my last posts, I was in the thick of reading for the <a href="http://www.maine.gov/msl/libs/services/readers/choice.htm" target="_blank">Maine Readers' Choice Award</a>. So, I was reading a LOT, but I felt that if I wrote either positively OR negatively about what I was reading, I would either be boosting OR downplaying the books that were in the final running. Within the scope of my role with the Committee, I didn't think that was ethical or appropriate. My job was to read many books, and then recommend (more or less silently) a handful of them to be considered by the Readers of Maine. My conflict about endorsing or otherwise commenting on the books made me silent and unsure of how to proceed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. I decided to learn German. In March I made plans to visit a dear-friend-of-25-years, and his family, in Germany. He speaks perfect English, and his wife's English is FAR AND AWAY better than my German, but I still devoted myself to spending a significant amount of time, each day of 2014 to exercises in German via <a href="https://www.duolingo.com/" target="_blank">Duolingo</a> (which I cannot recommend highly enough). Is my German great? Not yet. But it was a terrific goal for me. Now I'm continuing my learning via Portland Adult Education.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. I had a physical injury. This wouldn't seem like something that would in any way stop me from blogging, but I did fall into a bit of a mental funk after a freak accident that caused a significant tear of my left Achilles' tendon. I was on crutches for a month and a half and in physical therapy for three months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. I simply needed a break. I had been writing, almost without fail, one post per week for 18 months. That may not seem like a lot, except that I was also nearly always reading a whole book upon which I built each post. Now, I love to read, but that's a pretty big commitment, and I needed to cut myself some slack. So I did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last month I went on an 11-day trip that was, in every way imaginable, completely rejuvenating for me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tPnl1M9USVtD-vfNzTwJ5mF0D9sI4fk3NWY5o5sZ0m48NRrFjjJL_0cQnvzAqhsjEaYO9mrGCc1Ldb5XS1mcsW6ZiNVxqAHnE87JSQ9FuFWm7d_0u5AMpBokEvpmtjKX3m6TfBRSCbyY/s1600/IMG_5082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tPnl1M9USVtD-vfNzTwJ5mF0D9sI4fk3NWY5o5sZ0m48NRrFjjJL_0cQnvzAqhsjEaYO9mrGCc1Ldb5XS1mcsW6ZiNVxqAHnE87JSQ9FuFWm7d_0u5AMpBokEvpmtjKX3m6TfBRSCbyY/s1600/IMG_5082.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Truly, there were storybook moments.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't just see Germany; I experienced the culture, graciously hosted by my kind, generous, and adventurous friend. I experienced a different lifestyle that was a delight to me: staying in their lovely flat, eating "foodie" family meals cooked with love and care, riding public transpo EVERYWHERE. I saw and did things I had previously only seen in books. I felt at times like I had walked into a fairy tale, or at least into my own dream of what Europe would be like. At least twice I burst into tears simply at the beauty and wonder of it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a SHORTLIST: We saw the Altstadt of Nuremburg. The Brandenburg Gate, the <i>Bust of Nefertiti</i> and Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. Lubeck, the breathtakingly charming medieval seat of the Hanseatic Empire (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site). We </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">went to the Frankfurt Book Fair </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> walked across the Eiserner Steg, and enjoyed the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Sachsenhausen. We took the scenic Deutsche Bahn along the Rhine River Valley to Cologne Cathedral. In Amsterdam, we saw the canals and the Rijksmuseum, and ate one of the best damn dinners I've ever had. We went to the Gutenberg Museum. We even went to the Opera. I barely slept, but I slept enough. As Thoreau might say, I "sucked the marrow out of life."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had the opportunity to step away from my "normal" life and analyze my day-to-day routines and choices. For the first time in more than 13 years, the only person I was REALLY responsible for was myself. I allowed myself to be <i>vacant</i> from my family, and give myself an honest-to-goodness VACATION.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend is a lively conversationalist and one of the most intelligent people I've ever known. To say our talks were inspiring is to underrate them. To lay out so many of my intellectual struggles or disappointments, and to receive, in return, constructive criticism, possible solutions, and encouragement has been a tremendous gift.