Author Archives: kara

About kara

We know our letters just fine, and we know our numbers to a certain point, but books were always the realm of four-eyed poindexters with bowler hats and cravats. That’s why it pleases us so that America’s proud illiterates are finally stepping up and pushing back against the crushing tide of education that threatens to swallow us all into its gaping maw of checked facts. Champions of the Ignorantiat will not like it here.

A King Among Coots.

Ray Bradbury, the venerable sci-fi titan, and king of all coots turned 90 this week. The guy who started his career with a zine called Futuria Fantasia at age 18 has been enjoying a long overdue renaissance and his birthday … Continue reading

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Read any Good Social Networking Sites Lately?

Book bloggers beware! Facebook is actually suing to protect “the distinctive BOOK portion” of its trademark, starting with sad upstart, “Teachbook.com”. What is “Teachbook”? A social networking site for teachers. Haven’t they suffered enough? I have never been on Facebook. … Continue reading

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Revenge of This Nerd.

This past Sunday, NY Times readers were once again subjected to a loathsome Sunday Styles Section. There were many offenses this week; a horrifically written and poorly documented supermodel divorce expose, a snorey (story + so boring it puts you … Continue reading

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Beyond Boiled Meats and Blood Puddings

This Sunday’s Observer Food Monthly features a countdown of the 50 best cookbooks ever. One of them is “Good Things in England” by Florence White. Part cookbook, part historical document, it is described as ‘A marvellous compendium of recipes’ and ‘one of … Continue reading

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Tony Judt. 1948 – 2010.

Tony Judt, the British writer, historian and professor who was recently described as having the “liveliest mind in New York” and a public intellectual known for his sharply polemical essays on American foreign policy, the state of Israel and the future … Continue reading

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Fine and Fancy First Editions

Attention book collectors and deep pockets! Here are my 1st Edition selections for the month from Abe’s Rare Book Room….. Evelyn Waugh. The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold. London, Chapman and Hall, 1957, 1st Edition. 8vo. Blue cloth, gilt titles to … Continue reading

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On the Nightstand

The Faiths of the Founding Fathers By David L Holmes

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Left to the WOLVES.

  Snow lay thick, too, upon the roof of Willoughby Chase, the great house that stood on an open eminence in the heart of the wold. But for all that, the Chase looked an inviting home – a warm and … Continue reading

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Ever used the term “Hack Writer” non ironically?

I do, every day. 75 signs you’re a bibliophile

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Born To Check Mail

From today’s New York Times Book Review: While reading “Hamlet’s BlackBerry,” I sporadically paused to check my iPhone — whenever its ping signaled the arrival of a new e-mail message. I hated to turn away from William Powers’s elegant meditation on … Continue reading

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