Monthly Archives: August 2007

Barnes & Noble changes mind over O.J. book

Posted on August 31, 2007 by cscheler

The Associated Press NEW YORK — Barnes & Noble has changed its mind about the new O.J. Simpson book. After saying it would not stock copies of “If I Did It” in its stores, citing lack of customer demand, the … Continue reading →

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XM Radio to Air Book Readings

Posted on August 31, 2007 by Teresa Cook

The National Endowment for the Arts will partner with XM Radio to bring literature to satellite radio with the launch of “The Big Read on XM,” a series airing audio versions of classic novels in 30-minute installments. The series, based … Continue reading →

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Light, bright reading

Posted on August 29, 2007 by gloria fogal

Whenever I want to read something just for fun, I reach for one of the books in Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I just finished “Blue Shoes and Happiness” and, as always, it didn’t disappoint.

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Johns Hopkins University acquires Mencken archive

Posted on August 28, 2007 by cscheler

— The Associated Press BALTIMORE — Nearly 6,000 books, photographs and letters by and about H.L. Mencken have been acquired by Johns Hopkins University from the estate of an Ohio accountant with a penchant for the curmudgeonly journalist known as … Continue reading →

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Book Quiz

Posted on August 28, 2007 by nancy duncan

Ever wonder what novel you would be? Are you a “To Kill a Mockingbird”, or a “Poisonwood Bible”? A “Lolita” or a “Huckleberry Finn”? Click here to find out.

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2 books on Muslim women

Posted on August 27, 2007 by joan mcinnis

‘Kabul Beauty School’ By Deborah Rodriguez and Kristen Ohlson and ‘Lipstick Jihad’ By Azadeh Moaveni These memoirs by two very different women explore the plight of women in the Muslim world. Deborah Rodriguez was a survivor of a hardscrabble existence … Continue reading →

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Read Anne’s words, travel to the Franks’ world

Posted on August 24, 2007 by cscheler

Dozens of foreign editions of Anne Frank’s diary line a wall of the gift shop at Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House. Here, from the center to the right, are the Hungarian, Greek and Bulgarian translations. Who doesn’t like to go? To … Continue reading →

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Is it Cheating to Listen?

Posted on August 24, 2007 by Teresa Cook

A recent article in the New York Times said some book clubs call it cheating when a member listens to a book instead of reading it. But the head librarian for Baltimore’s library system disagrees. So does Baltimore Sun columnist … Continue reading →

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Grace Paley dies at 84

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Teresa Cook

Poet and short story writer Grace Paley, a literary eminence and old-fashioned rebel who described herself as a “combative pacifist,” died Aug. 22. She was 84. <div style=“text-align:right; font-size:10px;“<br / “She was a great writer,” said Jonathan Galassi, president of … Continue reading →

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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See

Posted on August 22, 2007 by nancy duncan

This novel takes place in China during the 1850’s, but life was so primitive there, especially for women, that it could have taken place in the 1300’s. Snow Flower, and the narrator Lily, are both 7-year-old when they first meet. … Continue reading →

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