Nominations for the Edgar Awards were released yesterday. One of the buzz books for the upcoming ALA Printz Award, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Disney/Hyperion) is up for an Edgar in the YA category.

A title that has been at the top of best seller lists for many months, Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (RH/Crown), is one of seven nominees for Best Novel. A lesser-know title, Sunset by Al Lamanda (Gale Cengage Learning – Five Star), is the only nominee in that category that is not published by a major New York house.

Although the awards are dominated by the larger houses, smaller publishers are also recognized. The previously announced Ellery Queen Award, which honors outstanding people in the mystery publishing industry, goes to Johnny Temple of Brooklyn’s Akashic Books, for the Noir Series, anthologies of short stories about a particular city. Brooklyn Noir was the first (of course). It’s been followed by over 50 more, making it, in the words of the judges, “an important presence in the mystery community.”

The awards will be presented on May 2, 2013 at an event at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City. It will be presided over by this year’s Grand Masters, Ken Follett and Margaret Maron.

After the junp, the nominees for the book categories (the Edgars also gives awards for short stories and TV screenplays; the full list here).

Click to download a spreadsheet with ordering information, including audio, large print and paperback formats.

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If you weren’t a member of the sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall for John Green and brother Hank’s appearance Tuesday night, you can watch it here (take the advice to “Skip to the beginning of the show,” which is about 3 minutes in to the video):

The New York Times reviewed the show, saying it  “…had the polish of a really good high school talent night, but the audience members…lapped up every minute.”

Lawrence Wright, the author of an investigative book on Scientology, Going Clear: Scientology, Celebrity, and the Prison of Belief, (RH/Knopf; RH Audio) appeared on The Today Show this morning.

The segment is a promo for a two-part story that begins on NBC’s Rock Center tonight. It opens with a clip of former Scientology member, the director Paul Haggis (Crash).

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The book is called “enthralling” by Laura Miller on Salon.com. Janet Maslin in the New York Times on Monday called it “hotly compelling,” although “minutiae-packed.”

Holds are rising on The Dude and the Zen Master, (Penguin/Blue Rider). Co-author, and Dude, Jeff Bridges has ready access to the media, of course, and has appeared on dozens of shows to promote the book. Most of the interviews, including the Today Show‘s with Bridges and co-author, Zen Master Bernie Glassman, lend credence to Kirkus‘s comment that the book “borders on self-parody.”

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A review on NPR’s All Things Considered last night, however,  gives the book much more credit, calling it a “delightful, whimsical little text with a very serious intention.”

Holds are rising on Cathy Marie Buchanan’s novel, The Painted Girls, (Penguin/Riverhead; soon to be available as Wheeler Large Print), after she was was interviewed on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Based on the true story of the three young sisters, one of whom, a rising ballerina, posed for Edgar Degas’ sculpture, “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” in 1881, it challenges romantic images of Belle Epoque Paris, describing the poverty and sexual predations the dancers suffered. Designated a “People Pick” in the current issue, it is called a “deeply moving and inventive historical novel…[that is] ultimately a tribute to the beauty of sisterly love.”

It is also an Indie Next Jan pick; “this novel delivers great atmosphere and fully realized characters who weave through the harsh yet rich tapestry of the times and tell a story of family, romance, degradation, and fulfillment.”

If you hadn’t heard of George Saunders, author of  The Tenth of December, (Random House; BOT), before the NYT Magazine cover story, “George Saunders Has Written The Best Book You’ll Read This Year,” you’re in good company. Neither had NPR’s Fresh Air book critic, Maureen Corrigan (who is also critic-in-residence and lecturer at Georgetown University).

She admits on yesterday’s show that it would have been “satisfying to topple that Olympian Times pronouncement,” but says she has to agree; “Saunders is, indeed, something special.”

Michiko Kakutani, reviewer for the daily NYT, stops just short of agreeing with her colleagues on the Magazine that Saunders’ book is the best you’ll read this year, saying “No one writes more powerfully than George Saunders about the lost, the unlucky, the disenfranchised, those Americans who struggle to pay the bills, make the rent, hold onto a job they might detest…”

Holds in libraries are growing.

The ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced in less than two weeks and the listservs are buzzing.

Below are the titles that people are talking about and my own “dream world” picks.

Caldecott

The major buzz is around Jon Klassen’s deceptively simple but slyly twisted, This is Not My Hat (Candlewick), which appeared on the majority of this year’s Best Books lists.

