Pocketbooks

Reader Review: "Brooklyn Bridge"

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:03:04 +0000

by Bella (Brooklyn, NY): I’m a ten year old girl who recently read this book. It was a deep, yet fun confection about growing up in the early 1900’s, the time where New York was spilling with immigrants and Coney Island was at its prime. It prompted me to read online and ask relatives about the old Coney Island. Now especially, this book got me thinking because of the new Luna Park. I hope someday the old Coney Island feel will return and Coney Island will be restored. Because from what this book says, the old Coney Island was great fun.

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Publishers Weekly accepting paid reviews

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:52:50 +0000

Publishers Weekly, one of the USA’s oldest publishing industry magazines, today announced that they are accepting registrations from self-published authors who want to appear in its December self-publishing supplement. Cost of inclusion is $149 with a number of added value features including the possibility of being one of 25 books in the supplement to be reviewed by PW. Link to more information below.

Those who wish to discuss the pros and cons of PW’s move will find a lively debate here.
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Reader Review: "Zeitoun"

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:48:24 +0000

by avid (springfield, il): This book is important, yet has been largely overlooked by reviewers and book clubs. It’s not just a history of Hurricane Katrina, but a personal account of the storm and its aftermath. More significantly, it spotlights our country’s emergency response plan and the bewildering policies that could affect any of us as a result of the next major disaster. In addition to its potential impact, it’s a very engaging and compelling story by an intelligent and objective author.

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Larsson’s ex-partner hits out at renaming of trilogy

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:29:57 +0000

Stieg Larsson would not have approved of the renaming of the opening book to his Millennium trilogy from “Men Who Hate Women” to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, the late author’s partner has claimed saying, “The theme of all three books is the subjugation of women, the abuse and violence against them. That’s the whole point. These books were a way for him to take up a subject close to his heart.”

Gabrielsson has refused to hand over a draft for a fourth book in the series to Larsson’s family (who own rights to the series as Larsson died without a will), arguing the series has not been treated in the way he would have wanted it.
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Reader Review: "Three Cups of Tea"

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 05:14:37 +0000

by Pat O (Sherwood Park, AB Canada): This book is an amazing read. I opened it last week and I couldn’t put it down. I cried a few times because I was overwhelmed by this man’s tenacity and integrity. He is an inspiration!

I have read many of the reviews on "Three Cups of Tea" and I am disappointed in people who state on any level that the book is a poor read.

I have bought four more copies of the book to give to my adult children and one for my best friend. I intend to pass the one I have around as much as I can!

How ONE person can make a difference is often an ignored statement; however this book proves that ONE person can make a difference and Greg Mortenson did. Shame on anyone for negating any of this man’s gentle caring soul.

God bless Greg Mortenson and his family. Mr. Mortenson proves that when it comes to kindness and learning – there are no borders!

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Reader Review: "Alice I Have Been"

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 05:14:37 +0000

by Carol Byers (Oregon): I found Benjamin’s ‘Alice I Have Been’ to be fascinating with many of life’s experiences seamlessly expressed. To gain the most of this story, I needed to read a bit about the actual life of Lewis Carroll as well as the Liddell family (Alice was the third of three Liddell daughters). In interviews about this book, Benjamin relates her interest in the actual Liddell/Dodson work and social relationship. Because not all is known of that actual relationship, she builds ‘Alice I Have Been’ as a work of fiction. Reading about Charles Lutwidge Dodson’s (pen name Lewis Carroll) life enriched the tenor of this book for me.

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Reader Review: "Founding Brothers"

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 05:14:37 +0000

by Don G.: Ellis’ book is a great read. People who read it with the idea that history is a noun, full of facts, dates, people, and places, miss the point. Ellis intends us to look at history as a verb, the inquiry, not the things, but the relationship between the things. Ellis isn’t trying to tell us about Hamilton or Jefferson, he is trying to tell us about the relationship between these two powerful men that led to a historic compromise. As a former AP US History I can appreciate some student’s frustration, but I often feel we waste real good history on young people.

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Bertelsmann and Holtzbrinck joint venture approved by EC

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:03:23 +0000

The European Commission has cleared the creation of a joint-venture by German media companies Bertelsmann and Holtzbrinck to operate an online distribution platform to sell e-books.
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Are printed books an endangered species? Not if you look at the ‘paperless office’

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 01:57:51 +0000

With pundits predicting the end of printed books within the decade, The Christian Science Monitor concludes that, if the much vaunted ‘paperless office’ is anything to go by, it’s going to take more than a few years to wean people off paper! …

“So, are paper books an endangered species? Quite likely in the long run, but perhaps not as quickly as techno-enthusiasts imagine. After all, we’re still waiting for the paperless office to arrive, decades after it was forecast. (The typical office worker still consumes about 10,000 sheets of paper per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.)”
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Project Gutenberg on quest to digitize 1 billion books

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 01:57:51 +0000

Shortly after Google’s announcement that they have calculated that there are about 130 million books in the world, comes Project Gutenberg founder Michael Hart’s plan for one billion ebooks.

To quote the Los Angeles Times…

“Hart’s grand plan is centered around one number: 1 billion. He scratched his math, based on various premises, down into an e-mail. His vision for a larger digital reading ecosystem includes all e-books, whether from his own organization or others or from for-profit ventures including Google’s.

There’s the total pot of public-domain books, which Hart estimates is 25 million. If all the scanners rack up at least 10 million of those and then translate them into 100 languages, there you have a billion e-books.”
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