Read All About It: Another Fake Memoir?

With the awesome headline "Greg Mortenson's 'Three Cups of Tea' may be two-thirds poppycock," Plain Dealer book editor Karen R. Long recounts the allegations presented in yesterday's Sixty Minutes expose on Mortenson's book.

I haven't read Three Cups of Tea, so I can't give my opinion on this particular book...yet.

I did, however, read Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Now, I realize that outrageous and hard-to-believe things do happen to people, but sorry, Oprah, I just don't see how you fell for that one. I also read Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. The family Burroughs wrote about on the book sued him for libel. He settled.

Here's the problem with memoirs: how do you fact-check people's memories?

Well, you can't. But you can check matters of public record, and it seems that in the case of memoirs, publishing companies are not doing their homework.

The Frey debacle has made me reluctant to read other "memoirs." And when I have, I find myself continuously questioning the plausibility of the author's story. (See my review of Orange Is the New Black.)

Know what's scary, though? Three Cups of Tea is required reading for soldiers sent to Afghanistan. What if it's not true?

What are your thoughts? Have you read Three Cups of Tea? Other memoirs? Do you think most memoirs are truthful, embellished, loads of horse puckey? This blogger wants to know.

Read All About It: So Much To Read, So Little Time

I have 322 books on my Goodreads to-read list. Here's a photo of some of the books I have to read at home. (I had to get another bookshelf just for my to-read books!)


This doesn't include the scraps of paper on which I've scribbled the titles of book I want to read, the blog posts in my reader and the articles I've marked on Read It Later.

I could read every minute of every day for the rest of my life and still not read everything I'd like to read.

This Monday "Read All About It" feature has brought me to a conclusion: I need to spend more time reading. Too often, I curl up on the couch and reach for the remote instead of a book. Case in point: this weekend I watched hours of the Deadliest Catch marathon...all episodes I had seen before! Yeesh.

For someone who loves to read, sometimes I sure don't act like it.

Read All About It: Goodreads.com

Fellow avid readers - how do you keep track of your "to read" lists? I've written lists on scraps of paper, torn pages out of magazines and scribbled in notebooks.

The best tool I've found is goodreads.com. This site allows me to keep track of the books I've read and the books I want to read. It also allows users to customize their own "shelves," so I could keep track of books I own, books I've lent, books related to movies I want to see, etc.

There's also a social aspect to Goodreads. I can share my reading list with "friends," connect with Facebook, join groups with similar interests, "fan" and read blog posts by authors.

Even better, through the First Reads feature, I can enter to win prerelease copies of books from authors and publishers. I've received several - nothing beats a free book!

I haven't even begin to explore half of what the site can do, but it's certainly met my needs for keeping track of my reading habit.

Read All About It: To E-Read or Not to E-Read?

Every day, I get e-mails about deals on e-readers. I see tweets from people who love their e-readers. And I hear from fellow readers who’ve made the leap.

So, the question is: to e-read or not to e-read?

I love to browse for books. Walking into a bookstore or a library and being surrounded by all of the wonderful treasures just waiting for me to read them…there’s nothing like it. I can spend hours in a bookstore or library. First, I notice the title. Then, the cover art. If I’m still interested, I read the back cover. (Note to publishing companies: nine times out of ten, I’d rather see a well-written description of the book than glowing quotes from reviewers or other authors.) At this point, I’ve usually decided yay or nay, but sometimes I peek at the first page too. I also check for staff recommendations.

How does one browse for books if you can’t hold them in your hands?

On the other hand, e-books are generally less expensive than “real” books. That would mean I could buy more!

I’ve done some research into e-readers and I’m almost ready to make the leap. I don’t foresee that I will stop buying “real” books, but I believe the e-reader will make a good supplement. The problem is, there is not yet an e-reader on the market that has all of the features I want, which are:

- E-ink: I spend plenty of time looking at a computer screen. I want something different.

- Text-to-speech: I listen to books on CD in the car. This means I’m often listening to something in the car and reading something different in the house. What a joy it would be to be able to switch back and forth!

