Saturday Review of Books: January 27, 2007

Posted by Sherry on 1/27/2007 in General, Saturday Reviews |

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Taken from George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” (1946).

Welcome to this week’s Saturday Review of Books. Here’s how it works. Find a review on your blog posted sometime this week of a book you’re reading or a book you’ve read. The review doesn’t have to be a formal sort of thing. You can just write your thoughts on a particular book, a few ideas inspired by reading the book, your evaluation, quotations, whatever.

Now post a link here to the specific post where you’ve written your book review. Don’t link to your main blog page because this kind of link makes it hard to find the book review, especially when people drop in later after you’ve added new content to your blog. In parentheses after your name, add the title of the book you’re reviewing. This addition will help people to find the reviews they’re most interested in reading.

1. At A Hen\’s Pace (Moccasin Trail)
2. Camille (Down Girl and Sit: Smarter than Squirrels)
3. Carrie K. (Jane Eyre)
4. Anne (Feminine Appeal)
5. sage (They Marched into Sunlight)
6. Krakovianka (The History of Henry Esmond)
7. Laura (Martin Chuzzlewit)
8. MFS (On the nightstand)
9. DominionFamily ( Nature Journaling)
10. Carrie (Picture Books-Suggestions?)
11. coffeeteabooksandme (Crunchy Con)

12. Jennifer, Snapshot (The Husband)
13. At A Hen\’s Pace (my daughter\’s picks)
14. At A Hen\’s Pace (my sons\’ picks)
15. Isabella (David Copperfield)
16. Susanne (Club Sandwich)
17. Ruth (The Virgin\’s Lover)
18. Shauna (Peter Pan)
19. Kevin Stilley (Philosophy in the Comics)
20. Jen Robinson (Flotsam)
21. 3M (Atonement)
22. Miss Erin (Into the Wild)

23. Mark (Children of Men)
24. Kelly (The Thirteenth Tale)
25. Just One More Book! Podcast (The Not-So-Only Child)
26. Julie (In This House of Brede)
27. Kimba (Peace Like a River)
28. Elliot (The Revolt)
29. Julie D.
30. Carl V. (Moonraker)

Thanks to everyone for reviewing, blogging, and linking.

Visit Semicolon’s Amazon Store for more great book recommendations.

Peruse past Saturday Reviews.

... other posts by Sherry

15 Comments

At A Hen's Pace says:

1/27/2007 at 1:13 am

What good fortune to be first!

Looking forward to many other good links.

Jeanne
Carrie K. says:

1/27/2007 at 3:28 am

I posted my thoughts after finishing Jane Eyre.
sage says:

1/27/2007 at 8:28 am

I got the title in this time!
Karen/Krakovianka says:

1/27/2007 at 9:27 am

When “classic” historical fiction doesn’t connect, what is a beleaguered reader to do?
Laura says:

1/27/2007 at 9:46 am

It’s Charles Dickens for me this week!
Dominion Family » Nature Journaling says:

1/27/2007 at 10:01 am

[...] Today I am going to review a book that I haven’t read. It is a book that my husband is reading and telling me so much about I thought I would make it part of the Saturday Review of Books. [...]
At A Hen's Pace says:

1/27/2007 at 11:17 am

IMy “kids’ picks” links are posts with a list of the books we’ve read so far this year, with my kids’ ratings or comments.

My daughter is in 8th grade; my boys are in 5th and advanced 2nd grade.

(If not okay, Sherry, feel free to delete.)

Jeanne
Isabella says:

1/27/2007 at 11:56 am

Dickens for me, too. He’s pretty good.
Ruth says:

1/27/2007 at 1:42 pm

The Virgin’s Lover is a historical novel about Elizabeth I.
Jen Robinson says:

1/27/2007 at 5:25 pm

Got this review in just in time, after a reviewless week. Thanks for giving me the incentive to get writing!
Andrea - Just One More Book! Podcast says:

1/27/2007 at 11:16 pm

Thanks for the Saturday Review, Sherry!

Here’s our conversation about “The Not-So-Only Child”, a book about traditional and non-traditional families. In this book discussion, I jumped all over one of Mark’s comments — jokes on me though because the author left us a comment telling us that Mark was right, and I was wrong. D’oh!!

Enjoy!
Andrea

Enjoy
Julie D. says:

1/28/2007 at 11:41 am

Sorry about that last link above. I thought I was getting into the comments area. Yes, I am quite easily confused!

I wanted to say thank you for the link to my Rumer Godden post and also to leave another link in which the Anglican versus Catholic question is laid to rest, pending any further evidence to the contrary.

I can’t believe I haven’t come across your blog before but, rest assured I will be visiting often. Cheers!
Julie D. says:

1/28/2007 at 11:41 am

And then I forgot to leave the link. *sigh*
http://happycatholic.blogspot.com/2007/01/in-this-house-of-brede-anglican-or.html
Kimba says:

1/28/2007 at 2:51 pm

Thanks so much Sherry! I will gladly most my book reviews when I write them! This is such a great idea!
Carl V. says:

1/29/2007 at 7:33 pm

Hope you had a great weekend!