Uncategorized 19 Jun 2008 09:11 am

To read or not to read…

The NEA put out an interesting article about the reading habits of today. It varies through all age groups, though from what I could find is limited to the United States. Foreign readers will probably not be surprised by the downward trend in… everything, because even though we are part of the developed world, if there is a list, the US is at the bottom of it. Unless the top is the worst, then we are there.

books

Regardless, this is a really interesting article about the trends that we are seeing. There are some nice graphs and charts if you don’t want to read thoroughly. Enjoy!

PDF available here

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Book & Information 13 Feb 2008 06:45 am

E-Books

One of the newer trends in books is that of the E-book. I like the feel of books, the weight, the smell, so it will be a while before I switch to an E-book. For those of you who like and use them, head over to Tor.

sony ebook

From /.
“Tor Books is launching a new site and running a campaign in which they are giving away e-books (free as in beer) until the site goes live. To get in on the deal, fill out the form at their site, and each week you will receive a newsletter containing links to download a new book. The first two books are Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson followed by Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. Scalzi’s site says: ‘My understanding is that they don’t have DRM on them. Or at least, mine isn’t supposed to have, and I don’t think they’re planning mine to be special in that regard.’”

It is an interesting idea. Apparently, Baen books is also doing free e-books online. You can find more information on that publisher at their Webscription page. If you like E-books, then you will love FREE E-books.

And to pimp the one who gave me this info, check out Callblog, my boyfriend’s blog.

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Uncategorized 03 Feb 2008 11:46 pm

Light of the Moon

Light of the Moon is Luanne Rice’s newest novel. It takes place mostly in France, but our main female character is from Connecticut. I have never read anything by Luanne Rice before, and I enjoyed this experience. At our bookstore we have, what we call, “Calgon-Take-Me-Away” reading. This is definitely in that catergory. It is the story of a woman who goes to France, to visit the white horses of the Camargue.
horsesoncamargue from puzzlehouse.com

The story begins with a vacationing woman being swept off her feet, literally. Beyond the entertainment value of this story, I believe that this book could help someone deal with grief in a way that books found in the grieving section never could. The death of Susannah’s mother, and the loss of Sari’s mother ties together in a way that could help people accept the grieving process. While some loss is dealt with though time like Susannah with her mother, other forms can be even more scarring. The manner in which Sari loses her mother, with the pain of the following accident, keeps her trapped in the grief of her five year old self, even though eight years have passed.

If you feel like reading a classic or a literary tome, this will not fit the bill. If you feel like being swept away by other people’s problems (in France no less), then check out Light of the Moon. It was a delightful story, but if you are anything like me, find the tissues BEFORE YOU START. It will make everything much easier. Look for this new novel at your local independent bookshop now!

light of the moon Luanne Rice

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Book & Information 19 Oct 2007 10:11 am

Yelena on Myspace

So the wonder of the Study Books continues! Maria V. Snyder has created a MySpace page for Yelena, over here. Go check it out. There are fun pictures and videos at the site.

poison study brit

magic study brit

Don’t forget that FIRESTUDY is coming out in March of 2008,

FIRE STUDY: SURROUNDED BY FIRE WITH NO WAY TO ESCAPE THE BURN.

Once it is on the shelves, it will be in my hot little hands!!!

Also worthwhile, head over to Nesfa’s review of Magic Study, its a good one, and it is always good to support New England sci-fi groups!

books, fantasy, fire study, magic study, maria v snyder, nesfa, poison study, sci-fi, science fiction, snyder, yelena, yelena zaltana

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Book & Information 17 Oct 2007 08:35 am

Bookmooch in the New York Times!

Ah the wonder of Bookmooch. One of my favorite sites these days. I know I have blogged on this before, but I thought you all might be interested in the New York Times article available here. It is a very positive article, with a little history and a few funny gems. Here is one of my favorite quotes,

“She had checked out the person’s wish list and noticed that an Ann Coulter title was on it,” said Ms. Scholl, the University of Washington student, referring to the author of the current “If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans.” “And she e-mailed her, ‘You want to read something by Coulter so I’m not sending you anything.’”

And here is another fabulous thing about Bookmooch. You really can find your favorite old books that had been lost for a long time!!!

