Inside Jacket

I remember Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott being a good book.  Sadly, it has fallen ill to the passage of time.  I read it much too long ago and I simply can not remember anything about it.  And that my friends is a very sad thing because Elizabeth Scott rocks.  I have no hesitations in recommending her books.

I can tell you what Love You Hate You Miss You is about from reading synopsis’s myself.  In fact, I’ll share with you from Scott’s website:

It’s been seventy-five days. Amy’s sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her. And she’s really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia’s gone, and Amy doesn’t want to talk about it. No one knew Julia like she did. No one gets what life is without her.
No one understands what it’s like to know that it’s all your fault.

Amy’s shrink thinks she should keep a journal but instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia. And as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past holds its own secrets–and that the present deserves a chance.

Looking over some of the reviews myself, it feels vaguely familiar but yet I cannot recall any feelings nor basic details about the book.  However, other reviewers were very enthusiastic about Love You Hate You Miss You and sad that it didn’t receive more attention at the time of it’s release.  Hey, it’s Elizabeth Scott, I say go read it despite my not being able to remember anything about it.  Will it stand the test of time?  For me, obviously not.  But I didn’t dislike it in the least.  I don’t think all books have to have staying power.  It was a good read at the time.

As a side note – I find it interesting to note how our feelings for a book change over time.  Do you find yourself  not being able to remember basic plotlines of books that you’ve read in the past?

Links of interest: My book reviews of Something, Maybe, Living Dead Girl.  Elizabeth Scott website and blog.  Other blogger reviews.
Genre:  Young Adult
Publisher:  Harper Teen.  May 26, 2009.
Hardcover, 288 pages.
Love You, Hate You, Miss You is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Copyright 2010. Maw Books Blog

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.

I hate to write an obit for a bookstore (as I did recently for Daedalus), and it’s even more painful for an entire chain such as Borders, which announced today that it is headed for a liquidation sale. The chain said it has 399 stores and employs approximately 10,700 employees.

"Following the best efforts of all parties, we are saddened by this development," Borders Group President Mike Edwards said in a prepared statement. "We were all working hard towards a different outcome, but the headwinds we have been facing for quite some time, including the rapidly changing book industry, eReader revolution, and turbulent economy, have brought us to where we are now."

Borders said that subject to the bankruptcy court’s approval, liquidation is expected to start for some stores as soon as July 22, and conclude by the end of September.

I have fond memories of the Towson Borders, which played a big part in helping to revive the town. My kids spent a lot of time there — before it moved a few miles north, ceding Towson to Barnes & Noble. Even in its new location in Lutherville, the store provided a welcoming spot for readers, and was the place I bought my first (and last) book from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. I guess I could go back for the liquidation sale to get some bargains, but those events depress me, so I’m likely to pass.

Bye-bye, Borders.

The British Library needs £9 million in order to buy Europe’s oldest in-tact book – The Cuthbert Gospel, which is a palm-sized leather-bound copy of the gospels buried 1,300 years ago in the coffin of Saint Cuthbert. This historic illuminated book has been on display at the library since 1979.

Saint Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon monk, hermit and bishop, and became the patron saint of Northern England. He is famous for being one of the first people to give two hoots about the poor and unfortunate, and, believe me, the poor and unfortunate had a rough time in 7th century Britain.

The Lindisfarne Gospels by Janet Backhouse is a rather more affordable reprint of Saint Cuthbert’s writings.

My dear friend Heike (pronounced Hike-ah) offers her first ever video review – The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien. Love the hat, Heike! Of course, Flann O’Brien is actually Brian O’Nolan and this book was not published until after the author’s death.

As a fan of Google Doodles, the changing logos used periodically to enhance the usually dull search page, I was happy to see a drawing that marks the 450th anniversary of St. Basil’s Cathedral along Red Square in Moscow.

According to a brief history in Fodor’s, the church was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to celebrate his conquest of the Tatar city of Kazan, and each chapel is topped by an onion dome carved with its own distinct pattern and dedicated to a saint on whose day the Russian army won battles against the Tatars. The cathedral was built between 1555 and 1560 on the site of the earlier Trinity Church, where the Holy Fool Vasily (Basil) had been buried in 1552.

It’s a stunning sight from Red Square, though I recall from a visit years ago that the interior was rather dull — and had nothing like the colors and patterns on the domes. (If you’re into kitsch, you can own a mini version with these SBC bookends.)

For more Doodles, check out this compilation – including the recent Les Paul digital guitar — from PC magazine.