I'm going to have to say farewell. I have really enjoyed posting on this blog, but I am afraid I won't be able to do so in the future. I have found that on some of my travels, I am not able to access the site. It seems I am blocked out from certain points on the globe. So, sadly, I will have to say goodbye.

But this spot won't be abandoned. You can read here about one of my favorite bloggers. He'll be taking this spot over from now on. I hope you'll stop in to see him. I have a feeling you'll really enjoy his company.

Goodbye from me, but hello to a new future at recommendedread!

tags: a farewell, greetings, new blogger, recommended reading

If you like reading historical fiction, or books with a sense of place, you might enjoy a good discussion we just had over at my new blog. Here are the posts where that happened. Feel free to drop in, and do leave a comment if you have something you'd like to share.

A Sense of Place, in so many words
A Time and a Place
Just Give it to Me Straight
Recommended Reading: Singapore
Recommended Reading: Shanghai

If you have a place-related book (or books) you'd like to review and have linked from my site, stop in here to let me know, and I'll put that link up.

mood: drained tags: books, historical fiction, historical novel, reading, recommended reading

If you love reading, like me, then you are going to love the site at http://www.lovereading.co.uk. I think the idea driving this site is great.

What you do there is you can download free PDF files for reading. These files aren't the whole book, so don't worry.... you aren't going to be sitting through and extended read looking at it on the screen, nor will you have to print the whole thing out. Nope. What you get in these PDF files, instead, is the opening extract from the book. That means you can read the beginning, see if it's something you want to keep reading, and then decide whether or not to buy the book. You know how it is -- sometimes you get started reading something, and find it's not for you, but you've already dropped about $20 for the thing, so you plod dutifully along. This helps you save your $20 and not spend it on something you don't want. But more importantly, it saves the time you'd otherwise invest in plowing through a book that you really wish you hadn't bought in the first place.

Great idea, huh?

And, they also have a great recommendation service. It is a human-driven one, not computer generated. That means you'll have other folks who love reading suggesting things they think you might just love to read too. I always enjoy getting my hands on a well-recommended book (I am in the midst of one right now that was a good recommendation -- by a human, not a computer!). I know most avid readers feel the same way, so this is another little perk you'll find when you use LoveReading.

Visit LoveReading today and start checking out the excerpts of books before you decide to commit both the tie and money needed to buy the whole thing. I think it's a great idea, and one that any avid reader will be glad to make use of.

mood: impressed tags: free book extracts in pdf files, love reading, recommended reading

I'm back home from Shanghai, and got some good reading done while I was there. I finished several back issues of Books and Culture, which offered a lot of good articles to provoke thought. I also reread The Tempest and The Rover in preparation for upcoming lectures, and decided to read Pericles while I was at it. I enjoyed that very much.

I finished Nicholas Clifford's The House of Memory while I was in Shanghai. Being a novel about Shanghai, I found it to be an appropriate read while on the road. I really liked the book, and loved how it wove two eras from China's history together. I left it with a friend there, and I think she is going to enjoy the read very much. If you are much of a China buff, this novel really has a lot to offer.

mood: happy tags: books and culture, china, pericles, reading, recommended reading, shakespeare, the house of memory, the tempest

I finished up Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust yesterday. There were enough surprising twists in the novel to make it a fun read. I enjoyed it. I have put it on my bookshelf at Bookcrossing (my name there is believin), so if you are interested in getting that copy from me, just let me know at that site. I'll probably release it sometime in the next couple of weeks, if no one requests it.

The novel had a lot of interesting twists here and there. I liked how the indolent family at the beginning was shaken up, even though in a very disturbing way. The nonchalant attitude reflected in the book was so ironic that it had something of a bite to it. It made it quite fun to read and anticipate what might be coming next.

I did a little more reading in They Went too, a collection of essays about travel writing, and started reading Titus. I'll be studying that for the next few weeks. I also reread King Lear once more. My lecture on it tomorrow will be dealing with film versions of the play. Though the Kozintsev movie will be the main one looked at, I will also include some of my thoughts on Kurosawa's Ran.

mood: mellow tags: a handful of dust, akira kurosawa, evelyn waugh, king lear, ran, recommended reading

I should be finishing the Chalker book today, after having spent some time reading it yesterday. It isn't going to make my top 100 favorite books, by any means. Not even my top 1000 favorites. But, I hate to not finish a book I've started, so I'll keep reading (besides, I have less than 100 pages to go).

I did enjoy the time spent making last minute touch-ups to my lecture on poetry and gender, revisiting the poetry I'll be talking about one last time. I also did some reading from King Lear, geting ready for the follow up lecture to that one next week.