“One of the reasons I started BookMooch was I had this book I re-read every few years — ‘Lessons Learned From Sesame Street,’” he said. “It was long out of print and I lent it to someone — I don’t know who — and it was gone.”

“Two weeks ago,” he added, his voice rising in excitement, “I found it on BookMooch.”

Share, Mooch, and leave feedback, go on! Join up!!

book, book sharing, bookmooch, books, new york times, online book communities

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Book 14 Sep 2007 06:25 am

Enthusiasm

You know you have found a good book when one of your favorite authors says,

Everyone will love this book.
-Stephenie Meyer, author of Twilight

enthusiasm cover

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman, website here, was just released in paperback, and is an Austen-esque novel. I was at a booksigning for Stephenie Meyer and picked up a copy of Enthusiasm. It was really cute! Definitely a fun story that you should all pick up!!!!

While familiarity with Austen’s world through her books or, more likely, the movies will deepen readers’ appreciation for Shulman’s impressive first novel, it is no means a prerequisite to enjoying this involving and often amusing narrative of friendship, courtship, and (of course) true love. —Carolyn Phelan, Booklist, starred review

Despite the fact that Julie Lefkowitz is often exasperated by her best friend Ashleigh, “an Enthusiast,” the 15-year-old loyally tolerates and often takes part in Ashleigh’s various crazes. Ashleigh’s current interest is the book Pride and Prejudice, and her latest scheme is to crash a formidable boys’ school to attend a dance and find a 21st-century version of Mr. Darcy for herself, as well as a suitable companion for Julie. Dressed in vintage gowns, the girls do manage to slip into the dance and hook up with two agreeable young gentlemen. The problem is that both girls become smitten with the same guy—the shyer, more refined of the two boys. What follows is a sequence of witty exchanges, comic errors and miscommunications that could be taken right out of a Jane Austen novel. When all four characters get cast in a play, opportunities for passionate encounters abound; love triangles emerge and eventually evolve into appropriate romantic pairings. Those familiar with Jane Austen’s writing style and themes will most appreciate the many overt and subtle references to the 19th-century author. If a couple of episodes seem a little over the top (as when [spoiler omitted]), readers caught up in this debut novel’s romantic whimsy and humor will willingly suspend their disbelief.
—Publishers Weekly

Comical misunderstandings ensue in this innocent who-will-wind-up-dating-whom farce. Shulman manages to lift the story above standard fare with clever plotting and quirky, often elegant writing that should please the literary crowd while keeping romance lovers engaged. Several cuts above the usual fare. –Kirkus

Check out this fabulous novel, available in paperback at your local independent bookshop!!

book, books, enthusiasm, kirkus, polly shulman, pride and prejudice, publishers weekly, reviews, ya, young adult

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Book & Information 29 Aug 2007 06:02 am

Libby!!!!!

My friend Shana’s book has a DATE!!!!

If you remember my post about “Libby Fawcett’s Secret Blog, you will remember that I have a friend who not only has written a book (well… many fine books though none of those are published…) she has a book coming out this spring of 2008.

Well, now called, “Something to Blog About,” the blogging novel of Libby Fawcett will tentatively be released on April 1st!!!!

Here is the Amazon page with only minor details. Still!!! So exciting!!!

Oh boy Oh boy!!! So remember, April 2008 rolls around, you better run to your local Independent and check it out!!!

blogging, books, hardcover, independent bookshop, libby fawcett, norris, secret blog, shana norris, something to blog about, young adult fiction

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Book & Information 28 Aug 2007 06:55 am

Harry Potter and the Crazy rules.

Harry Potter, ah the wonder of it all. Needless to say, I loved it. I think that Harry Potter is a fabulous series of books, and that some people might want to relax a little bit and just remember, it is a KIDS BOOK SERIES. It has made kids read like there is no tomorrow, made ADULTS read like there is no tomorrow and created an international sensation, about a sad little orphan boy with great friends.

The rules about Harry for purchase as a bookstore were pretty intense. We ordered through Scholastic, and part of our contract, besides not selling the book ahead of time (duh…) was that we could not share how many we ordered or how many we sold each day. Very interesting. Also, something that I liked was that you could not order more of book 7 than you had SOLD of book 6. This would be books ordered minus books returned after the hubbub wore off for the Half-Blood Prince. Not a problem for us.

