As Yet Untitled

I am in the midst of the arduous process of revamping the look of my blog. When I first undertook this project I didn't realize how difficult it would be. I have been browsing backgrounds, headers, dividers, buttons, and who knows what all else for the last couple days and am finding it almost unbearably difficult to achieve the look and feel that I want for this blog. But, I shall persevere. And when I emerge from the battlefield, my blog will have a new name, a new face, a whole new identity. So for now, move to the left lane and avoid the orange cones. The construction is only temporary. What are some tips you have used for making your blog more personal? Share with me your expert knowledge!

Since I kind of missed the boat on the whole New Year's post, I thought I would just take some time to reflect on my life thus far, and give the world my top ten list of books that I have loved throughout my life. These are the ones with real staying power, that I have read until the covers are falling off. The books I go to when I need the comfort of an old friend, the stability of knowing what is going to happen and that everything is going to turn out all right. These are the books with dog ears, underlines, tea rings, broken spines, and all the devotion I have to give. So, enjoy. I hope that some of these books end up being friends to you all as well. They are in no particular order, because I just can't play favorites. 1. The Born In Trilogy, by Nora Roberts This is technically three books, but I have them in one volume. The trilogy takes place in Ireland and chronicles the stories of three sisters. (Each book is devoted to a different sister's story.) Although Nora R...

There are two major kinds of fiction in this world: what we call Literary Fiction (the novels you will find in the "Literature" section of the bookstore, and Genre Fiction (the novels you will find in other sections of the bookstore, i.e. romance, sci-fi/fantasy, western, horror, etc.). I am a champion of genre fiction. I don't like to generalize too much, but based on my experience and observation it seems to me that for most people, genre fiction is what they read to enjoy themselves, and literary fiction is what people read so that they can tell other people they read it. This is not meant to mock or belittle literary fiction, because I think there is a lot of beautiful work out there that is very high literature. But for the majority of the reading public, I think it is genre fiction that really brings the most joy. This may be simply because it is usually quick and easy to read, or because it usually deals less with reality, but no matter the reason, genre fiction d...