Book Embargo

So, read Breaking Dawn this weekend! Stephenie Meyer really knows how to draw you in. Everyone was amazed at how fast I read that book, but I could NOT put it down.

Out of the four Twilights, I would not say this is my favorite… and I did not like the name choices in it (if you have read it, you understand), BUT I did like the story. There were twists and turns I could not and did not even GUESS or think about.

My problem. Where was the violence? People have been saying that there was excessive violence… but except for one gory scene (which was violent, but not in the same way the end of Eclipse was violent), yeah… not a lot. At the end especially I was expecting more violence, and was a little surprised the way it turned out.

Unlike some others, I did REALLY like this book. I thought that the ending was sweet, the little things that happened, the big things that happened, Bella’s discoveries about herself and I loved the side-tracking and preparation she made. No where NEAR enough Alice though.

That is actually my only problem with the Meyer books. The plot lines get so exciting that you don’t get to kick back and hang out with the Cullens, or with Jake and Seth and Leah. Yeah I know BELLA gets to, but I want to TOO! So that is my opinion of Breaking Dawn.

I loved it, it was a great story, and if you want to be psycho mean, please stay away! But if you haven’t read this story YET (and you should of course), eventual comments may have spoilers. The discovery is as much fun as the destination.

Tags: bella cullen, bella swan, Book, breaking dawn, cullen, eclipse, edward cullen, hardcover, hybrids, jacob black, meyer, new moon, release, shape shifters, stephenie meyer, stepheniemeyer.com, twilight, vampire, werewolves

I just finished Tethered by Amy MacKinnon. It was phenomenal. Truly phenomenal. I took an extra break so I could read more. I did not even log into my WiiFit because I was reading. Beautiful and heart-wrenching, and yeah, go read it right now!

The book description from the Random House webpage:

Clara Marsh is an undertaker who doesn’t believe in God. She spends her solitary life among the dead, preparing their last baths and bidding them farewell with a bouquet from her own garden. Her carefully structured life shifts when she discovers a neglected little girl, Trecie, playing in the funeral parlor, desperate for a friend.

It changes even more when Detective Mike Sullivan starts questioning her again about a body she prepared three years ago, an unidentified girl found murdered in a nearby strip of woods. Unclaimed by family, the community christened her Precious Doe. When Clara and Mike learn Trecie may be involved with the same people who killed Precious Doe, Clara must choose between the stead-fast existence of loneliness and the perils of binding one’s life to another.
About the Author

AMY MacKINNON is a former congressional aide whose commentaries have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, the Boston Globe, the Seattle Times, and on National Public Radio and This American Life. This is her first novel.

Available August 12th 2008 in Hardcover, and it will definitely be on my staff pick shelf. Worth the money to buy in hardcover. Definitely worth it

Tags: amy mackinnon, Book, child abuse, fiction, hardcover, mackinnon, mortuary, random house, tethered, under taker

So this December, JK Rowling and Amazon.com will offer up to sale The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in standard and collector’s editions.

This is a picture from the special edition that Amazon purchased at auction. Beautiful isn’t it?

Here is the link to the Collector’s edition page.. And oh.. it is pretty…

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector’s Edition
Offered Exclusively by Amazon (Available in Limited Quantities)
In December 2007, J.K. Rowling unveiled The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a very special book of five fairy tales illustrated by the bard herself, embellished with silver ornaments and mounted moonstones. Amazon was fortunate to come into possession of one of the original copies, and it was our privilege to share images and reviews of this incredible artifact. Now J.K. Rowling is giving millions of Harry Potter fans worldwide cause for celebration with a new edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard (available December 4, 2008) and Amazon is thrilled to exclusively offer a luxuriously packaged Collector’s Edition designed to evoke the spirit of the handcrafted original.

Tucked in its own case disguised as a wizarding textbook found in the Hogwarts library, the Collector’s Edition includes an exclusive reproduction of J.K. Rowling’s handwritten introduction, as well as 10 additional illustrations not found in the Standard Edition or the original. Opening the case reveals a velvet bag embroidered with J.K. Rowling’s signature, in which sits the piece de resistance: your very own copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, complete with metal skull, corners, and clasp; replica gemstones; and emerald ribbon.

Offering the trademark wit and imagination familiar to Rowling’s legions of readers–as well as Aesop’s wisdom and the occasional darkness of the Brothers Grimm–each of these five tales reveals a lesson befitting children and parents alike: the strength gained with a trusted friendship, the redemptive power of love, and the true magic that exists in the hearts of all of us. Rowling’s new introduction also comments on the personal lessons she has taken from the Tales, noting that the characters in Beedle’s collection “take their fates into their own hands, rather than taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe,” and “that magic causes as much trouble as it cures.”

