Love All Books

Good day!

2009-04-07T12:44:00.003-05:00

Okay, it has been a while (I believe "quite a while" is the technically correct term) since I posted anything. Today I came here for the first time in ages to moderate a comment and realized that I last posted just days before the 35W bridge collapsed here in the Twin Cities. In light of that realization, I thought I would post the following: I am not dead. I'm just resting.I will be back someday

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2007-07-28T02:25:00.001-05:00

Today would have been my father's birthday. I'm a bit strange with dates. They hold great significance for me. I forget what I did from breakfast to bedtime most days, but dates stay with me. And this would have been a big one too: he'd have been eighty today. I'm not going to go on and on about it here. But I'd recommend this post to honor his memory. Matière du jour:Induction(Category:

Comment Friday: 14/∞

2007-07-27T15:42:00.001-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially). The idea is to read the following post, then leave a comment while you're here. The advantages are you will get a link back to your blog from the comment you leave, your blog will get some extra exposure from my loyal readers (both of them), and I'll visit your blog (I'll even

T13 (11/∞): 200 BlogExplosion Credits

2007-07-26T12:04:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Items Scavenger Hunt Welcome to my 11th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) This week I'm asking you to join in for a scavenger hunt! I am giving gave away 200 BlogExplosion credits to the first person who submits a comment that provides the answers to all of the thirteen questions below. [And congrats to our

It Hadda Happen Sooner Or Later

2007-07-25T10:10:00.000-05:00

I got tagged a while back while reading someone else's blog. It’s been said that allegedly if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put X’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up........if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged! Here's my list. (Only 70 checked—I

Comment Friday: 13/∞

2007-07-20T09:59:00.001-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).The idea is to read the following post, then leave a comment while you're here.The advantages areyou will get a link back to your blog from the comment you leave,your blog will get some extra exposure from my loyal readers (both of them),and I'll visit your blog (I'll even Stumble it if

T13 (10/∞): Some Of My Favorite Short Stories

2007-07-19T09:46:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Of My Favorite Short StoriesWelcome to my 10th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)!Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) This week I'm listing thirteen of my favorite short stories:Happy Ending by Henry KuttnerThis is a neat little science fiction story that I've loved forever!Fat Farm by Orson Scott CardThis is one of Uncle Orson's science fiction/horror

I Belong In . . .

2007-07-18T13:01:00.000-05:00

Every now and again I get sucked into doing one of these meme-y (if there is such a wordwhich I doubt) quizzes.Today's is "What European City Do You Belong In?".You Belong in AmsterdamA little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam.Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one

Comment Friday: 12/∞

2007-07-13T01:20:00.001-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!And have a great Friday.Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!As for me, I'm still re-reading (to refresh my

T13 (9/∞): Thirteen Books

2007-07-12T00:05:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Books With Thirteen In The Title Welcome to my 9th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) This week I've decided to follow up on last week's theme—if you recall, last week I found 13 books with the word Thursday in the title. This week I found 13 books with the word Thirteen in the title: Thirteen by Richard

Testing Windows Live Writer

2007-07-09T00:11:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to give Windows Live Writer "a go" for quite some time, and have finally decided to bite the bullet and try it.I admit I'm a bit skeptical about it, and I'm not sure how much I'll like it, but I'm willing to be open minded. I think it will come down to how much control I really have over the final posts and how infrequently WLW mucks things up for me. I've also been getting into

July 8th

2007-07-08T00:45:00.000-05:00

Today is July 8th, 2007.That means it's been thirty-one years today.Thirty-one years ago today . . . about two in the morning . . . I was laying in my bed . . . in my room . . . in my barracks . . . in Turkey . . . after working four to midnight . . . trying to get some sleep.Then came that knock on the door. And I wasn't trying to sleep any more.As soon as I opened the door and saw the First

Comment Friday: 11/∞

2007-07-06T11:46:00.000-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Have a great Friday.Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!As for moi, I'm ticked off at Blogger at the

T13 (8/∞): "Thursday" Books

2007-07-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Books With Thursday In The TitleWelcome to my 8th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!)This week I've decided to go a bit strange on youI found 13 books with the word Thursday in the title:The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. ChestertonSir Thursday (The Keys To The Kingdom, Book 4) by Garth NixSweet Thursday by John