- Ability to borrow books from the library: Currently, only the Kindle offers e-ink and text-to-speech, but does not permit you to borrow books from the library.

These three features are must-haves for me. First company to make an e-reader meeting my needs gets my money. Until then, I’ll have to read the old-fashioned way!

Read All About It: The New Yorker

I want to get back on track, posting more about my love of reading, my original intention when starting this blog. So, I'm introducing a new feature: Monday will be "Read All About It" day. Hope you enjoy!

The New Yorker magazine was assigned reading for my honors Freshman English course in college. I miss having a subscription, but every so often I treat myself to an issue.

A few weeks ago, I picked up the Feb. 14 & 21 issue, and I've been savoring it article by article, each exquisitely written. Most New Yorker articles are loooong which allows the writers to delve deeply into their topics, bringing shades of grey to light in black text on white pages.

There are few articles that fail to envelope me; even articles on topics in which I've had no previous interest thrill me. In the issue I'm reading now, there are articles on the author George Eliot, scientology, college rankings and corruption in Afghanistan. Each has taught me something new, opened my eyes, made me think.

Many people love The New Yorker for its famous cartoons. They are delightful, but it's the writing I love. Every issue of The New Yorker is a showcase of writing at its best.

Maybe it's time to make time for a subscription again.

Good Times

There is nothing like curling up with a good book, a warm blanket, a cup of tea and maybe a kitty or two. That's what I did yesterday while I was home nursing a nasty sinus headache.

Over the past year or so, I've discovered some authors whose work I'm really enjoying. Thought I'd share in case you are looking for a good read. If you've read any of the following, I'd love to hear your thoughts - or offer up your own suggestions!

A. Lee Martinez - I'm currently reading A Nameless Witch and loving it. What's not to love about a book with talking demonic duck? His other books look intriguing as well.

Ted Dekker - I'm currently listening to Kiss in the car and loving that too. I've read a number of his books lately (including Black, Red, White and Green) and have enjoyed them all. He has a unique imagination, that's for sure.

Shanna Swendson - The Enchanted Inc. series is nothing short of delightful. Quick, fun reads.

Carrie Bebris - So far, I've only read her series of mysteries that take place where Pride and Prejudice leave off, but I am eager to read other books she's written.

Karen Miller/K.E. Mills - I've been devouring her books. She's a great fantasy writer. One series is blood-soaked and full of violence, another has a dash of humor. Something for everyone.

Lisa Shearin - She created one of the most kick-ass female characters in Raine Benares. I've read the whole series and am looking forward to the new one coming soon.

Tanya Egan Gibson - I found How to Buy a Love of Reading in the bargain bin. Powerful and touching. Could not put it down.

Cinda Williams Chima - I recommend her for Harry Potter fans that are looking for something similar.

That's all for now. Lost is about to start! Peace out.

What I Love About Reading

This is a hard post for me to start because I love so many things about reading. It makes me sad when someone says they hate reading; books can offer so much.

I love that reading is an escape from my technology saturated days - computer, cell phone, digital camera, video camera, and television are all off when I read. It feels like a return to a simpler time and I cherish the silence.

I love that I can go anywhere I wish without leaving the comfort of my couch. I can go to New York, Middle Earth, the Dominican Republic, Hogwarts, medieval Europe, Japan...anywhere.

I love that I can meet so many different people, some that I would want to meet in real life and some that I would not.

I love how different authors play with language, and I love to explore the different worlds and characters they create.

I love how reading can lift my spirits if I'm stressed, angry, sad or lonely, and I love how reading inspires my own creativity.

I love how reading is a one-to-one connection between the author and the reader. Unlike most other forms of entertainment, when you hold a book in your hands, you are holding the creation of one mind. That is amazing to me. I like to imagine where different authors might have written their works.

I love that reading connects me with my parents. When I was growing up, my parents always read to me, told me stories, bought me books and took me to the library. It wasn't uncommon for the three of us to be in our living room, one of us watching a TV show and the other two reading...but all together in the same room. These days we pass books back and forth and talk about them over weekly dinners.

Do you love reading? What do you love about it?