Consuming Books

The 13th Hour is a thriller told in reverse, reminiscent of the 2000 film Memento.  This is Richard Doetsch’s third novel after The Thieves of Heaven and The Thieves of Faith.  As a test of his writing skill, Doetsch wrote the story in 30 days.  New Line Cinema has won the film rights to the story.

The story centers around Nick Quinn, a man accused of murdering his wife.  A mysterious stranger visits him in the police interrogation room and offers him a way to go back in time to prevent Julia’s murder.  Nick begins to realize that his actions in the past may have unexpected consequences in the future.

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Honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2009, the Edgar Awards will be presented to the winners at the 64th Gala Banquet, April 29, 2010, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.

The nominees for Best Novel are The Missing by Tim Gautreaux, The Odds by Kathleen George, The Last Child by John Hart, Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston and Nemesis by Jo Nesbo, translated by Don Bartlett.

Read the rest of the nominees here.

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The 2010 Caldecott Medal winner is The Lion & the Mouse, illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney (Little Brown and Company Books for Young Readers).

The 2010 Newberry Award winner is When You Reach Me written by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books).

The 2010 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature winner is Going Bovine written by Libba Bray (Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers).

Think globally and buy from your locally-owned independent bookstore to keep more revenue in your community.

As an audience, it seems we cannot get enough of Jane Eyre or the author, Charlotte Bronte.  In this beautifully imagined tale of the Bronte sisters and the writing of Jane Eyre, author Sheila Kohler takes us to the gloomy Yorkshire moors of northern England.  The family seems cursed: the mother and two of the children are dead; the father is sick; another son destroyed by alcohol and opiates.  Is life imitating art or art imitating life? 

In Becoming Jane Eyre, the story centers around Charlotte and the overlapping narratives of author and heroine.   Both women, real and imagined, are angry at their circumstances and indignant at the injustices they suffer.  Kohler ably portrays Charlotte’s unrequited love for a married man and the agony she undergoes because of it.  The language of the book is the same as that in the time of Jane Eyre. 

Kohler’s novel Cracks has been made into a movie directed by Jordan Scott (Ridley’s daughter).

I’m attending the SSNS (Southern Social Networking Summit) in Greenville SC.  This first-ever Summit is the brainchild of SIBA’s  Executive Director, Wanda  Jewell.  The main thrust of the meeting is to brainstorm about practical solutions to specific problems that are impeding progress in dealing with the ever-changing explosive opportunities in social networking.

Gary Vaynerchuk, known as the Wine Guy, spoke yesterday.  Gary is a very dynamic speaker and his enthusiasm for social media is contagious.  Gary’s message is that everyone can get on board the social media train and now is the time.  Check out his book, Why Now is the Time to Crush It!, at The Open Book  in Greenville SC.

David Allen, a leading authority on personal and organizational productivity, spoke, also.  Author of Getting Things Done, Making It All Work, and Ready for Anything, David’s specialty is to give focus to your energies without letting things fall through the cracks.   To understand more about David’s success in this market, watch him being interviewed on his art of efficiency, productivity and organizational clarity.

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Chanel: The Couturiere at Work, by Amy De La Haye and Shelley Tobin, (Overlook Press, 2009) is a new reprint of the original book published in 2004.  This book focuses on the  innovations in and influence on the fashion industry of the acclaimed designer, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. 

Chanel’s fashion designs in the 1920s and 30s were considered cutting edge.  Though today they may seem demure, in Chanel’s time they were a huge departure from the established style of French society.  Her simple, but elegant, designs reflected the aspirations of women and their changing lives.  Chanel brought the little black dress, the iconic Chanel suit, bell bottoms, and one of the most popular perfumes in history (Chanel No. 5) to millions of women.  As Christian Dior put it: “With a black pullover and ten rows of pearls she revolutionized fashion.”

The book is an oversized glossy paperback with over 100 photos of Chanel and her designs, including the suits, dresses, pants, jewelry, handbags, and hats. 

Buy your holiday books and gifts at your local independent bookstore and keep more revenue in your community.

The Longest Night by Marion Dane Bauer and Ted Lewin (Holiday House) is a charming story about the winter solstice and the return of longer days. Its lyrical style and beautiful illustrations will make this an instant family classic to be shared with generations to come. Children will ask for this one over and over again!!

Pioneer Girl: A True Story of Growing Up on the Prairie by Andrea Warren (Bison Books) is a true story of the McCance family who settled in a one-room sod house on the lonley Nebraska prairie.

Moose on the Loose by Kathy-Jo Wargin and John Bendall-Brunello (Sleeping Bear Press) is about a moose who tries on your socks, scrubs up in your tub, and needs a kiss before snuggling into your bed for the night. Kathy-Jo Wargin’s silly story told in rhyme, enhanced by John Bendall-Brunello’s whimsical drawings, won’t settle on your bookshelf for long… it is sure to be read again and again.