Comment Friday: 10/∞

2007-06-30T01:28:00.000-05:00

The following post is over an hour and a half late, but I'm posting it anyway!It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Have a great Friday.Oh, and head over to BAYB

T13 (7/∞): Movie Songs

2007-06-28T00:22:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Songs That Will Forever Be Associate Specific MoviesWelcome to my 7th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!)Let's face it: there are certain songsyou know the onesyou hear them and you can't help it, you are thinking of that specific movie!Well, here are thirteen that will always remind me of a certain movie. I'd make

Jennifer Chiaverini: The Quilter's Apprentice (Rating: 8)

2007-06-22T11:34:00.000-05:00

I have just finished The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick).The book opens with the main character, Sarah McClure, trying to find her place . . .The book opens with the main character, Sarah McClure, trying to find her place in the small college town of Waterford, Pennsylvania. (Sarah and her husband, Matt, have recently moved to Waterford so

Comment Friday: 9/∞

2007-06-22T10:18:00.001-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Have a great Friday.Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!As for moi, I have just finished The Quilter's

This Blog Is Rated PG-13 (So I'm Told)

2007-06-21T12:29:00.001-05:00

Well, I just had this blog rated, and I must say I find the results surprising:Mingle2 - Online DatingThis is based on the occurrence of the following words:dead (it says four times, but I found five: 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5),dick (it says twice, but unless it is counting the tag I see only once), andkill (supposedly found once, but I count three times: 1, 2, & 3; my guess: It knows about To Kill a

T13 (6/∞): Places I've Lived

2007-06-21T01:38:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Places I've LivedWelcome to my 6th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!)Here is a list of the eleven U.S. states and two countries outside the U.S. I've lived in (my parents moved around a lot when I was very young):New York (1956-1957, 1958-1962): I was born on Long Island and we lived on Long Island whenever we lived

Harlan Coben: The Woods (Rating: 9)

2007-06-19T10:19:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading The Woods by Harlan Coben.I simply cannot say enough about this man as a writer: he is, in my opinion, quite possibly the most readable author in America, if not the world.Things I liked about this book:I loved the way Coben concealed so many hints about what was to come into the prologueAs usual, I loved his characters, which are always very human and believableI loved

James Hall & Charles Nordhoff: The Bounty Trilogy

2007-06-17T13:26:00.000-05:00

June 19, 2007I just noticed that when I posted this message on Sunday (Father's Day, no less) that I didn't actually post it, but instead I saved it as a draft, so I'm keeping the date of the original post.Today is Father's Day, and I've got plans with Julie and Riley (AKA: the wife and the son).But my own father died on June 17th, 2004. (That is three years ago today, but it was a Thursday that

Comment Friday: 8/∞

2007-06-15T00:47:00.000-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Have a great Friday.Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!As for moi, I'm just about finished with The

T13 (5/∞): Keeping Riley Busy This Summer

2007-06-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Ideas for Keeping Riley Busy This SummerWelcome to my 5th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!)School's out for Riley for the summer, but not for me. Here are thirteen things we've got planned to keep him occupied this summer:Vacation Church Schoolmornings, Jun 11-Jun 15Sports Mania Campafternoons, Jun 11-Jun 15 at

Matière Du Jour ("He Spoke French!")

2007-06-13T10:34:00.000-05:00

Matière Du Jour? What the heck does that mean?Well, it means I've decided to add another feature to this blog.Matière Du Jour is, as I mention in this post's titlewith a wink and a tip of the hat to Steve MartinFrench.It means "Topic of the Day". (That's what Babel Fish tells me anyway!)Whenever I post from now on, you'll see Matière Du Jour at the bottom of the post, followed by that day's

BlogExplosion Members

2007-06-12T12:21:00.000-05:00

If you're a BlogExplosion member, please read on. (Hey, I've accepted a Battle of the Blogs challengeand risked 25 creditsto bring you here, after all!)Well, I've had a taker (and thanks to that person!), but if you'd like to participate anyway, I'm open to any thoughts you have about what you do (and, ahem, don't) like about Love All Books.Would someone who enjoys this sort of thing and has

Comment Friday (Number 7/∞)

2007-06-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!As for moi, I finished reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between

Thursday Thirteen (4/∞)TV Show Edition

2007-06-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Television Shows I Will Always LoveIn no particular order, here they are:Star Trek: The Next GenerationJoan Of ArcadiaWest WingStudio Sixty On The Sunset StripTwo And A Half MenSix Feet UnderMonkBrothers & SistersHouseThe ClassFriendsNumb3rsStar TrekGet the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday.

