About Me
I'm on the right, posing with one of my awesome ex-roommates at a wedding in August 2009.
Hello! My name is Kim — newspaper editor by day, book blogger and freelance writer by night in small town Minnesota.
I not-so-recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I grew up in Minnesota, and got my BA from the University of Minnesota, Morris in May 2008.
What is my blog about? Book reviews, thoughts on journalism, and other musings as I see fit, I suppose. I tend to read memoirs, literary journalism, and fiction. I also like comics and young adult fiction, but don’t get to read those as much and feel like an unqualified reviewer for those books.
I encourage you to check out my Reading List and Review Policy to see how my tastes compare with yours and whether I might be a good blogger to review a book.
Over the last year I’ve had a couple of amazing honors come my way thanks to the book blogging community. In May 2010 I was a panelist at I the Book Blogger Convention talking about writing and building content. Wow. And then in September 2010 I was voted best Nonfiction Book Blog for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. That’s amazing, so thank you.
Here are a few of my other favorite posts and projects:
- In addition to blogging about books, I also occasionally post about my work as a trade journalist and freelance writer. I’ve written a few book-related pieces in the last few months:
- Author Wendy McClure immersed herself in the Ingalls Wilder mythos — (May 5, 2011)
- From blood transfusions to stem cells, challenging ethical issues abound — (March 31, 2011)
- In ‘The Postmistress,’ three women wrestle with the realities of war — (February 17, 2011)
- UW Press embracing e-books — (February 4, 2011)
- Nominate the next Go Big Read book — (January 6, 2011)
- Book Blog Basics for Librarians — (November 2010)
- Need a bookish gift idea? — (December 2, 2010)
- Season’s readings: As summer approaches, plan a novel escape – (June 7, 2010)
- I have a semi-regular feature called Narrative Nonfiction 5 in which I features five books on a particular theme — previous themes include living “current” events, women writers, life back on the farm, and ocean creatures. If you have a topic you’d like to see a list about, send me an e-mail and I’ll make it my next project.
- Sometimes I like to rant about authors and issues I find frustrating. Earlier this year I ranted about Nicholas Sparks.
- Two of my favorite books from 2009 were The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. The latter earned the first “Perfect Score” review I’ve given. Some favorite books from 2010 were The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley, and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.
Comments, questions, compliments, and other queries can be made through the contact information below.
Contact Information:
- sophisticated[dot]dorkiness[at]gmail[dot]com
- Follow me on Twitter: @kimthedork
- My links on delicious
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I love the name of your blog.
Kim, I wanted to email you about your excellent blog and the Blog Improvement Project, but your email address (carefully copied and then its extraneous bits pruned) returned an error message.
I recently (late November 2008) started three project-specific, very focused blogs embedded in project-specific websites (two for books or book groups, one for a wildlife-management/prairie restoration project we’re doing which I hope will be documented in a book someday.) (Links on the website above.)
If you’re interested, please email me so that I can just hit “reply”…if not, no worries. We’re all busy (I’m about to get on a train to California and be gone a week) and we all have priorities–not trying to step on your toes.
Kim I look forward to meeting you and spending time together-I am not sure if Sheila mentioned it, I am staying through Sunday morning-no-one is sharing the room with me although Sheila may stay on-if you want to stay-just let me know. Lucky you studying to be a journalist. Are there any photos of your kitties-they came to me when they were about 6-7 mos so I never knew them as kitties.
Kim, I have to say, you have the best blog name! I love it, especially since I am a huge dork. Might I admit I’m even a little jealous of it?
Dear Kim,
Just read your article in the Cap Times about the writer Wendy McClure and thought it an exceptional piece, and now seeing your blog I understand why! You are truly passionate writer and reader and bookophile, all my favorites.
I am writer, published with St Martins Press in NYC, with a bestseller, PARIS HANGOVER (avail in 14 countries), another French Trysts (10 countries) and a new book out this May 24th entitled PARIS, BABY!. As a Wisconsin native, I will be having the launch of my book tour here in Madison at Barnes and Noble west that evening, May 24 at 7pm. I am writing you primarily to invite you and also to see if you might be interested in checking me out on google and writing a piece for The Cap Times to help me promote my new memoir (as a single parent, I would be grateful to no end for any kind words you could offer regarding the book). Booklist just gave my new book a wonderful review (yipee) and I am here to help get you any info that you could use..(have a sea of reviews, bio, author photos, etc.) Please allow me to humbly submit my request to you for your consideration of an article regarding my upcoming event and book release.
My eternal gratitude,
Kirsten Lobe
Good evening,
Look I am 66 years old and my son the lawyer is finishing a book. In my opinion it is an interesting book for a younger age group. The book , as yet unnamed, is not ready for the NY Times Book Review.
t this point I am seeking a book reviewer that will review the book and then get the review on line(What ever that means). I am interested in the librarian in Çhippewa Fall and Camp Read – A – Lot at the New Prague H. S.
28 Jan 2012
RE: New author / new book
Librarian
The intent is to make this letter as short as possible and yet accomplish its objective of introducing my son who is seeking assistance with the sale of a book he is writing.
My son, Donald Hyun Kiolbassa, is in the process of finishing a book. The target date for the finished book is set for sometime after April 2012.
A very limited background picture follows:
A book on Oriental martial arts and how it relates to his personal experience and professional activities
Gold medalist at the 3rd World Games in Shiyan China in 2008
Professionally he is an attorney and CPA.
The book will be available through a publisher.
The specific request of this letter is to be advised of the person and phone number who my son could contact to explore the possibility of arranging for book sale to or listing through your library.
This proud parent would appreciate any assistance that you can give this request.
Sincerely,
Terrence S. Kiolbassa
4550 N. Kasson
Chicago, IL 60630
773 366 6369
Fax 773 736 7474
terrencekiolbassa@yahoo.com
ps in this project i can say i finnaly learned to spell minnesota.