This Girl's Bookshelf

Community: Abed breaks the 4th Wall from his first appearance

2013-01-26T07:45:00.000-05:00

(Yeah, this isn't about books. Indulge me.) So my absolute favorite TV show these days is Community. It's been struggling with the ratings, but it's consistently the most clever, inventive show on TV today. It has restored my faith in the sitcom. Searching around online for Community info, I came across Dan Harmon's original Pilot script. As I started reading, I came across something pretty

Tiana's great and all, but what about Kida?

2012-06-15T15:50:00.000-04:00

:) Sure, I guess Tiana from Disney's The Princess and the Frog is the first African-American Disney princess... considering the fact that she and Pocahontas are the only ones who are American at all! But Kida (Kidagakash) from Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a black princess, too - just not one that Disney likes to promote, for one reason or another. (Is it because of the resmblances to the anime

Mockingjay Hypocrisy - Reading 'The Hunger Games'... from the Capital

2012-04-30T13:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true... Hunger Games mania is in full roar. And it's all a bit silly. Don't get me wrong - when I read The Hunger Games, I fell in love with it too. Suzanne Collins hit upon a winner with it. It's a real page-turner, a quick read and I'm all for getting teens into reading - especially reading books with a kick-ass female protagonist in a not-so-distant-future dystopian United

K.A. Applegate answers questions on Reddit

2012-03-15T16:24:00.004-04:00

So Sean at the Intergalactic Academy is still doing his cracking Animorphs re-read series, and I've been catching up from them. In one of his posts he mentions something that I can't believe I missed out on - last April, Applegate posted an Ask Me Anything thread on Reddit - check it out. Ms. Applegate being something of a childhood hero of mine, this is an absolutely fascinating read.It turns

The Knitting Architect - review

2012-02-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

Over at Joyarna Knitblog, I've got a review of a knitwear design book - The Knitting Architect by Sion Elalouf. It's an educational book all about constructing knitted (or crocheted) sweaters from the ground up - without the need of pattern, in the traditional European way.

Animorphs Re-read - going down memory lane

2011-10-06T18:53:00.004-04:00

Sean at the Intergalactic Academy is doing a fantastic series of posts on an Animorphs Re-read - that's right, he's reading all of the Animorphs series by KA Applegate, one by one, and posting synopses and reviews. If you're of the same generation we are, and of a nerdy inclination, chances are you used to read these books. In the eyes of an adolescent sci-fi fan, they were awesome. Do they stand

Review: Perdido Street Station, China Mieville

2010-11-10T13:47:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling weary of genre fiction lately. I used to be a huge sci-fi and fantasy buff, but the past few years I've been more in the mood for something more literary and... cerebral? I guess I just prefer nice writing over heroes and rocket ships. But, if you look hard enough, turns out I don't have to pick one over the other.Perdido Street Station is, in a nutshell, about an overweight

The Book Group

2010-03-07T13:14:00.002-05:00

This isn't a book review, but I think this post might be relevant to readers of this blog. I recently discovered a television series called The Book Group. It's a British series starring Anne Dudek, an actress whom you might not know but would certainly recognize - she has had a number of supporting roles on popular shows such as House, Desperate Housewives, Bones, Psych, Big Love and Mad Men. It

Review: The Rainbow, D. H. Lawrence (Librivox)

2009-09-06T13:48:00.002-04:00

I always have a book I'm reading, and I always have a book I'm listening to as well. Librivox is a fantastic resource for public domain audiobooks, read by volunteers. I'm a knitter, and I like to listen to a book while I knit. Recently I finished listening to The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence.I had already read the fantastic Women in Love for a history class before reading The Rainbow. Lawrence's

Book Review Blog Carnival #25!

2009-08-30T15:05:00.004-04:00

Today I am hosting the Book Review Blog Carnival. If you're a blogger who has written a review recently, you can submit your review for the next edition of the carnival. The Book Review Blog Carnival runs every two weeks. In addition, I and all the other book reviewers in this carnival would appreciate it if you blogged about the carnival!There were a ton of great submissions this time around, so

Movie Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-08-21T19:44:00.002-04:00

Doing something a little different today because I recently went and saw the new film The Time Traveler's Wife. The film, starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, is based on the novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger.A few summers ago, over the course of three days, I devoured this monster 560-page romance-cum-SF novel, the very first novel of the author and only one to date. Her next novel,

Apes raised by people - collection of reviews

2009-07-30T12:46:00.005-04:00

The guestblogger over at BoingBoing this week, Carrie McLaren, has written up a collection of mini-reviews of books about people raising chimpanzees, monkeys, and gorillas in their families. It's fascinating stuff, especially how different people go about it - treating them as pets or more or less like children.Books by People who have raised Apes in their HomesIncluded are Nim Chimpsky, a '

