[Usually blog posts are written by Shirley, Berryville’s library services associate, but today we have a special treat–a guest review written by Courtney, one of our local business owners and fellow book bloggers. She wrote an excellent piece on historical Christian fiction for us last year. This time, she’s talking about indie authors.]
Continue reading “Guest Blogger Courtney: Independently Published Books, A Reader’s Perspective”
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For January, we’re looking at a prestigious annual literary collection, a standalone mystery from one of the most popular crime writers working today, and a profile of the Los Angeles library system.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Short Story Anthologies, Standalone Debuts, and Libraries”
Happy New Year, everybody!
This year, we’ll be continuing our sneak peeks at newer book releases, celebrations of notable events in literary history, and book, television show, and movie reviews.
And to that end, I was wondering what you wanted me to review.
Please check out my guest post about libraries and community on The Green Mockingbird! 🙂
We’re focusing on newer books, movies, and television shows for 2018, but that doesn’t mean we’re entirely ignoring old favorites! After all, what’s that saying–what’s old may just become new again (or something like that)?
Is it really Christmas until you’ve either read or watched or listened to A Christmas Carol? Tiny Tim and Scrooge have been a holiday tradition for over 175 years. In fact, December 19 marks the anniversary of its publication in 1843. In that first year, it had sold out by Christmas Eve, and it remains a perennial favorite even now.
And here at the library, we’ve got a variety of traditional and contemporary ways for you to enjoy A Christmas Carol.
It’s that time of year where entertainment is Santa, Christmas, and snow, non-stop. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if you, like me, need a break from all that, perhaps 1980s cult classic comedy Rustler’s Rhapsody will do the trick!
Rex O’Herlihan (Tom Berenger, Platoon, Gettysburg) is a singing cowboy, one of the good guys. You can tell because he has a fancy wardrobe and follows a code of honor that involves only shooting the bad guy in the hand. This plays well in the singing cowboy movies he was designed for but is substantially less useful when he’s dropped into the real world. . . .
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For December, we’re looking at an unusual, animal-centric memoir; a pulse-stopping suspense novel; and a hilarious ode to the quirks of families.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Featured Creatures, Suspense, and Rake Thieves”
When I was a teenager, I discovered Georges Simenon’s delightful Maigret book series. Maigret was an ordinary man, refreshingly devoid of the quirks, tortured backstory, and “chosen one” vibe that many fictional detectives have. I honestly don’t remember which Maigret stories I read–I just remember enjoying them, so much so that I still cite them as favorites. They remind me a bit of Nordic Noir but with a decidedly less dour tone.
We’re focusing on newer books, movies, and television shows for 2018, but that doesn’t mean we’re entirely ignoring old favorites! After all, what’s that saying–what’s old may just become new again (or something like that)?
November 1st marked the 147th anniversary of Stephen Crane’s birth. Crane’s life was tragically cut short by tuberculosis, but he still made a mark on modern American literature during his 28 years.
Fittingly for us to remember in the month that also commemorates Veterans Day (and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I), Crane is probably best known for a war novel: the classic The Red Badge of Courage.
However, there is more to Crane’s work than just the story of a young Union soldier named Henry Fielding. . . .
Berryville Book Buzz 