Book Embargo

Ah, Tammy Pierce. How I love you. I don’t love that new books aren’t coming out 5 a year, but as an adult, I must deal.

yeah, I’ve lived that.

I do love that she also loved Impossible by Nancy Werlin. It was a beautiful novel and its use of “Scarborogh Fair,” WOW. I don’t know any young adults who have read it, just other staff from my shop, but yeah, everyone should read it.

Just a general, “make sure you have read some Tamora Pierce lately” blog post, with some fabulous Impossible thrown in for variety.

Happy Monday!

Tags: books, fiction, garfunkle, hardcover, impossible, nancy werlin, paperback, pierce, scarborough fair, simon, tamora pierce, tortall, werlin, young adult

You might think this book is just another little bit of fluff. The cover indicates it is definitely woman fiction. Yes to the woman’s fiction part, but it was so much more than just a bit of fluff. These days it seems that there is not enough “pressure” (if that is the right word) on what should be done to keep a marriage together. I think that this book shows (in a fabulous and fun way) different routes you can take.

Amazon info here though please make sure to purchase through your local independent bookshop! And from the Random House website,

All you need is love? For the residents of swanky Mayfair Estates, a pre-nup is just another item on the wedding to-do checklist—but three friends get more than they bargained for when they promise to love, cherish . . . and sign on the dotted line.

Ellie married her handsome, wealthy Prince Charming when she was young, naive, and willing to sign a one-sided pre-nup in the name of true love. But seven years and one toddler later, her happily-ever-after has come screeching to a halt. If she can’t save her marriage, she’s determined to save her divorce…. When Jen married Eric, he knew she wasn’t head over heels. Still, he insisted they were perfect together and even bankrolled her business. But when Jen’s career takes off, she may lose the husband she loves more than she realized—and everything else she’s worked for…. Up-and-coming attorney Mara is sure her fiancé has forgiven her for a foolish one-night fling—until he adds a “cheating clause” to the pre-nup she had demanded. If he really trusts her, why the clause? And if she’s really trustworthy, why is she objecting?

As romance collides with real life, three very different women turn to each other for moral support and insights about how to safeguard their most valuable assets: their hearts.

Good review over at Genre Go Round. It really is a great friendship book, though I did not feel that the men were all that thin on the description. From that review, “Thus the reader never fully sees the viewpoints of Michael, Eric or Josh.” While you don’t see the viewpoint of the three men, I feel that the way Kendrick writes them shows the kind of men they are. While I was definitely not endeared to Michael, I actually respected Eric and Josh as much as the three women.

It was a fun one and goes on sale on November 25th, 2008. Head on over to your local independent bookshop, and then start reading!

Tags: beth kendrick, Book, chick lit, fiction, h ardcover, kendrick, novel, paperback, prenup, prenuptial agreement, random house, rh

First Marisa De Los Santos wowed us all with Love Walked In. In 2006, my manager deemed it the best book of the year.

I think that Marisa outdid herself with the sequel, Belong to Me.

It was beyond delightful. It has been a while since I have read Love Walked In, but I think I liked it more. I felt that there was even more depth to the Cornelia character. I loved how she solved problems, and I loved how accurate everything felt. De Los Santos writes about situations, and as I read it, I think… “wow, that is how I would react!”
It is a good feeling.

So go read it, and re-read Love Walked In again. It is a beautiful story.

Tags: belong to me, cornelia brown, de los santos, fiction, hardcover, love walked in, marisa de los santos, old movies, paperback

Ah, the joys of a great fantasy series.

Isn’t that a pretty shelf?
I have read the first three in the series. Starting with Wayfarer Redemption as an ADVANCE before the hardcover came out, and then waiting every year for the next two. I stalled between three and four and have yet to read the last three in the series. But I have them!

From Catherine Gilbert Murdock, author of Dairy Queen,

The Wayfarer Redemption

Sara Douglass, et al. Grownup fantasy that kept me up until 4 AM on more than one occasion. Best to acquire the trilogy all at once, just to be safe. She continues after book #3, but you don’t need to.

So, that doesn’t say too many positive things on the last set, but either way, read the first one, AT LEAST. They are a great time and all are now available in paperback (at your local independent bookshop of course!).

