

Always late to the game... but at least I eventually show up!
With my discovery of Welcome to Night Vale, I'm a new convert to the magic that is The Podcast. I love that discussions on a multitude of topics can be downloaded instantly to my phone for my enjoyment during my commute. And of course, you know the first word I searched for... "books". I just wanted to let you know about the three podcasts I seem to come back to time and again... in case you're looking for something to listen to. NPR Books Books on the Nightstand BookRiot Li

Happy Birthday, Helen Keller!
On what would've been Helen Keller's 134th birthday, let's revisit my review of The Miracle Worker by William Gibson. Desperate self-promotion, thy name is Bear Allen. #helenkeller #themiracleworker #williamgibson #birthday

Facebook Friday!
Haven't done this in awhile (surprising, I know). And if you're not following me on Facebook or Twitter, you're missing plenty of other awesome things! #facebookfriday

Lois Lowry on The Giver movie
Reflecting on 20 Years of The Giver The very last line in Lois Lowry's article on Huffington Post about the movie adaptation of her beloved bookThe Giver sums up the way we need to think about this latest phenomenon. The Giver changed how I thought about reading and it's use in changing my perspective on the world around me. So although it's scary to see something that is such a part of you be put on the big screen (and hope to God they didn't slaughter it), in the end... t
A-Z Bookish Survey
Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner is revisiting the A-Z Bookish Survey she did last year. Although I'm not tagged, I'm going to play anyway. If you want to play along, tell me what your A-Z answers are. Or if you have a blog, post your own responses to these questions! Author you've read the most books from: Stephen King... hands down. And he just keeps giving me more! Husband is convinced that SK couldn't possibly write that many books and therefore must have a team wr

Twitter is killing Tolstoy
In today's "Totally Disturbing News" News, Time informed me that the average American only spends 19 minutes a day reading. Don't get me wrong, my television is not "a funny little table to keep chai tea on" (mostly because I hate chai tea). Hey, I binge watched all of Orange is the New Black last week in a mere 2 days... I'm no stranger to the draw of Netflix. However, there is still plenty of time in the day to get a good amount of boob-tubin' in and read more than 20 mi

Deckle is even just a fun word to say!
I have a confession to make...
I am a complete and total sucker for a deckle edge. I actual can feel a discernible fluttering in my stomach when I pick up a book and notice the deckle edge. For some reason, it significantly enhances my reading experience. I can't quite explain why... I JUST LOVE DECKLE EDGE!
I didn't think it was an undesirable feature of a book until I watched Hank Green's below "Ranting About Books" video on the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel. [While t

"A novel way to celebrate books and life"
his new site posts two voicemails a week, left by readers who are were touched or changed by a particular book.Give it a call! I would love to see your voicemails featured. And this is so cool, I'll even forgive them for reminding me about Moby Dick. #mobydick #hermanmelville #callmeishmael


The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
On my way back from a work trip, I downloaded The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson after watching some Vlogbrothers videos where John Green talked about it being banned in schools across the country. Lord knows we can't talk about lesbian teenagers with real feelings and complex relationships without ruining the innocence of readers everywhere. You guys know I love me some YA lit, but while this story was enjoyable, it was not one of those books I must purchase in hardco


Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Haven't had one of these in awhile... Deep Thoughts From Damp Tresses! For our latest installment, I was inspired by the Nerdfighter Book Club to read Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. It was a single instant while reading notes from the author that brought this story together for me. It was the moment when Katherine Boo revealed that this story of "Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity" was, in fact, a true story. I had read the entire book as literary