Let's look at more top books published and released in 2009. Brooklyn: A Novel (Colm Toibin) Set in the 1950s, Brooklyn is the story of Eilis Lacey, a 15-year-old from Enniscorthy, Ireland, who travels to the US after World War II as an immigrant. Sponsored by Father Flood, a priest who travels from Ireland to America and back to help other immigrants find jobs in New York, Eilis left her older sister and mother behind to start a new life in Brooklyn. She has luck finding a job as an employee at a high-end department store, where she meets Tony, an...

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As I shared with you (and only you) a few months back, my favorite book above all others is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  If you've only seen the movie, you have no idea what you've missed.  Author Douglas Adams' use of the English language is a joy to behold, and his mastery of sarcasm and irony are unparalleled. And so it is with some trepidation that I embark upon reading the sixth installment in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy.   In the past, the release of a new Hitchhiker's book is a minor holiday in...

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The 28th of January marks the 50th anniversary of Zora Neale Thurston's death. Originally buried in an unmarked grave, it is easy to argue that Thurston did not reach the fame that she deserved before her death. Had it not been for Alice Walker, one of the many authors who have been influenced by Thurston's work, her grave still would be unmarked today. Thurston was a significant figure in the Harlem Renaissance and produced much work during this time, partly as a result of her study of anthropology at Barnard College. However, the beginning of the Depression marked the end...

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What's the greatest book you read in 2009? Are you looking for something new to read? Here is Amazon.com's list of top books for 2009. Let The Great World Spin (Colum McCann) Award-winning novelist Colum McCann has released his best novel yet. Let The Great World Spin is about New York City and its people in the 1970s. Corrigan is a radical and young Irish monk, who lives among prostitutes in the Bronx. Mothers gather to grieve for their sons who died in Vietnam. Tillie, a grandmother at 38, continues to play tricks with her teenage daughter to provide for her family and...

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I know this site isn’t called ‘Bout Movies, but I’ve got to weigh in on the new Sherlock Holmes movie hitting theaters this week. Although you cannot judge a book by its cover, you often can judge a movie by its trailer. And based on the trailers that I’ve seen for Sherlock Holmes, all I can say is “Why?”. The Sherlock Holmes stories were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The original Sherlock Holmes writings were mostly short stories. Holmes appeared in fifty-six short stories written by Doyle, but only four full-length novels....

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