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And baby, I'm BACK.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I return to my family and my life here renewed and refreshed. I have made an excellent recovery from my leg injury. At my friend's kind urging, I have a list of worthy goals, and I am taking active steps along the paths of those goals. The time to act is NOW. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nscYWq4vRBwZABSQ_fL6eI2dxhbgKjUWbhLmPkFudRpuUDTzpxpr7A20MOMG3ynw5LQ0jKLmxCKShHHc-jCoS3Oiv1bgmDDugi60zfkWM9yG0ekoQABrJx4zQ1V_qkaJebcL9vI21-BT/s1600/IMG_5081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nscYWq4vRBwZABSQ_fL6eI2dxhbgKjUWbhLmPkFudRpuUDTzpxpr7A20MOMG3ynw5LQ0jKLmxCKShHHc-jCoS3Oiv1bgmDDugi60zfkWM9yG0ekoQABrJx4zQ1V_qkaJebcL9vI21-BT/s1600/IMG_5081.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I hit the "F5" button for my life.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something about me is fundamentally different. In a very good way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While in Berlin, we had lunch near a university where my friend had done some academic work years ago. In the pavement were squares etched with all the keys of the computer keyboard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suddenly I felt compelled to find the F5 button - <b>the refresh button.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Because this experience was a Life "F5".</b></span>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-52773474366140146972014-01-30T16:45:00.003-05:002014-01-30T16:52:03.046-05:00Announcing the Top Ten! Drumroll, please....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oO3Y9Dia1-nEGFkP85OdcA1Ga9dQj7-DeKQzupYV71YpDyihvak2CYzlHT_cUxPuPFUgoow8EHoqAeWTO5-J3e7Jd392v4Bs4jdqxo2IHUJ3fTNFm1kBzKYafZZFvIa8bYPb7SDIHskH/s1600/top+ten.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oO3Y9Dia1-nEGFkP85OdcA1Ga9dQj7-DeKQzupYV71YpDyihvak2CYzlHT_cUxPuPFUgoow8EHoqAeWTO5-J3e7Jd392v4Bs4jdqxo2IHUJ3fTNFm1kBzKYafZZFvIa8bYPb7SDIHskH/s1600/top+ten.JPG" height="250" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <b><a href="http://mainereaderschoiceaward.org/the-2014-shortlist/" target="_blank">Maine Readers' Choice Award Shortlist</a></b> has been announced!</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2014/01/announcing-top-ten-drumroll-please.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-86280094187784258002014-01-24T13:27:00.000-05:002014-01-24T13:29:40.437-05:00Obsessed with knitting <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been reading, yes I have. Believe me, that never stops.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I've also been knitting. A lot. And thinking and reading about knitting.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a lifelong knitter. Like, nearly every day since I was 7. And with this bitter cold weather we've had, all I want to do it wrap myself up in a whole heap of wool.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I've been poring over knitting books and websites lately too.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2014/01/obsessed-with-knitting.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-40347714634668071352014-01-17T17:10:00.001-05:002014-01-17T17:10:34.849-05:00"Mom.... you're such a nag.....but, um, thanks....."<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lately I've been nagging my son a LOT about finishing the details of some of his assignments. Especially the "make up" worksheets to earn back some point on some less-than-awesome grades on quizzes and tests.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday night I was the meanest mom in the world.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2014/01/mom-youre-such-nagbut-um-thanks.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-59073089439873412552014-01-07T11:15:00.000-05:002014-01-07T11:20:54.608-05:00Daniel Woodrell - Winter's Bone<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm assigned to read Daniel Woodrell's newest book, <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333270-the-maid-s-version" target="_blank">The Maid's Version</a></b></i>, for The Maine Readers' Choice Award Longlist, but I decided to preface that book with an earlier Woodrell, <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112525.Winter_s_Bone" target="_blank">Winter's Bone</a></b></i>.