The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
One of my goals for this summer was to read Sun Tzu's The Art of War. I'd like to say I had some noble purpose in mind, but the truth is I'm just a huge, huge nerd—I wanted to hone my war-mongering...
Complete with recipes!
If you're a Hunger Games fan and 21 years of age or older, be sure to check out Forever Young Adult's Hunger Games Drinking Game, which I'm sure will make the whole "Peeta Vs. Gale" debate a whole...
Frankly, my hopes are not high.
Well, dear readers, today is August 23rd, and tomorrow is the release date for Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay. If you're desperate to celebrate this event, you can nip down to your local Hot Topic a...
Saving one's spot
If you're looking for some book-themed presents that manage to be both awesome and affordable, check out these bookmarks by Olympia-based artist Sarah Utter, creator of the "Reading Is Sexy" t-shi...
Branching out
My, my... Janet Evanovich has written a full-length novel about Diesel, the mysterious supernatural being who consistently turns up to hit on the heroine in Evanovich's holiday-themed Stephanie Pl...
I'm sorry for posting this.
No, I really am.You can apparently buy J.D. Salinger's seatless, lidless, uncleaned toilet (complete with a letter of authentication) on eBay for one million dollars. Ordinarily, I'd add a picture...
Middle Earth: the theme park?
According to Cinematical, there are rumors that Universal Studios is toying with the idea of making a Lord of the Rings theme park (presumably thanks to the success of its Wizarding World of Harry...
The end of the beginning of the final Harry Potter movie
MTV's Movies Blog is reporting that the first half of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will end at roughly Chapter 24, for those of you who've been wondering. (Here's h...
Embroidering Mr. Darcy
Artistically-inclined Jane Austen fans take note: you can buy a PDF version of this Mr. Darcy cross-stitch pattern from Etsy artist thetimeisnow for a mere $7.00. The pattern is printable, in col...
Cookbooks for the ages
The Guardian has assembled a list of the Top 50 Cookbooks Ever. (Here's the top ten, for readers in a hurry.) Turns out I don't own a single one of 'em.
A guiding hand
Flavorwire has compiled a list of their top-ten picks for Literature's Best-Dressed Characters. Their choices lean heavily towards Literature That Has Inspired Movie Adaptations, and I'm somewhat...
Low, lower, lowest
Slate just posted an article speculating that e-readers like Amazon's Kindle will soon be costing less than one hundred dollars. While this is certainly more reasonable than the 2009 price of rou...
Cathy, Electra, Irving, and her mother ride off into the sunset...
Ohio cartoonist Cathy Guisewite, the award-winning creator of the comic strip Cathy, has decided to retire her feature as of October 3rd. I can't say I'll truly miss the strip (actually, I'm not ...
Because *all* vampires need regular manicures
My goodness. Check out the complete line of Twilight-inspired nail polish from Twilight Beauty:Which vampire wears the Malibu Barbie hot pink, do you suppose?[Via BellaSugar]
Textbooks on the cheap...er
Good news for poor college students (particularly college students who have to pay zillions of dollars for those textbooks that will be out of date about .6 seconds after they pay $95 for 'em): Ba...
(Not for $48, though.)
There's a new collection of Disney Couture jewelry out, this time inspired by their take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. I'm usually not a fan of themed jewelry, but something ab...
My feelings? Totally hurt.
If you're a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan in the East Coast/Midwest area, be sure to check out Amulet Books' second annual ice-cream-truck promo tour. According to Publishers Weekly, the tour..."[...B...
Flipped: new and improved?
If you've never read Wendelin Van Draanen's adorable 2001 novel Flipped, Random House is releasing an "enhanced" e-book edition of the book featuring a bunch of tie-ins from the upcoming movie ada...
Low standards
Twelve—the recent film based on the 2003 Nick McDonell novel* of the same name—is not the kind of movie I usually see, nor is it the kind of book I usually read (unless I have to review it). Stil...
The fall of the book-selling empire?
Further hints of the crumbling world of major chain bookstores: Barnes and Noble is considering putting itself up for sale. (Specifically, they're exploring "strategic alternatives", one of which...
RIP, OneManga
It is with mixed emotions (about 55% irritation, 45% resignation) that I say goodbye to OneManga, the popular manga scanlation site that shut down for good last week. Now, it's possible that the ...
Seriously, dude? Thucydides?
While checking out the Horn Book Blog, I followed a link to this Harvard Magazine profile of literary agent Andrew Wylie. I was mostly impressed by Mr. Wylie's seemingly colossal ego*, but I thin...
Watch me suspend the ol' disbelief
In a strikingly Hollywood-ish bit of casting, Daniel Craig—a.k.a. the current James Bond—has signed on to star in the upcoming American remake of Steig Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. ...
Truth in advertising?
Whoa. The women at GoFugYourself recently featured British socialite-turned-bestselling author Katie Price modeling a truly impressive outfit to promote her new book Paradise. I'm not sure about...
A prize-winning novel interpreted via nail polish
I'm not sure what's up with the sudden trend toward literature-inspired nail polish, but whatever: I like books and I like nail polish, so I'll just roll with it. I'm particularly impressed by th...
27 days and counting...
Portland, Oregon's Powell's Books is hosting a midnight release party for Mockingjay, the third and final book in Suzanne Collins's bestselling "Hunger Games" trilogy. The shindig will start at 9:...
Jane Austen's Fight Club
I'm no fan of the endless Jane Austen book parodies currently glutting up the market, but this... I have to admit it, I cracked up.
The price is right
Quick-on-the-draw Kelley Armstrong fans should whip over to SF Signal and enter their Waking the Witch giveaway. The contest ends at 10:00 PM (Central Time) tonight, so you've still got a little ...
Release the merchandising tie-ins!
Sadly, I grew so bored by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics that I didn't bother to read the last six or so issues. I have 'em... and I might get to 'em eventually... but it'll need to be a slo...