Blogroll

Blog etiquette rant

In the scheme of life, the universe and everything, it’s no big deal. But it does kind of piss me off so you’ll have to forgive this rant as I vent a bit.

When I post a bunch of links in Weekend Edition or Friday Follies, I use “Via” to link to whomever led me […]

Beating the rush on a National Book Award winner

I mentioned when they were announced that I hadn’t read any of the finalists for the National Book Award. Lucky timing is going to help me out with reading one of the winners.

Taking a look at some of the “best of” lists for this year that have been appearing in the last week or […]

Wish I’d said that

It’s always somewhat surprising when you read something and realize not only that you wish you’d said it but that, if you had, you probably wouldn’t have said it quite as well.

The latest case in point for me is a post at Tales from the Reading Room called “Reasons For Buying Books.” Now anyone […]

Book Review: The Country Where No One Ever Dies by Ornela Vorpsi

Even during the height of Communism, Albania was an outlier, a dystopia seemingly little noticed by most of the world. Here was a country whose dictator, Enver Hoxha, broke ties with the Soviet Union because he believed criticizing and abandoning Stalinism was “revisionism.” Having then allied the country with Red China, Hoxha broke that off […]

Weekend Edition: 11-14

Bulletin Board

Two of my favorite things — books and jazz — come together tomorrow at the local B&N. With this voucher (which will also be available in the store) a percentage of your purchases will be donated to the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society’s Education Fund. The SFJB also plans music and a […]