Just wanted to let our readers know that Rene is our new reviewer; she’s getting her feet wet with a few reviews right now, such as the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies review that just went up. The “about” page has the usual notes about the kinds of books she likes to review, and you can tell who posted which review by looking just under the title for the byline. Enjoy!
Archive for the ‘Administrivia & News’ Category
Rene is our new reviewer!
Saturday, June 27th, 2009A musing on description
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009Since I didn’t end up writing a review today, I thought I’d put up a little musing on description I’ve been thinking about recently. While concrete description is important, sometimes it’s also important to know which details to leave out. The classic example of this is that sometimes it’s better not to fully “flesh out” the monster in the horror story, so that readers or viewers will fill in with whatever scares them most.
The example that has most hit me of late, however, is height.
Why height? Well, I recently read a book in which the heroine was 5′8″ and the hero was 6′4″. I remember this so vividly because supposedly the heroine found the hero’s height overwhelming. I gave a most unladylike snort/laugh that, had I been drinking something at the time, would undoubtedly have ruined my keyboard. And yes, it made it harder to take the subsequent pages seriously.
You see, I’m barely over five feet tall—not even 5′1″. My husband, however, is nearly 6′4″ and broad-shouldered. I also have relatives who are over six-and-a-half feet tall. Sure, I consider them tall. And yeah, we’re a rather visually memorable couple! But I’ve never found my husband’s height to be particularly “overwhelming,” and the idea of finding him so if I were seven inches taller is absolutely ridiculous to me.
If, however, the author had simply described the hero as being tall and large enough that the heroine found his size somewhat overwhelming, I could have filled in with my own idea of what that meant—and with that tiny change, gone from absurdity to full believability.
Twitter updates
Monday, March 30th, 2009If you want to follow along with our updates on Twitter, you now can! twitter.com/ErrantDreams
Maureen Child’s “Bedeviled,” a non-review
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009After only writing four “non-reviews” in the history of this blog, now this is the second time this week. Ah well. I hate giving up on a book, but I also dislike wasting my time on something I know I won’t enjoy. Frustration occasionally wins out, particularly when I can tell early on exactly why I’m not enjoying said book.
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Cooke’s “Kiss of Fate,” a non-review
Monday, February 2nd, 2009Once upon a time, I got so caught up in the plots of the books I read and movies I watched that no matter how poor the execution of those plots was, I had to find out how they turned out once I started them. Since then, my priorities have changed. Maybe it’s that I don’t have the free time I once did, so I don’t want to waste it on something I don’t fully enjoy. Maybe it’s that there’s a limited number of ways for plots to turn out, and I’ve pretty much seen them all by now, so if the window dressing on the way there isn’t good, there’s no reason for me to stick around.
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Wordle
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Click on through for the fun little tag-cloud style rendering of our current front-page reviews. 
Vote!
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009There’s still time (until the 14th) to vote for us at the Preditors & Editors review site poll. Okay, so we only recently got added, but that won’t stop us from trying! Please vote!
Btw, three book reviews upcoming soon, hopefully this week…
Holiday gifts for book lovers!
Monday, December 1st, 2008Hi folks! I’ve got a book review upcoming and more after that, but in the meantime, I wanted to tell you about a couple of cool gifts to consider for your favorite readers. I make beaded, hand-made bookmarks and sell them at errantdreams.etsy.com. All of the ones I posted before November have been marked down in price by 20-30%. Also, from now through Dec. 31, if you live in the USA and order a least $20 in products, you’ll get free shipping. Just place your order and wait to pay until I send you a revised invoice.
I also make & sell jewelry of various kinds there. Here’s a sampling of items:
In addition, if you’re in a more practical and less fanciful mode, we have a cafepress store with T-shirts, mugs, etc. in a bunch of designs, including a handful for writers & readers, such as:
Give one of these lovely gifts to a friend or loved one this year, and you’ll be giving them something unusual and special!
Bookreporter.com’s countdown & contest
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008Passing along a press release I thought you folks might be interested in. After all, it has stuff in it about FREE BOOKS! Well, potentially free, anyway, if you win a contest.
Bookreporter.com’s Books as the Perfect Gifts Countdown
There’s one gift that’s perfect for everyone on your holiday list — a
book! Yes, everyone has people who are readers on their lists, which makes
shopping for them easy. But beyond these kindred spirits, there’s a book
that can match just about any recipient’s interests, even if reading is not
their true passion. That is why Bookreporter.com is sharing 45 reasons why a
book makes a perfect gift, counting down until Christmas Day, December 25th.
