I have this stack of used books I bought for a buck a piece at the Spencer Rotary Club Book Sale (just try doing that with your Kindle!) and I can't justify buying a new one until I deplete that stack. It's been harder than I expected -- you know how it is, buying something new is just more fun, and is certainly going to be a better something than the old something...

When I tell you what this book is about you will probably not believe how I can have first told you that it's pages will leave behind the impressions of hope and promise. You will not remember that I said it is a story of innocence, not the frailty of it, but of its strength. ...

There is a journey we all have to take in life. It is not an easy one. Along the way there are abundant perils; unintentional, deliberate, and calculated, all sharing the same landscape. It's called adolescence and parents will swim the seven seas and do contortionist circus acts to give their children a well-paved road on which to navigate themselves through...

Okay fellow Stephen King fans, I know you're out there. You may be in hiding; the last 10 years or so have not revealed any of his most stellar writing. The pinnacle of his career was unquestionably achieved through his earlier novels -- "Cujo", "The Shining", "IT", and "The Stand" -- to name a few gems. ...

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter By: Seth Grahame-Smith I mentioned briefly in a previous blog that I am not a fan of the Kindle and other such "e-readers,"among other reasons, because I enjoy the tactile pleasures of a good old-fashioned book. We've all heard the old adage that you can't judge a book by its cover, and while this is true, if it weren't for the cover artwork on this book that grabbed my attention as I walked past a book kiosk in the Minneapolis airport, it's likely that I never would have read it. ...

Her Fearful Symmetry By Audrey Niffenegger Some of you may have read "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Niffenegger, or have seen the movie, or have at least heard of the movie. I really enjoyed the book, but thought the movie was incredible. With Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in the starring roles, it would be hard to go wrong...and we all (us ladies anyway) know that Rachel McAdams can knock a romance flick out of the park. ...

City of Thieves by David Benioff Imagine you have been sent to get a dozen eggs. Seems painless enough, right? Now imagine your very life depends upon retrieving those eggs, still not a very menacing directive, considering the trouble-free world we live in today. Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if there were an app for that...

The Dickinson County News is excited to welcome its newest blogger, Palani Gregory. Palani looks forward to sharing her views on the wide world of literature with the DCN audience. The first thing I would like to share with you about myself is that I am new to blogging, so I will be learning the ropes as I go. If you enjoy reading my book reviews half as much as I enjoy reading the books they were inspired by, then we will have a win-win blog...