To Be Read: The Man Who Loved Only Numbers

2007-06-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

I thought about starting a new (private) blog for this, but it occurred to me that others might be interested (and might even get to know a bit more about me in any case), so I'm going to do this here."And what is this?", you wonder.I'm going to start posting books I think I want to read someday (I already have, in fact, two older posts that are tagged "To Be Read"). If nothing else it can be

Mark Haddon: A Spot of Bother (Rating: 8)

2007-06-02T23:23:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday in my Comment Friday post, I finished reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. While I didn't enjoy it as much as his earlier book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, it was an enjoyable read.Here are the things I liked about it:I rather enjoyed the main characters:George Hall, a recently retired man who discovers at the outset of the bookwhile trying on

Comment Friday (Number 6/∞)

2007-06-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Have a great Friday.As for moi, I am still reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide

Thursday Thirteen (3 of ∞)

2007-05-31T10:29:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Of My Favorite Fictional CharactersThis week I present 13 of my favorite fictional characters:Ender Wiggin (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead)Hercule Poirot (Murder on the Orient Express)Billy Pilgrim (Slaughterhouse-Five)Shalmanezer (Stand on Zanzibar)Capt. John Yossarian (Catch-22)Sherlock Holmes (A Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles)Christopher Boone (The Curious

Something Interesting This Way Comes

2007-05-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

I was browsing at kottke.org and ran across something interesting to share with my readers.This "something interesting" is a link to Nina Katchadourian's Sorted Books project.It is definitely worth a look.&title=<$BlogItemTitle$>">Post to Del.icio.us

Comment Friday: 5/∞ (Read About My Contest)

2007-05-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Before I forget: I decided to make this week's Thursday Thirteen into A CONTEST.I'm still reading How to Read Literature

Thursday Thirteen (2 of ∞)

2007-05-24T00:06:00.000-05:00

OK! I hope I'm not violating anybody's TOS, but I've decided to make this into A CONTEST:I will transfer fifty BlogExplosion credits to the first BlogExplosion member (follow the link to BlogExplosion to sign up now) that:leaves a comment to this postthat correctly names all the movies where I got these quotesTo keep it fair, I will not publish comments that contain the names of the movies until

It Isn't Just Spam!!!

2007-05-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

Am I The Only One Annoyed By This?Do spammers really think they're making any friends doing things this way?Here is what I'm ranting about:I have one email account that I keep for when I give out my email address on a website that I think might bring in a ton of spam (the email account is on Yahoo! Mail, because I think they filter spam better than most other places I've seen for free, though

Comments Welcome!!!

2007-05-19T01:37:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Lee at BAYB, I now know that for some reason Blogger had changed some of settings in regards to commenting which have been preventing people from leaving them here.Now, given that I explicitly state that I love comments, I see that I've probably given the opposite impression lately (a phrase which here means: "since Blogger hosed me over!")So, if I haven't been explicit enough now:

Comment Friday (Number 4 of ∞)

2007-05-18T16:27:00.001-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!I'm still reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by

Diane Duane & Fred Saberhagen

2007-05-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to science fiction authors Diane Duane and Fred Saberhagen.Diane Duane is not only the author of the Young Wizards and The Middle Kingdoms series, but she has written a number of Star Trek books and co-wrote the "Where No One Has Gone Before" episode of ST:TNG.Fred Saberhagen is the author of the Book of Swords and the Book of Lost Swords

Thursday Thirteen blogroll

2007-05-17T23:24:00.000-05:00

Here is a very long post (it's the Thursday Thirteen blogroll):&title=<$BlogItemTitle$>">Post to Del.icio.us

Thursday Thirteen (1 of ∞)

