Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Disgruntled Review: Candace Bushnell's FOUR BLONDES

Whilst searching Atlanta's Freecycle listings for office furniture (sprucing up my home studio with a bit of luck and inspiration from DesignSponge), I found this gem:

Offer: Candace Bushnell's 'Four Blondes'


Message #48745 of 48751 |
From the author of Sex in the City comes this incredibly vain and superficial,
nonsensical story of four women with too much money and too few morals. It's
yours, if you want it. I'll leave on front porch. Reply with pick up time.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed

I have to ask: What the hell was this person expecting?

Had she only watched the heavily santized episodes of "Sex and the City" that aired on TBS (and now the Oxygen network)? Also, having read 4 Blondes back in my "fabulous" college days (undoubtedly with a cosmo in hand, and eyeing a firefighter over the top of the book cover), I found it less racy, less interesting, and a lot more depressing than the HBO series it spawned.

Ah well. If someone goes to pick up the book, they should leave a 4 Non Blondes cd/cassette behind.

As least we can be sure Bushnell will never respond to this woman's review. Or if she does- it won't be like this.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Episode 4: The John with the Dragon Tattoo

John Lennon and Cynthia

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In this show we discuss the "F-Word".


That's right: FEMINISM.


Kim, Rose and Megs discuss what feminism means to us, what it may mean to others, and what it means for the books we read this week: John by Cynthia Lennon and The Girl with the Dragon Tattooby Stieg Larsson. We shake our heads at John Lennon's antics and gasp aloud at a revelation about Lisbeth Salander. We also announce which of the hosts is going to Africa!


 New feature: Literary trivia! Question: Agatha Christie wrote some books under a different name.  What is the name?  


Put the correct answer in the comments!


We also tell you how to get a free audio book from Audible.com (hint: http://www.audibletrial.com/thelibrary).


Upcoming books are Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and A Shore Thing
by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi for the Celebrity Scribes Review.



Vote for the show on Podcast Alley!  Click here: VOTE.


Call (646) 926-READ and leave us a voicemail with your reactions to the books, some feedback about the this show, or (as always) suggestions for books to read in the future!


Follow us on Twitter for updates! We're @thelibraryshow.


Music Credits: Alex East, Toto, John Lennon (dubstep remix), Paul Johnson


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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

8 Ways to Get Free Books

You're fabulous, you're literate, and you're poor.

So how do you get your book fix without being chased out of the Barnes and Noble cafe in the middle of the novel you've been "browsing"?

Free books. Free NEW Books.

I don't in any way condone stealing copyrighted works, so we're not going down that path- but I've compiled a list of ways anyone can read for free (or "cheap as free").


-First Reads: Free book giveaways: This combines the joy of reading the unknown with the adrenaline that comes from entering the lottery. That's right, you can join Goodreads.com, and then enter to win a pre-release book that's been listed by an author or publisher. The variety of books is extensive, and there's a big reading/discussion community on the site as well.

-BookCrossing: An awesome and incredibly unique book sharing experience that I can't wait to try! Step 1: Label a book from your collection with one of the special bookcrossing barcode. Step 2: "Share" the book by either giving it away to a stranger or friend, leaving it on the table at a coffee shop or on the train, or any other way you wish to release it into the wild. Step 3: Follow the book online to see where it's going and where it has been. According to the website, over 850k people registered nearly seven million books which are traveling around 130 countries. That's awesome, free, and fun. Try it!

-Kindle eBook Lending: For 14 days you can lend an ebook to another friend who has a Kindle, or has the Kindle app for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, or Android. Sounds awesome, yeah? Only drawback? Not all books are lendable, AND the lender can't read the book during the loan period. This leads us to...

-BookLending.com: If your friends don't have e-readers yet, or you're just looking for a wider variety of choices, BookLending.com is the place for all e-reading people to come together and loan out their books. The site matches borrowers with lenders at no cost.

-Free-Ebooks.net: It's the posting place for a lot of indie authors who just want to get their work out there, or booksellers who want to provide samples. You can read on your computer, iPad or iPhone.

-BooksFree: Despite the name, it isn't entirely free, but it is very inexpensive. For about $11 USD per month, you can check out two books at a time. The price is low, but the selection may not be the best if you're looking for mainstream, popular novels. I'll also point you to...

-Bookswim.com: It bills itself as "The Netflix for Books", and that's a pretty accurate title. The selection is good, but the pricing plans start at $23.95 a month for 3 books at a time OR 1-book-a-month for $9.95+3.99 shipping fee. Yeah, it's cheap-as-free over time, but there's always the totally free option, like...

-The Library: this is a big "duh" for some, but I've come across many people who don't realize their local library has an extensive New Release section. Most library systems in the US allow you to browse their catalog online, and reserve a book- so you can get in and out of the quickly. As long as you return the book on time and keep up with your library card-- it's the free-est and easiest option available.

Have other links or suggestions? Comment below, or send the cast an email at thelibraryshow@gmail.com!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Library #3: Meta Moments with the Kardashians


In this episode, we're welcoming a new cohost, Megs, who faces a trial by fire by getting through Kardashian Konfidential, this week's "Celebrity Scribes" book.  We received feedback from you concerning our regularly scheduled read, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and we listened!  You said you needed more time to finish the book (and so did we!) so we'll be talking about it on the next show.  In the mean time, Jen, Rose, and Megs discussion vacation reading, knitting while jogging, and all and sundry.  It's a proper book club discussion!  . 

Upcoming books are The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson for our Top Shelf Review and John by Cynthia Lennon for the Celebrity Scribes Review.

Call (646) 926-READ and leave us a voicemail with your reactions to Kardashian Konfidential , The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, some feedback about the this show, or (as always) suggestions for books to read in the future!

Follow us on Twitter for updates! We're @thelibraryshow.

Music Credits: Alex East, and The Twelves