It’s hard to believe that little Diane Hall was put into remedial English classes in middle school, because now, as Diane Keaton, she has written a beautiful memoir.
Keaton focuses much of her memoir on her mother, Dorothy, whose journals and letters form a part of the book.
Keaton had a happy childhood in California and discovered her performing talents in school productions, with her mother’s encouragement and help.
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If I’d glanced at the cover of “Inkheart” in a bookstore or library, I would’ve passed it over for sure. Medieval knights, dragons and fairies are not my favorite reads.
But my sister surprised me with the novel for Christmas, explaining the book had come recommended because it was filled with literary references, and a book-lover would likely enjoy it. Full disclosure: I still turned up my nose a bit. Yes, I judged a book by its cover. I am a walking cliche.
Shame on me — shame on me — because Cornelia Funke turns out to be an exceptional writer, and “Inkheart” easily swept me into its story. Twelve-year-old Meggie lives with her father, who has the ability to bring characters to life by reading aloud. Which might be great, except he read an evil ruler named Capricorn out of a book, and now Capricorn is set on capturing them both so he can return to his fictional land. What follows is a strange mix of characters that Meggie and her father rely on for help, from grumpy Great Aunt Elinor who only loves her rare books to mute Resa, who has a back story of her own.
Award-winning Gettysburg author Jessica James has been invited as a featured author to the 2012 Amelia Island Book Festival, to be held Feb. 17-18 in Amelia Island, Fla., according to a press release.
James is the author of the Civil War novel “Noble Cause,” which won the coveted John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction and the Next Generation Indie Contest for Regional Fiction. The novel was also a Finalist in the USA “Best Books of 2011” Awards in the Historical Fiction category. See individual Book Buzz posts about these awards below.
Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss Everdeen, left; and Liam Hemsworth portrays Gale Hawthorne in a scene from 'The Hunger Games.' (AP Photo / Lionsgate)
Take note, “Hunger Games” fanatics. Whether you’re a sports lover or not, you’ll want to tune in to the Super Bowl pre-game show on Sunday. The Examiner reports that a brand-new trailer for the upcoming movie will air sometime between 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday on NBC.
But let’s face it, that’s a huge time window. If I hear any scoop on a more narrow block of time, I’ll let you know.
In the mean time, Entertainment Tonight has revealed that they’ll have a short sneak peek of the full-length trailer on its show tonight. Check the local TV listings at FlipSidePA.com.
Gotham has her deep, dark secrets that are nestled within her bricks. They also are hidden away in the souls of dead men, in speculation passed down through the ages and in lock boxes. But what happens when these secrets come alive and begin blowing up the foundation of the city?
“Batman: Gates of Gotham” is a flashback into the history of the city and its powerful families: The Waynes, Elliots, Cobblepots and eventually the Kanes. In order to gain power and fortune, these families built up — quite literally — Gotham. But what price did others pay for this city’s success?
It seems logical that the best authors of the 21st century should have no problem picking the great books of the past few hundred years. They are considered experts solely from their professional experience.
In a the book “The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books,” edited by J. Peder Zane, 125 British and American authors set out to just that. There have, of course, been plenty of books that claim these sort of lists, but a recent Atlantic article on the book pulled me in.
The article quotes what I found to be a spot-on introduction, in which critic David Orr lists the many meanings of “great”:
1. ‘Great’ means ‘books that have been greatest for me.’
2. ‘Great’ means ‘books that would be considered great by the most people over time.’
3. ‘Great’ has nothing to do with you or me — or people at all. It involves transcendental concepts like God or the Sublime.
4. ‘Great’? I like Tom Clancy.
Fantasy spring training at Martin Library
Spend an afternoon talking baseball with Paul White and Ron Shandler at Fantasy Spring Training, 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at Martin Library, 159 E. Market St., York.
White is the editor of USA Today Sports Weekly and “USA Today Baseball Weekly Almanac.” Ron Shandler, managing partner of Shandler Enterprises, publishes statistical reports for baseball analysts and fantasy leaguers at www.baseballhq.com.
White and Shandler will discuss how to start a Fantasy League, rating the players, auction and draft strategy, predicting player performance, position ratings, and creating and managing your team.
Admission is a donation of $5. For details, call Fran Keller at 849-6925, email fkeller@yorklibraries.org or visit www.yorklibraries.org.
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As I type this, I have a batch of dough rising in the oven. In another hour or so, it will get rolled out and cut into 3-inch rounds and become English muffins. Or I hope so, in any case. That’s the best-case scenario.
The worst-case scenario is that I just wasted a couple bucks, three hours and a good chunk of self-esteem on yet another failed bread project. Which isn’t so terrible, if you think about it.
At least it wasn’t a year’s worth of time.
William Alexander, on the other hand, has a lot more to lose — he proposes a yearlong journey into baking the perfect, round peasant loaf. Not just a simple loaf a week with store-bought flour and varying recipes. He plants, harvests and grinds his own wheat. He builds an outdoor oven in his backyard. The weight of his cookbooks focusing just on bread rises from 2 to 64 pounds. He travels to France to bake bread in a centuries-old abbey. He travels to Morocco and suffers food poisoning. This man is committed.
Don’t let the title fool you, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” isn’t a comedy. It follows the highs and lows of clinically depressed New York City teenager Craig Gilner.
Craig is an ambitious 15 year old who spends an inordinate amount of time studying for his entrance exam to the prestigious Executive Pre-Professional High School in Manhattan. When he’s not holed up in his room studying, Craig spends all of his free time with a motley crew of friends smoking pot, lusting after his best friend’s girlfriend and visiting questionable online chat rooms.
After getting into the high school, Craig finds himself unfulfilled. He is also anxious because he is no longer the smartest kid in class and struggles to keep up with his peers. He tells his doting parents that he is depressed and we get a glimpse into the world of psycho-pharmaceuticals and therapists through the eyes of an angst-ridden teen.
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“You’re a wonder, Wonder Woman.”
Ever have a fictional role model, maybe from a book or television show? How about a comic series? Wonder Woman is mine. It was “given” to me by my boyfriend, but he made a good match. Fierce, strong, fearless and so much more, Wonder Woman is the alpha female with some awesome boots and a rockin’ body. I can see why she is part of the original three of the Justice League and no other female character matches her authority when it comes to comic books.
Her history is deep, beginning in December 1941 when William Moulton Marston created her. (Here is her full history.) Because of this, I never really got into any Wonder Woman continuous series, as it was too much for me, and I constantly ask questions to comic book geniuses about what is going on in the pages that I actually do pick up.
Then new 52 happened. And I still have a million questions.