Check out the countdown and see why we think this is the gift you want to
give — and, oh yes, receive!The Countdown can be read at:
http://www.bookreporter.com/features/holiday_countdown/index.aspThe feature is also running on ReadingGroupGuides.com, FaithfulReader.com,
Teenreads.com and Kidsreads.com.Bookreporter.com’s Holiday Basket of Cheer Contest
Bookreporter.com’s popular annual contest spotlights a different title or
collection of titles every week from November 7th to December 12th. Readers
can enter to win a basket that includes two copies of the book (one to keep
and one to give), wrapping paper and a bow, and holiday-themed items such as
Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix, gourmet vanilla marshmallows, Chewy Peps
candy, an Illuminations cinnamon spice-scented candle, and more.The Holiday Basket of Cheer feature can be found at:
http://www.bookreporter.com/features/holiday_basket_2008/index.aspLaunching November 21st: Bookreporter.com’s Authors on the Holidays
More than 25 authors share their favorite memories of giving or receiving a
book at the holidays, including Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark,
Kristin Hannah, Garth Stein, M.J. Rose, Adriana Trigiani, Mary Kay Andrews,
and more.Launching November 14th: Bookreporter.com’s What to Give/What to Get Guide
Gift giving is made easy with “reader perfect” suggestions in categories
like Eat, Drink & Be Merry (cookbooks and culinary tales), Faces & Places
(history, biography and memoir), and Healthy, Wealthy & Wise (advice and
how-to).
MetroKitchen exclusives & sweepstakes; bookmarks
Friday, October 31st, 2008Hey there. I just got a press release from MetroKitchen. They’re celebrating their 10-year anniversary with a bunch of exclusive items and a pretty cool sweepstakes. It looks like the sweepstakes itself will start on November 15th.
October 30, 2008 – To celebrate MetroKitchen.com’s 10 year anniversary of selling on-line direct to consumers, companies like Mauviel and All-Clad Metalcrafters LLC and Wusthof have created new and unique products to be sold only at Metrokitchen this holiday season. MetroKitchen is the only internet retailer to have the opportunity to carry these tailor-made, exclusive products and offer them online to their loyal customer base starting early Fall. For more information about the 10 year anniversary new and exclusive products, please click on this URL
http://www.metrokitchen.com/metrokitchen-10-year-anniversaryThis Fall, MetroKitchen.com celebrates 10 years as the premiere on-line retailer for top brands of cookware and cutlery. Over the span of 10 years, MetroKitchen has expanded its upscale
product line to include other kitchenware products, such as gourmet electric appliances and wine accessories. While most online retailers have come and gone, and other home goods stores struggle, MetroKitchen continues to grow and expand its selection of product lines, establishing unique relationships with the top brands used by and found in professional chefs and finest kitchens around the world. MetroKitchen CEO Lynn Clarke says, “Every employee at MetroKitchen follows the guide of treating our customers the way each of us wants to be treated. That’s why top brands such as All-Clad, Wusthof and Mauviel have selected us as their on-line retailer.” MetroKitchen is proud to offer several exclusive product sets for the upcoming holiday season from top cookware/cutlery brands such as All-Clad, Wusthof, Henckels and Mauviel.Additionally, MetroKitchen in conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America, will be promoting a new sweepstakes in honor of MetroKitchen’s 10 year anniversary, with several valued prizes, including a vacation CIA bootcamp getaway at an exclusive CIA locationTo check out the MetroKitchen 10 Year Anniversary Exclusives, visit: http://www.metrokitchen.com/metrokitchen-10-year-anniversary
About MetroKitchen: Metrokitchen.com has been in business since 1998. It was the first website in the world to sell only top brands of cookware, knives and small kitchen appliances. All-Clad chose
MetroKitchen.com to be its first on-line retailer. CIA cookware and Marcus cookware secured exclusivity rights with MetroKitchen when they introduced their cookware into e-commerce.
MetroKitchen ships directly from its warehouse in Atlanta within 24 hours of receiving an order. MetroKitchen is a privately held company.About Mauviel: Mauviel, the renowned French copper cookware manufacturer, is one of the only copper cookware manufacturers left in the world today. Mauviel artisans blend handwork techniques that date back to the Middle Ages with modern technology to make beautiful cookware that lasts a lifetime, whether it’s used in the home or in a commercial environment. The Company is located in the Normandy countryside of France in the town of Villedieu
Also, just a reminder that all of our first round of hand-made beaded bookmarks are on sale (all have been marked down 20-30%) at our Etsy store (errantdreams.etsy.com). They make great holiday gifts for your favorite readers, and they come packaged in little jewelry gift boxes!
