Today I am hosting the Book Review Blog Carnival. If you're a blogger who has written a review recently, you can submit your review for the next edition of the carnival. The Book Review Blog Carnival runs every two weeks. In addition, I and all the other book reviewers in this carnival would appreciate it if you blogged about the carnival!
There were a ton of great submissions this time around, so I'm breaking them up into some rough categories.
Novels
Reader in Mind reviews Allah is Not Obliged, a fictional journal set in northern Africa.
The Hungarian Bookkeeper revisits a classic, Don Quijote (part 1).
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett at Chewing a Leaf.
The Expanding Life reviews Hattie Big Sky and ruminates over stories of pioneer women.
There's a review in The Viewspaper of one of my favorites, Margaret Atwood's dystopian Oryx and Crake.
Zinemark reviews Twenties Girl, a romance and ghost story.
I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book! reviews Thomas Pynchon's latest, Inherent Vice.
BooksForSale? reviews Shift by Jennifer Bradbury.
Novels: Mystery/Thriller
Mysteries in Paradise reviews Lord Edgware Dies, an Agatha Christie novel also known as Thirteen at Dinner.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a mystery with a philatelic (stamp collecting) twist, at The Hungarian Bookkeeper.
Eye of the Whale is an 'ecological thriller', reviewed at How to Make a Difference with a preview of the first chapter.
An audiobook edition of James Patterson's 8th Confession over at Melissa's Bookshelf.
The audiobook of Death of a Dormouse at Mysteries in Paradise.
At Necromancy Never Pays, there's a review of The Language of Bees, a book starring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.
Mysteries in Paradise reviews The Build Up, an Australian mystery.
Mysteries in Paradise also reviewed Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child.
Other fiction
Fists, a short story collection reviewed at The Truth about Lies.
Chewing a Leaf speaks her mind on Kitchen, a set of two stories by Banana Yoshimoto.
Doctor Brodie's Report, a short story collection by Jorge Luis Borges, at The Truth about Lies.
Nonfiction: Memoirs
Iran Awakening is over at Things Mean a Lot, a book which has been on my to-read list for quite some time.
A guest post at Home School Dad: Trudi's Garden, a memoir about much more than gardening.
BookDads reviews A Worthy Legacy, "the record of a grandfather’s wisdom [and] an evocative memoir of family life in Nigeria".
The Symposium introduces us to an extremely intriguing book, Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement.
Other Nonfiction
I Want to Teach Forever talks about the book that made her love math again, Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities.
A DIY guide to your own green energy, Homebrew Wind Power gets reviewed at Frugally Green.
Money Blue Book goes over their favorite Personal Finance Books.
And Bargaineering reviews one of those books more in-depth, the Total Money Makeover.
At Read and Lead, there is a writeup on the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, with related books.
Children's
Coco le Cochon is a taste of France, with a interview with the author by Misadventures with Andi.
A review of Here's How I See it/Here's How it is at BooksForSale?.
Keep reviewing, bloggers! I have a few reviews of my own to finish, so I'll see you next time.
~Joy
Book Review Blog Carnival #25!
Apes raised by people - collection of reviews
The guestblogger over at BoingBoing this week, Carrie McLaren, has written up a collection of mini-reviews of books about people raising chimpanzees, monkeys, and gorillas in their families. It's fascinating stuff, especially how different people go about it - treating them as pets or more or less like children.
Books by People who have raised Apes in their Homes
Included are Nim Chimpsky, a 'signing' chimp many linguistics students will be familiar with, and a slew of other apes and interesting anecdotes that make me want to give these books a look.
Viki picked up some of the Hayes' other habits, however. In the morning, she would run out to get the newspaper, sit on the couch and hold it as if scanning headlines, then turn pages one by one as if reading. After seeing "mom" Cathy trying to remove a clothing stain, she started dabbing a washcloth on some clothing herself.
Fascinating stuff!
~Joy
My To-Read list - Nonfiction
I've got quite a large stack of books currently, mostly from BookMooch or through gifts. Most of the books on my list are novels, but there are quite a few non-fiction books as well. Here are just a few of the non-fiction books I'll be reading in the next few months.
Science: I'm not a 'scientific' person by any means, but there are a number of topics in the sciences that interest me. I don't like to read anything too dense, so science books aimed at the general population appeal to me.
Social topics: People fascinate me. The ways they live, the difficulties they face, the ways they interact, it's all very interesting to me.
Books about Iran: I've been studying the Persian language in school, which has ignited a fire in me for learning about Persian culture and politics, especially with the recent goings-on in Iran. Some books I've previously enjoyed about Iran are Persepolis, Reading Lolita in Tehran, and Translating the Garden.
~Joy
Books for your Dad
So maybe you've been putting it off. You still haven't gotten your dad something for Father's Day. It's on Sunday! What are you going to do?! Books are one of my favorite things to give as gifts, because they spark conversations and they show that you know what interests the gift recipient.
Think about your dad, and think about what kind of books he would like for Father's Day.
-Science Fiction Is he stressed out? Give the gift of a little fun escapism.
-Sports You can't watch ballgames 24/7. Reading a good sports book is the next best thing.
-History. Is Dad a history buff? Give him some of the greatest stories of the past to relive.
-Thriller. Everyone likes a good page-turner.
-Graphic novels. If your dad's a baby boomer, he probably grew up on superhero comic books. Let him relive some of that nostalgia with some more grownup comics.
-Audiobooks. Audiobooks are great if your dad is a busy person who travels a lot. Long commute? You can listen in the car! Perfect for multitasking.
Good luck with your shopping!
~Joy