Debuting on HBO this coming Sunday is a new series from Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under.

Called True Blood, it is based on Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire series. Ball began reading the series as a way to wind down after Six Fee Under and ended up with his next project. As he tells the San Jose Mercury News, he was taken with Harris’s “romantic, sexy, scary, hilarious world.”

Anna Paquin stars as the small-town waitress/paranormal sleuth Sookie Stackhouse, and British actor Stephen Moyer as her vampire lover. Season one is based on Dead Until Dark, the first book of the series.

The HBO series has not received much media attention; it doesn’t figure high in Fall television previews. An LA Times blog is very positive, but the AP review is quite the opposite.

There’s quite a difference in tone between the original cover and the tie-in:

Dead Until Dark

Charlaine Harris

• Hardcover reissue: $23.95
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Pub. Date: January 2008
• ISBN-13: 9780441015979

Paperback Tie-in: $7.99; 304 pages
Publisher: Ace (September 3, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0441016995
ISBN-13: 978-0441016990

I’ve often wondered if the DVD release of a movie based on a book also boosts the book’s sales. This week, John Adams, the David McCullough book, reappears on USA Today’s bestseller list (at #71). The reason? The DVD of the HBO series was released on 6/10. It’s now #1 in DVD sales on Amazon and B&N.com. Most libraries have it, with heavy holds.

• Studio: HBO
• DVD Release Date: June 10, 2008
• ASIN: B000WGWQG8

• Paperback: $20.00
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (January 29, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 141657588X
• ISBN-13: 9781416575887

On today’s show, Oprah will launch, the “O Ambassadors” program.

The program was created in conjunction with the Free the Children organization, a network of children helping children. Brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger began the organization in 1995. Their 2006 book, Me to We, released earlier this year in paperback, explains the brothers’ philosophy of volunteerism and has been featured on the show before, putting it on the New York Times bestseller list for one week last year. The book’s current Amazon sales rank is #195,319 (we’ll check in after the show airs, to track its rise).

Coincidentally, an article in today’s New York Times notes that Oprah’s ratings have declined and suggests that “her crown is beginning to look a bit tarnished.” Oprah’s people vehemently deny this (she was traveling in South Africa last week and was unavailable for comment). The president of Harpo Productions says, “Any drop in her television ratings can be traced to general weakness in the overall television audience.” The article acknowledges that Oprah still is a major influence on book sales. Her latest book club pick, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle:

sold faster than any of the previous 60 selections of “Oprah’s Book Club.” But it also has attracted some criticism for Ms. Winfrey on her Web site, where some of her fans have said that the book’s spiritualist leanings go against Christian doctrine.

The article notes that, among other projects, Oprah is planning a spinoff talk show featuring Dr. Mehmet Oz (co-author of You: The Owners Manual and other titles in the “You” series) to launch in 2009.

Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World

Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger

• Paperback: $14.00
• Publisher: Fireside; Reprint edition (March 25, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0743294513
• ISBN-13: 978-0743294515

• Audio CD: Abridged, $29.95
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; (November 28, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 0743566610
• ISBN-13: 978-0743566612

The book that launched Michael Crichton’s career, his 1969 bestselling techno-thriller The Andromeda Strain will be a two-part miniseries on A&E, beginning on Memorial Day. The DVD releases on June 3rd.

Variety says it’s “The biggest production in A&E’s 23-year history.”

It was made into a movie of the same title in 1971.

ASIN: B0017IVHHO

USA Today heralds the new PBS “Masterpiece” series, Cranford saying “if the author and the book are new to you, allow the reliably wonderful [Judi] Dench [playing the main character] to be the draw.” The three-part series begins on Sunday.

The book by Elizabeth Gaskell, was published in 1851. It is a public domain title, and available in several editions.

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Later:

Jeffrey Gegner, Popular Materials Specialist at Hennepin County Public Library, rightly points out that I am being a bit format-limited in this post. As he says,

It’s possible to order the DVD of this production. The scheduled release date is May 20. Hennepin County Library (suburban) has had it on order since the end of March and we already have 51  customers on the waiting list. So far there has not been much interest shown in the print but that may change once the first episode airs.

The story of the raid on a Texas polygamist compound has brought new attention to a book by the former wife of the man who oversees the compound elder in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). Carolyn Jessop has appeared on several news shows, including the Today Show. The book went on the Amazon list at #23 last week and is currently at #28.

Today, Slate, looks at the book in their “Juicy Bits: How to Read Juicy Books” column. Reserves are building in most places. A trade paperback is scheduled, but it is not due out until August 26.

Escape
Carolyn Jessop

• Hardcover: $24.95
• Publisher: Broadway (October 16, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0767927567
• ISBN-13: 978-076792756

• Audio CD: $27.95
  
• Publisher: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (October 16, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0739354574
• ISBN-13: 978-073935457

On Wednesday, Maria Shriver talks to Oprah about her new book, Just Who Will You Be? In it, Shriver reveals that she lost her identity when she had to resign her job at NBC after her husband became governor of California. The PW review says, “This slender inspirational book is a candid self-portrait of a woman in transition…Shriver’s earnest self-inquiry and her humility and readiness to regard herself as a 50-year-old work-in-progress make for a charming and genuinely inspiring read.” Reprinted in the book is the speech Shriver made at her nephew’s high school graduation (graduation speeches play a pivotal role in Shriver’s recent writing. Her 2005 title, And One More Thing Before You Go, was based on another of her graduation speeches). The book is on order in most libraries.