2007-05-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things Books Read By The Neighborhood Wives Book ClubFor a while now I've been thinking I should get involved in some memesI started doing a Comment Friday a few weeks backand I think Thursday Thirteen is another one that I can handle weekly, so I'm gonna give it a try.Since I'd like this to be, first and foremost, a book talk blog, here are thirteen booksin somewhat chronological

Stephen R. Donaldson, Roger Zelazny, & L. Frank Baum

2007-05-16T12:53:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books has a lengthy post for you.For starters, we have belated birthday wishes to authors Stephen R. Donaldson (Wikipedia) and Roger Zelazny (who share May 13th birthdays) and some guy named L. Frank Baum (born May 15th).So, where've I been the last few days?Downtime.My JavaScript class (AKA: Internet Programming - Client Side) at Saint Paul College is finished. Stick a fork in me

Barry B. Longyear

2007-05-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to author Barry B. Longyear (Wikipedia).Barry B. Longyear is the Hugo, Nebula, and John W. Campbell Award winning author of Enemy Mine (later made into a movie starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr.)&title=<$BlogItemTitle$>">Post to Del.icio.us

Comment Friday (Number 3 of ∞)

2007-05-11T09:19:00.000-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Have a great Friday.Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!As odd as this is for me to say, I'm reading much

Richard Adams & Mary Anne

2007-05-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to my sister, Mary Anne, and to Guardian Award winning author Richard Adams.Richard Adams is the author of Watership Down.Now a book about sentient rabbits might sound a bit too out there for some folks, but I'd highly recommend this book to everyone. I have fond memories of reading this book, and look forward to the day I share it with Riley

Want Me To Link To Your Blog?

2007-05-08T12:35:00.000-05:00

I'm tryingas a matter of pride, if nothing elseto see if I can acquire ten more blogmarks at BlogExplosion, and I'm certainly not above begging to get them.Therefore, I'd like to invite all BlogExplosion members to blogmark this blog if they find anything of value here.In return, I will visit your blog and will probably link to it as well.&title=<$BlogItemTitle$>">Post to Del.icio.us

Jerry West

2007-05-08T09:59:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to author Jerry West (AKA Andrew Svenson).Jerry West is, as I've mentioned here before, the author of the Happy Hollisters series of children's mysteries.If you have read this post this far, you must read this one as well, especially if you never have before.Consider it an essential bit of Techsplorer history (Techsplorer is a word here

Gene Wolfe

2007-05-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to science fiction and fantasy author Gene Wolfe.Gene Wolfe is the Nebula, World Fantasy, John W. Campbell Memorial, and Locus award winning author of many great books.His Soldier of the Mist has long been one of my favorite books. It is the story of Latro, a Roman mercenary thatas the result of a head injury in battle in ancient Greece

Nicole Krauss: The History of Love (Rating: 9)

2007-05-05T00:56:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.This is another of the books chosen for the "neighborhood wives book club". I got it for Julie to read but she never got around to the book (nor to book club) last month. And yet. It looked quite good to me, so I read it.What I liked about the book:The characters. In a sense, this was quite an unusual book character-wise, in that it

Guess What Day It Is . . .

2007-05-04T11:45:00.000-05:00

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (I'm sure they'll notice soon).So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!Have a great Friday.Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!As for moi, I'm finishing up The History of Love by Nicole

E. E. "Doc" Smith

2007-05-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to ground-breaking science fiction author E. E. "Doc" Smith.E. E. "Doc" Smith is the author of Lensman and the Skylark series.&title=<$BlogItemTitle$>">Post to Del.icio.us

Larry Niven

2007-05-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books is, once again, a day late and a dollar short celebrating a birthday, this time the birth of science fiction and fantasy golaith Larry Niven.Larry Niven is the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula award winning author of countless excellent books.He is perhaps best known for Ringworldthe book that is quite possibly the jewel in the crown of his Known Space series.In addition, he

Jack Williamson

2007-04-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books remembers birthday of the author Wikipedia reports is considered by many the "Dean of Science Fiction": Jack Williamson.Jack Williamson is the Hugo and Nebula award winning author of the Legion of Space Series, the Humanoids Series, the Undersea Trilogy, the Starchild Trilogy (with Frederik Pohl), and many other books.