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBgmR6oaWAtag9XW8hMVKO5JZpiLf1BKQaaNyoLWOYiS_9wCbdWufdSqXxJnnfSAXvs_WmAbKJnr3TxEPaljfhpSmIwTffOw-QqckqbEsGgfDMcOkdfiOrbuKUIkbt7OT47aT2ppaJIaH/s1600/winters+bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBgmR6oaWAtag9XW8hMVKO5JZpiLf1BKQaaNyoLWOYiS_9wCbdWufdSqXxJnnfSAXvs_WmAbKJnr3TxEPaljfhpSmIwTffOw-QqckqbEsGgfDMcOkdfiOrbuKUIkbt7OT47aT2ppaJIaH/s320/winters+bone.jpg" height="320" width="320"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a visceral, gripping novel, revealing a slice of life that is often ignored in America... grinding rural poverty.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2014/01/daniel-woodrell-winters-bone.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-12651966450039674552013-12-03T16:25:00.002-05:002013-12-06T16:14:06.399-05:00The Maine Readers' Choice Award Longlist is out!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've made passing reference to the <b><a href="http://mainereaderschoiceaward.org/" target="_blank">Maine Readers' Choice Award</a></b> a couple of times... I'm a member of the 2014 Reading Committee. Here's the skinny:</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDR9L4C5DW2CXn1ZlofS8aee0hrbHKGy40glDlNNiT-IfjBgSYwDbjbXcbCP-I7SK1i5Yk6XptlDpUeJwBNYZEvQKX4yJrxRYZhoipTK029utg4EP1Cd4blP-VQdEofvHBJPuD1rLewRz/s1600/mrca+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDR9L4C5DW2CXn1ZlofS8aee0hrbHKGy40glDlNNiT-IfjBgSYwDbjbXcbCP-I7SK1i5Yk6XptlDpUeJwBNYZEvQKX4yJrxRYZhoipTK029utg4EP1Cd4blP-VQdEofvHBJPuD1rLewRz/s320/mrca+logo.jpg" width="280"></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The Maine Readers’ Choice Award, officially established in 2013 by the Maine State Library and the Maine Library Association, recognizes the best in adult fiction published in the United States the previous year. The aim of this award is to increase awareness and reading of literary fiction. The Maine Readers’ Choice Award honors books that exhibit exceptional writing and a compelling story that encourages reading and conversation among individuals and in Maine’s communities."</i></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Been wondering about the books under consideration for the 2014 Maine Readers' Choice Award?</span><br>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wonder no more! </span></span><br>
<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-maine-readers-choice-award-longlist.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-76545142102727436552013-11-25T14:12:00.000-05:002013-11-25T14:12:23.674-05:00Overdue books - who gets my fine?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most prolific library users I know have overdue fines. Hey.... it happens.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've even observed, or gotten caught up in, bizarre games of one-ups-man-ship about fines.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB5QzjBWTf_F4pUFrlQxNEirqaoW1xhIwIvL6ejZVi9msPg2AAJkEo6otOPV8xerg2_g2BQACK_nORDf9R2FZBmtiEG6J_Y7VbCHGyGchy-vv6ujDLUmaJkyOC-y34wfj5NyFXO5fXUd4/s1600/im+overdue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB5QzjBWTf_F4pUFrlQxNEirqaoW1xhIwIvL6ejZVi9msPg2AAJkEo6otOPV8xerg2_g2BQACK_nORDf9R2FZBmtiEG6J_Y7VbCHGyGchy-vv6ujDLUmaJkyOC-y34wfj5NyFXO5fXUd4/s400/im+overdue.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom2sofia/" target="_blank">Elena Roussakis</a><br>Flickr Creative Commons</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I have, like, six dollars in fines right now."</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Six? That's nothing! I've got $22 in fines, and four books I just can't find."</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Yikes.</b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started this calendar year with <a href="http://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-year-and-litany-of-excuses.html" target="_blank">a resolution not to incur ANY fines</a>. I held out for a few months, but like most people, my resolutions usually don't last all that long. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've probably paid $15-20 in fines over the last calendar year. I console myself: well, I'm making a small contribution to the library with my fine money. That's not such a bad thing, right?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrong.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/11/overdue-books-who-gets-my-fine.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-13366915073990072892013-11-18T17:12:00.000-05:002013-11-18T17:24:09.946-05:008 Reasons to Read 11/22/63<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The past is obdurate. It doesn't want to be changed." (p. 232)</span><br>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ob-dur-ate [OB-duu-rit] <i>adj</i>. Stubborn; unyielding.</span></b><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, I know, I'm pandering to the 50th Anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, but first, I just HAD to read Stephen King's <b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10644930-11-22-63" target="_blank">11/22/63</a></i></b>, and second, why NOT think and talk and write about it this week?