Year in Review: Favorite Books of 2009

Today’s question: What were your favorite books of the year? (Books that were new to you in 2009, if not necessarily published this year.) Refrained from joining reading challenges and set on reading some of the books I have always wanted to read, 2009 is a rewarding year for me in reading. The best books [...]

[250] Almost History – Christopher Bram

“It was a comedy, Meg told herself, a frivolous farce. Out in the streets [of Manila] was frivolous tragedy, glitz and poverty, Las Vegas piled on Calcutta, a feverish spectacle that amazed and exhilarated until something in the soul gave way and grew sick of the wild extremes. But in the private theater of her [...]

Reading Resolution

Mark from The Swallow’s Nest continues to fill the gap left open by missing Monday Musings. This week’s question is: later this week 2010 begins and that means it is time for New Year’s resolutions. Do you make resolutions for your reading? It seems many of us may answer this in the form of writing [...]

New TSA Security Measures

Following the incident in which a Nigerian man is charged with trying to blow up a Northwest plane enroute from Amsterdam to Detroit, Homeland Security and federal authorities urge all airlines and airports to tighten security measures. Travelers taking international flights to the United States will face pat-down searches, new limits on carry-on luggage and [...]

Jane Austen Fever

Jolted to realize that I have yet to read any Jane Austen this year, I picked up Emma. Actually I receive a copy of Jane Austen: The Complete Novels for Christmas and I shall be reading Emma from this beautiful volume. It’s a comic novel about the perils of misconstrued romance. The title character, Emma [...]

A Single Man: The Film

Sometimes, awful things have their own kind of beauty. ~George Falconer Adopted from Christopher Isherwood’s novel with the same title, A Single Man is a compelling story of life and death. Colin Firth soars in the portrayal of the title character, George Falconer, who is a Briton transplanted in Los Angeles, where he teaches English [...]

History vs. Historical Fiction

Today’s question: Given the choice, which do you prefer? Real history? Or historical fiction? (Assume, for the purposes of this discussion that they are equally well-written and engaging.) I tend to read more historical fiction than history because the latter is usually a companion to travel and vacation. When I went to Angkor Wat in [...]

Holiday Books and Gifts

Thanks to Mark for filling the hole of Monday Musings. He asks a thoughtful question for the holidays season. This week’s question combines books and Christmas: assuming you enjoy getting books as Christmas presents, which genre do you prefer (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, long reads, short reads, holiday reads, etc.)? And how do you prefer to [...]

Checking In

I know holiday season is right around the corner and everyone is busy with family. Maybe this is the reason why Musing Mondays has bowed out for two weeks on a roll. This is an update post to check in with my readers. I have been stressed out about family matter, which has slowed down [...]

[249] A Visitation of Spirits – Randall Kenan

It was then that he would realize that he was different and vulnerable and that the simple joy of being in love and expressing it with straightforward passion was denied him, and he would retreat into an indigo funk. [153] Horace Cross is smart and nerdy; but the 16-year-old is tired of his suffocating life. [...]