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone (Candlewick) is about the first female astronauts.   Stone (Elizabeth Leads the Way) begins this eye-opening history with the July 1999 launch of Columbia, piloted by Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle, then fills in the details of the women who helped pave the path to this moment. Led by Jerrie Cobb, in 1961 a dozen women “took their shot at being astronauts.” Stone demonstrates how prevailing attitudes at the time (which traveled all the way up the chain of command to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson), as well as an embittered female pilot, obstructed the path to space exploration for these women, who put their jobs and families at stake in pursuit of their dream. Copiously illustrated with photographs, this volume may well be as revelatory to women’s history and space program buffs as it will be to young readers.

Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol, translated by Arnold J. Pomerans (Flash Point/Roaring Brook) is a beautifully designed, hand-size volume published in partnership with the Anne Frank House.  It makes an ideal gift for any age admirer of Anne Frank. The book takes us inside the pages of The Diary of a Young Girl, via quotes and photographs of pages from Anne’s original journal, and into the Amsterdam annex where the Franks stayed hidden from the world during the Nazi occupation, until, on Friday, August 4, 1944, the Secret Annex was invaded. Pictures taken during Anne and her sister Margot’s early years depict a normal childhood spent at the beach and in school (the cover shows Anne’s passport pictures). Photos of the interior and exterior of 263 Prinsengracht make the journey through this book the next best thing to a visit to what is now preserved as the Anne Frank House.

What’s the holiday season without a little romance?  Quite boring and very non-holidayish!  These romance titles from After Midnight Fantasies are for adults, only!  This group of 17 women authors write sensual and erotic romance, from light contemporaries to forbidden fantasy.

Shayla Black is the national bestselling author of 25+ sizzling contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances for multiple print and electronic publishers.  The latest in her paranormal series, Doomsday Brethren, is Book 3 - Possess Me at Midnight.  Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC, carries this title.  Shayla also pens two other series, Wicked Lovers and Sexy Capers.

Jaci Burton writes paranormal romance, erotic romance and general romance.  Her latest book is Taken By Sin, the fourth in her Demon Hunter series.  You can read an excerpt of the book here and buy the book at Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC.

Patrice Michelle also writes paranormal and general romance.   The latest in her Scions series is Revelation.  This series is about  a werewolf  named Caine who falls for a human named Emma.  Though Emma could be his deadliest enemy, he partners with her to find her kidnapped aunt.  This book can be bought at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh, NC.

Buy all your holiday books at your local independent bookseller and keep more revenue in your community.

What would the holiday season be without a new book from the master of horror?  A bleak holiday indeed!  Under the Dome by Stephen King is an epic story of what happens when an entire town is sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.

Another master of the genre has a new book out, too.  Although he died in 2007, Robert Jordan’s epic novel, The Gathering Storm: Book Twelve of The Wheel of Time series, has been finished by Brandon Sanderson.  This is the dramatic conclusion to the Wheel of Time series.

A debut novel, The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee, is now out in paperback.  Set in Hong Kong during the outbreak of World War II, and its aftermath 10 years later, the story alternates between the lives of two vastly different women whose destinies are linked by the events of the war.

Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs is a heart-warming holiday tale of two people looking beyond the disappointments of the past to the promise of  the future. 

Sandra Brown’s first historical novel, Rainwater, takes place during the Great Depression in Gilead, Texas.  What do you think of the hints offerred in the title and the town name?

Suspense lovers will be interested in Among the Mad: A Masie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear, The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw, The Calling by David Mack, Confessions of  a Demon by S.L. Wright, Faces in the Fire by T.L. Hines, and Risk by Colin Harrison.

You can find these titles and all your holiday books and gifts at your local independent book stores, including Park Road Books in Charlotte NC, Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur GA,  A Readers Corner in Louisville KY, Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville NC, and Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh NC.

Think global but buy from local independent businesses and keep more revenue in your community.

Level 26: Dark Origins (2009) is by scriptwriter Anthony E. Zuiker. The first script Zuiker wrote was CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which became an overnight sensation and made him a hot Hollywood property.  His first novel, Level 26 is an interactive novel, allowing readers to go from the book to the website, Level26.com. Also called a digi-novel, the reader can access the website and read deeper into the story.The Dark Origins series centers around a rogue serial-killer hunter.  Steve Dark is the head of a highly secret and incredibly skilled black ops element within the U.S. government, which is tasked with finding and bringing to justice the most brutal and horrific murderers in the world.  In the debut novel, Dark has been tapped to find a serial killer so evil that he has been deemed Level 26.  The numbers refer to the 25 levels that murderers can be classified by law enforcement according to the extent of their evil.  Here, the bad guy is so twisted, he’s a 26. 

Buy your books from a local independent bookstore and keep more of the revenue in your community.