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-UwZLuGvXsYOLQiM390cAL48Bul3sEB_Vh8M6aEFaMYj38GRAhykNmBKfOcc2ijkRqfI9JEhTcSh-6vWaKYAiu8Snox-g3BlmOQyhdhKKf9CshDq32aEgCCnVYA7G_aG8uO79bOrr0Gh/s1600/112263a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-UwZLuGvXsYOLQiM390cAL48Bul3sEB_Vh8M6aEFaMYj38GRAhykNmBKfOcc2ijkRqfI9JEhTcSh-6vWaKYAiu8Snox-g3BlmOQyhdhKKf9CshDq32aEgCCnVYA7G_aG8uO79bOrr0Gh/s320/112263a.jpg" width="285"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">True confessions: I read it more than a year ago. But it's one of those books I've wanted to let ferment.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a heap of reasons I liked <i>11/22/63</i>, but here are my top 8 reasons:</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/11/8-reasons-to-read-112263.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-8647342521737038952013-11-04T15:20:00.002-05:002013-11-05T16:09:23.191-05:00Help for the Haunted<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John Searles <i><b>Help for the Haunted</b></i>. Swing.... and a miss.</span><br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BsNSJefJGBUvdrGBO7A036q-QmMenZZtld23KfUOpBBdlFjTDB5QyB74SqBXbPjrSMx_k2oy4pRffQShHtcw7YfZVfw4PX8CzDm0FbicNwcnvu9f-lJdi224lbA4ZqaI7om9bSNshC0P/s1600/haunted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BsNSJefJGBUvdrGBO7A036q-QmMenZZtld23KfUOpBBdlFjTDB5QyB74SqBXbPjrSMx_k2oy4pRffQShHtcw7YfZVfw4PX8CzDm0FbicNwcnvu9f-lJdi224lbA4ZqaI7om9bSNshC0P/s320/haunted.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17348985-help-for-the-haunted" target="_blank">Help for the Haunted</a></i> - swing and a miss.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really wanted to love this book. I wanted a good scare. I don’t know why. I felt affinity for the girls (Rose & Sylvie – incidentally, two of my favorite female names). They seem really lonely, and their experiences: the seemingly supernatural ones, as well as the "real" (spoiler alert) murder of their parents... just tragic.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THIS is how “into” this book I was: I was reading in bed, about 50 pages from the end. My husband comes home from his weekly Guys Night Out. He starts talking with me, and I actually shushed him: “I’m almost done this book, and it’s really suspenseful!” He likes a gripping yarn too, so he let me be.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disappointment. But in hindsight, I feel like I should have seen it coming.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/11/help-for-haunted.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-3203820179353488122013-10-31T16:14:00.001-04:002013-10-31T16:14:32.281-04:00The Hunger Games.... STORM CENTER style!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabxwECbVsQYgCmi2o_7blJl222SWyh2mNqOGxWlipXaqCAFZjEGJ6Rf8wsL5TosCBihQtbcZ7YqA14Dod5Ozb7g6InQ0bdqzpIHy-cyaWDK-qa03IOGioqy0Fyfhd8H3gH5TjyOACqCcv/s1600/hunger+games+promo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabxwECbVsQYgCmi2o_7blJl222SWyh2mNqOGxWlipXaqCAFZjEGJ6Rf8wsL5TosCBihQtbcZ7YqA14Dod5Ozb7g6InQ0bdqzpIHy-cyaWDK-qa03IOGioqy0Fyfhd8H3gH5TjyOACqCcv/s320/hunger+games+promo.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/1767/32/Sharon-Rose-Vaznis-Anchor" target="_blank">Sharon Rose Vaznis</a> TOTALLY NAILS IT<br>as Effie Trinket!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next <i>Hunger Games</i> movie is set to come out soon. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But WCSH 6 beats 'em to the punch; they've gotten a good one in with this </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wcsh6.com/weather/severe_weather/default.aspx" target="_blank">STORM CENTER</a> promo. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I work with such amazingly creative people. And such good sports!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prepare yourself for some serious promo awesomeness.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-hunger-games-storm-center-style.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-37045226574469016192013-10-21T17:12:00.000-04:002013-11-05T16:08:25.956-05:00Jill McCorkle, Life After Life<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tend to gravitate toward books with PLOT, and although there's nothing wrong with a great narrative - in fact there's a lot RIGHT about it - it's healthy for me to enjoy a character-driven novel.