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 ...

(View entire post here) For many, Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate romance.  For others, it's a time to panic.  What to give that special someone that perfectly captures the way you feel about him or her?  There are the staples: flowers, candy, cards--but what about thinking outside the box?  Actions often speak louder than words.  Or roses, or chocolate.&nbs...

Adam Chromy, literary manager at Artists and Artisans, has cleverly created a new hilarious user-generated content literary property called PleaseFireMe.com. More than just a way to post your gripes about your job for the enjoyment of others, this site was created as a promotional tool for his author client David Ellis Dickerson's memoir House of Cards – Love, Faith and Other Social Exp...

Coco (age 9) ordered a copy of Rapunzel's Revenge from Half.com this week and devoured it whole. She also finished The Rising Storm by Erin Hunter and is looking forward to A Dangerous Path, #5 in the Warrior series. CJ (age 7) read The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan, #1 in The 39 Clues series. He loved it and has already started on the next books. The clue cards are all over the house!  ...