Archive for March, 2010

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

On  NPR’s Fresh Air last night, Terry Gross interviewed an American woman who was imprisoned in Iran for several months. Listen here.

Roxana Saberi grew up in Fargo, ND. Her father’s from Iran and her mother, from Japan. She’s reported for NPR, BBC, Fox News.

Several libraries haven’t ordered the book yet. It received  just one prepub review, a starred Booklist,

Saberi tells the chilling story of her 100 harrowing days in Evin Prison with finely etched detail and heroic candor in an unforgettable chronicle of an all-too-common assault against universal human rights, justice, and truth.

You can browse inside the book here.

Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran
Roxana Saberi
Retail Price: $25.99
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper – (2010-04-01)
ISBN / EAN: 0061965286 / 9780061965289

Audio from Tantor Media, read by the author

Trade 9781400116959 8 Audio CDs $37.99
Library 9781400146956 8 Audio CDs $75.99
MP3 9781400166954 1 MP3-CDs $24.99

Ebook available from OverDrive

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Free book group resource from Random House

Who’s On First?

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

It will come as no surprise to Twilight fans that yesterday’s announcement of the coming publication of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, a new Twilight novella, shot the book to #1 on both Amazon and B&N.com.

Bree Tanner, a new born vampire, appears briefly in Eclipse the book, but evidently has a larger role in the movie. Meyer says on her site that the screenwriter, director and all the lead actors read the novella before filming, so they’d better understand the characters.

Riding Bree’s coat tails is The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide. Author Stephenie Meyer noted in her announcement that Bree was originally meant to be part of the Guide, but the story turned out to be too long to include. The renewed attention to the Guide (not to be confused with the various official Twilight movie companions; the Guide is about the books) raised it to #102 on Amazon.

Originally announced in 2008 with a publication date of December that year, the Guide has been delayed ever since. The Little, Brown press release announcing Bree Tanner states, “Additionally, more information about the previously announced The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide, including publication date, will be released by the end of the year.”

Don’t cancel those orders.

The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide
Stephenie Meyer
Retail Price: $21.99
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers – (no date)
ISBN / EAN: 0316043125 / 9780316043120

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The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella
Stephenie Meyer
Retail Price: $13.99
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: – (2010-06-05)
ISBN / EAN: 031612558X / 9780316125581

In addition, an official movie companion to Eclipse (in theaters June 30th) will be released the day before the movie (no cover available yet; no doubt its unveiling will also be an event):

  • The Twilight Saga Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (June 29, 2010)
  • ISBN-10: 0316087378
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316087377

BEA Opener

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Book Expo America has hosted many big names as keynote speakers, each of them a rock star of their particular time, including Thomas Friedman, Alan Greenspan and Bill Clinton.

So, who uniquely represents the zeitgeist this time around?

Barbra Streisand.

And, the answer to your question is, “Yes, she is publishing a book,” her first one, called My Personal Passion for Style, coming in November.

Book Expo America will be held May 25 through 27 at the Javits Center in New York City. For the first time, it is being held midweek.

Below is the cover, from Viking’s fall catalog:

Viking; 9780670022137; $60.00; 288 pgs.; 350 4-color photographs and drawings.

The catalog copy describes it as,

A lavishly illustrated personal tour of the great star’s homes and collections

For nearly five decades Barbra Streisand has been one of the singular figures in American entertainment. From the cabaret to the Broadway stage, from television and film stardom to her acclaimed work as a director, from the recording studio to the concert hall, she has demonstrated that the extraordinary voice that launched her career was only one of her remarkable gifts.

Now, in her first book, Barbra Streisand reveals another aspect of her talent: the taste and style that have inspired her beautiful homes and collections. My Passion for Design focuses on the architecture and construction of her newest homes, the dream refuge that she has longed for since the days when she shared a small Brooklyn apartment with her mother, brother, and grandparents. A culmination and reflection of Streisand’s love of American architecture and design between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, the book contains many of her own photographs of the rooms she has decorated, the furniture and art she has collected, and the ravishing gardens she has planted on her land on the California coast. In addition to glimpses of her homes, Barbra shares memories of her childhood, the development of her sense of style, and what collecting has come to mean to her.

My Passion for Design is a rare and intimate private tour into the world of one of our most beloved stars. It will be welcomed by her many fans and all lovers of the great achievements of American design.

New Stephen King Novella

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Surprise novellas by big name authors are popping up all over the place (see earlier post about a Twilight novella).