Terry Pratchett & Harper Lee

2007-04-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to authors Terry Pratchett, OBE and Harper Lee.Terry Pratchett is the wildly successful fantasy author of the Discworld series. If you enjoy fantasy fiction, you'll enjoy these books immensely if you have an ounce of a sense of humor in your body.If you have a sense of humor, but don't care for fantasy, you still might enjoy this series

Ah . . . The Joy of Blogs

2007-04-27T14:02:00.000-05:00

One of the "interesting" (a word which here means "strange or unexpected") things about the wide world of blogging is this: somewhere "out there" (a phrase which here means "out in the world of myriad blog hosting options") there just might be another blog named "Love All Books" (in which case I'd wonder about the blog's owner and his choice of namesregrets? Moi? Nah!)Why do I bring this up?

A. E. van Vogt

2007-04-27T13:53:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books is a day late celebrating the birth of Golden Age science fiction author A. E. van Vogt.Unlike any number of other authors, I have readand immensely enjoyedalmost every book of his I have (though it has been quite a few years since I read any of them!)My favorite, so far (at least in my clouded memory) is his first novel: Slan, though he has many other morally, ethiclly,

Blog about your Blog

2007-04-27T12:17:00.000-05:00

There's a blog that I'm now into called Blog about your Blog. I'm still lurking at the moment, but I just left a comment there.Why?It's funny you should ask!It is because today is Comment Friday at BAYB, a great idea if I ever heard of one.So I hereby proclaim this site a Comment Friday site (yes, I'm stealing the idea) and will also visit your site if you comment here. If I like your site, I'll

I've Been Robbed!!! (A rant in one part harmony, whatever that means...)

2007-04-26T13:10:00.000-05:00

Boy am I ticked off!I set up a directory ad at BlogExplosion yesterday and I just went to add some more credits to it. Not many, just ten or so because my bid was so low.Just ten credits.Ten lousy credits.10!Not every single unassigned credit I have!And BE doesn't allow you to unassign credits once they've been assigned, so they're all tied up there until they're used.Not that I'm suggesting

Keith Peterson: The Trapdoor (Rating: 7)

2007-04-25T13:07:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading a book I've owned for yearsperhaps since it was first published in 1988 called The Trapdoor, by Keith Peterson.Keith Peterson is a pseudonym of Andrew Klavan, who has writtenunder his own namea number of books that I have never heard of, and two that I have only heard of because they've been made into movies: Don't Say a Word and True Crime.I'm actually amazed I've

Why I Believe In Some Form of ESP

2007-04-24T01:23:00.000-05:00

Here's some more "back story".But, before we begin today's lesson in what makes me tick, let me say that anyone who really knows me would say that I am a very pragmatic fellow. Which is to say that I don't take a lot on faith, and that I need to see some real convincing proof before I can say "This is what I think about that!" in regards to many things.Slow and steady wins the race.That sort of

Richard Monaco & Avram Davidson

2007-04-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books extends birthday wishes to authors Richard Monaco and Avram Davidson.Richard Monaco is the author of the Parsival and the Leitus series.Avram Davidson is the Hugo Award, the World Fantasy Award, and Edgar Award winning author of many fine books.

Read This Post!

2007-04-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

If you love books, there's something really cool at Literature-Map that you need to check out!They call this place "the tourist map of literature".Go on over there and enter the name of your favorite author (or any other) in the text box and click on the continue button. Go on! We'll wait!Pretty cool, hunh?No need to thank me. Your just reading this post is thanks enough!

Ian Watson

2007-04-20T11:12:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books extends birthday wishes to science fiction author Ian Watson.His first novel, The Embedding, won the Prix Tour-Apollo Award.

A Limerick (Poetry! By Moi?!?!?!?)

2007-04-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a limerick I wrote several years back when I learned a bit about the formal structure of one, and how the first, second, and last lines (the A's in the A-A-B-B-A rhyming pattern) had three beats, and that the third and fourth lines had two beats (I've bolded the beats below):Two “threes”, two “twos”, and a “three”This sounds like a lim’rick to me!I can’t write this rot,a poet I’m not!That’

Lloyd Biggle Jr.

2007-04-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books extends birthday wishes to science fiction and mystery author Lloyd Biggle Jr.

Coming To a Sad Realization (Cancel or Allow?)