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkN-5_MnZT98SOf11b6EFvnT1D8xzYLDfvqcLhI5uXs2sxaAtOu-cNMREyoYRP9nMem-m_HFxKzkdghL2WAAvPI494E48XHJpLI4XGtdh1vPEzJBlu3JNDc0H2Bwv3QrDP33VuxrIBy8jY/s1600/life+after+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkN-5_MnZT98SOf11b6EFvnT1D8xzYLDfvqcLhI5uXs2sxaAtOu-cNMREyoYRP9nMem-m_HFxKzkdghL2WAAvPI494E48XHJpLI4XGtdh1vPEzJBlu3JNDc0H2Bwv3QrDP33VuxrIBy8jY/s320/life+after+life.jpg" width="240"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter Jill McCorkle's <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15952899-life-after-life" target="_blank">Life After Life</a></b></i>. Although I finished it more than a month ago, and I'm just writing about it now, I actually read it very quickly</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkN-5_MnZT98SOf11b6EFvnT1D8xzYLDfvqcLhI5uXs2sxaAtOu-cNMREyoYRP9nMem-m_HFxKzkdghL2WAAvPI494E48XHJpLI4XGtdh1vPEzJBlu3JNDc0H2Bwv3QrDP33VuxrIBy8jY/s1600/life+after+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine a set of concentric circles, or a web. Or maybe a whole bunch of Venn diagrams. With six main characters (and a supporting cast of a couple dozen), their lives are very much intertwined, even though they don't realize it. </span><br>
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</div><a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/10/jill-mccorkle-life-after-life.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-57718057454305132982013-10-18T15:55:00.001-04:002013-10-22T10:34:31.938-04:00Not just talking the talk, but walking the Useful Walk<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just passed my 2nd Anniversary of writing <b>The Page Turner</b>. You know how I remember now? I volunteered at the <a href="http://southportlandlibrary.com/friends-of-the-south-portland-public-library-annual-book-sale/" target="_blank">local library used book sale</a> again!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's my <a href="http://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2011/10/book-lovers-unite.html" target="_blank">VERY FIRST BLOG POST</a>, about that book sale.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I did shop the sale again... a little... not too much. Maybe it was because I made the (pretty minimal) effort to <a href="http://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2012/11/straphanger-saving-our-cities-and.html" target="_blank"><b>walk</b></a> to the library and back for my volunteer shift last night, rather than drive. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I watched a <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_speck_the_walkable_city.html" target="_blank"><b>Ted Talk</b></a> this week featuring Jeff Speck. Among the many interesting points in his talk, Speck, author of <i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13538794-walkable-city" target="_blank">The Walkable City</a></b> </i>(haven't read it yet, but want to!), says, "We've talked a long time about diet and we know that diet impacts weight, and weight impacts health. But we've only started talking about inactivity. Inactivity, born of our [car-dependent] landscape. Inactivity that comes from the fact that we live in a place where there's no longer any such thing as 'the useful walk.' [This is what] is driving our weight up." (<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_speck_the_walkable_city.html" target="_blank"><b>TedTalks</b></a>, Oct 2013)</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/10/not-just-talking-talk-but-walking.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-44124312075822604642013-10-14T14:57:00.000-04:002013-10-14T15:11:43.726-04:00Where is the middle ground of "Green"?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I try to live lightly on the earth, minimizing my carbon footprint, and by extension that of my family.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, I know, I'm kind of a zealot. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hassle my parents about not composting ("You're gonna do WHAT with the corncobs? And kitchen scraps? That's awful!!" Sure, that's the very <i>best</i> way to end a family dinner, no?). I hassle my son when he puts something that is recyclable into the trash bin instead of the recycling bin. I'm the weirdo at work who, at an afternoon birthday cake, runs away from the styrofoam coffee cups; I bring my own mug. I even pause when I think about ski season because despite the fact that I LOVE IT, it means a lot more driving to and from the local mountains, and the ski lifts and snowmaking machines use a lot of power, whereas the rest of the year our family tends to aspire toward non-fossil-fuel-consuming leisure activities.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6wY_r2hGY5JOftJRQZLfbufU-MA5FuROpVUhSgqn5KQVE3hC81vNSxYmVI9t7Wdn-ZRco8adVVa2iP-bBCEs5A07Wvi0gFQ0vS7wAfo1VfXDD2wtLKG2fVifeF8QXuFt28_cOUz1mKYf/s1600/zero+waste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6wY_r2hGY5JOftJRQZLfbufU-MA5FuROpVUhSgqn5KQVE3hC81vNSxYmVI9t7Wdn-ZRco8adVVa2iP-bBCEs5A07Wvi0gFQ0vS7wAfo1VfXDD2wtLKG2fVifeF8QXuFt28_cOUz1mKYf/s320/zero+waste.jpg" width="320"></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's always more that I could do. There's always a way that I could make less trash. But I still need to find some middle ground here, because I know I'm a little bit irritating. So, two recent books are helping me find that balance.