I'm a reluctant member of Goodreads and other amateur book reviewing and rating sites, including Amazon. Maybe it's my age, although I think it's more about temperament. One of the best things about graduating from college (English major) was never having to write a research paper again, or a "book report." And that's what these sites feel like to me: a class assignment. Read More
From Phyllida's Desk
Review of Swamplandia by Karen Russell
July 1, 2012
Swamplandia! by Karen RussellMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
We don't really need another three-star review of Karen Russell's Swamplandia! Most of what I have to say about the book has been said wittily and well by other reviewers. But after mulling over my reaction to this critically acclaimed but, for many ordinary readers, disappointing book, I feel it epitomizes the problem of today's publishing world. Read More
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Falling Off the Face of the Earth
May 13, 2012
Toward the end of last month, my young home computer, barely out of puberty, died unexpectedly. Coincidently, my long-awaited new computer at my day job arrived, requiring IT Dept. set-up and the reinstallation of all my software.
What this meant was that, for a brief period, I was almost completely cut off from that Read More
What this meant was that, for a brief period, I was almost completely cut off from that Read More