2007-04-17T09:31:00.000-05:00

I know I typicallyand vehementlydiscourage religious discussion here, but I have to make an exception today. I'm coming to a sad realization: why would anyone use a PC when there are Macs out there?Follow the link above if you don't agree!And, it turns out, I could sell myself one if I wanted one badly enough.Or at least I could, if I had the money right now.Or could convince Julie to switch.Oh

Bruce Sterling

2007-04-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books would like to offer birthday wishes to Bruce Sterling, Hugo Award winning author of Involution Ocean, Schismatrix, and (with William Gibson) The Difference Engine.

Janet Evanovich: Hot Six (Rating: 8)

2007-04-14T00:08:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Hot Six another extremely enjoyable Stephanie Plum novel from Janet Evanovich.The usual cast and crew are back again, but this time there is a quite unusual twist: the FTAthat's bounty-hunter-speak for "Failure To Appear", as in for a court datethat Stephanie's boss/cousin (Vinnie Plum, owner of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds) wants her to bring in this time is no other than

Sheri S. Tepper

2007-04-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wisheswith much appreciationthe happiest of birthdays to author Sheri S. Tepper.I fondly recall (or more truthfully, as my mind ages faster than the rest of me, I dimly recall) reading her The True Game series.The True Game is a trilogy of trilogies (that is to say, nine books in all: The Peter Trilogy, The Mavin Manyshaped Trilogy, The Jinian Trilogy), with each trilogy

So It Goes . . . .

2007-04-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

The phrase "So it goes" is an expression often used by Billy Pilgrim, the main character in the book Slaughterhouse-Fiveand it is with great sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of that book's author, a truly great American literary figure: Kurt Vonnegut.Please don't take the title of this post as being cruel or sarcasticit is meant as the highest form of flattery and respect.I

Beverly Cleary

2007-04-12T08:37:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books would like to extend birthday wishes to Beverly Cleary, the author of a number of fine children's books that I recall fondly these many (many, many, many) years later.In particular, I was a big fan her Henry Huggins books, and look forward to the day when Riley is old enough to appreciate them.

It's Not Easy Being . . . Yellow? (With appologies to Kermit the Frog)

2007-04-09T23:12:00.003-05:00

While surfing at The Soda Stand I was enticed to learn the color of my brain!Your Brain is YellowOf all the brain types, yours is the most intellectual.You crave mental stimulation, and your thoughts tend to very complex.Your thoughts tend to be innovative and cutting edge, though many people don't understand them.You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about science, architecture, and

Rudy Rucker: Software [Rating: 6]

2007-04-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have had Rudy Rucker's book Software on my bookshelf forever.Well shortly after writing that post I pulled it down from there, dusted it off, and read it (I just finished).The book takes place in the year 2020, and the main character is a retired computer scientist named Cobb Anderson. At the beginning of the book, Cobb is in dread of his "second-hand" heart

Goldfish Teeth

2007-04-05T12:21:00.000-05:00

Goldfish teeth?Enough said!!!

Ann Maxwell & Robert Bloch

2007-04-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes the happiest of birthdays to authors Ann Maxwell (AKA A.E. Maxwell and Elizabeth Lowell) and Robert Bloch.RITA Award winning author Ann Maxwell began her career writing science fiction and has been nominated for the Nebula Award seven times (once coming within one vote of being a finalist).Hugo Award, Bram Stoker Award, and World Fantasy Award winning author Robert

Dan Simmons & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

2007-04-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Today, the gang at Love All Books (okay, that gang's just meTechsplorer) would like to celebrate the birth of authors Dan Simmons and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.Hugo-, Locus-, World Fantasy-, and Bram Stoker- Award winning author Dan Simmons has the honor of producing one of the most involving and thought provoking pieces of fiction I've read in, well, maybe ever (a description which here means: "

Blogging at the DCL

2007-04-03T10:08:00.000-05:00

It's spring break for my kindergartener Riley, and I've gotten us going this morning in what isfor merecord time, and taken him to the Dakota County Library (DCL).He likes to play games on the computers they have set up for kids (the games he doesn't have at home, few as they are), and I had a book to pick up for Julie (Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life by