And, I read 1 Timothy 6 once again.

mood: bored tags: jack chalker, king lear, reading, recommended reading

I continued reading The Gods Look Down some today. While it has taken me longer than usual to get into the book, I think I am finally hooked. I love the scenes set in earlier times to which it seems Queghan is "flashing back." The book reminds me a lot of Ursula Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven.

Besides this, I've done a fair bit more reading for my Shakespeare class, including the continuing engagement with Twelfth Night, which will be the first play I'll be teaching this semester.

My Bible reading today was from 1 Timothy 3.

mood: blank tags: recommended reading, shakespeare, the gods look down, the lathe of heaven, twelfth night

I wasn't able to blog about my reading yesterday, so I'll include these two days together.

I've been reading Psalms 120-125, Something Rotten, 1 Kings 17, and Philippians 4. I did watch the newest Harry Potter movie last night, which I liked fine. I figure, though, that anyone who hasn't read the books would not like this one at all. It would just be too confusing, I think.

I'll be away for the next week, and so won't blog about my reading. The next Harry Potter book should arrive at my house the day before I do. I guess we all know what might be the topic of my next entry...

mood: busy tags: bible, harry potter, movie, reading, recommended reading, something rotten

I started the 4th book in Japser Fforde's Thursday Next series today. It's called Something Rotten, and it is not as bad as the title might suggest. In fact, so far I am enjoying it as much as I have the rest of the series.

I also read Psalms 109-112, Philippians 4, and more reading for the novels I am editing. And, I did a little touch-and-go reading on Twelfth Night too.

mood: exhausted tags: books, jasper fforde, reading, recommended reading, something rotten, thursday next

Today, I've been reading pretty much more of the same that I was reading yesterday. That is to say, I've read sections of 1 Kings, Psalms 105-108, Philippians 3, and more of Jeffrey Archer's 2005 novel False Impression.

In addition, I've been rereading a friend's poem that I am about to discuss with her during our twice-a-month writers' circle meeting. Five of us meet online to discuss the work of one of us. It's always a fun meeting, and I am enjoying this new poem that we have to work on tonight.

I've also been reading a few novels that I am editing.

I have to admit that Archer "got" me in one part of the novel while I was reading today. He describes the descent of Anna's plane into Hong Kong, and I kept thinking "But that's the old airport!" Then, the prose mentions that "that's what it used to be like, but now it's different." (Not exact words, but along those lines.) Yeah, he had me. Because the descent into that old airport is so memorable, and the new airport such a marked change.

tags: book, false impressions, jeffrey archer, novel, poem, reading, recommended reading, writers circle

I've been irregular with this journal in the past. Sometimes when I am overseas, I can't access the site at all, and that tends to get me off track with this blog.

I think, though, that I have decided how I want to use it. I will keep a daily record of what I've been reading and record any thoughts that come to mind about the things read. I've done that on a hard copy in the past, and find that it can be fun to revisit what was on my mind while reading a certain book.

There will be breaks here and there, I am sure. When I am traveling, I probably won't be able to post at all, but I will try to update when I get back.

So, for July 7, I've been reading Jeffrey Archer's False Impression, Psalms 103-105, and parts of 1 Kings.

For the Archer book, it's surprised me how he's been able to incorporate the events of 9/11 into a story like this. I think it is a real testimony to his story-telling skills. Of course, I don't think it is believable at all, but that hasn't kept me from turning the pages as quickly as I can.

tags: 9/11, books, false impression, jeffrey archer, reading, recommended reading

I have recently finished reading John Lockley's novel After the Fire. I enjoyed several aspects of the book. One of the things I liked was the exploration of the loss of faith of one of the characters.

The book has several harrowing moments, with many lives lost in a new great plague. Martin, a vicar, becomes one focal point of the subsequent narrative of the survivors' lives. I really enjoyed watching the journey Martin took in the book, perhaps particularly because it is one I can identify with.

I always enjoy narratives that include loss of faith or faith-struggles in them. Erich Segal's Acts of Faith, the story of a struggling Jewish rabbi, comes to mind, as does even an old tale like The Way of All Flesh. While Butler's classic isn't one of my favorites, I still appreciate the struggles of the protagonist.

I had read that Lockley has written some Christian books in the past, and was afraid this would get very preachy. I thought that, even in the dialogues that explored Martin's struggles, it did a fairly good job of avoiding that. I enjoy faith-exploring novels, but I prefer that they stay on track with the story and let the exploration be part of that. Sometimes such tales get off on a sermonizing tangent, and they lose the storyline. This one didn't do that, and it made it a readable tale.

I did think it took a little long to hone in on the few characters who were going to form the crux of the novel. The world-building (or world-destroying) took long enough to tell that there was an impersonal feel to the early stages. That made it so that I had to get quite far along into the story to feel attachment to the characters, though there was plenty of sympathy for them when we got there. I think this was probably the main weakness of the book.