It follows his huge hit, 2011’s I Want My Hat Back, his first effort as both author and illustrator. This spring, he collaborates with Lemony Snicket on The Dark, (Hachette/Little, Brown, April).

Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole, (Scholastic)

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seegerm, (Macmillan/ Roaring Brook)

Heroes of the Surf  by Elisa Carbone, illus by Nancy Carpenter, (Penguin/ Viking)

Step Gently Out by Helen Frost, Photos by Rick Lieder, (Candlewick)

In my dream world, the winner would be:

Looking at Lincoln, written and illustrated by Maira Kalman, (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen)

A book that is so fresh and surprising that I discover something new every time I open the pages. Kalman weaves together facts and reflection as processed through a young girl discovering Lincoln, the man as well as Lincoln the president. Her gouache paintings with ink lines draw the reader in to the historic scenes, noticing tiny details like the dog accompanying Lincoln as he reads by the fire.  The art can be witty as well as emotionally moving as we join the narrator in mourning Lincoln’s death.

Newbery

The following are buzz titles — all received best books nods:

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead, (RH/Wendy Lamb Books)

Wonder, R.J. Palacio, (RH/ Knopf Young Readers; Brilliance Audio)

The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao, (HarperCollins)

The Wild Book by Margarita Engle, (Harcourt)

In my dream world (and it is MY dream world, so we can have a tie):

Almost Home by Joan Bauer (Penguin/Viking)

What is it about Joan Bauer that she captures the real? Her characters are all real to me. At no time do I experience disbelief as I feel I have entered another human being’s thoughts and feelings. I know the narrator Sugar, a kid with too much responsibility. In this book we see trauma, but we also see hope. We see that things can change in a story that speaks perfectly to the Newbery age group, allows children to live a life unlike their own, and gives us an opportunity to flex empathy muscles as well as enjoy a satisfying story.

Wonder, R.J. Palacio, (RH/ Knopf Young Readers; Brilliance Audio)

This one is on both the buzz list and my dream list. It has appeared on more best books lists than any other title for its age group and was one of my picks as a Best Book to Give Kids You Don’t Know Very Well:

“This stunning debut novel about a home-schooled boy with a facial disfigurement who attends school for the first time has hit the bestsellers lists. I suspect it is grownups, teachers and librarians that are making that happen. I am hoping that this book with its multiple points-of-view finds itself in the hands of middle-school children who desperately need permission to make mistakes, make amends, and begin again.”

After the jump, picks for the Sibert and the Printz.

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The cover for The Eye of Minds, by James Dashner (RH/Delacorte YR; Listening Library) is revealed as an “exclusive” (thus, we are not showing it here) on Entertainment Weekly‘s “Shelf Life” blog. The book is the first in a new series for ages 12 and up, The Mortality Doctrine.

The publisher’s description is below:

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific-the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.

And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.

But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom-and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

There’s been no news on whether Dashner’s best selling title, The Maze Runner  (RH/Delacorte YR, 2009) will make it to the big screen. It was optioned by 20th C. Fox in January of 2011, with plans for Catherine Hardwicke (who directed the first Twilight movie and Red Riding Hood) to direct. In August of 2012, it was announced that Wes Ball will direct (Deadline, 8/23/12), but the movie is still listed as in “pre-production.”

The summer publishing season kicks off in high gear this coming May. Dan Brown’s new book, Inferno arrives on May 14 (see below), followed two weeks later by Khaled Hosseini’s new book, And the Mountains Echoed, (Penguin/Riverhead; Thorndike will release the large print version). In the a press release, Hosseini, whose previous titles are The Kite Runner (Penguin/Riverhead, 2007) and A Thousand Splendid Suns, (Penguin/Riverhead, 2007) said,

I am forever drawn to family as a recurring central theme of my writing. My earlier novels were at heart tales of fatherhood and motherhood. My new novel is a multi-generational family story as well, this time revolving around brothers and sisters, and the ways in which they love, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for each other.

On the Today Show this morning, the title of Dan Brown’s next book was revealed. Inferno will be released on Tuesday, May 14th and again features symbologist Robert Langdon. According to publisher Doubleday’s plot description,

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces…Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust…before the world is irrevocably altered.

The Today Show revealed the title by enlisting fans in a contest that was so popular, it brought down the host site:

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Below are the various formats, with ISBN’s and prices. We will update this post with the Today Show video as soon as it is available.