Entertainment Weekly‘s “Shelf Life” blog announces that Stephen King is releasing a “surprise baseball novella,” just in time for Opening Day. “Shelf Life” describes it as,

…the tale of William Blakely, a player long erased from the history books, who harbored a deep, dark secret. Knowing the author, I suspect it’ll be something a lot creepier than steroids or pine tar.

Published by small press, Cemetary Dance, it is currently only available through their web site (which says that the book is at the printer now and will be arriving at their warehouse in mid-April). The site warns that the first printing will be small and that they will fill direct orders first, followed by those from distributors, online stores, and the chains, “if there are copies left available after we’ve taken care of our regular customers.”

Trade Hardcover Edition ($25)
Publisher: Cemetary Dance
978-1-58767-228-6

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

New TWILIGHT Book Arrives This Summer

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

It’s not Midnight Sun, a retelling of the Twilight saga from Edward’s point of view, which Stephenie Meyer scrapped after it was leaked on the Web in 2008.

Clearly Meyer still feels the need to tell the story through someone else’s eyes. On her Web site today, Meyer announces that she’s written a novella from the perspective of Bree Tanner, one of the newborn vampires who appears in Eclipse and dies ten pages later.

The book, called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, will be published on June 5th (no ordering information is available yet) and will also be free on the Web from June 7th through July 5th at www.breetanner.com (Meyer says this is a thank you to her fans).

The burst on the cover declares that one dollar from the sale of each physical book will go to the American Red Cross. According to USA Today, the first printing will be 1.5 million copies and will sell for $13.99.

What about Midnight Sun? Meyer acknowledged to USA Today that fans are waiting for it, but that she’s “not writing about vampires right now.”

Talk About Feeling Welcome

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

This is what greeted us when we ducked in to Burgerville across from the Portland Convention Center; a local family expressing their appreciation for librarians.

Coming to Comedy Central

Monday, March 29th, 2010

This week, Comedy Central shows interview the following authors,

Tuesday, 3/30

The Colbert Report

13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown
Simon Johnson, James Kwak
Retail Price: $26.95
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Pantheon – (2010-03-30)
ISBN / EAN: 0307379051 / 9780307379054

Wednesday, 3/31

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran
Roxana Saberi
Retail Price: $25.99
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper – (2010-04-01)
ISBN / EAN: 0061965286 / 9780061965289

Ebook available from OverDrive

The Colbert Report

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education
Craig M. Mullaney
Retail Price: $28.95
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The – (2009-02-19)
ISBN / EAN: 1594202028 / 9781594202025

Ebook and audio available from OverDrive
Unabridged Audio from Tantor:

Trade 9781400111565 11 Audio CD $39.99
Library 9781400141562 11 Audio CD $79.99
MP3 9781400161560 2 MP3-CD $29.99

Motorcycle Mamas

Monday, March 29th, 2010

CBS Sunday Morning‘s feature, Spokes Women, about female motorcycle riders, propelled the book, American Motorcycle Girls to #332 (from #141,249) on the Amazon best seller list.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

The American Motorcycle Girls: A Photographic History Of Early Women Motorcyclists
Cristine Sommer Simmons
Retail Price: $50.00
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Parker House – (2009-06)
ISBN / EAN: 0981727050 / 9780981727059

Drop-in Title on Health Care

Monday, March 29th, 2010

The first book to examine the newly-passed health care legislation is coming at the end of April.

Written by the staff of the Washington Post, Landmark: The Inside Story of America’s New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All, will be published in paperback by PublicAffairs. The publisher describes it this way,

…despite the incessant and often rancorous debate that preceded the bill’s passage , most Americans still don’t understand what is in the final legislative package or what reform will—or won’t—mean for them. In Landmark, reporters and editors from the national staff of the Washington Post provide a comprehensible summary of the legislation the president will sign into law, and examine the impacts it will have on Americans in various categories, on health care providers and insurers, and on the health care system as a whole. They also provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes narrative of how the legislation came together, and of the political obstacles, events, negotiations, and compromises that helped determine its shape.

[via GalleyCat]

Landmark: The Inside Story of America’s New Health Care Law and What It Means for Us All
Staff of the Washington Post
Retail Price: $12.95
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: PublicAffairs – (2010-04-27)
ISBN / EAN: 1586489348 / 9781586489342

PLA Book Buzz

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Nancy Pearl’s PLA Book Buzz session attracted a huge audience, as predicted, only slightly dwarfed by an enormous room (PLA president Sari Feldman noted in her intro. that PLA gets a bigger room for this session each time).