Joan Vinge, Hans Christian Andersen, & International Children's Book Day

2007-04-02T11:08:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books celebrates the birthdays of Hugo Award winning (and Nebula and John W. Campbell Award nominated) science fiction author Joan Vinge and popular fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen (HCA).Joan Vinge's books are very good reading, and should be considered "highly recommended" if you like SF.Her novel The Snow Queen is particularly good andin light of today's other

Samuel R. Delany & Anne McCaffrey

2007-04-02T00:21:00.000-05:00

Today, Love All Books wishes a very happy birthday to a couple of greats among the science fiction field: Samuel R. Delany and Anne McCaffrey.Samuel R. Delany is the Hugo and Nebula award winning author of Babel-17, The Einstein Intersection, and Driftglass, all of which have graced my bookshelves for many a year.Anne McCaffrey is likewise a Hugo and Nebula award winning author, perhaps best

New Banner

2007-03-30T14:25:00.000-06:00

I've just updated my banner, again, with one I finally really like:But just because I like it doesn't mean everyone will.So please, click on the thumbnail above (provided in case someone views this post at some time in the future after I've changed the banner yet again), take a look, and tell me what you think!

Hey, Noobs!

2007-03-29T10:35:00.000-06:00

I was scanning the web a bit ago, looking for information on how to create a favicon for Blogger. While I was finding the answer to my favicon question at Blogger Tips and Tricks, I ran across this: Dummiez Book Cover Maker 2007 which I used to make this:Kinda fun, right?

Strange Memories

2007-03-28T09:13:00.000-06:00

I was voting on blogs yesterday over at BlogExplosion, and I read an interesting post by Blue Panther on his blog The Blue Panther Experience and Other things... about an embarrassing moment in his past, and it got me thinking about one from my past.So, just so he doesn't feel all alone, I've decided to share a humiliating incident that happened when I was station in Germany.Normally, I wouldn't

Back Story (M): Summer Came To Visit

2007-03-27T19:32:00.000-06:00

M is for Miscellanea, remember?It reached the eighties here in the Twin Cities yesterday. That wasthough deeply unusual (a phrase which here means "record breaking")quite enjoyable, early in the day at any rate (more on that later).I stunned my son Riley when he got off the bus from kindergarten when I said "I have to go back to the house for a few minutes, then how about we go to the park?"

Tom Mccarthy: Remainder (Rating: 8)

2007-03-26T00:11:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading Remainder by Tom Mccarthy.I really enjoyed this book for the most part. It is well written. It is easy to read. The main character is very complex and interesting. The premise is even more interesting than the main character. And it is a fairly strange book. (Not Running with Scissors strange, but strange enough!)So, as a matter of course, what isn't to love?This book

Jacqueline Lichtenberg

2007-03-25T10:48:00.000-06:00

Today Love All Books wishes a very happy birthday to Jacqueline Lichtenberg, a magnificent science fiction author who created the Sime-Gen Universe and author of Star Trek Lives!.

Three Genre Authors

2007-03-22T10:37:00.000-06:00

Today Love All Books wishes a happy birthday to not one, not two, but three genre authors: James Patterson, Rudy Rucker, and Louis L'Amour.If you like mysteries, then you don't need me to tell you who James Patterson is!From his Women's Murder Club (one of Julie's favorites) to his Alex Cross novels (two of whichKiss the Girls and Along Came a Spiderhave been made into movies), this guy cranks

Pamela Sargent

2007-03-20T09:49:00.000-06:00

Today's birthday wishes go out to Nebula Award winning science fiction author, Pamela Sargent.

BlogExplosion & jmadigan.net

2007-03-18T12:34:00.000-06:00

One of these days I'll "do the right thing" and put a link to BlogExplosion on my sidebar.For today, however, I'm just going to mention that I use BlogExplosion's "banner advertising" for this here Love All Books blog, and that I "pay" for said advertising by surfing member blogs andmost productivelyby voting in the "Battle of Blogs".To make a long story short("Too late!")there is one blog in

Lemony Snicket: The End (Rating: 8)

2007-03-17T22:50:00.000-06:00

I have just finished reading The End, the final book in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I must say that it was definitely worth the wait.Not only did this book take me in unexpected directions, but the final word of the book was exceptionally pleasing in that it proved what I suspected for a while now to be correct (a word which here means "causing me to gloat mercilessly).If

