Printing books...

I've been so intrigued by these machines ever since the Harvard Bookstore got one (http://www.harvard.com/clubs_services/books_on_demand/). Obviously it's cool authors can print their own works, but I love that you can create bound copies of out-of-copyright stuff - there are so many awesome old books out there!

The Antidote to e-Books

Self-publishing has been made easier since the Espresso Book Machine by On Demand Books made its debut in 2006.

 

New York Times

SO behind...part 1

I've been reading a decent amount since before Thanksgiving, and now it's December, and I haven't written anything down.  And I will, but before I forget, sold the following books to the Used Books department at the Harvard Bookstore today - only half of the ones I dragged in, but hey, it's $10 and change in store credit, and a slightly less teetery tower of books (that I'll never read again) on the floor of my apartment.

Quickly:
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters - not exactly my cup of tea, but I have to say, it was well-written.  A little confusing in places, but that is as it should be.  The more I think about it, the more I think I liked it / it was good, but I don't need to own it, either.
The Constant Princess, Philippa Gregory - I think this might be one of my favorites of the Gregory Tudor books; it's certainly not as "exciting" as The Other Boleyn Girl (which I think was the first one of hers I read), but Katherine of Aragon makes for an appealing protagonist, as I recall.
The Last Camel Died at Noon, Elizabeth Peters - I feel like I SHOULD like these books and their protagonist (Amelia Peabody) better than I actually do.  But I find the main characters more annoying than anything...wish Harvard Bookstore had taken the other two I had off my hands as well!
Tyrannosaur Canyon, Douglas Preston - dumb, but funny.  Read it on a plane, I think.
Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane - talked about this book here when I read it, so no need to go back over it here.  Saw the movie with N and Dad a while ago, that was kinda fun.  Totally different from the book, though, as much as I remembered of the book at the time.  And RATS.  UGH.  Had to close my eyes.

Interesting that two of the five here have movie adaptations (and a third if you count references) - I should check out Fingersmith & The Other Boleyn Girl, in its various incarnations. 

Harvard Bookstore - March Select 70

Picked up the March Select 70 flyer when I paid for the two books at lunch yesterday.  Here we go:
Notes from the Cracked Ceiling: Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and What It Will Take for a Woman to Win, Anne E. Kornblut
The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments, George Johnson
Gambling Man: Charles II's Restoration Game, Jennifer S. Uglow - yay!  good to know at least someone (Alan H., apparently) thinks it's as good as I hoped it would be based on the title...and author's name!  Although I thought it was "Jenny," hmm...
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot - I keep debating putting this on  my "list" but I think I will
The Man From Beijing, Henning Mankell - did I list this somewhere else?  Just realized this is the guy that wrote the Wallander books, I think - I liked those on Mystery, w/ Kenneth Branagh, I should check out the books.
Little Bee, Chris Cleave - this one's been floating around in the back of my head for a while
The Ides of March, Valerio Massimo Manfredi - okay, first of all, TALK about a great author name.  Valerio Massimo - love it!  Probs a not-so-great sandals & toga potboiler, but whatever.  Great author name, great book name, it makes the list
Pictures at an Exhibition, Sara Houghteling
Ruby's Spoon, Anna Lawrence Petroni
The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire, Jack Weatherford - Oh.  My.  God.  Almost certainly not real history, but I bet it's so fun to read - and then drive M. crazy with :)  It's on order with Widener, I just requested it - wicked awesome.  So excited.

Harvard Bookstore - February Select 70

I know that I spend way too much money on books in general, and at the Harvard Bookstore (not the Coop) in particular, but I can't help it - I love that store, it's got a great selection (limited, okay, but there haven't been that many times I've gone in looking for something and not been able to find it) and the used books & remainders downstairs are a good way to indulge my cravings for new (to me, anyways) books without hitting me too hard in the wallet.  I also am a big fan of their "Select 70" program - their bestsellers, plus recommended books (from "our buyers and booksellers") are discounted 20%; I don't often take advantage of the the discount, honestly, because I do try really hard to get books at the library, plus I've often already read the books by the time they make it to the list.  BUT, Harvard Bookstore prints up their list every month, with book info and a brief description, and I love going through the flyer and circling everything I want to read.  Now, since I have this blog, I can copy down the titles & get the ratty February flyer out of my purse!  So:
Beneath the Lion's Gaze, Maaza Mengiste
Why Architecture Matters, Paul Goldberger
Fortunes of War: The Balkan Trilogy, Olivia Manning
The Book of Night Women, Marlon James
The Lazarus Project, Aleksander Hemon
The Godfather of Kathmandu, John Burdett
Ordinary Thunderstorms, William Boyd - ?  Find out more...
[read Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova on way to/from DC in Feb.  Eh]
A.D. 381: Heretics, Pagans, and the Dawn of the Monotheistic State, Charles Freeman
The Poker Bride: the First Chinese in the Wild West, Christopher Corbett
Get Me Out: a History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank, Randi Hutter Epstein
Americans in Paris: Life and Death Under Nazi Occupation, Charles Glass
Birthright: The True Story That Ispired Kidnapped, A. Robert Ekirch
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann
Also - they list Conspirata, by Robert Harris, which is apparently the second book in a trilogy starring Cicero; I should find out what the first one is and read it.