Tags: catherine gilbert murdock, crusader, enchanter, fantasy, hardcover, paperback, pilgrim, sara douglass, science fiction, sinner, starman, tor, wayfarer redemption

A synopsis from LoveReading.co.uk

1867, Canada - As winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man’s cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the township - journalists, Hudson’s Bay Company men, trappers, traders - but do they want to solve the crime, or exploit it? One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for 17 years, a forgotten Native American culture, and a fortune in stolen furs before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good. In an astonishingly assured debut, Stef Penney deftly weaves adventure, suspense, revelation and humour into a panoramic historical romance, an exhilarating thriller, a keen murder mystery and ultimately, with the sheer scope and quality of her storytelling, one of the books of the year.

A Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly,

The frigid isolation of European immigrants living on the 19th-century Canadian frontier is the setting for British author Penney’s haunting debut. Seventeen-year-old Francis Ross disappears the same day his mother discovers the scalped body of his friend, fur trader Laurent Jammet, in a neighboring cabin. The murder brings newcomers to the small settlement, from inexperienced Hudson Bay Company representative Donald Moody to elderly eccentric Thomas Sturrock, who arrives searching for a mysterious archeological fragment once in Jammet’s possession. Other than Francis, no real suspects emerge until half-Indian trapper William Parker is caught searching the dead man’s house. Parker escapes and joins with Francis’s mother to track Francis north, a journey that produces a deep if unlikely bond between them. Only when the pair reaches a distant Scandinavian settlement do both characters and reader begin to understand Francis, who arrived there days before them. Penney’s absorbing, quietly convincing narrative illuminates the characters, each a kind of outcast, through whose complex viewpoints this dense, many-layered story is told. (July)

And lastly, from Powell’s Books, the comment is what got me.

Rarely has a suspense thriller trod the path that Stef Penney has taken. Even as one waits with bated breath to find the killer, one gets sucked into yet another aspect of the novel — the dynamics of human relationships against the bleak picture of cold isolation! The reader’s prerogative to judge and condemn is taken away as the story unfolds to reveal the vulnerabilities of the human heart. Moments of intense sadness are overlaid by the immediate concerns of survival. This is one of those books that leave you feeling the end has no business to arrive so soon.

Now, my opinions:

All that said, it was a good book. All of the points that each of those sites bring up is accurate, and they do not mention that there are a few moments where you have to stop and say, “wow, I did not think we were going THERE.” I was not as enthralled as others who have read it. I LIKE HAPPY CHARACTERS! 1867 Canada does not lend itself to happy characters. But it was still a good book, definitely worthy of the read and it comes out in paperback on May 4th 2008. Look for it in your local independent bookshop then!

Tags: 1867, canada, fiction, fur, fur trade, furs, hardcover, murder, novel, paperback, penney, scalping, stef penney, tenderness of wolves.

The Hindi Bindi Club was released at the beginning of the summer. It has sold really well at our store as a great beach read. We got some promotional items before it came out. Gorgeous paper with an actual jewel, filled out like an invitation, very snazzy. Here was our promotional kit.

A close-up of the “invitation.”

Ahhh… and here is the jewel.

It looks to be a fun novel. Check out the Website for even more information, and in the meantime, a blurb from the site,

Between mothers and daughters lies a very special world. Follow the relationships of two very different generations of women with everything to learn from each other…

For decades, they’ve gathered together, dressed in saris and sweater sets, to share recipes, arguments, and laughter. They are the Hindi-Bindi Club, a nickname given by their American daughters to the mothers who left India to start life anew. Daughters, now grown, and facing struggles of their own.

Kiran, Preity, and Rani are coming home for the holidays. Home to the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and of course, to the Hindi-Bindi Club. For what holiday would be complete without their mother hens’ mouthwatering food, their gossip - and their unsolicited advice? For Kiran, a successful career can’t fill the void left by her estrangement from her parents. Five years and one divorce later, she’s ready to mend fences… and find a new husband the old-fashioned way. Good girl Preity’s marriage is nearly perfect, but lately she’s haunted by the memory of her first love-and her mother’s interference in that romance. Then there’s Rani, the wild child with the brains of a rocket scientist - and the weight of a dark burden she’s carried all her life.

Now, as East meets West across time and tradition, six women will take their first steps toward true sisterhood, shattering long-kept secrets, sharing joy and tears, and allowing the real power of the Hindi-Bindi Club to take hold.