But the true jewel of this new edition is the enlightening and comprehensive commentary (including extensive footnotes!) by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, who brings his unique wizard’s-eye perspective to the collection. Discovered “among the many papers which Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives,” the venerable wizard’s ruminations on the Tales allow today’s readers to place them in the context of 16th century Muggle society, even allowing that “Beedle was somewhat out of step with his times in preaching a message of brotherly love for Muggles” during the era of witch hunts that would eventually drive the wizarding community into self-imposed exile. In fact, versions of the same stories told in wizarding households would shock many for their uncharitable treatment of their Muggle characters.

Professor Dumbledore also includes fascinating historical backstory, including tidbits such as the history and pursuit of magic wands, a brief comment on the Dark Arts and its practitioners, and the struggles with censorship that eventually led “a certain Beatrix Bloxam” to cleanse the Tales of “much of the darker themes that she found distasteful,” forever altering the meaning of the stories for their Muggle audience. Dumbledore also allows us a glimpse of his personal relationship to the Tales, remarking that it was through “Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump” that “many of us [wizards] first discovered that magic could not bring back the dead.”

Both a wise and delightful addition to the Harry Potter canon, this new translation of The Tales of Beedle the Bard is all that fans could hope for and more–and an essential volume for the libraries of Muggles, wizards, and witches, both young and old.

Net proceeds from this Collector’s Edition and the Standard Edition support of the Children’s High Level Group, a charity co-founded in 2005 by J K Rowling and Emma Nicholson MEP to make life better for vulnerable children. (The Children’s High Level Group is a charity registered in England and Wales under registered charity number 1112575.)

Collector’s Edition Product Features:
• All five fairy tales from the original The Tales of Beedle the Bard
• Outer case disguised as a wizarding textbook from the Hogwarts library
• Exclusive reproduction of J.K. Rowling’s handwritten introduction
• 10 new illustrations by J.K. Rowling not included in the Standard Edition or the original handcrafted edition
• Velvet bag embroidered with J.K. Rowling’s signature
• Metal skull, corners, and clasp
• Replica gemstones
• Emerald ribbon

This is the standard edition cover.

So in preparation for December 4th of 2008, start saving your clams now! Though if the $100 price is too steep for you, know that the standard edition will be about $13. A bit more reasonable.

Tags: amazon.com, bard, beedle, beedle the bard, Book, collector's edition, harry potter, JK Rowling, rowling, special edition

A while back I read a BBC news article on an interesting, though not new, book. Here is the link to the full article.

In 1919, a young British army officer, Francis Stockdale, was deployed to the Waziristan area of British India. The title of his book, “Walk Warily in Waziristan” seems no less appropriate now than it did 90 years ago, because today the autonomous Pakistani tribal region of North and South Waziristan is the centre of militancy orchestrated by pro-Taleban and al-Qaeda militants. It is also an area where many believe the al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, may be hiding after the September 2001 World Trade Centre attacks.

If the same situation is happening now as sixty years ago, where is the knowledge? The gain?

The concept of learning from past mistakes and history in general is so important, and yet… where are we?

Tags: 1919, al-queda, Book, osama bin laden, taliban, waziristan

One of my new favorite children books is that of Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke. Sadly, it seems that not all are easily available, but they are WORTH looking for them. Minerva Louise and the Red Truck is the newest adventure of the little white hen. She has an adorable way of looking at things, taking them at face value, and not what humans think of as face value; what chickens think of as face value.

My favorite boy in the world, Xander, is my favorite Minerva Louise reading partner. His collection includes A Hat for Minerva Louise, and now Minerva Louise and the Red Truck.

That was the first night he got it, and I read it to him once, his mom read it to him twice and his dad read it to him twice again. That is FIVE times total in one evening. Safe to say, Minerva Louise is a hit.

If you have not experienced her, in all her bird-brained glory, check her out. You won’t regret it!

Tags: a hat for minerva louise, beingsara.com, Book, chicken, children, janet morgan stoeke, kid's book, minerva louise, minerva louise and the red truck, nosheep.net, picture book, white hen

As most of you have gathered by my recent flurry on Infected, I’m a bit excited about it.

But beyond my advance that I got, there was the audio, and for a short time, there will be a PDF available for download. But what is interesting is that Itunes is not very happy with getting all of Scott’s word, and there have been troubles for others too. (Mine might be because the computer goes to sleep and shuts off Itunes…)

A really interesting blog post at BoingBoing.net. I enjoyed the post and *most* of the comments. But it does raise interesting questions for publishing. Scott has basically proven that if you let people download it, they WILL read it (and therefore get excited enough to buy it hopefully), but by limiting the download time, and especially before the book is even OUT, how can they keep track of the numbers of people who are actually getting to the book.

I don’t know, but it will be interesting to watch! In the meantime, go find your pdf of Infected if you want it, buy it anyway on April 1st, and listen to his other stuff too

Remember, Scott Sigler.com for all your Junkie Cravings.