Here is a cut-out from the Ingram Advance catalog. According to this, for guaranteed delivery through Ingram, you had to have a signed affidavit, an agreement to the street day, have ordered before April 27th, AND all orders had to be in case quantities of 10 books.

harry Potter

There was some weirdness about the April 27th deadline. Apparently libraries across the country were not told about the deadline, so they were all faxing in their orders on the 27th, which needless to say made a giant busy signal to all those crazed librarians. We actually had a library from the southern corner of the state (librarian is the daughter to a local librarian) order through us because it was easier.

It is sad that the craze is over. JK Rowling did not say “never” to any more Harry Potters, but I think it is safe to say it would be a long long long while before she writes any more in the Potter-verse. However…. I cannot wait until that day, however unlikely it is!

book, books, children’s books, craze, fiction, hardcover, harry potter, harry potter craze, jk rowling

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Book & Information 07 Aug 2007 08:05 pm

Eclipse commentary and quotage

Well, I haven’t read Eclipse yet, so NO SPOILERS HERE. Not that there would be ANYWAYS. Did you know that EVERY one of my “top incoming searches” is for “eclipse spoilers.” Come on now people!

Regardless of your choices, I will not be starting (and finishing presumably) Eclipse until tomorrow night. Sadly, Sadly, Sadly…. So you can’t even think about spoilers here until then!

Meyer trifecta

I wanted to list all the quotes from Stephenie’s website for July and August, leading up to Today!!!! They are on her website at www.stepheniemeyer.com/ecl_quotes.html.

July
1st) “And speaking of Italy and sports cars that I stole there, you still owe me a yellow Porsche.” — Alice Cullen

2) “I prefer brunettes.” — Edward Cullen

3) “We’re a bit sensitive to blood around here. I’m sure you can understand that.” — Bella Swan

4) “There’s something…strange about the way you two are together… The way he watches you—it’s so…protective. Like he’s about to throw himself in front of a bullet to save you or something.” — Renee Dwyer

5) “I don’t have any leeches on my speed dial.” — Jacob Black

6) “I’m really glad Edward didn’t kill you. Everything’s so much more fun with you around.” — Emmett Cullen

7) “Here’s the thing… I’ve already gone crazy once. I know what my limits are.” — Bella Swan

8 ) “Edward’s only human, Bella. He’s going to react like any other boy.” — Angela Weber

9) “I never thought I needed to teach you how to throw a punch. Guess I was wrong about that.” — Charlie Swan

10) “This hostage stuff is fun.” — Alice Cullen

11) “Does my being half-naked bother you?” — Jacob Black

12) “Do you ever think that your life might be easier if you weren’t in love with me?” — Edward Cullen

13) “I already know how strong you are. You didn’t have to break the furniture.” –—Bella Swan

14) “Would you like to hear my story, Bella? It doesn’t have a happy ending—but which of ours does? If we had happy endings, we’d all be under gravestones now.” — Rosalie Hale

15) “You aren’t exactly the best judge of what is or isn’t dangerous.” — Edward Cullen

16) “I didn’t have quite the same…upbringing as my adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else entirely.” — Jasper Hale

17) “I think I might have been wrong before, you know, about not being able to be friends. Maybe we could manage it, on my side of the line. Come see me.” — Jacob Black

18) “It’s the thought that counts. I ought to know.” — Edward Cullen

19) “Well, that just sucks! I guess I’m stuck with Mike Newton after all.” — Bella Swan

20) “Fall down again, Bella?” — Emmett Cullen

21) “Did you seriously just stamp your foot? I thought girls only did that on TV.” — Jacob Black

22) “Hey, vampire girl!” — Embry Call

23) “Besides…the more time I spend with you, the more human emotions seem comprehensible to me. I’m discovering that I can sympathize with Heathcliff in ways I didn’t think possible before.” — Edward Cullen

24) “Do you think either of them would give up if you died? They’d still fight, we all would. You can’t change anything, so just be good, okay?” — Alice Cullen

25) “I was just wondering why you stabbed him. Not that I object.” — Edward Cullen

