Friday News Roundup, March 12, 2010

Here are some book related stories that have been in the news this week:
USA Today has an interview with Nicholas Sparks and Miley Cyrus about their new movie, The Last Song. In the interview, Miley confesses that she’s never read the book and Sparks compares his books to Hemingway’s. Seriously. (USA Today)
In other tweener news, Hillary Duff has signed a deal to write a new YA fiction series about a young female photojournalist. (MTV)
NPR has an interview with Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and Doris Kearns Goodwin about what they call “literary monster mashups.” (On Point Radio)
Speaking of literary monster mashups, Pop Candy has a sneak peek of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies graphic novel. (Pop Candy)
Amazon experienced a glitch last weekend that resulted in many graphic novels being sold for only a fraction of their normal price. Sales [...]

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What the Heck is a Vook?

I consider myself both a bibliophile and a technophile but up until a few days ago, I had never heard of a vook. And just what the heck is a vook, you ask? Created by Vook.com, it’s a video-book hybrid that integrates video and hyperlinks into a book. You can read/watch on your laptop using a web-based application or on your iPhone using the Vook app.
Last week, Vook released Anne Rice’s 1984 short-story The Master of the Rampling Gate. She’s by far the biggest name author to release a story in this format and I think Vook is hoping to capitalize on the popularity of vampire fiction. For a limited time it’s only .99 (instead of 4.99), so I decided to give it a try. Since I frequently use the Kindle for iPhone app, I decided to buy the Vook iPhone app [...]

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THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY by Marian Keyes

THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY by Marian Keyes Review (4.5 out of 5 Stars)

The Brightest Star in the Sky
by Marian Keyes
Release Date: January 21, 2010
Publisher: Viking Adult
Pages: 480
Source: Purchased
Buy on Amazon
I always look forward to a new book from Marian Keyes and her latest, The Brightest Star in the Sky, was no different. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the book, which tells the story of the residents of 66 Star Street in Dublin. Uncharacteristically for Keyes, there’s a supernatural twist as the story is narrated by a mysterious being that can see into each apartment. On the ground floor we have Matt and Maeve, a young married couple who are in love but seem to be hiding a big secret. Jemima, a wise old woman with a huge dog, lives on the second floor. Next are Andrei and Jan, two [...]

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Top 10 Most Expensive Books on Ebay

People spend a lot of money on books. Today I was curious about what the most expensive books currently being auctioned on Ebay are. I’ve filtered out the obvious scams and came up with the top 10 most expensive book auctions. Here they are:
1. 1637 Manuscript Charter of New England Price: $950,000
2. 30,000 Volume Jewish Judaica Library Price: $900,000
3. Arabian Nights – Original Print from 1935 Price: $700,000
4. Michael Jackson Vintage Magazines Price: $240,000
5. 1250 AD Medieval Holy Bible Price: $185,000
6. 1759 Hymnal Bible Price: $185,000
7. Set of 1st Edition Wizard Of Oz Books Price: $150,000
8. Langston Hughes Handwritten Poems Price: $125,000
9. Peter The Rabbit Signed By Beatrix Potter Price: $125,000
10.Koran Signed by 18th Century Royal Price: $70,000

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Read Across America

March 2nd is National Read Across America Day (in observance of Dr. Seuss’s birthday). It was started by the National Education Association. This is a great organization that inspires kids to read all across the country. In celebration, I’ve compiled a list of places I love to read. Maybe it will inspire somebody out there to pick up book today and read in their favorite location:
A Park
My bed
Cuddling with my dog
Exercising (audio books)
Under a tree
By a pool
A plane
A bookstore
A cafe
Where is your favorite place to read? Feel free to share your Read Across America stories!

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Upcoming Book Releases March 2010

House Rules by Jodi Picoult
March 2, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
They tell me I’m lucky to have a son who’s so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there’s a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world, and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else, but truly doesn’t know how.
Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject — in his case, forensic analysis. He’s always showing up at crime scenes, [...]

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER by Seth Grahame-Smith

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER by Seth Grahame-Smith Review (4.5 out of 5 Stars)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
by Seth Grahame-Smith
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
When I first heard that Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (see our review here), had a new book coming out I wasn’t too interested because the whole horror/classic lit mashup genre never really appealed to me. That changed when I found out that the book’s title was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. My curiosity piqued, I immersed myself in Grahame-Smith’s prose and found it to be one of the best books I have read in recent history, as it expertly blends biographical, fantasy, horror, and action genres into one amazing read.
The key to the success of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is Grahame-Smith’s telling the story using a biographical style, which is as good as Goodwin’s Team [...]

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BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 8 ISSUE 32 by Joss Whedon

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 8, ISSUE 32, TWILIGHT – CHAPTER ONE: BUFFY HAS F#@$ING SUPERPOWERS by Joss Whedon Review (5 out of 5 Stars)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #32
by Joss Whedon
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Pencils: Georges Jeanty
Inks: Andy Owens
Colors: Michelle Madsen
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Pages: 40
Source: Purchased
I haven’t reviewed a graphic novel for Daemon’s Books before, but issue 32 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is just so awesome that I couldn’t resist. It’s the first issue written by Brad Meltzer and the first in the Twilight arc, a four-issue arc in which we will finally learn the identity of the mysterious big bad of Season 8. The big reveal will take place in the next issue, though it’s been nearly impossible to avoid the spoilers so I think most of us already know who it is. For now though it’s still a secret [...]

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Friday News Roundup, February 26, 2010

Angelina Jolie is going to play Kay Scarpetta in the movie based on Patricia Cornwell’s novels. (LA Times)
Geek Sugar asks if ebooks should cost as much as regular books. I vote no! (Geek Sugar)
In 1940, a couple met and fell in love all thanks to a stolen library book. (South Coast Today)
I just discovered CoverSpy, a blog that posts what books New Yorkers are reading on the subway. (CoverSpy)
Sonya Sones’s One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies will remain in a Wisconsin middle school despite one parent’s attempt to censor it. I haven’t read the book, but that has to be the best title ever. (American Libraries)
An author writes about his experiences self-publishing his own books. (Huffington Post)
Here’s an interview with Marilyn Johnson, author of This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All. (On the Media)
The [...]

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Last Words: A Memoir by George Carlin and Tony Hendra

LAST WORDS: A MEMOIR by George Carlin and Tony Hendra (4 out of 5 Stars) Review

Last Words: A Memoir by George Carlin
and Tony Hendra
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Publisher: Free Press
Pages: 320
Source:Purchased
Buy on Amazon
The darkest part of 2008 in my opinion was the passing of George Carlin. Few comedians from his era could make me laugh like Carlin could, and few knew how to deliver fantastically offensive and socially important bits like he did for decades. Luckily enough, Carlin along with the help of his friend Tony Hendra, was able to complete his autobiography shortly before his passing.
What I love about Last Words, is how Carlin cleverly articulates the details of his birth, childhood and career in such a way that you feel as if you are watching him on stage acting it out. Here is a quote from Carlin on his birth:
“Sliding headfirst down a vagina with [...]

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