We’d sworn off writing about Fifty Shades of Grey, but damn USA Today‘s book editor, Dierdre Donahue who writes a smart piece about the “10 reasons Fifty Shades of Grey has shackled readers,” beginning with the observation that, “Despite its scarlet reputation, the series is an old-fashioned love story with some odd sex toys, riding crops and mild bondage tossed in.”

We’re hoping this will be the final word. We’re growing tired of those covers.

And, since it may be (no promises), we’ll make it a twofer, by pointing out that Goodreads has created an infographic of where Fifty Shades readers live, indicating that it is an East Coast phenomenon (click here for full graphic, with analysis).

The Today Show took a skeptical look at a new diet book that just arrived in the US after becoming a big success in the UK. Six Weeks to OMG: Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends by Vince Fulton (yes, it’s a pseudonym) was covered in two segments, each featuring a bathtub.

The hosts of the segments sounded unconvinced by the author’s recommendations, but a significant number of viewers felt otherwise. The book jumped into the Amazon Top Fifty, rising from #5,012 to #44. Library holds, however, are very light.

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The Judge Dredd comics are getting the Hollywood treatment. It’s a classic series for good reason, so I hope the movie brings readers to the source. Unfortunately, it was made into a terrible movie in 1995, starring Sylvester Stallone and Rob Scheider.

The new movie, called Dredd, coming September 21, looks like it will be much better, because it stars Karl Urban, who always brings intelligence, and when necessary menace, to his varied roles. He has quite an acting challenge, since Dredd never goes without his helmet, which covers his eyes. Stallone opted to ignore this characteristic and ditched the helmet. Urban, however, believes the helmet is essential.

Also, Alex Garland wrote the script. He’s no stranger to thoughtful sci-fi given his novel (and the subsequent film) The Beach (Penguin/Riverhead, 1998) and his screenplay for Never Let Me Go, based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel.

The Dredd trailer released recently and already there is talk of sequels.

Official Movie Site: DreddTheMovie.com

Hollywood is continually signing up comics, with the hopes that one of them will be the next Batman, if you’re aiming for gravitas, or Avengers, if you’re aiming for a lighter tone. The question for library buyers is whether the resulting movies (if they actually come about) will hook readers on the originals.

Most movie fans seem to be happy to enjoy the movie’s universe, with no interest in going beyond that experience. Part of the blame falls on the publishers, who issue lackluster tie-in comics and maintain the currently running series with no obvious ways in to the stories. I find myself sending the few eager readers back to the classics, to those that inspired the filmmakers, rather than the new releases.

In the case of Dredd, I will recommend the collected original series Judge Dredd: Case Files by John Wagner, with outstanding art by Brian Bolland. There are five collections (the fifth was published in June), beginning with:

Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 01 John Wagner, Pat Mills Retail Price: $19.99 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: 2000 AD – (2010-06-15) ISBN / EAN: 1906735875 / 9781906735876

The individual titles are available on OverDrive.

Movie tie-in:

Dredd: Collecting: Dredd Vs Death, Kingdom of the Blind & The Final Cut Gordon Rennie, David Bishop, Matthew Smith Retail Price: $8.99 Mass Market Paperback: 704 pages Publisher: Abaddon – (2012-07-31) ISBN / EAN: 1781080771 / 9781781080771

Note: The titles in this collection are available individually from OverDrive

Brian Castner, who writes about his three tours in Iraq and his difficult re-entry into life at home, in The Long Walk, was featured on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross yesterday. As a result, the book rose to #261 on Amazon’s sales rankings.

The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows Brian Castner Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: RH/Doubleday – (2012-07-10) ISBN / EAN: 9780385536202/ 0385536208

Audio; RH Audio and Books on Tape

Step two in the process toward the big screen has just been announced for Fifty Shades of Grey.

Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti, who worked with Scott Rudin on The Social Network, have been chosen as the producers (via The Hollywood Reporter).

We particularly enjoy this statement from Universal co-chairman Donna Langley in the press release: “At its core, Fifty Shades of Grey is a complex love story, requiring a delicate and sophisticated hand to bring it to the big screen.”

New cast members have been signed up for the movie version of City of Bones, the first book in the YA series, Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, indicating that the project is moving forward after several delays.

Lily Collins, who is the daughter of Phil Collins and plays Snow White in the recent Mirror Mirror, was signed earlier to play the lead character, Clary Fray, with Jaime Campbell Bower as her love interest, Jace Wayland.  Variety reports that Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Robert Maillet (Sherlock Holmes) have joined the cast.