William Gibson

2007-03-17T21:25:00.000-06:00

Today's birthday greetings go out to one of the originals of the "cyberpunk" subgenre of science fiction: William Gibson.I think that the first two-thirds of his Sprawl Trilogywhich is, sadly, all I have read so farwas some of the most exciting and talked about science fiction that was happening in the mid-eighties.It is a no-brainer why the first novel in the series (Neuromancer) is the first

Alice Hoffman & Margaret Weis

2007-03-16T10:40:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday today to bestselling authors Alice Hoffman and Margaret Weis.I've never read anything by Alice Hoffman, but I have very fond memories of my Role Playing days that beganas it did for many of uswith Dungeons & Dragons, and one of the fondest memories I have from that time is dungeon-mastering the DragonLance saga, co-written by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.

Is it March 14th already?

2007-03-14T13:26:00.000-06:00

I guess I should wish myself a happy anniversary.I've been blogging for one full year now!

Janet Evanovich: High Five (Rating: 8)

2007-03-14T11:46:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading High Five by Janet Evanovich (quite probably the best Stephanie Plum novel to this point in the series).This time around the story does not center upon the fugitive Stephanie is trying to bring in (the word trying here meaning "trying, but not succeeding as easily as you'd think").Instead, this story hits a little closer to home when her Uncle Fred disappears and the

Happy Birthday, Harry Harrison

2007-03-12T10:07:00.000-06:00

Today's birthday wishes go out to a truly outstanding science fiction author: Harry Harrison.Harry Harrison is the voice behind a number of noteworthy series (such as the Deathworld trilogy, the Stainless Steel Rat series, the Eden series, and so on).He also won the 1973 Nebula Award for Best Script for the movie Soylent Green (which was based on his 1966 novella of social commentary, Make Room!

Lemony Snicket: The Penultimate Peril (Rating: 8)

2007-03-11T13:40:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading The Penultimate Peril, Book 12 of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.I must say I was quite impressed, though I'd be hard pressed to say why.Perhaps it has to do with the word penultimate showing up in the title. I just gotta love a book with that in the title. (We all have words we're more fond of than others; penultimate is such a word for myself.)Perhaps

Douglas Adams & F M Busby, Jr

2007-03-11T10:20:00.000-06:00

Today's "Author Birthdays": Douglas Adams and F. M. Busby, Jr.Douglas Adams is, as any science fiction or british humor fan can tell you, the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as well as Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.F. M. Busby, Jr. is another science fiction author of note.

John McPhee & Kenneth Grahame

2007-03-08T10:03:00.000-06:00

Today's Birthday wishes go out to John McPhee and Kenneth Grahame.John McPhee won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Annals of the Former World and the 1977 Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.He was also nominated for the National Book Award (in the Science category) for The Curve of Binding Energy, and again for Encounters with the Archdruid (and, again, in the Science

Elizabeth Moon & Paul Preuss

2007-03-07T09:57:00.000-06:00

Today's "Happy Birthdays" go out to Elizabeth Moon & Paul Preuss.Elizabeth Moon is the 2004 Nebula Award winner for Best Novelas well as being nominated for the 2003 Arthur C. Clarke Award in that same categoryfor The Speed of Dark.She also was nominated in 1997 for the Hugo Award in the Best Novel category for Remnant Population and the 2005 Prometheus Award for Best Novel for Marque and

Happy Birthday, Mike Resnick

2007-03-05T11:46:00.000-06:00

Today is Mike Resnick's birthday.I can't believe I've never, to my knowledge, read anything by him. I've got tons of science fiction on my bookshelves, but apparently nothing by him.This, in itself, is only mildly surprising. Add in that the man has won not one, not two, but five Hugo awards, and it becomes a minor crime.The situation is elevated, and I mean more than a little bit, to a "sin

Lemony Snicket: The Grim Grotto (Rating: 6)

2007-03-04T12:19:00.000-06:00

Hrmm, a word which here means "Not as good as I'd been hoping!"Well, obviously I just finished reading The Grim Grotto, Book 11 in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.And, just as obviouslya phrase which here means "you'd have to be dimmer than Count Olaf not to realize this"I was underwhelmed.My best guess is that Mr. Snicket finally read his contract and learned that he gets paid