laurareviews

There have been two times in my life when I've been in surreal places when major events have happened. The first was 9/11. I was in London for work; my good friend Sara and I were having lunch in Covent Garden when two men at the bar started telling everyone to come and watch the TV as the news began to air the tragedy. We were stunned. We tried calling friends and co-workers for hours but were unable to get through. Finally we did, but we weren't able to go home for many days until the... Read Full Story

Just last week, I found my very first journal from when I was 7 years old. I had begged Santa for it. And probably because Santa got tired of hearing me ask for one every five minutes, I actually received it before Christmas. I've kept journals since then - through grade school, college, grad school, and even now. I don't make myself write in them religiously, I just do it when I feel like it. And I always know they are there when I need to get some thoughts down, try my hand at some creative... Read Full Story

Just a few weeks ago, I read a post on Seth Godin's blog - part of my daily blog reading regimen - referencing Hugh MacLeod's new book Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity. The post's title grabbed me instantly. Godin wrote: Should Hugh Swear So Much? After I read the post, I instantly went to Amazon. I was now on a mission - I had to read this book. Why? Yes, because I like to be creative, as most of you reading this already know. But also - no one swears anymore - and Hugh goes... Read Full Story

Imagine: your boss just told you that you've done such a great job that your company is going to pay for you to go to a resort island for a month. Congratulations! However, you only have room to take two books with you. One can fit in your suitcase and one in your hand luggage. And, one has to be a book you've already read that you can't live without. The other must be a book you've been dying to read. What two books would you choose? I'll go first. I would pick: 1. The Giving Tree by Shel... Read Full Story

Recently, my friend and I were talking about how sometimes our brains don't work exactly like they used to. As I've grown older, I often forget things. Keys, names, whether or not I ate my daily ice cream sandwich. Which means I usually eat two. So, recently, I thought I'd give my brain a bit of exercise and picked up the latest Encyclopedia Brown book, Encyclopedia Brown Cracks The Case . Remember him? After 25 years, he's back. Somehow he stayed the same age and I grew older, but that's ok... Read Full Story

It’s always cool when I get to meet other people who share my first name. It's even cooler is when that person is a nationally acclaimed author and an all-around fantastic person. I had the privilege of meeting Laura Dave in Chicago two years ago. She came to our office to discuss her first novel, London Is the Best City in America (fabulous, by the way). And, I just finished her most recent novel, The Divorce Party . Which is fabulous novel #2. In addition, Dave's writing has appeared in The... Read Full Story

Do you have a favorite band or set of songs that you play over and over - in a row, on the same day - because you like them so much? I was introduced to The Clientele a few years ago - and after listening to almost everyone of their albums, I instantly became that person. I'm pretty proud of it. The good news is that the London-based band is coming to New York City (of course, I'm going). But the best news is my recent interview with The Clientele's Alasdair MacLean, the band's lead vocalist... Read Full Story

What a nice way to end a wonderful weekend. Today I learned that Laura Reviews received the " Blog of the Day Award " from the folks over at Famous Blogs . A bit about the award: Blog of the Day Awards offers the best selection of weblogs and famous blogs on a variety of topics. Selection of Best Blogs of the Day is usually done a few days ahead of time based on nominations up to that point. Criteria include content, quality, creativity, and the personal opinion of the judges. Judges grant up... Read Full Story

For some stories, the written word can not always tell the whole tale. In such cases, pictures and actions speak much louder than words alone could ever do. But just like books, every film tells a story. Directed by Lisa F. Jackson, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo addresses the innumerable casualties of women and children who have been kidnapped, raped and tortured by soldiers as a result of the decade long war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Before Jackson's documentary... Read Full Story

When you think about children’s games, what comes to mind? Nintendo Wii or Game Boy? World of Warcraft or Battleship? But what about backyard games like ‘kick the can’ or ‘ghosts in the graveyard’? Shouldn’t these be included too? For Marlene Byrne, a children’s author and mother of two from Chicago’s Edgebrook neighborhood, the answer is YES, they should. For the first time at Laura Reviews, I’m happy to feature a children’s book author and share our conversation about the creation of... Read Full Story