First Assignment - COMING SOON!

Honestly.

I had a brainwave about our first "assignment", but I'm waiting for everyone to respond to the Blogger invitations before I post it here.

In the meantime, please feel free to check out our (short) links list, but definitely don't miss Gregory K's blog, because it's really nifty. And I wouldn't have found it without the NY Times.

My Sister's Keeper

I'm a neurotic when it comes to recommendations. If someone says read this, nine times out of ten, I will immediately get my little notepad out of my pen case and jot the title down. That's how I heard about My Sister's Keeper.

While up in NJ, I picked it up. It seemed interesting, so it made it to the front of my reading stack and actually was carried on the plane with me.

I highly recommend it. The topic is, let us say, controversial, and a truly fascinating read. It's about a little girl who is about thirteen trying to get medically emancipated from her parents because they want her to donate her kidney to her sister. Early on, you find out that they initially had this little girl so they could save this sister's life. From that point on, she had undergone several medical procedures any time the sister needed anything.

What was interesting about this book, besides the concept of course, was that it was broken up by days and by character. So, you found out what several people were thinking, doing, etc on a specific day of the trial. Because of that, it was difficult to side for one person over the other because you were able to see all points of view.

I don't want to give too much away, but I will tell you that this book is an emotional roller coaster, so keep a box of Kleenex available. I swear, even I almost shed a tear.

Let Us Not Emulate Michiko at The NY Times

Michiko Kakutani by Slate's Ben Yagoda gets exactly to the heart of why I don't enjoy reading reviews she's written.

Sometimes, when reading a review of a book I actually have read, and, more importantly enjoyed, I somehow get the feeling of having entered her office at the venerable Times mid-rant and, possibly, mid-throw as a wastebasket comes hurtling towards my head.

Often, I feel she misses the point of some of the books she's reviewed. Not every writer esteems to become a literary giant; in fact, some of us might even revel in our obscurity, writing for the pleasure of writing. And many readers simply read for enjoyment, rather than enlightenment, although the latter may happen along the way.

It's too bad; she's got a lot of potential to be great.