Inferno, by Dan Brown, (RH/Knopf/Doubleday), 5/14/13

Hardcover, ISBN: 9780385537858;  $29.95/$33.00 CAN

Ebook, iSBN: 9780385537865; $14.99/$16.99 CAN

Audio CD, ISBN: 9780804128766; $50.00/$55.00 CAN

BOT CD  9780804128780

Abridged CD: 9780804147972;  $30.00/$35.00 CAN

Large Print ISBN: 9780804121064; $30.00/$35.00 CAN

The weekend was filled with analyses of the Oscar nominees (winners will be announced on Feb. 24). One of the big surprises was the number of major nominations for the indie flick, Beasts of the Southern Wild. which is up for four categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. The latter goes to Quvenzhane Wallis, the youngest person ever to be nominated (in a neat bit of symmetry, this category also includes the oldest person ever nominated, Emmanuelle Riva, 85, for Amour). Beasts is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. It is based on the one-act play Juicy and Delicious, by Lucy Alibar (not the  short story by Doris Betts).

Only one of the nominated films is based on a children’s book [UPDATE: one of our readers points out that, as much silly fun as they may be, Defoe’s books are published, reviewed and classified as adult. The film, however, is aimed at kids]. The Pirates! Band of Misfits is up for Best Animated Feature Film and faces some stiff competition, including Brave! which just won a Golden Globe Award. According to the Hollywood Reporter, director Peter Lord was taken by surprise by the nomination, saying, “I had kind of given up, you know? The movie came out in March, after all.”

The movie is based on the first two books from a series by British children’s author [see above], Gideon Defoe. Official Movie Web site: ThePirates-Movie.com. The movie tie-in (RH/Vintage) was released in April, 2012.

Following the jump, the full list of the other ten nominees based on books, with tie-ins:

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MSNBC’s Morning Joe went literary on Friday, interviewing two authors — George Saunders, whose fourth book of short stories, The Tenth of December, (Random House; BOT), was called the best book you’ll read this year by the NYT Magazine and James Grippando, author of ten legal thrillers.

Saunders manages to slip in a quote from Terry Eagleton, “capitalism plunders the sensuality of the body.”

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Grippando talks about the premise of for his new book, Blood Money (Harper; HarperLuxe), which is based on the aftermath of the Casey Anthony murder trial.

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Cats get their due next week with Gwen Cooper’s Love Saves the Day, a novel told from a feline perspective. Fan favorite  Jennifer Chiaverini turns from quilts to another type of sewing with Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker. Among the usual suspects are a couple of Brads, Meltzer and Taylor. Sure bets for media attention are  Lawrence Wright for his expose of Scientology and Sonia Sotomayor, for her memoir.

Watch List

The Aviator’s Wife, Melanie Benjamin, (RH/Delacorte; BOT; Center Point Large Print)

Benamin’s third book (following Alice I Have Been and The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb) again explores the lives of historical people through fiction; in this case, Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s. Married to the first man to fly across the Atlantic, she was part of a glamor couple, who, after their young son was kidnapped and murdered, became the focus of a national press obsession. The book is an Indie Next pick for February and on USA Today’s list of ten books to look forward to in 2013. Benjamin is about to begin her book tour, which includes seveal appearances in libraries.

Cover of Snow, Jenny Milchman, (RH/Ballantine Books; BOT; Thorndike Large Print)

A debut arriving with buzz from the mystery community (Michlman is a blogger and participates in online mystery forums). Set in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, it is about a young woman who sets out to find out why her seemingly happy husband committed suicide. Comparisons have been made to Gillian Flynn.

Habits of the House, Fay Weldon, (Macmillan/ St. Martin’s Press; Macmillan Audio; Thorndike Large Print)

It seems good timing for the woman who wrote the fist episode of the beloved Upstairs, Downstairs, precursor to Downton Abbey, to publish a book about a family trying to maintain a country home at the turn of the last century, while beset by financial troubles (the Earl has managed to lose most of his money in a risky investment). Prepub reviewers agreed with the publisher that this will appeal to fans of Downton. This is the first of a planned trilogy.

Love Saves the Day, Gwen Cooper, (Bantam; Tantor Audo; Thorndike Large Print)

Cooper’s debut was Homer’s Odyssey, a memoir about learning life lessons from caring for  her blind cat. In this, her first novel, Cooper takes on the task of writing from a rescued cat’s point of view; readers on GalleyChat say she pulls it off admirably (even for those resistant to books from a pet’s POV).