Nancy began this program at PLA 2006 in Boston. She invites library marketers to talk about the titles they are particularly excited about (I’m pleased to say I was part of the inaugural group; I was head of library marketing at Hachette at the time). This is an opportunity to tap in to that legendary source of word of mouth, “in-house buzz.” It also gives librarians a great way to create their own “galleys to grab” lists prior to the opening of the show floor (indeed, that appeared to work, as publishers’ booths were inundated shortly after the doors opened).

Our heroine, Barbara Hoffert, LJ‘s Book Review Editor, managed to post an amazing roundup of titles mentioned at 2:30 the next morning. We will post links to each publisher’s roundup as they become available (Macmillan’s is up  now).

MATTERHORN Reviews Arriving

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Karl Malantes’ much-anticipated Vietnam novel, Matterhorn is being released today;  you’ll be seeing it covered in many consumer reviews.

USA Today both interviewed the author about the book’s long journey to publication (Marlantes wrote the first draft in 1977) and reviewed the book yesterday. Calling it “brutally vivid”, reviewer Carol Memmott notes that it also shows war as a reflection of society,

…as much a tribute to the Marine culture of bravery as it is a dissection of a contentious war and a meditation on the American civil rights movement and how it spilled over into the fighting holes of Southeast Asia.

More reviews are in the pipeline; it’s scheduled for the New York Times Book Review on April 4th. Also coming are reviews in:

Washington Post
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Oregonian
Los Angeles Times
Seattle Times

Marlantes is going on a 25 city-tour beginning April 8th. In an innovative move, the publisher hosted a pre-publication dinner for the author with librarians from his home state, Washington, including Nancy Pearl.

The book is rising on both Amazon, where it’s at #50, and B&N.com, where it’s featured on the home page and cracked the top ten, rising to #8.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
Karl Marlantes
Retail Price: $24.95
Hardcover: 592 pages
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press – (2010-03-23)
ISBN / EAN: 080211928X / 9780802119285

Blackstone Audio; UNABR

17 CDs; 1-4417-4228-5; $123.00
2 MP3CDs; 1-4417-4231-5;$44.95
Playaway;1-4417-4234-6; $79.99
15 Tapes; 1-4417-4227-8; $105.95

Audio available from OverDrive

RITA Nominees Announced

Friday, March 26th, 2010

The Romance Writers of America have announced the finalists for awards in 12 categories. Just a few of their covers are pictured above; over 90 books were nominated (a good opportunity for a display):

In addition, Jennifer Lohmann of Durham County (NC) Library has been named the RWA Librarian of the Year.

The awards will be presented on July 30, 2010 at the association’s annual conference in Nashville.

THE HELP, The Movie, May Shoot this Summer

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Steven Spielberg and his DreamWorks Studio may begin production of the movie version of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help this summer, to be directed by Tate Taylor. Included in his qualifications for the job is the fact that he and Stockett have been friends since they were five years old. In an article yesterday, the AP describes their relationship and notes that Stockett is at work on her second novel, set in Mississippi during the Depression and is involved in casting the movie.

People magazine recently offered casting suggestions:

Claire Danes as Skeeter — In the book, recent college grad Skeeter moves back to her home town, Jackson, Mississippi, in the ’60’s. She talks a group of black maids into telling her their stories in hopes of getting a book deal (and out of Jackson). People thinks Danes’ performance as Temple Grandin in the HBO movie proves she could handle this role.

Oprah Winfrey as Aibileen — she’s been in a Spielberg movie before; The Color Purple. She should be ready for a comeback!

Anne Hathaway as Hilly — People thinks it’s time for her to play the mean girl and Hilly’s plenty mean, browbeating not only her maid Aibileen, but her small circle of friends.

Mo’Nique as Minny — Aibileen’s feisty best friend deserves an equally feisty actress.

Scarlett Johansson as Celia — as an outsider, Celia is the only woman in town who will hire Minny. People notes the character does a lot of “lying around,”  which “sounds perfect” Johansson.

The Help
Kathryn Stockett
Retail Price: $24.95
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult – (2009-02-10)
ISBN / EAN: 0399155341 / 9780399155345

Penguin Audio; ISBN: 9780143144182 $39.95
Downloadable from OverDrive in both eBook and audio