Just Who Will You Be?

Big Question, Little book, Answer Within

Maria Shriver

• Hardcover: $14.95
• Publisher: Hyperion (April 15, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1401323189
• ISBN-13: 978-1401323189

• Audio CD: $14.95
• Publisher: HarperAudio (April 15, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1401391362

On Friday, Oprah presents a workshop by Marcus Buckingham on how to not be one of the 84% of Americans who hate their jobs. Buckingham has published several books, his bestselling title is:

Now, Discover Your Strengths

Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton

• Hardcover: $30.00
• Publisher: Free Press (January 29, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0743201140
• ISBN-13: 978-0743201148

• Audio CD: $25.00
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (January 1, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0743518144
• ISBN-13: 978-0743518147

He also has a new title coming in September:

The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success Marcus Buckingham

• Hardcover (with DVD): $29.99
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (September 2, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1400202264
• ISBN-13: 978-1400202263
• ISBN-13: 978-140139136

Zora Neale Hurston is the subject of a documentary in the PBS American Masters series tonight. It is reviewed in the New York Times today.

The ever-popular readers club title, Memory Keeper’s Daughter, premieres as a Lifetime movie on Sunday, April 12th, 9 pm EST, with repeats on April 13th at 8pm and April 14 at 9pm. The movie stars Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding), Gretchen Mol (The Notorious Bettie Page) and Emily Watson (Angela’s Ashes).

Lifetime’s Web site includes an interview with the book’s author, Kim Edwards. Penguin has also created a special site, with a podcast from Edwards.

Several titles have been rising quickly on Amazon in the last few days.

The media blitz for Mistaken Identity: Two families One Survivor, Unwavering Hope began with appearances on NBC’s Today show and a special two-hour Dateline on Friday. The book has already zoomed up to #2 on Amazon.

The book recounts the aftermath of a terrible accident. Five young people die and one is in a coma. Slowly, the family watching over the young woman who is emerging from her coma realize she is not their daughter. Meanwhile, the family that is mourning their daughter’s death, will soon find she is actually alive. The identities have been mistaken.

Because of the families’ strong Christian faith, which is central to the book, it’s being published by Simon and Schuster’s religion imprint, Howard Books. Previously an independent publisher, the former Howard Publishing was acquired by S&S in 2006.

The book was released on Tuesday and the families will appear again on Wednesday on Oprah. One of the libraries I checked shows 4 copies on order and 98 holds. That one is atypical, however; most other libraries show a comfortable number of holds to copies (that’s likely to change after the Oprah appearance), while a few have not ordered it.

Mistaken Identity: Two families One Survivor, Unwavering Hope

• Hardcover: $21.99
• Publisher: Howard Books, S&S, (March 25, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1416567356
• ISBN-13: 978-141656735

• Audio CD: $39.95
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged, (April 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0743577035
• ISBN-13: 978-0743577038

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At #3 is A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World, which has not been reviewed in the pre-pub media and is not on order widely.

• Hardcover: $19.95
  
• Publisher: HarperOne (March 25, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0061335312
• ISBN-13: 978-0061335310

The following is the annotation from the HarperCollins Web site:

Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, surveys the exciting and history-changing ideas of Pope John Paul II in A Civilization of Love. By popularizing not only John Paul’s vision but also that of his successor, Benedict XVI, Anderson hopes to inspire Christians to work toward creating a civilization of love. In such a civilization every person is a child of God. We are all intrinsically valuable. The battle today is between the culture of death (where people are judged by their social or economic value) and the culture of life. Anderson pushes aside religious differences in order to spread a message of hope to those who are weary of the constant turmoil of modern society. While he does specifically challenge Christians to take an active role in their faith, you do not have to be a Christian to participate in the movement toward a civilization of love.

By embracing the culture of life and standing with those most marginalized and deemed “useless” or a “burden” on modern society, Christians can change the tone and direction of our culture. Anderson demonstrates that regardless of our differences, we can come together on the centrality of loving and caring for others. He brings a message of inclusion and hope in the midst of a clash of civilizations and provides a road map for helping Christians understand their role in the world.

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At #16, a book that will be released on Tuesday, by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri. It is reviewed this week in the L.A Times Book Review and is People magazine’s Pick of the Week. She was also profiled in New York Magazine. The book is on order in quantity in all libraries I checked, with holds building.

• Hardcover:$25.00
• Publisher: Knopf (April 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0307265730
• ISBN-13: 978-0307265739

• Audio CD: $39.95
  
• Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (April 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0739341790
• ISBN-13: 978-0739341797

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At #24 is Small Favor, the 10th Harry Dresden adventure from bestseller Jim Butcher (after 2007’s White Night). This is on order or just received in most libraries, with holds building.

• Hardcover: $23.95
• Publisher: Roc (Penguin) Hardcover (April 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0451461894
• ISBN-13: 978-0451461896

• Audio CD:$44.95
• Publisher: Penguin Audio; Unabridged (April 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0143143395
• ISBN-13: 978-0143143390

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At #25 is a book that went to #2 earlier this week. It was recently covered in the LA Times. This is on order or recently received in most libraries. A significant number of holds building in some areas.

Earth: The Sequel:

The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming

• Hardcover:$24.95
• Publisher: W. W. Norton (March 12, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0393066908
• ISBN-13: 978-0393066906

• Audio CD: $34.99
  
• Publisher: Tantor Media; Unabridged (January 1, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 1400107083
• ISBN-13: 978-1400107087