Emily

Books I want to be reading

November has flown by and I haven’t had much time for reading (or blogging). But I have a stack of books that I’m really excited about starting and want to read right away. I have a major case of So Many Books, So Little Time. I thought I’d give this list a little time in… Continue reading Books I want to be reading

Book Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! I’ve used a random number generator to find the two winners from the fans on Facebook and the comments below. I’m pleased to announce that they are: Annina and Kelly! Congratulations! I will contact you both to confirm which book you’d like and to get your mailing address.… Continue reading Book Giveaway Winners!

The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy

Simon Van Booy won the 2009 Frank O’Connor prize for his collection, Love Begins in Winter, his second short story collection. I read it a few months ago, and fell in love with his writing. It’s stunning. I read his first collection next, The Secret Lives of People in Love. These stories were a little… Continue reading The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy

Happy Birthday, Kurt Vonnegut

Well, there were—or maybe there are—a number of dead people out there. (Laughs.) It’s a very crowded place. There is a Beethoven and a Shakespeare and a Hitler and an entire family out there. But, fortunately, you don’t have to go to heaven to talk to some of them. A lot of them have left… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Kurt Vonnegut

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Let’s do a full disclosure right off the bat here, shall we? I’m obsessed with Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. I first had one in Washington DC in early October at a really cute cafe that Josh and I stopped in to get me a coffee fix. That was a Saturday afternoon. I spent all of that… Continue reading Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

New Home & a Book Giveaway!

I’m excited to officially launch Books, the Universe, and Everything on its new home! I’ve moved here from emilyw.vox.com, and have copied over all my posts from there by hand. I still have a little work to do on the design and the sidebar, especially adding all the blogs I read to the blog roll!… Continue reading New Home & a Book Giveaway!

Polysyllabic Spree – October 2009

Books Purchased: The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart Fire by Kristin Cashore The Wild Things by Dave Eggers (fur covered edition) Bright-sided by Barbara Ehrenreich Books… Continue reading Polysyllabic Spree – October 2009

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

MBS & the Prisoner’s Dilemma The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart is the third book about a group of four extraordinarily gifted and adventurous children who call themselves the Mysterious Benedict Society. Since this is the third book in the series, I won’t say much here about the plot.… Continue reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut

Look at the Birdie Look at the Birdie is the second posthumous collection by Kurt Vonnegut. The first was Armageddon in Retrospect, which came out last year. I thought this collection was a lot better than Armageddon in Retrospect. Armageddon had some good stories, but there were a few I wasn’t crazy about. I really… Continue reading Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut

Read-a-Thon Recap

I had no idea how much fun the Read-a-Thon would be. I had a blast! I loved settling in for a cozy day of reading and good snacks, doing mini-challenges, reading posts from other participants, and tweeting with everyone. I’m already excited for the next one. Here’s a recap of how I did – book… Continue reading Read-a-Thon Recap

The end of the line (Hour 18)

Well folks, I think this is it for me tonight. I’ve had an absolutely lovely time participating in the read-a-thon! I made it to hour 18, which is longer than I expected to last. I finished The Wild Things during hour 17, for a total of 3 books finished during the read-a-thon. I’m heading to… Continue reading The end of the line (Hour 18)

Give Me Five (Hour 17)

Books Read: 2 Blog Posts: 8 (including this one) Mini-Challenges Completed: 11 (including the one below) Coffee Consumed: 2 mugs, plus 1 Starbucks Doubleshot My progress was severely hindered by the exciting and ultimately heartbreaking MSU game this evening, but I’m only about 40 pages from the end of The Wild Things. It will most… Continue reading Give Me Five (Hour 17)