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Anonymity in the Internet Age

I've been thinking a lot about Internet anonymity and cyber bullying lately and I decided that although this blog is primarily for book-related posts, as part of the billions of creative endeavors on the Internet, this blog is as good of a place as any to share my thoughts. I've never experienced a great deal of cyber bullying, but I do know many people who have suffered because of it, and I know well that it is truly a serious problem. Obviously, if you are engaging in clear cyber bullying activities like threatening someone or sending hateful messages, please stop. You never know how much you could really hurt someone and no one deserves to feel hated and belittled. (If you want a great book that will ma ke you reco nsider the effect that you have on other people, Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a great choice.) But for those of you who don't do anything shockingly and obviously outrageous on the Internet, I want you to think seriously about this question: "
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The Neddiad, by Daniel Pinkwater

The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization  From Amazon: "T he old powers try to come back, and the planet is plunged into chaos, and civilization is destroyed, and it gets all violent and evil...the old legends tell that a hero...with the sacred turtle, always... Los Angeles, California. Neddie Wentworthstein is the guy with the turtle. Sandor Eucalyptus is the guy with the jellybean. Sholmos Bunyip wants the turtle...and he'll stop at nothing to get it." Despite that rather badly written summary (I felt I had to include it to uphold tradition), The Neddiad is hysterically funny, incredibly unique, and unbelievably clever. The main thing you will learn from this book is that smart people are more entertaining. Daniel Pinkwater doesn't come across as a snooty intellectual, but it's very clear that he's really smart, because pretty much every sentence is a masterwork  of comic genius. This book is good in p
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Throwback Thursday, Book Review Style

For today's post I decided to do something a little different and share some old book descriptions. I've read quite a few books from the 1800s and the early 1900s and I'm a big fan of Project Gutenberg's free Kindle versions of  books in the public domain (gutenberg.org). These versions include the entire original text of the book, including any advertisements or book descriptions, some of which are unintentionally hilarious. Here are three of my favorites: The Bunny Brown Series By Laura Lee Hope "These stories by the author of the 'Bobbsey Twins' Books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. Their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little Bunny Brown and his cunning, trustful sister Sue.  Bunny was a lively little boy, very inquisitive. When he did anything, Sue followed his leadership. They had many adventures, some comical in the extreme." (Comical in the extreme- that's
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I am Invited to a Party, by Mo Willems

From Goodreads: " Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to. Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In I Am Invited to a Party! Piggie is invited to her first party. She doesn't know what to wear, though, so she asks her best friend Elephant for help. Elephant's advice is odd to say the least...." My love of books began when I was tiny, and picture books hold a special place in my heart. I'm also the oldest child in my family, so I've been able to keep up on the latest and best picture books throughout the years. Mo Willem's Elephant and Piggie series is quite simply outstanding. I am Invited to a Party is my favorite. The simple and expressive drawings pair perfectly with the sparse and witty dialogue.  The plot is simple but relatable- haven't you ever been to a party and not known quite what to wear? Elephant and Piggie solve the problem in a hilarious way, but you&
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All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

From Goodreads: " Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients... In All Creatures Great and Small , we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of
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All About Me

This fall I'm going to be posting on this blog more regularly and sharing it more widely, so I thought I'd start out my blog reboot by telling you a little about myself. My name is Rachel Duncan. I come from a big, crazy family; my siblings are my favorite people in the whole world. I'm studying Social Media Marketing at LDS Business College and I'm loving every minute of it. I love Star Wars and Phineas and Ferb and the Killers and so many other books and movies and TV shows and bands. There's just so much good in the world. I'm a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (to learn more, visit mormon.org). You can follow me on twitter (@conniedear7) or Instagram (also @conniedear7) and I'd be especially happy if you followed me on my very favorite social media platform, Pinterest (@conniedear). I started this blog because ever since I was very little I've loved books. I've been a voracious reader since I was five years ol
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The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, by Julie Berry

From Goodreads: "There's a murderer on the loose—but that doesn't stop the girls of St. Etheldreda's from attempting to hide the death of their headmistress in this rollicking farce.  The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home—unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong.  The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a smart, hilarious Victorian romp, full of outrageous plot twists, mistaken identities, and mysterious happenings." When Jessica Day George first reviewed this book on Goodreads, several months before it came out, I couldn't have been more excited. To me, a perfect book would be about a  Victorian Girls Boarding School a
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