Some exciting times are ahead for Brad’s Reader: A really cool interview will be posted on July 20 (Monday) that you won’t want to miss, plus more book reviews, and I got some other goodies up my sleeve that I know you will all love.

This blog has seen tremendous growth over the last few months and I’d like to keep the momentum going. Of course, Brad’s Reader would be nothing without you, devoted readers, so I’d like to sincerely thank you for all your support.

Friday is finally here, the weather has cooled down (at least in the Chicago area) and I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend with friends and family. I hope all of you will do the same. As always, have a safe and happy weekend!

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Another weekend is here, another week has gone by. Sometimes I feel like time goes by way too fast. Other times I feel like time can’t go by fast enough. Regardless of time’s speed for you, savor every minute because there is only a finite amount of time in our lives. And when the clock stops ticking, time is up forever.

Nothing more to say other than have a happy and safe weekend.

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What a sad week it has been with a number of high-profile of celebrity deaths. First it was Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett on Thursday morning, then later that night we were shocked to hear about Michael Jackson, and on Sunday I was devastated to learn that Billy Mays had died – infamous commercial pitchman and co-star of the Discovery Channel’s new show Pitchmen.

I am by no means a celebrity-follower and don’t obsess too much over what goes on in Hollywood. But on a basic human level, it is always sad to hear when someone passes away. This just goes to show that life is short and that death can come at anytime, so it’s best to live each day to the fullest (I know, that’s a cliche`, but the advice still rings true).

Anyway, life goes on. And for those of you in the US, that means the 4th of July holiday weekend! Whether you’re planning a BBQ, picnic, watching fireworks or whatever, don’t forget a good book. As always, have a happy and safe weekend!

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Summer has hit the Chicago area like a ton of bricks (pardon the cliche`). The temperature over the last few days has hit the upper 80s, with the humidity soaring – making it feel a lot hotter than it really is. Walking outside into high temps and high humidity saps your strength almost instantly, and your clothes become soaked with sweat within minutes.

Needless to say I’ve been hiding indoors as much as possible these last few days.

As always, have a happy and safe weekend!

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It is a dark and stormy morning and I’m worried about how long my laptop battery will last during this thunderstorm. Hopefully the storm will break throughout the day so I can plug my computer in for some much needed juice. Not when there’s lightening though, I’m not risking frying my hard drive.

For those of you in the Chicago area, you’re probably like me and getting tired of this rainy, stormy weather we’ve been having this summer.  This has been the rainiest summer that I can remember.  I wonder if this means that the upcoming winter will be more snowy than usual. I hope not.

Anyway, if you’re not in my neck of the woods, I hope you’re enjoying sunny weather. Either way, have a happy and safe weekend!

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Why do my hands hurt so much right now? It’s probably from copying/pasting all these wonderful links into this week’s edition of Friday Link Love. Don’t get me wrong, every week I post only what I think are the best links to the best content I find. But this week I just happened to find a whole lot more than I normally do.

That said, you just cancel all your weekend plans and spend the next 2 days reading all this good stuff. I’m kidding. With the first day of summer a little more than a week away, the weather should be very enjoyable for most of you – at least I hope it is.

There’s not much more to say other than: Have a happy and safe weekend!

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Busy, busy, busy week. Trying to work on a lot of different projects at once (never a good idea for me) and then I have some family coming into town for the weekend. So I spent this morning getting some work down at my desk and I spent this afternoon getting the house ready for visitors (i.e. cleaning). While I can’t say I love to clean, there is a satisfaction in seeing the house sparkle when I’m finished.

I’m still playing around with WordPress and all the cool features I can add to this blog. My priority right now is to get a Twitter plugin installed so, at the very least, you’ll be able to see my last few tweets and link to my Twitter profile. The problem is there are just too many plugins to choose from. Any suggestions?

Well the weekend is here. And that’s usually good news for most people. There’s not much more to say, other than…

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I can’t believe May is almost over! Where does the time go? I was looking over my summer calendar earlier and it is really filling up. The next few months will be pretty busy, to say the least. There is so much I want to do, so many books I want to read, and so little time.

As far as this blog goes, there is one idea I want to devote a few posts to in the coming weeks: Ideas for alternative, viable business models for the publishing industry (Whew that’s a mouthful!). This ties in especially well with my obsession with ebooks. I don’t have anything yet, but the ideas are percolating, so stay tuned…

With that said, it’s Friday. For those of you here in the U.S. we’re back to our 2-day weekends. But hey, it’s better than nothing, right? If the weather is nice where you are, then go outside and enjoy it. If not, then stay inside and read.

As always, have a happy and safe weekend.

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This has been quite a week. It started when I was sick with the stomach flu (thankfully I’m better now) and is ending with this blog getting a new design and new features. Actually, the latter has been in the works for a while now.  As Brad’s Reader has grown and the content has evolved to include more about ebooks and the intersection of technology and literature, the need to upgrade became more pressing.

I believe that once the bugs are worked out and I become comfortable with all the new features, this blog will really explode with growth. At least that is my hope.

Anyway, it is Friday. And better yet, it’s a 3-day weekend for most here in the U.S., making this Friday better than most. As always have a happy and safe weekend.

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How much more rain can the Chicago area get? That’s the question I kept asking myself this week as we got a lot of rain. On the bright side, however, the grass is a lush green and all the local foliage has sprung back to life after a long winter.

This week included only one major milestone that involved me leaving my 20s behind and joining the ranks of those in their 30s. It was kinda depressing.

As always, have a happy and safe weekend!

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