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Jan
08
The Fountain 360 in 365: Book 1 [Self-Help]
2011 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Schinsky
Earlier this week I announced my 2011 reading goal, which is to read one book from every section of my partner indie Fountain Bookstore. To make it interesting, the selections will be recommended to me by Fountain’s awesome booksellers and must be books I wouldn’t ordinarily pick up on my own. In keeping with the general “self-improvement” theme of January, I decided to kick off my Fountain reading project by asking for a recommendation from the Self Help shelf. Fearless bookseller Heather, knowing my love of feminism and all things Bravo—and my reluctance to read anything labeled “self-help”—, guided me to this:
If You Have to Cry, Go Outisde: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You by Kelly Cutrone
And now here’s Heather to tell you why she picked this one.
So, Rebecca is reading one book from each section of the Fountain. My first thought? Torture her! My second thought? Use this opportunity to steer a friend in the direction of my staff picks shelf. And there on my shelf, newly in paperback, was a copy of PR extraordinaire Kelly Cutrone’s book If You Have To Cry, Go Outside. I loved this book in hardcover and am a huge fan of her Bravo reality TV show “Kell on Earth,” and I knew that this would be a great book for Rebecca yet still not something she would normally choose for herself.
Cutrone is a total uber feminist with a take-zero-crap DIY attitude which I knew Rebecca would love; but, this book is also about the fashion world, which can have a very “first world problems” kind of feel. And while I love Cutrone’s extremely brash voice, I could see how it could annoy or offend others. I can’t wait to hear Rebecca’s thoughts on this one; will she get all “Clueless” on me and start talking about fashion week? Start telling her husband to suck it up? Burn her bra? Burn me? I’ll just have to wait!
Stay tuned next week for a recap of this first round of the Fountain 360 in 365, including my thoughts on self-help, Kelly Cutrone, bra-burning (spoiler: I’m for it), and more.
*Many thanks to the fabulous Veronica Brooks-Sigler for thinking up the project’s name.
A Different Kind of Reading Goal for 2011
2011 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Schinsky
2009 was the year of attempting to read one hundred books (and failing but being okay with it because a post titled “I’ve got 99 problems, but a book ain’t one” is so much cooler than “Hey! I read 100 books!), and 2010 was the year of reading deliberately. The former was goal-oriented and easily measurable, whereas the latter was intangible but completely revolutionized the way I approach reading and blogging, and both were great fun. I never set reading goals prior to 2009, and I’ve discovered that I like having something to focus my reading.
I’ve been contemplating my 2011 reading goals for the last couple months, and I’ve just kept coming up empty. I kn0w I don’t want to attempt to read a certain number of books again because my desire to hit the goal will make it too tempting to sacrifice quality and avoid chunksters in service of achieving quantity (though I am considering setting a goal for pages read, based on a percentage increase over last year), and I don’t need to make another paradigm shift, and I want it to be fun, realistically achievable, and connected to my reading life. Read more
Galleyfest Redux: More Free Books at Fountain Bookstore!
2010 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Schinsky
It’s that time again, gang.
Fall is traditionally THE season in publishing, and this year was no exception. And that’s a wonderful thing….but it has the side effect of leaving the galley shelves at Fountain Bookstore (and in my kitchen, living room, and bedside table) full to overflowing.
The most obvious solution to the storage problem? Why, giving away books, of course!
Next Saturday, November 13th, from 10:30am to 2:30pm, you’ll get two free galleys (for books that have already been released) for every book you buy. Sounds like the perfect time to start your holiday shopping, right?
Say it with me.
“One for you, two for me. One for you, two for me….”
And if what you’re shopping for this season is an e-reader, you’re in luck because we’re also holding a “Before You Buy” e-reader workshop on the same day!
So make a date with me and Fountain Bookstore for next Saturday, and if you’ve been looking for a reason to visit our fair city, well, few things are more motivating than free books, right?
The Queen of Steampunk is Coming!
2010 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Schinsky
My adventures in genre are continuing, and Steampunk is up next. If you’re all “What the hell is Steampunk?” have no fear. It’s essentially science fiction/speculative fiction set in the age of steam power (think 19th century, Victoria era, etc.).
Cherie Priest is the undisputed queen of the genre, so it makes sense to me to start with her, and as an added bonus, she’s coming to Fountain Bookstore!
I’ll be kicking off my journey into Steampunk with Priest’s Boneshaker (the first in her Clockwork Century series) and continuing with her new release Dreadnought as soon as possible.
Join me to meet Cherie Priest at Fountain Bookstore on Tuesday, November 16th at 6:30pm, and check out Cherie Priest’s website and blog for info about her appearance schedule.
And please tell me: have you read any Steampunk novels? Where should I go next?
