Happy Holiday!

Courtesy of my new macro lens. 

Bookmarks' Best Books of 2008

Occasionally I will buy Bookmarks' magazine to find my next entertaining read. I like to travel with a book review magazine; it helps when I lack the concentration for a novel. The only gripe I have is there should be more reviews for the science fiction section. For the closing of 2008 Bookmarks has compiled a list of their staff's favorites, which were reviewed earlier in the year. 
The List:
Fiction

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Netherland by Joseph O'Neil

Lush Life by Richard Price

Dear American Airline by Jonathan Miles

Last Night at the Lobster by Steward O'Nan

Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey

Zeroville by Steven Erickson

Sway by Zachary Lazar

The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich

The Theory of Clouds by Stéphane Audeguy 

Trespass by Valerie Martin

The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa 

The Gathering by Anne Enright

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner 

Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski

Signed, Mata Hari by Yannick Murphy

The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

Say You're One of Them by Uwen Akpan

The Boat by Nam Le

The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber 

Slip of the Knife by Denise Mina

Winter Study by Nevada Barr

The Legal Limit by Martin Clark

One for Sorrow by Christopher Barzak (planning to read soon)

An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham

Nonfiction

Soldier's Heart by Elizabeth D. Samet

The Good Rat by Jimmy Breslin

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee

Apples & Oranges by Marie Brenner

The Eaves of Heaven by Andrew X. Pham

Counselor by Ted Sorensen

Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish

Journals by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre

The Forger's Spell by Edward Dolnick

Retribution by Max Hastings

This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust

The Slave Ship by Marcus Rediker

The Day of Battle by Rick Atkinson

A Land So Strange by Andrés Reséndez

Your Inner Fish by Beil Shubin

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2008

Soon another year will past. 2009 is just around the corner. Reflecting on 2008, compilations of outstanding books are emerging. This week's The New York Times’ Book Review (Holiday Books) has a compilation of 100 Notable Books of 2008, fiction and nonfiction. I feel rather indifferent, but also discomfit, for I have not read any of the books on this list. After perusing the list, though I do read books outside the genre of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, I do not have an inclination to go visit the nearest bookstore to buy many books from the list. Two books in the fiction category did stand out. While in Barnes & Noble, I skimmed through “Dear American Airlines” by Jonathan Miles, which I thought was witty but did not buy it due to expensive purchases relating to my limited edition book collecting tendencies. The one book that did pique my interest in the compilation is with no surprise related to the supernatural with a philosophical twist, “The Sacred Book of The Werewolf” by Victor Pelevin, translated by Andrew Bromfield. Here is the list. In addition, compilations of the The New York Times' best books for the past ten years are accessible.

Collector's Edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard

When I arrived home from a long day, my doorman handed me a wonderful package. It was evident from the smile on the box that it was from Amazon. My preorder of J.K. Rowling’s Collector’s Edition “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is finally here in my hands. I could not wait to rush upstairs to open my book dose for the day.

It was well packages to not shift around in the box. The book was plastic wrapped then covered with a soft paper slipcase. The disguised wizard textbook that contains “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is marvelously built. The front cover, back cover, and spine feels like it is made out of leather. The front cover is impressed with the title and an illustration by J.K. Rowling. The fake pages of the textbook are made of slabs of wood, painted gold and page lines are carved to create a realistic look. Inside on the right, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is stored in a burgundy velvet bag, and to the left is a side pocket, which holds an envelope containing 10-printed illustration by J.K. Rowling. The book looks very similar to the handwritten book J.K. Rowling auctioned at Sotheby except for the lack of tattered page edges, and the bookmark is not green but blue. I am very satisfied with my purchase of the Collector’s Edition; all I need now is a reading copy.

Click "Read more..." to view the 10-printed illustrations, which is not available with the standard edition or original and photographs of my copy.

Pages within "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"

Front of the envelope, which contains the 10-printed illustrations

Front of disguised wizard textbook