Production on the second movie in The Hunger Games series, Catching Fire, is set to begin this fall. The first casting news was just released. Philip Seymour Hoffman has been offered the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, according to a tweet from Variety reporter Jeff Sneider, later confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.

Hunger Games Head Gamemaker Heavensbee is not a major character in the book, but the role is likely to be expanded for the movie. Director Gary Ross quit the franchise after the first installment. This one will be directed by Francis Lawrence (Water for Elephants, I Am Legend). Jennifer Lawrence will again play Katniss Everdeen, along with Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. The film is scheduled for release on Nov. 22, 2013.

At the BEA this week, there was buzz about Libba Bray’s The Diviners, the first in a planned four-part YA series, to be published in September. It’s a mystery, featuring a main character with mystical power, set in NYC in the 1920’s (appropriately, Little, Brown threw a speakeasy-themed party for the book during BEA). More buzz– it was just announced that Paramount has picked up the film rights, with Bray writing the screenplay and acting as executive producer.

The Diviners Libba Bray Retail Price: $19.99 Hardcover: 608 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2012-09-18) ISBN / EAN: 031612611X / 9780316126113

Fans of Robert Goolrick (count us in) are eagerly awaiting the public response to his new book, Heading Out to Wonderful, (Workman/Algonquin Books; Highbridge Audio; Thorndike Large Print), which releases today.

USA Today‘s profile of the author explores his distinctive writing style, concise, yet sensuous, making you read with highlighter in hand. Goolrick says it is the result of his years in New York advertising, writing copy for products from Kohler faucets to Pantene, “It teaches you to cover a lot of information in a short space.” And, as Goolrick said during the ALTAFF “From Writer to Reader” panel at BEA, the writing is always in service to the plot. His Algonquin editor, Chuck Adams, said their goal was to create “a big book, but not a long book.”

Good news for fans; Goolrick is working on another novel, as well as a prequel to Heading out to Wonderful. A movie of his previous novel, A Reliable Wife, is in the works from Columbia Pictures.

Book Expo offers opportunities to hear from favorite authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Junot Diaz, Michael Chabon and the chance to get a peek at the sure-fire best sellers of the fall (J.K. Rowling’s title for adults, Casual Vacancy, is one of the leaders in that category, but is still under wraps). But the real fun is trying to divine which titles will be the next The Art of Fielding or The Night Circus or Rules of Civility.

New York magazine’s “Vulture” blog gives its pick of the Ten Hottest Book Prospects, Shelf Awareness rounded up bookseller picks in fiction and nonfiction in advance of the show, Publishers Weekly did so after, and seven librarians picked their favorites (nearly 90 titles; even with a few brief minutes, librarians can really pack in the titles) at the fourth annual “Shout ‘n’ Share” panel (titles listed here, with information on which are available as egalleys, so you can play along at home).

Of the many titles mentioned in the above, a few echo some previous BEA hits:

The Next ART OF FIELDING

(title passionately promoted at the Editors Buzz panel)

The Yellow Birds, by Kevin Powers, Hachette/Little, Brown, September 11 — eGalley from NetGalley

Last year, Hachette/Little, Brown’s publisher, Michael Pietsch talked up The Art of Fielding, described by some as an unlikely combination of J.D. Salinger and baseball. This year, he was equally passionate about The Yellow Birds, a novel about the Iraq war by one of its veterans.

Runners Up:

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, Susannah Cahalan, S&S/Free Press, 11/13/12

There was also strong reaction to S&S/Free Press editor Millicent Bennett’s presentation of New York Post writer Callahan’s book that recounts her struggle to find out what was causing her  convulsions and to deal with doctors’ prognosis that she would have to be institutionalized.

In the Shadow of the Banyan, Vaddey Ratner, S&S, 7/31/12  — eGalley from NetGalley 

A novel based on debut author Ratner’s own experience  coming of age of during the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s. It also connected with librarians on GalleyChat.

The Next PAT CONROY

(author whose personal story wins over the crowd)

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, Workman/Algonquin, 8/28/12 —  eGalley from NetGalley

Back when BEA was ABA, the Book and Author programs mixed big name authors with emerging authors, who often became the buzz of the show. That magic happened for that Conroy and his first novel, The Prince of Tides. Now that BEA’s main author events focus on headliners (some of them only tangentially authors, like Kirstie Alley and Stephen Colbert), discoveries come from other events. This year, when Jonathan Evison described the background to his second novel, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, at the AAP/EarlyWord Author Lunch, it was clear his emotions are still raw. Like Conroy’s novel, it is based on the author’s own family and the loss of his sister. The audience came away from the session a bit shaken, but talking about the book, which was chosen by several of the Shout ‘n’ Share panelists.