The movie is scheduled to release on Aug, 23, 2013.

AMC’s Walking Dead weekend marathon, capped by a preview of season 3 (coming in October) brought renewed attention to the Robert Kirkman comics that the series is based on.

Amazon’s sales rankings reveal that there are still newbies to the series. Compendium One rose to #62 from #180. A larger number of fans are looking for the latest in the series; The Walking Dead, Vol 16 rose from #61 to #44.

For more about Kirkman’s series, see EarlyWord Comics contributor Robin Brenner’s earlier post.

The Walking Dead: Compendium One Robert Kirkman Retail Price: $59.99 Paperback: 1088 pages Publisher: Image Comics – (2009-05-19) ISBN / EAN: 1607060760 / 9781607060765

The Walking Dead, Vol. 16 Robert Kirkman Retail Price: $14.99 Paperback: 136 pages Publisher: Image Comics – (2012-06-19) ISBN / EAN: 1607065592 / 9781607065593

Next week brings a comic sci-fi debut from Internet entrepreneur Rob Reid, along with new novels from breakout authors John Boyne and Deborah Harkness. In nonfiction, there’s a harrowing Iraq war memoir by Air Force veteran Brian Castner, and James Carville and Stan Greenberg talk Democratic strategy for November. Returning literary favorites include Carlos Ruoz Zafón, Stephen Carter and Kurt Anderson. And usual suspects include Gigi Levangie Grazer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips,  Catherine Coulter, Linda Fairstein, James Patterson, Andrew Gross and Meg Cabot, plus YA author Eoin Colfer.

Watch List

Year Zero by Rob Reid (RH/Del Rey; RH digital-only audio on OverDrive) is a satire about the movie industry, by someone who knows the business intimately (he’s the founder of the online music company, Listen.com).

It’s recommended by Entertainment Weekly for those who love The Hitchhiker”s Guide to the Galaxy. They also offer an exclusive interview with the author by John Hodgman, who reads the audio, a digital-only release (on OverDrive).

That interview isn’t revealing, but the trailer gives a good sense of the book’s tone.

The Absolutist by John Boyne (Other Press) is an novel about a WWI veteran’s reflections over 60 years on his brief, forbidden love affair in the trenches with a fellow soldier who died, by the Irish author of the YA hit The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. PW calls it “a relentlessly tragic yet beautifully crafted novel.” It got several shouts from librarians at the BEA Shout ‘n’ Share program, with Barbara Genco noting that the WWI setting makes it a good bet for fans of Downton Abbey. The publisher has a different take, comparing it to Atonement and Brokeback Mountain.

Hot Sequel

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (Penguin/Viking; Thorndike Large Print; Penguin Audiobooks) is the highly anticipated sequel to the hit debut A Discovery of Witches. This time, the action is set in Elizabethan England, where vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont and witch historian Diana Bishop search for an enchanted manuscript. Entertainment Weekly gives it a B+, a mixed grade because the story takes a while to gain momentum, but when it does, “it enchants.” People magazine concurs, giving it 3 of a possible 4 stars, saying there are “too many story lines, too many shifting time periods and a confusing slew of new characters.” Even so, it “delivers enough romance and excitement to keep the pages turning. Readers will devout it, chaos and all.”

Literary Favorites

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Harper; HarperAudio; HarperLuxe) brings together characters from The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game, who must face a mysterious stranger who visits the Sempere bookshop, and threatens to reveal a secret.

The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen Carter (RH/Knopf; Random House Audio) is a work of alternate history by the Yale Law professor and bestselling author of The Emperor of Ocean Park that explores what would have happened if President Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated. (Hint: Lincoln is accused of violating the Constitution in his conduct of the Civil War and faces impeachment.) PW says, “this is Lincoln by way of Dan Brown, complete with ciphers and conspiracies and breathless escapes, only not so breathless, since Carter lacks Brown’s talent for narrative momentum.”

True Believers by Kurt Anderson (Random House; Random House Audio) is a cultural study of a judge who opts out of consideration for a Supreme Court seat because of events in her youth, giving the novelist and host of the award-winning Studio 360 public radio show ample ground for exploring the cultural contradictions of the last 50 years. LJ says, “a good read both for those who remember the [60s] era and for those who wish to better understand that time and its social and political connections to today.”