My To-Read list - Nonfiction

2009-07-16T21:53:00.004-04:00

I've got quite a large stack of books currently, mostly from BookMooch or through gifts. Most of the books on my list are novels, but there are quite a few non-fiction books as well. Here are just a few of the non-fiction books I'll be reading in the next few months.Science: I'm not a 'scientific' person by any means, but there are a number of topics in the sciences that interest me. I don't like

New poll (movie books) and new layout

2009-07-11T17:37:00.006-04:00

As you may have noticed, This Girl's Bookshelf now has a new layout. It is still highly experimental (read: I am not a web designer) so if anyone has any problems with the new layout let me know ASAP. Suggestions are welcome also. :)The previous poll has closed. The question was, How long do you prefer books to be? There were 28 votes and here are the results:Less than 150 pages14% (4)150-250

June Adgitize Advertising program Payment

2009-07-10T17:42:00.002-04:00

I just received my monthly payment from Adgitize, a blog ad network that you can see on the sidebar and bottom of the page. I have been using Adgi for a few months now and it is really paying off! This month's payment was $21.28, which pays for my $14 advertising cost (I ran an ad for my knitting blog) and gives me $7 extra.The Adgitize program is based on a points system, which then determines

Book Review Blog Carnival at INFtDIRaB

2009-07-09T21:19:00.002-04:00

Over at I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book! (what a great title!), the 21st Book Review Blog Carnival has been posted.There's a huge variety of a ton of book reviews for you to go over and read, so check it out! If you have a book blog, you can also submit your reviews for the next edition or apply to host the carnival. The Book Review Blog Carnival is bi-weekly.~Joy

My favorite book source, BookMooch

2009-07-06T21:41:00.004-04:00

So, I'm a college student. That means I don't have a lot of cash to spend on books, however voracious my appetite may be. The library is great, but the two libraries in my area don't always have what I'm looking for, and sometimes I really would like to own a book, to read it over and over or to pass it on to a friend.That's when I turn to BookMooch. BookMooch is a book-swapping site - there are

Review: The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

2009-07-02T14:00:00.003-04:00

Here's one of those books that I've always meant to read, but didn't get around to it until now. I'd seen the bright blue cover all over bookstores, with the enigmatic charm bracelet and clean text. Mysterious. And very, very popular. There is a sticker on my hardback copy: "Read this! Good Morning America." It's been a huge bestseller, gotten critical acclaim, there's a movie in the works to be

Now Entrecard-enabled

2009-07-01T20:46:00.000-04:00

Welcome! There's a pretty good chance you've found this blog via Entrecard. This blog got accepted into the program a few days ago and I am now doing regular drops from here and my knitting blog Joyarna. Since this blog is still small, I will try to reciprocate drops for anyone who drops on me. :)This Girl's Bookshelf is a book review blog. I'll post my thoughts, lists, and other stuff, but the

Book length poll

2009-06-27T15:50:00.003-04:00

I will be running regular polls regarding your preferences about the books you read, or the books I should review. You can see the current poll in the sidebar to your left. They will close when they reach a certain number of answers; then I will release the results and put up a new poll.The first poll question is How long do you prefer books to be? Do you like little books you can read in a day

Review: Chocolat, Joanne Harris

2009-06-25T20:49:00.003-04:00

Chocolat is one of the rare cases where I watched the movie before getting a chance to read the book. Normally I prefer to read a novel prior to watching the film adaptation, because the book, 9 times out of 10, contains more detail and if just better overall. I watched the film Chocolat before I even knew there was a novel it was based on.Chocolat is, in a nutshell, about a clever, emancipated,

Help Save Ohio Libraries - Columbus and beyond

2009-06-24T20:15:00.001-04:00

Ohio libraries are in trouble. In the next two years, the Columbus Metropolitan Library system will have their funding cut by 50%, according to a proposal by the governor. These funding cuts will result in the closing of branches and ending of programs, not even to mention the ordering of new books.The library is very important to me and it is likely important for you too. The books, computers,

Books for your Dad

2009-06-19T22:24:00.000-04:00

So maybe you've been putting it off. You still haven't gotten your dad something for Father's Day. It's on Sunday! What are you going to do?! Books are one of my favorite things to give as gifts, because they spark conversations and they show that you know what interests the gift recipient.Think about your dad, and think about what kind of books he would like for Father's Day.-Science Fiction Is

Review: A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby

2009-06-17T22:50:00.001-04:00

I love Nick Hornby. I read High Fidelity and About a Boy, and saw the films for each (starring John Cusack and Hugh Grant, respectively), and loved them both. A Long Way Down is one of Hornby's more recent novels, released in 2005.A Long Way Down is, in a nutshell, about suicide. Or a lack thereof. The story is told from the points of view of four different characters, each of whom seeks to end

Open to Suggestions, and about my reviews

2009-06-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

I have a very large pile of books waiting to be read, but I'm always open to suggestions of books you'd like me to review. Just leave me a comment or drop me an email, and I will add it to my list. If it's already on my list, I'll bump it up a few places. I give the people what they want!I hope this blog will serve some use to people. I always like to check what other people think before I read a