The Next TIGER’S WIFE

(debut by an impossibly young writer)

The People of Forever Are Not Afraid, by Shani Boianjiu (RH/Hogarth, September 11) —  eGalley from NetGalley

Tea Obreht, at 25, was the youngest writer in the New Yorker ‘s picks of  best 20 writers under 40. Her book Tiger’s Wife went on to gather multiple awards and land on best seller lists. Sounding eerily familiar, Boianjiu  was the youngest writer ever chosen for the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” program. At the Editor’s buzz Panel, S&S editor Alexis Washam described the book, about three girls in the Israeli army as  “The Things They Carried meets Mean Girls.”

The Next JUST KIDS

(Musician’s autobiography)

Waging Heavy Peace, Neal Young, Penguin/Blue Rider, 10/2/12

Patti Smith anointed Neil Young as her successor when she interviewed him about his memoir  (read an account of  their conversation on the New Yorker‘s book blog).

Don’t cry Kermie, you will always be The First Frog.

But now, another frog is set to join you. The Jim Henson Company has acquired the rights to Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad series for an animated feature, according to Deadline.

Jess Walter’s sixth novel, after The Financial Lives of the Poets, which was a critical success in 2009, is also gathering strong reviews. Entertainment Weekly says it “expertly scratches the seasonal itch for
both literary depth and dazzle.” In today’s NYT, Janet Maslin says the author takes some dangerous leaps (like scrambling the chronology of the story), but the book would not be as successful without them.

Some libraries are showing heavy holds.

Beautiful Ruins Jess Walter Retail Price: $20.99 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Harper – (2012-06-12) ISBN: 9780061928123

It was announced in November that Jack Black had signed to star in a movie titled Bailout, based on The Financial Lives of the Poets, but no news has emerged since.

The new poet laureate, Natasha Trethewey was profiled on NPR’s Morning Edition and on PBS NewsHour yesterday. She has published four books, including Beyond Kartrina (U. of Georgia Press, 9/1/10) and the upcoming Thrall (HMH, 9/18/12).

She won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for her third book of poetry, Native Guard, (HMH, 2006).

The winners of the 45th Horn Book – Boston Globe Awards were announced at the BEA yesterday. Horn Book’s editor in chief Roger Sutton said that the winners are “frequently unusual or under-the-radar choices. Because of the small judging panel, there’s always an excellent chance for surprise. Each year, the judges uncover some amazing treasures that I think will delight adult readers as much as the intended audience of children and young adults.”

PICTURE BOOK AWARD WINNER

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray)

“When young Annabelle finds a small box containing a never-ending supply of yarn of every color, she does what any self-respecting knitter would do: she knits herself a sweater. Then she knits a sweater for her dog. She continues to knit colorful garments for everyone and everything in her snowy, sooty, colorless town—until an archduke gets greedy.”

PICTURE BOOK HONOR WINNERS

And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press)

And the Soldiers Sang by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Gary Kelley (Creative Editions)

FICTION AWARD WINNER

No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab)

“Lewis Michaux opened the National Memorial African Bookstore in Harlem at the end of the Great Depression with an inventory of five books and a strong faith that black people were hungry for knowledge. For the next thirty-five years, his store became a central gathering place for African American writers, artists, intellectuals, political figures and ordinary citizens. In a daring combination of fiction and nonfiction and word and image, thirty-six narrative voices are interwoven with articles from the New York Amsterdam News, excerpts from Michaux’s FBI file and family papers and photographs.”

FICTION HONOR WINNERS

Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet (Candlewick Press)

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Disney/Hyperion)

NONFICTION WINNER

Chuck Close: Face Book, written and illustrated by Chuck Close (Abrams Books for Young Readers)

“Chuck Close’s art is easy to describe and especially attractive to children because he creates only portraits—in almost every possible medium with an intriguing trompe l’oeil effect. This book explores how his life story and so-called disabilities relate directly to his style. In this Q&A–style narrative, Close himself answers with a clear voice without a hint of famous-artist self-aggrandizement or angst.”

NONFICTION HONOR WINNERS

Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased by Amy Novesky, illustrated by Yuyi Morales (HMH/Harcourt Children’s Books)

The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O’Connell & Donna M. Jackson, photographs by Caitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwell (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)

The new Oprah Book Club kicks off this week with Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (RH/Knopf). The first Webisode, a brief (VERY brief) interview with Strayed is now up on Oprah.com. A new Webisode will appear each week, leading up to Oprah’s July 22 interview with Strayed on OWN’s Super Soul Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.