Tags: audio books, availability, boingboing.net, Book, books online, crown, infected, pdf, podcasting, random house, scott sigler, scottsigler.com, sigler

Here is some information about another book blogger. Book-worm.biz also does book reviews.

What I like about this blog is the “about” page actually. While most of my books that I read and blog about are from publishing houses, and while I do work at an independent bookshop, I don’t get a monetary kickback for reviewing books positively on this website. As of this time, I don’t make any money on my website, because as you will see, there are no ads here. (This may change at a later date however.)

They specify on their about page,

Ethics
The reviews have neither been paid for nor solicited by any company or publishing house and it is our intention to maintain this independence into the future.

I enjoy that they mention that they are running it to promote books of worth, instead of running it to make scads of money from a publishing house.

They are like me; they read a book and say, HEY! You should read this too!

Tags: , blog, blogging, Book, book-worm.biz

I just finished this book tonight. Chancey of the Maury River is a great elementary novel, similar to Black Beauty. It is a book from the horse’s point of view. Chancey is a luckier beast than Beauty, and only has two homes in his life, but there is a period between his homes when he gets no care and ends up in pretty bad shape. His luck changes when he heads off to his second home, where he gets the care he needs, more much more importantly than that, he gets Claire. She is the girl that he was meant to be with, and their story was a joy to read.

The description from the Candlewick website,

On the night that Chancey is born, a “fire star” gallops across the sky, a signal that a great horse has entered the world. But it will take many years of slights and hardships before the orphaned albino will believe that the prophecy is truly meant for him. First he must find a home at the Maury River Stables and a girl named Claire who needs him as much as he needs her. Then, when his aching joints and impending blindness bring an end to their training together, he must start a new chapter as a therapeutic horse, healing people with wounds both visible and unseen. In the manner of a latter-day Black Beauty, Chancey’s observant voice narrates this absorbing story, filled with fascinating details of life at the stable and keen insight into equine instinct, human emotion, and the ineffable bond that connects them both.
Told through a horse’s eyes, here is the entrancing tale of an Appaloosa who finds a chance to renew his trust, and of the humans he helps to restore.

I will be bringing this book over to my stable for my instructor and all our riding students to read. They will all enjoy it, I am sure. Look for it on the shelf of your local independent bookshop in May of 2008.

Tags: abuse, animals, black beauty, Book, chancey, chancey of the maury river, claire, elementary, gigig amateau, hardcover, horse, juvenile literature

I haven’t read the Inheritance books by Christopher Paolini, (Eldest and Eragon), but for all of those who DO… there is hope for the third! Also, book 3 was going to be so long, that now there is a book FOUR in the works. Goodies never cease for you Paolini fans!

According to Amazon.com, the release date for book three will be September 23rd, 2008.

Tags: amazon.com, Book, christopher paolini, eldest, empire, eragon, inheritance, paolini, september, series

Something to Blog about, my friend Shana’s book, has been reviewed!!!

Over here at Arm Chair Interviews, there is a very nice and positive review. I shall cut and paste for any linkaphobes in the audience.

Something to BLOG About
by Shana Norris
Published by Amulet Books (February 2008)

Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Shana Norris’ debut novel, Something to BLOG About, melds blogging and narrative–and the result is a cute and unique look at teens on their own turf. Norris gives the reader everything: boys, blogs, a nasty bully, a dating mom and an insecure heroine.

Libby (not Elizabeth) Fawcett’s decision to start a secret blog (meant for her eyes only) chronicles the happy, sad and mundane emotions and experiences of our misunderstood and occasionally clumsy heroine.

What could be more embarrassing than starting your hair on fire in chemistry class? Having your heartthrob, Seth Jacobs witness the entire tragic event. Could life get any worse? It could if your mother happens to be dating the father of your arch enemy, Angel Rivera. And how do you help your best guy friend (who is also your cousin) with his love life when you can’t manage your own? It’s a good bet you’d stop him from sending his secret love a HUGE bouquet of flowers that she’s sure to hate.

Writing in her online blog keeps Libby focused and sane (along with running). But through a series of events the blog finds its way to school and Libby wonders how she’s ever going to recover from the humiliation of everyone knowing her innermost thoughts.

Something to BLOG About has several things going for it. First, it’s fun, fast-paced and true to the teenage life. Second it is a book you can, without worry, allow your YA to read without concern that sex, drugs and mean-spirited kids will be encouraged.

Armchair Interviews says: It’s refreshing to read a young adult book that shares the teenager’s life with some humor and one that doesn’t encourage destructive behavior as the norm.

Author’s Web site: http://www.ShanaNorris.com

Like I said, a nice review. Makes me even MORE excited to be able to sell the book!!!

Tags: 2008, amulet books, arm chair interviews, armchairinterviews, Book, child, february, fiction, libby fawcett, novel, review, shana norris, something to blog about