And a review,

“At the beginning of this debut novel, American-born Kiran Deshpande returns home as the divorced prodigal daughter of Indian parents. But her story quickly unfolds into the larger tale of her mother, Meenal, and Meenal’s friends, whom Kiran and her childhood friends Preity and Rani had dubbed the Hindi-Bindi Club because of their old-fashioned Indian ways. Each chapter is narrated by a different character and explores the diverse experiences of these mothers, daughers, and wives who struggle to be Indian and American. Readers learn about cherished family recipes and the history that brought these women to the present. Pradhan imbues the narrative with such honesty and real emotion that the novel is difficult to put down. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy mother-daughter fiction and all popular fiction collections.”

—Library Journal

Hope you enjoy!

bindi, bollywood, daughters, fiction, hindi, hindi bindi, hindi bindi club, india, invitation, may 1, may 1 2007, monica pradhan, mothers, paperback, pradhan, press kit, promo, promotional items, recipes

Tags: bindi, bollywood, daughters, fiction, hindi, hindi bindi, hindi bindi club, india, invitation, may 1, may 1 2007, monica pradhan, mothers, paperback, pradhan, press kit, promo, promotional items, recipes

Now, most of my books are happy-go-lucky types. What if you like thrillers? My site might not be the most fun. Well, for all you scary thriller and murder mystery fans, fear not, I have read a thriller, a new author to me and lordy it was good!!!

Linwood Barclay, with about six books to his credit before this new standalone, PLUS being a very successful newspaper columnist (not to mention a father and husband), (well, quite a busy man eh?), has written a new standalone thriller set in a small town of Connecticut where a high school girl wakes up and finds her family gone. No word, no note, no blood, just G O N E. The book is set twenty-five years later as she tries to figure out what really happened. Told through her husband (who I really liked), this book REALLY shows that sometimes, the truth is better off not discovered. It may hurt not to know, but it the truth might be a killer!

No Time For Goodbye, wowsers…

From the back cover:

“High school student Cynthia Archer woke up one morning to discover that her entire family had disappeared. No note. No clue. Nothing. Twenty-five years later, Cynthia is still trying to make sense of it, and trying her best to lead a normal life with her husband and daughter. When she begins to notice odd and sinister signs, all pointing to her missing family, no one seems to believe her – even her husband doubts her. Could Cynthia be losing her mind? Was she involved with her family’s disappearance all those years ago? As dark secrets unfold, the shocking truth slowly emerges. Cynthia might finally get her answer, but sometimes it’s better not to know.”

Dave also read this one, and yeah, I pretty much agree with everything he said. I didn’t get to read it in one sitting, but hot damn did I want to!!!

It was just so GOOD. As I think about it, I am glad that I only read it in half hour intervals because I was able to formulate opinions about WHAT actually happened to her family. Were they all killed by serial killers? Did Cynthia kill them in a drunken blackout? What about the mob? This book went beyond my meager guesses and BLEW me away!!!

I even emailed Mr. Barclay through his site to let him know how good it was. I figure, more praise can never hurt eh?

SEPTEMBER 25th 2007, sorry for the delay, I don’t choose the dates! But keep your eyes peeled in the Bantam Dell monthly podcast program for October AND at bantamdell.com for their Mystery features, and it was selected for the Booked For Breakfast Book Club feature at DearReader.com. So check those places out, plus his website, Good times!

abandonment, bantam, bantamdell.com, barclay, books, dell, fiction, hardcover, harlan coben, kidnapping, lincoln child, linwood barclay, mystery, no time for goodbye, paperback, september release, thriller

Tags: abandonment, bantam, bantamdell.com, barclay, books, dell, fiction, hardcover, harlan coben, kidnapping, lincoln child, linwood barclay, mystery, no time for goodbye, paperback, september release, thriller

and the next to last Harry Potter question is…..

at Scholastic.com’s Shrieking Shack

WILL VOLDEMORT BE DEFEATED????????

also seen here….

Also congrats to the winners of the Sweepstakes.

Seven lucky U.S. Harry Potter fans have been selected and will be flown to London to join J.K. Rowling at a midnight launch event for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leading up to the book release at 12:01 a.m. on July 21, 2007.