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nathanael Johnson: <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15793876-all-natural?from_search=true" target="_blank">All Natural: A Skeptic's Quest to Discover if the Natural Approach to Diet Childbirth, Healing, and the Environment Really Keeps Us Healthier and Happier</a></i></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amy Korst, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13573383-the-zero-waste-lifestyle?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Zero-Waste Lifestyle: Live Well by Throwing Away Less</a></i></span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/10/where-is-middle-ground-of-green.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-14479313206928372272013-09-30T14:24:00.001-04:002013-09-30T14:24:53.616-04:00The Dude and the Zen Master<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Dude Abides.</b></span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7hDBl2SYj5743L5aOcqiF1BwANYVHT6HGJsNztCsN8Hj_p48BteIbIpSVuFv3y9bnut-iKPUlUgsPFwnomoFmv94S6ug18UL_tXszEEhOQdxIIplvcXOEoCltcgKLKbg4qXhFnqsZTgH/s1600/dude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7hDBl2SYj5743L5aOcqiF1BwANYVHT6HGJsNztCsN8Hj_p48BteIbIpSVuFv3y9bnut-iKPUlUgsPFwnomoFmv94S6ug18UL_tXszEEhOQdxIIplvcXOEoCltcgKLKbg4qXhFnqsZTgH/s200/dude.jpg" width="136"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One September day, I read <i>The Dude and the Zen Master</i> in one sitting, about two hours, in the sun, in my back yard. Seems like The Dude deserved the sunshine-y, high-quality treatment!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">True confessions: I don't know much about Zen Buddhism, or even Buddhism in general. And this book isn't going to make you an expert either. It might whet your appetite to know more, though, as it has for me. What I do know seems to make excellent sense on how to be a decent human being. How to live with yourself and others in a healthy way.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little did I know that Jeff Bridges is a real perfectionist and pretty hard on himself. I just always imagine him being just as "chill" as The Dude in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/" target="_blank">The Big Lebowski</a></i>. Not so. He worries a lot. He worries about his performances as an actor, or as a public speaker. Zen seems to help him escape some of this anxiety, that Zen is just "being" - just "showing up". Kind of "don't sweat the small stuff." I know that I can benefit being reminded of this!</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-dude-and-zen-master.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-32020080207279070842013-09-24T14:25:00.003-04:002013-11-21T11:02:45.536-05:00Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDRzvwIe8fAXWsFRj6ejrkRO2gMNDJCgsPUnR_PcvXiu9zoeLNJUnzJ1AL9n5T9ZzBU9AxWhXiPjfVA9mtxyTzVV_Td8fsZbkS2IkTdwxohbikQKrX305hQZ3Rpty3t-rKkSwNOh3B97j/s1600/lahiri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDRzvwIe8fAXWsFRj6ejrkRO2gMNDJCgsPUnR_PcvXiu9zoeLNJUnzJ1AL9n5T9ZzBU9AxWhXiPjfVA9mtxyTzVV_Td8fsZbkS2IkTdwxohbikQKrX305hQZ3Rpty3t-rKkSwNOh3B97j/s320/lahiri.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland<br>
(accompanied by my "tools of the trade")</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jhumpa Lahiri's <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262100-the-lowland" target="_blank">The Lowland</a></i> is a magnificent novel, under consideration for both the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award. I am honored to read it as part of the "very-long" list of the <a href="http://mainereaderschoiceaward.org/" target="_blank">Maine Readers' Choice Award</a>. I finished it more than a month ago, but I haven't been able to write about it, mainly because I want so much to do it justice.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As much as I insisted that I like a book that has a very compact time frame (in my post about <i><a href="http://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-dinner.html" target="_blank">The Dinner</a></i>), I have to say that Lahiri can achieve the opposite - a book that spans an entire human lifetime. </span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/09/jhumpa-lahiri-lowland.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-31466316708631569132013-09-20T08:02:00.004-04:002013-09-20T08:05:54.629-04:00The End of the SuburbsWhat do you think of when you think of "Suburbs"?
