I’ve all but given up with book reviews, they’re rarely helpful and I often get the feeling they’ve been written with a madlibs template. However after reading this Examiner article I may have to get back into the habit. Book Review Bingo - just print out the cards and play along, alone or with a

Some gratuitous advice for dealers, collectors and people of the book -some of it untested and some possibly erroneous. Inspired by Nelson Algren's three bits of advice in his 1956 novel A Walk on the Wild Side -"Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own." The woman in question may well have ...

In a beautifully written, thought provoking, and haunting blog post written in the tradition of a gritty yet rollicking epic--one blogger has created Book Review Bingo. Examiner writer Michelle Kerns built some handy playing cards so readers can count common critical clichés and compete while reading book reviews. Here's more from the post: "Print them out. Distribute them among yo...

Last year, I participated in health wellness program at work and selected this prize: gift cards for Borders. I recently found the cards and decided to spend the remaining money. Last year, I learned of Archipelago Books from Mookse and the Gripes, so I ordered this one: A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu. I'll be saving this novel for my summer reads, when I read about cold places to stay ...

I was poking around Danielle’s blog ‘A Work in Progress’ the other day and as usual, came away with a bunch of books I want to read. A topic on her blog was a list of mysteries and crime novels she wanted to read (I’m not sure, they might have been library loot but I think some of them were ones she bought with gift cards and whenever she mentions gift cards I get just a li...

Tarot playing cards by Andre Breton, Rene Char, Oscar Dominguez, Victor Brauner, Max Ernst, Jacques Herold, Wilfredo Lam, Andre Masson, Benjamin Peret. 1940-41. In 1939 Breton was mobilized as a doctor, and attended a school for pilots in Poitiers. Peret had joined his regiment, but would soon be imprisoned in Rennes for anti-military Trotskyist propaganda within the army . . . At the time of the ...

I tell myself not to feel guilty over buying books (especially when I get them with gift cards), but I can't help but feel just a tiny tinge of guilt. Actually it's not so much the act of buying them...

A couple of these books came as nice surprises, but the others are more purchases with my gift cards. I have a birthday coming up so my gift card stock (such as it is) will be replenished. If I just...

Heidi-ho! It’s another Sunday, and another stash. We hope everyone’s having an awesome Valentine’s Day, whether you’re out doing romantic crap, enjoying your time with friends, or happily on your own! (We are loving these dorky Valentine’s Day Cards – and so want to share you with you, dear readers.) Now, down to business! Lisa McMann’s

J-F had asked me to pack playing cards, and, well, I forgot. On some level I was thinking, "Why would we need cards on vacation in Cuba?! There are other, better ways to spend our time." On the whole, I think I was right. We survived the tedium of the airport; it was only once we'd reached our final destination, when we saw some people playing cards at a table in the hotel lobby, that he was ...