A Bookseller Recommends

Night by Elie Wiesel

This is one book that everyone should read if they've never read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. And then you should read that too. Night is a true story, experienced by Elie Wiesel, about the horrors of enduring the holocaust. In 1944, he and his family were taken to the now infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz. It's a short, gripping story. Elie watches his family die and tries to understand the evils that man is capable of, all while doing everything in his power to survive. Not only does Elie offer the events of that horrific time, but also posits questions and thoughts that will have you thinking, wondering, and perhaps delivering insight you've never had before. If you want something real and powerful, this is it.

Notes from the playlist: "Psychological Recovery...6 Months" by Hans Zimmer

Posted by Nicole at Saturday, January 29, 2011 0 comments  

Labels: autobiography, history, nonfiction, religion

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

In my quest to be challegened by reading different things I might not end up reading myself, I read this as a part of a friend's online book club. This was my first Bujold book, sort of a surprise to some I guess since I enjoy fantasy. It was an enjoyable book, though my choice of words leans against "interesting" rather than truly "entertaining." If you enjoy court politics, a curse or two, and happy endings with a lot of theology and downtime thrown in between, then this is your book. However, if you're more of an action-adventure type of person, you may want to pass it up. Still, at least now I can say that I have actually read a book by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Read the Epinions review here!


Notes from the playlist: "The Death of Queen Jane" by Loreena McKennitt

Posted by Nicole at Saturday, January 22, 2011 0 comments  

Labels: fantasy, fiction

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

There are certainly plenty of good things I can say about this book, but for a better review, click the Epinions link below. Suffice to say that Stacey Kade doesn't deliver the same old tired out plot. You think the main man is a goth - he's not. You think the girl is a bratty cheerleader - ok, so she is, but she's got some spice on her side that gives her a more interesting personality. And the problem they face? Definitely not what you were expecting. Certainly not what I was expecting. I had a great time reading this and trouble putting it down. I don't doubt that you will do the same.

Read the Epinions review here!

Notes from the playlist: "Black Black Heart 2.0" by David Usher

Posted by Nicole at Saturday, January 15, 2011 0 comments  

Labels: fiction, teens

Natural History: The Ultimate Visual Guide to Everything on Earth

If you've followed this blog at all, you may have picked up at some point how much I adore DK books (that is, the folks at Dorling Kindersley Publishing). This was one of those books that, while in the receiving room pulling it out of the box, I got all googly-eyed over and knew I had to have. Hands down. The second I knew I could get it at a lower price (because it's list price is a whopping $50 though completely understandable), I nabbed it. This book is like every DK book ever made about the natural world. It is, in a single word, AWESOME. Every glossy page is filled with brightly colored pictures of mushrooms, fish, ferns, big cats, bears, spiders, dragonflies, and virtually everything that walks, crawls, swims, or wriggles on the planet. Ok, so maybe not everything, but it's pretty darn close. Just by flipping through it, I've already discovered all sorts of things. The fossa in Madagascar are real and do eat lemurs, and there really are deer out there with fangs (I knew it!).



Notes from the playlist: "TRON Legacy (End Titles)" by Daft Punk

Posted by Nicole at Saturday, January 08, 2011 0 comments  

Labels: animals, my shelf, nature, nonfiction

Intellectual Devotional: Biographies by David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim

Happy New Year!

Another year, another Intellectual Devotional to be read! Tonight I'll be on Day 1 and learning all about...hold on a moment...Khufu, ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Nifty. These books are great because you glean all sorts of tidbits about people and culture that you may not have known before. This time it's biographies only (in case the title didn't give it away). A different page about a different person every night for the next year. You never know who you're going to get! From thieves to presidents, singers to architects, and much more, it's another intelligent way to end the day.

Past volumes:
Intellectual Devotional (Original)
Intellectual Devotional: American History
Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture


Notes from the playlist: "Zombie Fight" by Ilan Eshkeri

Posted by Nicole at Saturday, January 01, 2011 0 comments  

Labels: my shelf, nonfiction, reference, trivia and facts