Congrats to
Andrew of Havertown, PA, 9
Paige of Boise, ID, 11
Ayoluwa of Atlanta, GA, 12
Sophie of Seattle, WA, 13
Joe of Cincinnati, OH, 15
Anne of Spring, TX, 17
Yanira of Hialeah, FL, 20

Less than a month until the big day…… *giddy thoughts*

books, children, deathly hallows, fiction, hardcover, harry potter, harry potter and the deathly hallows, hp, hp7, jk rowling, paperback, rowling, scholastic, shrieking shack

Tags: books, children, deathly hallows, fiction, hardcover, harry potter, harry potter and the deathly hallows, hp, hp7, JK Rowling, paperback, rowling, scholastic, shrieking shack

Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge is amazing… really, no other way to describe it. Where Amazing means : surprising greatly or inspiring awe or admiration or wonder. Seriously.
First, the coolness of the covers.

A summary from Kelley’s website,

Jackal Segura is a Hope: born special and raised to a life of responsibility and privilege as a powerful symbol of a fledgling world government; destined for greatness. In a few months she will take up her role in the global administration, sponsored by the massive corporate entity that houses, feeds, employs and protects her and everyone she loves. And she’s just discovered that everything she believes, everything she is, is a lie.

Then in a few short moments of horror and catastrophe, Jackal is a Hope no longer. She has become a pariah and a murderer, a person with no community, no future, disconnected from the world. She enters an experimental program designed to inflict the experience of years of solitary confinement in a few short months—virtual confinement in a sealed cell within her own mind, grief-stricken and alone, until the day her demons come out to play.

Then she’s back in a world she no longer knows, branded and despised, struggling to make her way in a strange country. Now she has a chance to rediscover her life, her love and her soul—in a strange place of shattered hopes and new beginnings, called Solitaire.

Genevieve Williams reviews Solitaire at Strange Horizons.com,

What is the nature of identity? Is it inherent to each person, making each of us so unique and distinctive that, even if the outside world were entirely stripped away, the individual would exist unchanged? Or are we created by our environment: our circumstances, challenges, and relationships with others?
Solitaire cover

It’s an age-old question, one addressed in science and philosophy as well as in fiction. With her first novel, Solitaire, Kelley Eskridge tosses her hat into this particular ring with elegance and grace. A previous Nebula and James Tiptree finalist with her short fiction, Eskridge already had a good bit of buzz going; with Solitaire, the buzz may swell to a roar.

And from Kelley’s website, on what writing is,

Writing is connection. If a work of mine can resonate with a reader, then for that moment we are connected across time and space and experience. It means that I’ve sat in my room and traveled some piece of that internal landscape, and brought it back and said to the reader Do you see? And years later, in another place, she has read it and thought, Yes, I see. How amazing is that?

So go check it out. It is an older title so you might have to special order it, but it is WORTH the wait!

eskridge, fantasy, fiction, hardcover, Hope, jackal, jackal segura, kelley eskridge, paperback, segura, solitaire

Tags: eskridge, fantasy, fiction, hardcover, Hope, jackal, jackal segura, kelley eskridge, paperback, segura, solitaire

NHPR did their Annual Summer Book preview. Hosted by Laura Knoy, and the guests were Dan Chartrand, owner of Water Street Bookstore in Exeter and Michael Herrmann, owner of Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord.

Their TOP books for the summer:

Robert Olmstead’s Coal Black Horse. If you remember, I read this and was not overwhelmed by it. I read the fluffier books and I just did not care for this. However, the recommender described it as a book that will change you as you read it and it will stay with you long after you finish. And for sheer practicality… it DOES have a gorgeous cover!

Marylin Robinson’s Gilead. This book has sold very well at my bookstore since it came out last year in paperback. It is a letter from an older minister to his son. Sounds really interesting.

Head over to NHPR.org for their Full Top Ten Lists.

They also talked about Post-Harry Potter books. They recommended “His Dark Materials” series by Phillip Pullman (Golden Compass), Tanglewreck by Jeannette Winterson. L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time and Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy were also recommended by callers.

NHPR.org has one commenter who posted most of the books that people called in on. Thanks to Brady for that by the way!

So that was definitely a fun hour, hope this helps you pick out your summer reading!!! Make sure you check out the site and look at the top ten lists!!!

books, exchange, hardcover, laura knoy, new hampshire public radio, nhpr, nhpr exchange, nhpr.org, paperback, public radio, summer book preview, summer books to read

Tags: books, exchange, hardcover, laura knoy, new hampshire public radio, nhpr, nhpr exchange, nhpr.org, paperback, public radio, summer book preview, summer books to read