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, Jennifer Chiaverini, (Penguin/Dutton; Thorndike Large Print)

Chiaverini breaks from her Elm Creek Quilts series to write a novel based on a true story; Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley, a freed slave, became close friends with the First Lady. This week, a story in the NYT gives background on Mrs. Keckley who is also featured in a scene in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. Keckley’s own memoir, Behind the Scenes (still in print from UNC Press), created a rift between her and the Lincoln family. Chiaverini explains in an interview in BookPage that she became interested in Mrs. Keckley’s story while researching The Union Quilters.

Media Spotlight

Going Clear, Lawrence Wright, (RH/Knopf; RH Audio)

The author of this embargoed title has already been profiled in the NYT and excerpts have been published in The Hollywood Reporter.

My Beloved World, Sonia Sotomayor, (RH/Knopf; Vintage Espanol; RH Audio; BOT)

Much attention is in the works for the Supreme Court Justice’s memoir, including a feature in People, as well as appearances on 60 Minutes this Sunday and the Today Show on Monday. This is also available in Spanish, as Mi mundo adorado.

Ten Years Later, Hoda Kotb, (Simon & Schuster; S&S Audio)

Hoda, co-host with Kathie Lee Gifford of the Today Show‘s fourth hour, releases a book about six people who took a big step to change their lives and how they are doing ten years later. She and Kathie Lee are making their own big change; they’ve given up drinking wine on the show, for a whole month.

Usual Suspects

Enemy of Mine, Brad Taylor,  (Penguin/Dutton; Thorndike Large Print)

Taylor’s third Pike Logan thriller is called “a good one” by Kirkus and “action-packed” by Publishers Weekly.

The Third Bullet, Stephen Hunter, (Simon & Schuster; S&S Audio; Brilliance Audio; Center Point Large Print)

In this eighth Bob Lee Swagger thriller, the retired military sniper gets bitten by the JFK conspiracy bug. Says Publishers Weekly, “Hunter develops some new angles on the JFK assassination, and as usual keeps the details about ballistics and weaponry accessible.”

The Fifth Assassin, Brad Meltzer, (Hachette Grand Central; Hachette Audio)

Is this assassination conspiracy week? Meltzer links FOUR previous assasinations. Kirkus warns, “Although equipped with adequate back story to allow The Fifth Assassin to be enjoyed alone, smart readers will first dip into the series opener, The Inner Circle.”  Publishers Weekly, however, found it “convoluted.”  25 28 

Childrens

Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers, Dav Pilkey, (Scholastic)

Can you believe it? The TENTH epic adventure.

Movie Tie-in

Admission, Jean Hanff Korelitz, (Hachette/ Grand Central)

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd team up for the first time in this adaptation of a debut that won strong reviews for taking a serious look at the pitfalls of the college admissions process. The teaser makes us suspect some of that is lost in the movie, coming to theaters on March 22.

Self-Help

Do More, Spend Less, Brad Wilson, (Wiley)

Do people want to save money these day? Yes; this book has appeared in the Amazon top 100, rising as high as #17 months before publication. The author is the founder of the coupon website, BradsDeals.com, and was profiled by Crain’s Chicago Business in August.

In the midst of a media blitz for his book, The Dude and the Zen Master (Penguin/Blue Rider; Jan 8), Jeff Bridges appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night.

Stewart, who is known for coming fully prepared to author interviews, freely admitted that he had not read this book, but nevertheless summed it up as a transcript of a “weekend bullshitting with Jeff Bridges.”

Even so, the book, which had already been rising on Amazon sales rankings, jumped to #24 (from #74).

Bridges’s pointy beard? It may be for his role as a Spook on The Seventh Son, the film adaptation of Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney, which has been filming recently and is scheduled to open Oct. 18. Bridges has also recently confirmed that, after acquiring the rights 20 years ago,  he plans to make a film of Lois Lowry’s The Giver.

The new issue of Entertainment Weekly, which arrives on stands tomorrow, features Catching Fire‘s Jennifer Lawrence on the cover, along with newcomer to the group, Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman) as Finnick Odair. The EW site also posts three shots from the movie.

Some online reactions already object to the choice of Claflin for the role of Finnick,  (meanwhile, the crowd that originally objected to Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss has fallen silent; Hunger Games swept the People’s Choice Awards last night).

Director Francis Lawrence, also a newcomer to the group, having taken over from Hunger Games’ Gary Ross, is interviewed about his vision for the film in the issue.

Catching Fire will be released on Nov. 21.