The club is living up to its 2.0 name. Members can tweet comments via Twitter (#oprahsbookclub), submit questions and get video responses via VYou, and form  virtual book clubs via GroupMe.

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners of the Audies in 30 categories last night. Tina Fey’s recording of her book, Bossypants (Hachette Audio) was named the Audiobook of the Year. The AudioFile list of winners and nominees includes links to reviews and audio clips.

In the category of “Narration by the Author,” Libba Bray won out against tough competition from John Lithgow, Ellen DeGeneres and Tina Fey for her reading of her YA novel, Beauty Queens (Scholastic AudioBooks). The AudioFile reviews says,”As narrator, Bray puts her theatrical background to good use, changing accents, register, and pitch so smoothly and consistently that listeners will forget there’s but a single narrator”

Thousands of tributes are pouring in for Ray Bradbury, who died Tuesday night in Los Angeles at 91.

We particularly like the following:

“A man who won’t forget Ray Bradbury,” The Guardian (by Neil Gaiman)

“Dreams of Ray Bradbury: 10 predictions that came true,” The Washington Post

“Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 And The E-book Era,” Forbes (because it quotes a librarian)

The excitement is rising for Gillian Flynn’s third novel, Gone Girl, released yesterday. In addition to raves from People, Janet Maslin in the NYT, and Time magazine, it’s picking up more this week, from the Associated Press (syndicated widely), USA Today and many regional newspapers. The author was interviewed on NPR’s Morning Edition yesterday. Holds are rising quickly.

Expect to see it on next week’s best seller lists.

A film adaptation is in the works for Flynn’s 2009 title, Dark Places (RH/Crown).

Gone Girl Gillian Flynn Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 412 pages Publisher: RH/Crown – (2012-06-05) ISBN: 9780307588364

Audio, BOT; audio an ebook on OverDrive

Illustration by Olimpia Zagnoli

This week’s New York Times Book Review presents a beautiful summer reading image, but few true “beach reading” suggestions. There are lists of summer cookbooks, gardening books (even though it’s a little late in the season, perhaps justified by the fact that the lead title, Michelle Obama’s American Grown, RH/Crown, was released late) and travel books, plus music (who knew that summer was the time to read about music?), Hollywood (two titles) and a smattering of children’s books.

Possibly more in line with true beach reading, their “Summer Reading: Fiction” selections feature just six titles (including Joseph Kanon’s Istanbul Passage and the debut A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar, Suzanne Joinson, Bloomsbury).

From the other coast, the L.A. Times lays out a smorgasbord of over 100 titles (hover over each cover to read why it was chosen) that includes popular as well as literary titles, from Beach Reads (one of the only titles that overlaps with the NYT BR‘s list is A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar) to The Quirky (Bob’s Booger, anyone?) and Audio.

The Daily Beast selects 21 Best Summer Reads, including the buzz debut of the season, The Age of Miracles, Karen Thompson Walker, Random House, 6/26 (missing from both the L.A. Times and the NYT lists) and a few unusual, but intriguing choices (Mrs. Robinson’s Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady, Kate Summerscale, Bloomsbury, 6/19) and emerging favorites (Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple, Hachette/Little, Brown, 8/14).

Links to all the lists are at the right, under 2012 Summer Reads.

The trailer for the movie version of The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (S&S/MTV Books; audio, Recorded Books) debuted at last night’s MTV Movie Awards.

Star Emma Watson (who shared MTV’s Best Cast Award with the rest of the stars of the final Harry Potter installment) introduced the movie, along with co-stars Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller.

Watson plays Sam, who guides wallflower Charlie (Logan Lerman) through the pitfalls of trying to fit in. Chbosky wrote the screenplay and directed the film.

It is scheduled to open on September 14.

Official movie site: Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower.com

The trade paperback rose to #23 (from #147) on Amazon sales rankings as a result. Many libraries are showing holds, some heavy.

Tie-in:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky Retail Price: $14.00 Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: S&S/MTV Books – (2012-08-28) ISBN / EAN: 1451696191 / 9781451696196

This just in from the New York Times “Media Decoder” blog — Oprah is reviving her book club, specifically because she wanted to feature the memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (RH/Knopf, 3/20). Link to video below:

It’s great news for books, although somewhat lessened by the fact that Winfrey’s cable station, OWN has not enjoyed the strongest rating.

There is still magic in the Oprah touch. The book, already a best seller (#3 on the Indie best seller list; it is on the NYT nonfiction extended list), rose to #19 (from #149) on Amazon’s sales rankings based on the news.

The book’s new jackets will sport the new Oprah sticker.