26) “The stories say that the Cold Woman was the most beautiful thing human eyes had ever seen. She looked like the goddess of the dawn when she entered the village that morning; the sun was shining for once, and it glittered off her white skin and lit the golden hair that flowed down to her knees. Her face was magical in its beauty, her eyes black in her white face. Some fell to their knees to worship her.” — Billy Black

27) “It’s a good thing you’re bulletproof.” — Bella Swan

28) “I offered eternal servitude, remember. I’m your slave for life.” — Jacob Black

29) “I feel like screaming!” — Jessica Stanley

30) “Would you please tell me what you are thinking? Before I go mad?” — Edward Cullen

31) “Maybe you should pick on people your own size.” — Charlie Swan

August
1st) “I can’t imagine how awful that must feel. Being normal? Ugh.” — Bella Swan

2) “I know you think that I have some kind of perfect, unyielding self-control, but that’s not actually the case.” — Edward Cullen

3) “The right thing isn’t always real obvious. Sometimes the right thing for one person is the wrong thing for someone else. So…good luck figuring that out.” — Charlie Swan

4) “I never thought I’d see the day where I’d be willing to take a bet against you, Alice, but it has arrived.” — Bella Swan

5) “You’ve experienced the way I can manipulate the emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if you realize how the feelings in a room affect me. I live every day in a climate of emotion. For the first century of my life, I lived in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my constant companion.” — Jasper Hale

6) “Quite a pity how things turned out, isn’t it?” — Jane

Hope you enjoy and remember even if YOU want to be spoiled… don’t spoil it for others!

Enjoy the quotes :)
august 7th, bella swan, book, books, eclipse, edward cullen, forks, hardcover, jacob black, meyer, new moon, new release, no spoilers, oregon, quotes, spoilers, stephenie meyer, twilight, www.stepheniemeyer.com

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Book 10 Jul 2007 10:55 pm

Stay off the Grid

Here is another new cool series by a mystery author. Not an author that writes mysteries, an author no one has met… No seriously, look at his RH page here. There is nothing.

John Twelve Hawks has written two novels. The Traveler was the first and that is now available in paperback. Dark River is the second in the Fourth Realm series.

j12H Dark River

A couple of cool interviews, here at SFF World, and here is the J12H blip from the Telegraph article,

John Twelve Hawks
Age Unknown
Real name Secret
Previous occupation Who knows?
Address Off the grid
Star character Warrior-babe Maya
Commercial status One novel The Traveller (2006): UK sales, 150,000-plus. Sequel The Dark River due out in July.

John Twelve Hawks is either the world’s most mysterious author or one of its most brilliant conmen. His agent and publisher insist they have no idea of his true identity, describing how he communicates via untraceable satellite phones, using a digital synthesiser to distort his voice.

He does not own a television and drives a 15-year-old car. They report conversations in which Twelve Hawks intones, ‘I saw your office the other day,’ without revealing how or when.

He has also told his editors that he has visited every location he writes about, including London, Prague, the Arizona desert… and Hell. Hawks’s determination to live ‘off the grid’ - without credit cards, conventional ID, personal bank-accounts or a fixed address - is a radical response to the creeping menace of the surveillance society.

His debut novel, The Traveller, read like an obsessive, paranoid mix of Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Matrix and Blair/Bush legislation, in which populations are constantly monitored, supervised and coerced into appropriate behaviour by the ‘vast machine’ of computers, micro-chips and CCTV.

Traveler was a really interesting read, and while some of the reviews I have read feel that Dark River falls into the “middle child” syndrome of the trilogy and is weaker than the first, I am still excited to read it.

j12Htraveler

I know it isn’t necessary to show the full size cover of The Traveler, but it is just so PRETTY.

Anyways, this is a great set of novels, and they really bring to mind the issues that we in the United States are having with privacy, and with the whole 1984 “Big Brother is Watching You” concept.

A good read all around, go check it out! They should both be available in your local independent bookstore!

1984, big brother, books, cool covers, debut novel, fantasy, fiction, international, j12h, john twelve hawks, novel, pretty covers, privacy, science fiction, series, stay off the grid, the grid, traveler, traveller, trilogy

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