Books
- Foodie on your gift list? There’s a book for that
- By MICHELE KAYAL
- Everybody knows at least one — a pretentious foodie who insists on froufrou ingredients, laborious techniques and over-the-top dishes.
Well, this year they’re out of luck. Because 2011 was a year when cookbooks — even those by high... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Berg's characters are like old friends
- Anita Miller
- Some authors have the uncanny ability to create characters I feel like I’ve met. Elizabeth Berg is one such author. Her “Once Upon a Time, There Was You,” includes a well-rounded cast of characters I could’ve gone to sch... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Book takes teens into pitching dreams
- By Anita Miller
- Recently, I had the honor of attending the Pikes Peak Region Battle of the Books competition at Colorado College. More than 600 fifth graders participated in the event, with teams from 82 schools. For most of a day, the kids answered comprehension qu... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: ‘Changes’ can break genre rut
- BY ANITA MILLER
- One of the great pleasures of working on my Master of Fine Arts in writing popular fiction is that I’m required to read books in a variety of genres. The requirement breaks me away from my go-to mysteries and thriller genres, and often leaves m... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Unpleasant protagonist a hoot
- BY ANITA MILLER
- To write a funny book with an unfriendly main character is risky business. Most people want to read about characters they’d go out to dinner with or invite to a party, not ones they’d move across town to avoid.The last book I read with an... Full story
- Book Groupie: Local teacher writes for youths
- Editor’s note: Book Groupie will feature more Colorado authors in April.
Here’s a look at “Griffin Rising,” the recent debut of Darby Karchut, a teacher at Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School.The title character of this youn... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Honest, Pythagorean math makes good reading
- ANITA MILLER
- Back in high school geometry class, I learned the Pythagorean Theorem, a2 + b2= c2. As a teenager, I would’ve bet I’d never enjoy a novel based on Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician for whom the theorem is named. And I would’ve los... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: A physical reaction to 'Freedom'
- BY ANITA MILLER
- I experienced a real physical reaction while reading Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom.” After a couple hours with the novel, my cheeks grew hot and my ears took on a fiery red color. I became agitated and frustrated by the bad turns the ... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: de Rosnay book a good choice
- ANITA MILLER
- My husband went to the library recently and chose a book for me to read. Normally, he’d have as much luck choosing a book I’d enjoy as he would a swimsuit I’d wear. But this time luck was with us, and Tatiana de Rosnay’s &ldqu... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Authors appreciate good books
- ANITA MILLER
- Most of us are lucky enough to know people we can depend on, people we can trust for good, solid advice.
When it comes to book recommendations, I often read the blurbs on book jackets. If I read a blurb from an author I enjoy reading, I trust the bo... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Another thumbs-up for Jeannette Walls
- ANITA MILLER
- Some time ago I featured Jeannette Walls’ “The Glass Castle” in this column. “The Glass Castle” is the most moving memoir I’ve ever read, and I wasn’t the only one affected by it.
Shortly after the column pu... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Encourage kids to battle -- with books
- ANITA MILLER
- NOTE: Pikes Peak Library District does not have displays of books for the national America's Battle of the Books. Area school districts have their own competitions.
If your school doesn’t participate in an annual America’s Battle of the ... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Suspend disbelief and enjoy Maberry
- ANITA MILLER
- I’m working on my Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction. I enjoy the program for many reasons, but mostly because it requires a lot of reading.
And while each student in the program has a particular writing emphasis — mine is th... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: Rediscovering 'The Count of Monte Cristo'
- ANITA MILLER
- I usually read several novels per week. I am a fast reader who loves books, so that’s not a challenge for me. For the past two weeks, however, I’ve read almost exclusively from one book and I’m still not done with it. Never before h... Full story
- BOOK GROUPIE: My 'Harry Potter' family
- By ANITA MILLER
- Every decade or so, a book or series comes along that truly affects lives. Most often these are poignant reflections of real times in history. I’m thinking of classics like “The Grapes of Wrath” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.&rdq... Full story