Usual Suspects

The After Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer (RH/Ballantine; Center Point Large Print; Random House Audio) is the story of a recently widowed woman who discovers she can talk to the dead. It got a hearty endorsement on the Librarians’ Shout ‘n’ Share panel at BEA this year  from Wendy Bartlett, head of collection development at Cuyahoga County PL. As we noted earlier, Wendy found The After Wife so hilarious that she ordered extra copies.

The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (HarperCollins/Morrow; Thorndike Large Print; HarperAudio) recounts the further adventures of Lucy Jorik, daughter of the former U.S. President, who left her perfect fiance at the altar to explore her alter ego, a biker chick named Viper. LJ says, “with brilliant dialog, sassy humor, and laserlike insight into what makes people tick, Phillips gifts readers with an engrossing, beautifully written romance that satisfies on all levels.”

Backfire (FBI Series #16) by Catherine Coulter (Penguin/Putnam; Thorndike Large Print; Brilliance Audio) finds husband-and-wife FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock pursuing a killer who shoots a San Francisco judge. PW says, “Coulter mixes romance, strong family ties, narrow misses, and narrower escapes as well as some twists that strain credulity to the breaking point. Series fans will applaud the strong female leads and the nifty teamwork of Savich and Sherlock.”

Night Watch by Linda Fairstein (Penguin/Dutton; Thorndike Large Print; Penguin Audio) has Manhattan Sex Crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper probing the underside of New York’s fanciest restaurants, based on evidence in a rape case involving director of the World Economic Bureau and a hotel maid. Kirkus says, “not surprisingly, the case ripped from the headlines is much more absorbing than the tale of restaurant malfeasance and [Cooper’s] imperiled love. Alex’s 14th is distinctly below average for this bestselling series.”

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Large Print; Hachette Audio)  is the fifth installment in the series featuring Detective Michael Bennett,  this time featuring South American crime lord who brings new violence to Manhattan.

15 Seconds by Andrew Gross (HarperCollins/Morrow; Harperluxe) is a stand-alone thriller that explores an accidental shooting that leaves an innocent participant as the target of a huge police manhunt. Booklist says “Gross, who has collaborated with James Patterson on five best-sellers, turns out a page-turning, roller-coaster of a novel with a likable if sometimes foolish protagonist.”

 Size 12 and Ready to Rock: A Heather Wells Mystery by Meg Cabot (HarperCollins/Morrow; Audio, Dreamscape Media) is latest installment in this ongoing paperback original series.  Here, New York College Resident Dorm Director Heather Wells investigates a case with her fiance that involves her ex’s new wife. PW says, “Readers of Cabot’s blog will recognize Heather, with her hilarious pop culture references and dry humor. A good read, though fans might find the plot disappointing in the context of the big picture.”

Children

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer (Disney/Hyperion; Audio, RH/Listening Library) is the eighth and final installment in the popular series, in which the evil pixie Opal Koboi infuses Artemis’s brothers with the spirits of dead warriors, making them more annoying than ever.

Nonfiction

The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows by Brian Castner (RH/Doubleday; Center Point Large Print; Random House Audio) recounts the author’s years as an air force officer in Saudi Arabia in 2001, and Iraq in 2005 and 2006, where he earned a Bronze Star and performed the “long walk” to dismantle bombs by hand and in short order, when robots failed. Kirkus calls it, “scarifying stuff, without any mawkishness or dumb machismo–not quite on the level of Jarhead, but absolutely worth reading.”

It’s The Middle Class, Stupid! by James Carville and Stan Greenberg (Penguin/Blue Rider Press; Penguin Audio) brings together liberal talking head Carville and pollster Greenberg to discuss why Democrats must focus on the middle class to win in November. Kirkus says, “they are refreshingly specific in some of their policy recommendations in areas such as energy investment and campaign finance reform. For Democratic political junkies who enjoy straight-talk policy discussion.” 125,000 copy first printing.

Alan Furst continues on the path to becoming a household name (see our earlier story, Break Out the Alan Furst Backlist).

The Hollywood Reporter recommends his new book Mission to Paris, (Random House; Thorndike Large Print; S&S Audio) as their “Beach Read of the Week” and notes that BBC Four has commissioned a series of two 90-minute films based on an earlier title in the series, The Spies of Warsaw. It’s the first of his books to be adapted.

Starring David Tennant, the former Dr. Who in the long-running UK TV series, it is scheduled for release in the UK in October and could arrive in U.S. soon after.

