My Fourth Anniversary

My Fourth Anniversary

My kids making a gingerbread house

It's hard to believe, but today is the fourth anniversary of the Unexpected Twists and Turns.(The link is to my very first post: Ice Cleats Anyone?) Not only have I written over 400 posts, but I have exceeded my expectations in terms of pageviews. I have EL James and Fifty Shades of Grey to thank for that. I guess I used the right keywords, title and embedded links for my review to rank high in the search engine results, because I certainly got a lot of hits and comments.

You may have also noticed that I did not write as often this year and that I reviewed a lot more books, show, films, etc. As some of you already know, I began blogging when my son was but a babe, and my daughter was in kindergarten. Blogging was a great way to connect with people while staying home with my kids. Today, my son is in kindergarten, and my daughter is a pre-teen in fifth grade. Needless to say, I feel a little more comfortable leaving them with a babysitter for a night on the town. This year, I also started writing for a group of talented people at Rover Arts. They are the ones responsible for sending me some great books as well as tickets to review shows here in Montreal. If you'd like to subscribe to The List, Rover's weekly listing of things to do in Montreal, click here.

Yesterday, on a trudge to pick up my daughter's friend.

Over the next year, I will continue to blog at about the same frequency, as we now have homework, chores, piano lessons, and then there will be swimming lessons in the spring. Yep! We're busy. The themes may change slightly, but you can be sure that there will be more on books and films, plus a few posts on my neighbourhood.

I'd like to thank you all for your support, especially my email subscribers who have been reading my posts since the very beginning. Cheers!

Here's a list of my most popular posts this year:
Review: 50 Shades of Grey
Success: Don't Be That Guy
Montreal: 200,000 People Demonstrate
The Year of the E-book: Fifty Shades of Grey and Oprah
The Return by Dany Laferrière
 Ru by Kim Thuy


.

Read more »

Year of the E-book: Fifty Shades of Grey and Oprah 2.0

Year of the E-book: Fifty Shades of Grey and Oprah 2.0

While many people still frown at the mention of e-books, they're a major boon to the publishing industry. Just imagine that Fifty Shades of Grey has now sold over 10 million copies, and people are still talking about it. What's more, the e-reader offers publishers endless means of promotion with its highlight and share features. And when we didn't think that the e-book business could get any bigger in walks Oprah...

A need for book clubs

After reading about a low-brow book, Fifty Shades of Grey, in a high-brow newspaper, I reviewed it, and I'm still astounded by how popular the review became. In just two months, I received 130 Facebook likes, dozens of comments and over 120,000 hits. That's success for a small-time book blogger. From this experience, I've discovered that I'm not alone: readers want to discuss what they read, particularly if they have strong feelings about it, and what better way than by leaving an anonymous comment and checking back.

I was once a member of a book club, and it was a wonderful experience. I read a lot of books that I never would have otherwise picked up, and I was able to discover other readers' thoughts on a book, sometimes validating my own, but more often than not giving me new food for thought. But it was finding the time to get five busy people together that eventually ended our group.

No need to get together if you have an e-reader

This year I received an e-reader for my birthday, and I won't lie. I love it. I like that I can change the font size and highlight a word to get the dictionary definition. In other words, I no longer have to contend with poor paper quality and cutting-edge designer font, two pet peeves that can ruin the read. But here's the big game changer: I can now highlight my favourite passages and share them.

Enter Oprah

If anyone has the star power to kick start a phenomenon, it's Queen Oprah. On Friday, she announced her new book club, format 2.0. Book publishers are rubbing their palms together as I write this! Readers can not only share their thoughts on Facebook and Twitter (#oprahsbookclub), but they can also read the passages her Majesty liked and commented on, with the Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition, of course. Careful, there are several different versions of the book.

Oprah chose Wild by Cheryl Strayed (lucky her!) as her first book for Oprah's Book Club 2.0. Not only can you read the most inspiring quotes from Wild, but you can also get the O reading guide and join the book conversation with the talk show host extraordinaire.

 I'm not sure how Oprah decided on this book, but I'm wondering what is going to happen when and if she decides to feature Fifty Shades of Grey.

I've bought Wild and I will report back on whether or not Oprah's highlighted passages and comments actually enhance the reading experience.

Other book-related posts:

Fifty Shades of Grey, an update
Joyce Carol Oates on her Life and US Politics
Fifty Shades of Grey 
The Blue Dragon by Robert Lepage and Marie Michaud
The Return by Dany Laferrière
Meet Revolutionary Mother 
Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter
Interview with Carmen Aguirre, Chilean Resistance Fighter
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Antagonist by Lynn Coady
Irma Voth by Miriam Toews
Dogs at the Perimeter by Madeleine Thien
Going Down Swinging by Billie Livingston
Incendiary by Chris Cleave
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell 
The Girl Without Anyone by Kelli Deeth


.

Read more »

Fifty Shades of Grey, an update

Fifty Shades of Grey, an update

This has been a big month for E L James, author of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, which can now be purchased as a single volume. The former television producer has also released not one, but three soundtracks for the book: the Fifty Shades of Grey, the Fifty Shades Darker and the Fifty Shades Freed.  Yes, books now have their own soundtracks.

And what a soundtrack! Take a look at this intergenerational mix of music and artists on Fifty Shades Darker: Ella Fitzgerald, Beyoncé, Nina Simone, The Police, Van Morrison, Roberta Flack, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Coldplay, Michael Bublé, to name just a few. James has also made the playlist available on YouTube, so that you can have a listen before you buy. Now every time you hear one of those songs you will think of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. A marketing coup!

Now James can not only be found on every conceivable social media platform, but she also knows that there is nothing better than the real thing, so she has embarked on a US book tour. According to The Hollywood Reporter, E L James was at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami last night signing books for some 500 thrilled fans. She will be making her way to the northeast, stopping today in Boston and Thursday in Philadelphia.

The Reporter goes on to refer to James as a "control freak" with "unprecedented demands" regarding the film rights she sold to Universal for the book. The news made me smile. Nothing makes me happier than for a woman to be kicking ass and being "difficult" in male-dominated Hollywood. That's right boys: my way or the highway.

For E L James book signing tour, click here.

For a review of Fifty Shades of Grey, click here.


.

Read more »