Our contributing editor Magda Pecsenye told us about an eventful summer series her book club read a few years ago. It sounded so good we asked her to share it with you:

Our club called the series "Trashy Novels of Yesteryear," picking it because we knew we wouldn't be able to make it through anything more literary during the summer months. But these novels surprised us -- and inspired some of the best discussions we'd ever had. We talked about how the books reflected the social mores and anxieties of the time periods in which they were written, how women's roles have and haven't changed, and how sex and betrayal are timeless themes. Don't rent the movies until after you've read the books.

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For 20 years! Becky, the author of A Book A Week blog, has been reading a book a week for, well, over two decades. Why? Read her captivating essays about "The Beggar Maid," "Hunting Badger," "The Last of Her Kind," and on and on, and you'll begin to understand, and maybe, catch the bug, too...

Ah, summertime. Ah, summer reading time! But what books should your kids bury their noses into this vacation? Enter super librarian Nancy Pearl. A veteran bookophile, commentator on NPR, and the model for a Librarian Action Figure doll (really), Nancy has introduced thousands of kids to great reads. She's the author of the popular Book Lust and Book Crush, which recommends books for elementary to high school students. We talked to Nancy about this summer's reading:  Continue reading...

These authors blog about writing and the writing life -- and review books, a move that has stirred a bit of controversy (read this LA Times article for the scoop).

Seedcake

Maud Newton

Silliman's Blog

Moby Lives

Wait, "sports" and "literature?" You bet your seventh inning stretch. As sports journalist Robinson Holloway explains, "Sport in general attracts superior writers, and great sporting events, with athletes achieving levels of excellence beyond expectation, have for many years provided the fodder for thrilling and poignant works of literature." Robison should know: She's been the ESPN/ABC Sports Editorial Advisor for golf telecasts for the past decade and before that a freelance sportswriter with 3,000 stories under her cleats. Here are her recommendations for great sports lit:  Continue reading...

Denver redux: Last week's blog excerpt talked about Denver's storytelling project. But Denver residents aren't the only ones telling stories about their beloved city. Paint the Town Read is an interactive map of Denver that connects the city to notable literary passages about it -- inspired by Jack Kerouac's Mile High musings in On the Road.