Bloggers, for the most part, are really nice people. This is evidenced by the prevalence of these cute little buttons you’ll see adorning many a blog sidebar noting that this blog has been noticed by others and deemed worthy of tapping. (These are not to be confused with the Bloggies that I wrote about yesterday.)
I just received my very first of such award!
Klangford at Unveiled was the sweetie who sent it to me. So evidently she thinks I’m “Over the Top!” She actually had some very nice things to say …

First, R.I.P. JD Salinger. An American literary icon. For many, Catcher in the Rye was the first book someone handed them that they actually enjoyed, and so learned that books were more than chapters an English teacher forced them to read & take quizzes on, but a vehicle that can transport them to another time and place and into another’s life and emotions. Thank you, Mr. Salinger.

What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I’ve left schools and places …

Smart is the best word I can come up with to describe Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog – however, funny and insightful aren’t too far behind. And, I’m realizing I don’t have an intro for this review that does this book justice, so here it is.

Set in present day Paris, The Elegance of the Hedgehog is about two females – one pre-teen and another middle-aged – who are both trying very hard to appear on the outside what on the inside they are not.

Paloma, a precocious 12 …

Last summer, I blogged about my friend Derek who is a songwriter / singer. Well, he’s just finished his first CD (see side bar) but the most exciting thing is that he & a co-writer have made it to the final in the CMT Songwriter’s competition!! From more than 2000 songs that were entered, they are in the top 10!
This is where you come in…
This is a listener’s choice competition so please go here to vote. Derek & Cindi’s song is “Your First.” If you want to listen, I’ve also …

DO NOT use 123Print.com for online printing needs…. (unless you’re ok with this level of service).
Me: I received this order on Wednesday. However, the back of the card is printed upside down. On my proof it shows correctly – the orientation of both the front and back are the same. This is not the case with what I received. I would like to have them reprinted correctly. Please advise.
123Print: Unfortunately, we cannot make any changes to the files once they are submitted online. They get downloaded directly into our printers, …

I am so excited to welcome this guest reviewer to Babbette’s Book Blog! Welcome, Mom!
*****
I don’t habitually read beyond midnight, but I could not put down Ron Rash’s Serena once the last chase began. The impact of his villainess left me reeling.

One reviewer wrote that Serena “is certainly not serene in any sense of the word.” The energetic drive of her ambition …

Novel, biography and spiritual meditations – Frederick Buechner’s Godric is all of these at once. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, Buechner tells the account – using as many real facts as are available – of Saint Godric of Finchale, a 12th century holy man who lived the second half of his 105 year-old life as a hermit in the woods, praying and befriending animals. Godric is also recognized as being author to the oldest recorded verse in the English language.
Buechner tells his story as if it were the (also real) …

While I didn’t officially participate in the

this weekend, I did enjoy reading about all the folks who did through my reader, and I took advantage of some of the suggestions. One such item was to create a custom domain for my website and stop using an address with blogspot in the middle of it.
So, welcome to babbettesbookblog.com!
While all previous traffic should be directed there, if I am in your reader (and why wouldn’t I be?) or if you’ve linked to my site in your blog roll (thank you!), …

Once again, Lori Lansens proves her ability to combine depth, humor and dark in her latest novel The Wife’s Tale. The narrator is Mary Gooch, who chronicles her life in numbers; that is, how many pounds she gained when particular milestones passed – two miscarriages, a hysterectomy, the death of her cat, the death of her father. Self-deprecating in her admission of obsession over food, Mary is forced to take inventory of her 43 years when her husband fails to come home on the eve of their 25th wedding anniversary.
She …

This guest review is by frequent reader and commentator, Tiff.The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz ZafonOne of my favorite books is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon so when I saw that he had another book out, I ran to the book store. I love Zafon’s writing because it’s hard to put a label on it. It’s mystery/gothic/ romance/historical fiction with a fair portion of sarcasm and wit. I was pulled immediately into the story and glad to see that he hadn’t changed.
The main character is a …