Book Reviews

Book Review: Strength In What Remains

This is a guest post by Kate Walser, a regular TJCC contributor. You can follow Kate on Twitter. What would you do if I told you our town had been taken over by the enemy? That the enemy was on its way to find you? If you heard your enemy coming down the hall and [...]

July 24, 2010 CONTINUE READING →

All Books Are Not Created Equal, or, Why I Wanted To Be A Pig Wearing A Bonnet

This is a guest post from brilliant friend Josh Hanagarne, author of the fabulous World’s Strongest Librarian. I’m psyched to include yet another one of Josh’s brilliant and, well, hilarious posts here on TJCC. Many thanks to Josh for helping me stay on my reading and writing toes. My parents started reading to me before [...]

June 25, 2010 CONTINUE READING →

On Historical Backdrops, The Red Tent and The Brubury Tales Giveaway

Weaving elements of history into writing, whether through stories or style, is undeniably a skill of brilliant magicians. I have three copies of The Red Tent. One I bought for myself. The second was from a friend who went to an author reading and sent me a signed copy from Anita Diamant. No idea where [...]

June 19, 2010 CONTINUE READING →

Poll: Which Films Crush The Book Versions?

Very, very, very few movies are better than the book. Having watched The Princess Bride approximately 546 times, I thought it was high time to read the actual book. A few years I go, I took the leap and assumed, of course, it would be just as riveting.

Sigh. A gripping story, certainly. But the movie was far better.

Anyone who knows me well knows that The Princess Bride is my favorite movie. Of. All. Time.

It is still inconceivable to me that the book was such a far cry from the magic of the movie. After I finished reading it, I almost cried. No, wait, I actually did cry.

The book and film essentially tell the same storyline. The author writes two stories in one; one tale is a archetypal fairy tale adventure, the other one is a contemporary story of how such timeless fantasies keep us spellbound, no matter our age, location or shoe size.

The Princess Bride includes so many themes it’s hard to keep up, but that’s part of the adventure. True Love, Revenge, Giants, Poison, Brave Men, Beautiful Women, Rodents, Torture.

June 11, 2010 CONTINUE READING →

Book Review: Been Everywhere…Got Nowhere

This is a a guest post from my super-cool Dad. In fact, it’s his second post here on TJCC. Check out his review of fascinating memoir Been Everywhere…Got Nowhere, authored by his good friend and Associated Press reporter, who has since passed, Hugh Mulligan. As a journalist, Mulligan had an amazing series of assignments and [...]

June 5, 2010 CONTINUE READING →

Book Review: The Art of Travel

A traveler at heart and by rigorous practice, I buy any book with the word “travel” in it. Ever wonder why there is this niche of people that are obsessed with traveling? I’m one of them. Before I read this, I had no idea how to put my fixation into words. The Art of Travel [...]

April 3, 2010 CONTINUE READING →

Book Review: What Would Jackie Do?

Oh, how I love all things Jackie O. Feel like you’ve lost that stylish edge? Forget what it’s like to have office manners? Unsure of how to deal with family dysfunction? Never fear: Jackie O knows just what to do. What Would Jackie Do? is a national bestseller and undeniably hilarious. Authors Shelly Branch and [...]

March 27, 2010 CONTINUE READING →

Book Review: Black and Blue

Many moons ago, I worked as a community educator at a domestic violence center. I spoke to female and male prisoners, young teens and police officers, sharing stories about the dynamics of domestic violence, spreading the word and searching for advocates. These conversations changed me for life. No class in college could ever teach me [...]

February 26, 2010 CONTINUE READING →