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<br>
This? <br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTTp98SvyoD2EwAOb2uc_koNMDnRT4q-VFqkq92Innd6rj40kmzQO7aQIzTnpg9zBkbmzMG3I7NUCHbdyr6JmqGf7XwwbM1aK3SwwUUJPCYFdmqqWdxkqXaJj-le5_R_mf1WqVYJIDZ3n/s1600/streetcar+suburb+Paul+Sableman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTTp98SvyoD2EwAOb2uc_koNMDnRT4q-VFqkq92Innd6rj40kmzQO7aQIzTnpg9zBkbmzMG3I7NUCHbdyr6JmqGf7XwwbM1aK3SwwUUJPCYFdmqqWdxkqXaJj-le5_R_mf1WqVYJIDZ3n/s320/streetcar+suburb+Paul+Sableman.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A streetcar suburb <br>
(image courtesy Paul Sableman, Flickr Creative Commons)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Or this?<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfpN-BDzTMlUWVTcIg2bAUb5RC5XoxyUBw-Kc_DcyHE7sMs2C2uXoYq2JLV-kwvRGVy994Q9v0BOepDGuxMC1VcXp184A_c5wzwBwDvGO_IezuUipLklW6KZ2PU9MZgVh8Yv86lYabwNK/s1600/subdivision+MyBiggestFan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfpN-BDzTMlUWVTcIg2bAUb5RC5XoxyUBw-Kc_DcyHE7sMs2C2uXoYq2JLV-kwvRGVy994Q9v0BOepDGuxMC1VcXp184A_c5wzwBwDvGO_IezuUipLklW6KZ2PU9MZgVh8Yv86lYabwNK/s320/subdivision+MyBiggestFan.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ugh.<br>
(courtesy "MyBiggestFan" Flickr Creative Commons)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-end-of-suburbs.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-45177095271251673342013-09-06T15:49:00.002-04:002013-11-05T16:10:53.959-05:00The Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFiBdYkHKAy6edubAGsvx5lCMVZEx-ZM6CKpYHwFuLQzre6rwIFHD2Pky4mlTsZDfUry6HoM5R_InHO4Q2hAfdjv8Gcqb97di-D7Bth2uCg3ShpTzHZmtn-_0vTNyrXUSFUYDWgnyJd1w/s1600/the+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFiBdYkHKAy6edubAGsvx5lCMVZEx-ZM6CKpYHwFuLQzre6rwIFHD2Pky4mlTsZDfUry6HoM5R_InHO4Q2hAfdjv8Gcqb97di-D7Bth2uCg3ShpTzHZmtn-_0vTNyrXUSFUYDWgnyJd1w/s200/the+dinner.jpg" width="131"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Herman Koch's <i>The Dinner</i> is an ethically conflicted novel.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How far would you go to protect your child? </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How far into "we just want the best for our son"?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It actually makes me a little ill (indigestion?) to contemplate my reaction, my horror, if my son committed a senseless act of violence.... the source of the discord in <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15797938-the-dinner" target="_blank">The Dinner</a></i>.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-dinner.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-7629294039183127932013-08-09T15:29:00.002-04:002013-11-25T15:31:27.487-05:00Quitter<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's rare for me to quit a book. My dear husband notes this with a certain amount of awe and puzzlement. I will hate and gripe my way through a book for weeks (or put it down for a year, only to pick it up again) out of a compulsion to finish. Maybe it's guilt. Maybe it's that I want to give the author the benefit of the doubt.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But recently, I've become less patient. I've become.... a quitter.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may already know I own too many books. Too many? How is that possible? </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Because they are threatening to crush us.</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7DP77Q8Knj_tIRPatev03ztKaUFnWgl5KopMGeZOrcwXnS3NQVu94o4KHGU8KEdjqaOPxwVk4u0l6MU0Rk5NYGPbtms4RV_oFrxpsYIxuqvfPJJVSjaTfQuQ5-m6X7_4tL1EVPgPCWaE/s1600/too+many+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7DP77Q8Knj_tIRPatev03ztKaUFnWgl5KopMGeZOrcwXnS3NQVu94o4KHGU8KEdjqaOPxwVk4u0l6MU0Rk5NYGPbtms4RV_oFrxpsYIxuqvfPJJVSjaTfQuQ5-m6X7_4tL1EVPgPCWaE/s320/too+many+books.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This doesn't even account for all the books in the house.<br>