There is supposed to be more to the story -- it ended with an obvious invitation for the tale to be continued. I haven't been able to locate the other volume(s) in which the story continues. But if I do find the continuation, there's a fairly good chance I would keep on reading. The story was good enough to warrant that.

tags: after the fire, books, john lockley, recommended reading

One of the things I fell in love with when I first started blogging was, generally, the conversations with other bloggers. Before long, that became more specific, and I have to admit I eventually developed something of a cybercrush.

And now, the object of my affections has really made it to the big times. He's begun hosting his own blog site, and it has gotten off to such a wonderful start.

Visit him. His name is Pinhole. I hope you enjoy his writing as much as I do. The man is a genius.

tags: blog, blogger, pinhole, pinholian, recommended reading, website

Do you like getting all your information in one book? I am that way. If you are too, then this is a good resource for you. It's got 1000+ internet business tips all in one book. The book is called 1000+ Killer Internet Tips, and it certainly lives up to its name.

If you're starting an online business, grab hold of this resource. It sells for just $19.97, and it will pay for itself very quickly by giving you all the tips you need to make your internet business earn.

tags: internet business, online business, recommended reading

I don't know what made my godson choose Parker Picks to take home on his recent library visit, but he likes the book. When he got home from school yesterday, he brought it to show to me. He might have felt a bit cheated when I told him his mother had already shown me, and that we'd enjoyed reading it together while he was in school.

My godson is not a nose-picker. In fact, he's a very clean-conscious boy. Amazing for a 4-year-old, but it is true. I'm not sure what drew him to the book. Maybe he sought guidance in it for helping a friend trying to quit? Well, if so, he has guarded their confidentiality agreement carefully, not telling me or his parents about it.

One way or another, it's a good book. It's funny, well-written, and has great illustrations.

If you're a picker trying to kick it, this is the book for you. And really, I'm only telling you because I care.

tags: children's books, parker picks, recommended reading

The Norton Anthology of Shakespeare is one of the finest resources that I regularly use for studying and teaching Shakespeare. It is edited by Stephen Greenblatt and a team of other scholars, and has a wealth of resources available, along with the full version of all of Shakespeare's work.

I am not normally a fan of New Historicism, and there are things about the text that I find irritating, being as it comes at it all from that perspective. But, that said, the information available, all in one volume, is top-notch stuff. It's a volume I can recommend to any teacher or student of Shakespeare. The excellent introductory materials and notes all make the plays very understandable for the modern reader, even if s/he is relatively new to Shakespeare studies. Its a work worth owning and referring to often.

tags: norton anthology of shakespeare, recommended reading, resources, shakespeare, shakespeare studies

My Horse Book can be your very own horse book. If you'd like to keep a written record of your horse's life, this is the journal to do it in. It's nicely put together, and is divided into 5 sections that will help you keep a good record of your horse's life: My Horse, General Information, Case Records, Memories and Fun, and Reference. You can order yours today, and begin keeping an attractive record of your horse's life.

tags: book, horse, horses, journal, reading, recommended reading

I've not yet read The Mists of Avalon. Why am I recommending it then? Well, it is because I am planning to be a part of a book discussion on The Mists of Avalon in March. It will be hosted here. If you'd like to read along and join in the discussion, just sign up at that blog site and join in.

The group has discussed books like My Antonia, The Boys from Brazil, and On the Road in the past, as well as 2 books published by bloggers at the site: The Sun Singer by Malcolm Campbell and Song of an Untamed Land by Seth Mullins. The discussions have always proven to be insightful. If you've got the interest, you've now also got plenty of notice to read and join in the discussion.

tags: arthur, arthurian, books, fantasy, literature, recommended reading, the mists of avalon

I've recently been doing a little travel writing about Shanghai that might be of interest. It ties into a series of blogs that I wrote sometime earlier in the year too. Here are the links to those sites, beginning with the earliest first (from back in February). The more recent ones have lots of pictures.


Showdown in Shanghai (a poem)
The Postmodern City
Conspicuous Consumerism
To Live
Screening, Revealing, and the Art of the Hidden
Tomorrow Square
Just Across the River
On the Streets of Shanghai

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tags: blobs, reading, recommended reading, shanghai, travel, travel writing, writing

Affiliate advertising is one of the ways webmasters and bloggers are really making it big these days. There are so many companies out there, and it is all so new, how is a person to choose the best way to capitalize on this wave of the future?

Louis Allport has written his book, Super Affiliate Secrets Exposed, for anyone who can answer the question "Who Else Wants To Make At Least $2,000 In Affiliate Commissions Every Single Month?" with a resounding "Me! Me! ME!!!" He shows the secret to making the most of your blog or website through affiliate marketing. Check it out. It's an excellent resource to add to any webmaster's e-library.

tags: affiliate marketing, book, e-book, reading, recommended reading