Libraries show growing holds for Maggie Shipstead’s debut, Seating Arrangements (RH/Knopf). Cuyahoga has been steadily adding copies to keep up with demand and now has 199 copies with 40 holds. Libraries that have ordered more modestly are showing holds as high as 10:1.

It debuts at #15 on the new Indie Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list after three weeks on sale. It was reviewed in the Sunday, June 24th NYT Book Review, which calls it a “smart and frothy debut … set on a perfect John Cheever island — the kind where old-money families gather to drink gin and nurture loyalties.” Ron Charles, in the Washington Post, agrees, calling it a “sophisticated summer romp.. [a] weave of wit and observation continually delights.”

After all the praise and media attention, it’s no surprise that the debut novel The Age of Miracles (Random House, 6/26; RH Audio; Thorndike Large Print, Aug) debuts on the new Indie Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list at #4. Expect to see it in the top ten on the upcoming NYT list. Libraries show growing holds; several have ordered additional copies.

The book has enjoyed a string of enthusiastic reviews (with one notable exception, Ron Charles in The Washington Post) and was chosen as #9 on Amazon’s Ten Best Books of the Year So Far. The latest comes from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which says,

This debut novel is itself testimony to the power of well-chosen words. It begins: “We didn’t notice right away. We couldn’t feel it. We did not sense at first the extra time, bulging from the smooth edge of each day like a tumor blooming beneath skin.” Its first chapter — a mere 45 lines — is the most exquisite opening I have read in years.

Little, Brown unveiled the cover for J.K. Rowling’s adult title, The Casual Vacancy, which releases world wide on 9/27. The NYT gives this analysis,

“Following the aesthetics of recent literary titles like The Marriage Plot and The Art of Fielding [ed. note, also published by Little,Brown], Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s first adult novel will sport swoopy script, solid colors, and minimal design. The checkbox on the cover is likely a nod to the political themes of the book, which takes place in a small England town roiled by controversy.”

In a press release, the publisher describes the 512 page novel, as “a big book about a small town” and gives plot details:

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils… Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations?

After months of debate about whether he can pull it off, we finally get a glimpse of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in the film version of Lee Child’s ninth novel, One Shot, (Delacorte, 2005). The movie, which has been renamed Jack Reacher, opens Dec. 21.

Not much to go on here. About the only thing we can say is that Cruise didn’t dye his hair.

The movie is planned as the first in a trilogy.

The tie-in arrives in Nov.

The 17th Jack Reacher novel is coming in Sept.

A Wanted Man: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher) Lee Child Retail Price:  $28 Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: RH/Delacorte Press – (2012-09-11) ISBN / EAN: 9780385344333

Good news, Glee fans. Coming in October is Pitch Perfect, a movie about an a capella female collegiate group that is being described as “Glee meets Bridesmaids.” The trailer, which just arrived is below.

It’s based loosely (very loosely, it seems) on the 2008 nonfiction book of the same title by GQ editor, Mickey Rapkin, an examination of the evolution of the style, capped by a look at three groups and their competition for the 2005 championship.

Rapkin also wrote Theater Geek (S&S/Free Press; 2010), about Stagedoor Manor, a summer theater camp that counts Natalie Portman and Robert Downey, Jr. as former campers.

Official Movie site: PitchperfectMovie.com

Tie-in:

The cover of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly reminds us that An Unexpected Journey, the first of the two Hobbit movies, will land  in theaters on December 14.

Why the early attention? It’s a lead-in to the upcoming Comic-Con (July 12-15 in San Diego), where it will be previewed.

EW notes there will be changes from the book,

To expand the classic J.R.R. Tolkien book so that it could support two feature films, Jackson drew from a range of Tolkien’s writings, adding characters not present in the Hobbit book, including Orlando Bloom’s elf Legolas and Cate Blachett’s elven rule Galadriel.

‘In the movie we want these characters to have story lines and a little more substance than they do in the book,’ Jackson explains. ‘Almost everything we’re doing is from Tolkien somewhere, whether it’s in the book or the subsequent development that wasn’t published in The Hobbit itself.’

That’s the first time we’ve heard that a book didn’t have enough substance for the movies.

Official Movie Web Site: TheHobbit.com

The tie-in is being published in September.

The Hobbit (Movie Tie-In) J.R.R. Tolkien Retail Price: $13.95 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: HMH/Mariner Books – (2012-09-18) ISBN / EAN: 0547844972 / 9780547844978

HMH/Mariner also lists a behind-the-scenes book for young readers.