Yikes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I need to read my way down.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I am hereby announcing that I have renounced two books: S. Shoenbaum's <i>Shakespeare: His Life, His Language, His Theater</i>, and Bill Bryson's <i>The Lost Continent</i>.</span><br>
<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/08/quitter.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-57673878895878650542013-08-02T13:08:00.002-04:002013-08-08T16:02:08.389-04:00A tasty spelling error<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'd think that the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/" target="_blank"><i>USA Today</i> Books</a> staff would be made up of absolute spelling fanatics. They probably are. Well, none of us are immune..... I received this in their weekly book newsletter:</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7HUkznAJkR3jRtmfJhFvQR49bFgoT4kng4UcElyGJ6Dv5eMk-jzCdRpBr6r7vSdGncSpXePAU700AxzsBQCGrOUcZQnc1KVpa6aL7ovWhMJUQZhy-V1i4WI8W9nH3aMIrkn3JcNaLYcF/s1600/usa+today+books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7HUkznAJkR3jRtmfJhFvQR49bFgoT4kng4UcElyGJ6Dv5eMk-jzCdRpBr6r7vSdGncSpXePAU700AxzsBQCGrOUcZQnc1KVpa6aL7ovWhMJUQZhy-V1i4WI8W9nH3aMIrkn3JcNaLYcF/s1600/usa+today+books.JPG"></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-tasty-spelling-error.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-14154692279324031972013-07-30T11:03:00.000-04:002013-08-08T16:04:16.581-04:00Inspired by TEDtalks<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you discovered <b><a href="http://www.ted.com/" target="_blank">TED</a></b>? Experts in their field present their latest research, inventions, human behavior. According to TED: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; line-height: 18px;"><b>TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design -- three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. And in fact, the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that matter in any discipline." (more here</b>: </span><a href="http://www.ted.com/pages/about">http://www.ted.com/pages/about</a>) It's like going to excellent university guest speaker events, right from your living room couch. Every time I watch a TEDtalk I learn something new from people who are incredibly passionate about their field.</span><br>
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<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/07/inspired-by-tedtalks.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4244600836796663551.post-81819785042250124072013-07-26T17:22:00.003-04:002013-11-05T16:11:42.798-05:00Narrators without Names: not-so-good, better, awesome!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had three books underway, all at once, and this week I finished all three. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All three books are in the first person, and in all three, the narrator goes unnamed.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf6GA1v625J02OSj-05gLjzKdtKLv77Uaj58enRO_Eq1zWv3g5gMqcZYs-V1-Qx2Jt6EL-yIBQuZIHUlWXX_Qma4Hhg5p4SKL451IGZmyOLD0J35AIG2czNf3vHAW9DizX1v7moJxOpmt/s1600/IMG_3670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf6GA1v625J02OSj-05gLjzKdtKLv77Uaj58enRO_Eq1zWv3g5gMqcZYs-V1-Qx2Jt6EL-yIBQuZIHUlWXX_Qma4Hhg5p4SKL451IGZmyOLD0J35AIG2czNf3vHAW9DizX1v7moJxOpmt/s320/IMG_3670.jpg" width="240"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up: Matt Bell's <i><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16041846-in-the-house-upon-the-dirt-between-the-lake-and-the-woods" target="_blank">In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods</a></b></i> (aka <i>I'm Unnaturally Fond of Prepositional Phrases</i>). </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bell teaches writing at Northern Michigan University and several of his short stories have been anthologized. This is his first novel, and I think it would have been MUCH better cut back to a short story, maybe a novella at most.</span><br>
<a href="https://themainepageturner.blogspot.com/2013/07/narrators-without-names-not-so-good.html#more">Read more »</a>ThePageTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14459485491984096186noreply@blogger.com0