New Book Releases June 2010

With new releases by Stephenie Meyer, James Patterson, Nelson Demille, and Danielle Steel, June is another huge month for books. Take a look at the upcoming June releases I think you’ll be interested in. Bullet (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series) by Laurell K. Hamilton Available June 1, 2010 (Order on Amazon) From the publisher: The music came back up and the next group of little girls, slightly older, came out. There was a lot of that in the next hour and change. I liked dance, and it was no reflection on the kids, but my will to live began to seep away on about the fifth group of sequined children… Anita Blake is back in St. Louis and trying to live a normal life-as normal as possible for someone who is a legal vampire executioner and a U. S. Marshal. There are lovers, friends and their children, school programs to [...]

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One Book, One Twitter Update

A few weeks ago Amie wrote about the One Book, One Twitter initiative that is being headed by Jeff Howe of Wired magazine. The goal was to get a large group of people on Twitter to read the same book and then tweet about over the summer. A variety of books were nominated, and Jeff announced last week that American Gods by Neil Gaiman won the vote. The current plan is to have people start reading by May 5, 2010. Jeff’s website will have a reading schedule posted in the near future.
 I’m planning on joining the effort and purchased the eBook copy of American Gods to test out reading books on the iPad. In case you’re curious about joining the One Book, One Twitter effort, here’s some information from HarperCollins, the publisher: Released from prison, Shadow finds his world turned upside down. His wife has been killed; a mysterious [...]

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NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman

NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman Review (3.5 out of 5 Stars) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Release Date: September 2, 2003 Publisher: Harper Perennial Pages: 400 Source:Purchased Buy on Amazon I just finished my second Neil Gaiman novel. I chose Neverwhere as the reviews were solid and it looked interesting. Here’s what I’m starting to learn about Gaiman: he chooses some strange names for his main characters. In the last Gaiman novel I completed the main character’s name was “Nobody”, and in Neverwhere the main character is called “Door”. WTH?? Neverwhere tells the story of Richard Mayhew, a twenty something Scottish man who has recently moved to London. When Richard sees a young, injured girl almost appear out of nowhere on a busy London street, he immediately rushes to help her. However, by helping her, Richard is drawn into a magical world and blinked out of existence from him current reality. Richard [...]

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INSTRUCTIONS by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess Book Trailer

Check out an animated book trailer for Instructions, the new book from Newbery Medal winner Neil Gaiman and illustrator Charles Vess. Instructions synopsis (from the publisher): Trust Dreams. Trust your heart, and trust your story. A renowned storyteller whose words have transported readers to magical realms and an acclaimed illustrator of lushly imagined fairy-tale landscapes guide a traveler safely through lands unknown and yet strangely familiar… …and home again. Instructions by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess will be available on April 27, 2010. Check out the trailer below.

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THE GRAVEYARD BOOK By Neil Gaiman

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Niel Gaiman Review (4 out of 5 Stars) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Release Date: September 30, 2008 Publisher: HarperCollins Pages:320 Buy on Amazon This week I read the highly acclaimed Newberry award-winning, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman is known for several popular young adult books, including Coraline, which was adapted into a movie. The Graveyard Book tells the story of a young boy, Nobody Owens. Nobody, or “Bod” as he is affectionately called, is a human boy that lives in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts. Nobody was orphaned as a toddler when the evil “The man Jack” murders his entire family. The ghosts discovered the child and decided to raise and protect him. Although the murdering of an entire family may sound like a dark way to begin a children’s book, I think Gaiman did a good job of relating [...]

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Neil Gaiman and Fans Write a Story Via Twitter

Neil Gaiman and BBC Audiobooks America are collaborating on an interactive story that’s coming together via Twitter. Gaiman’s first tweet was, “Sam was brushing her hair when the girl in the mirror put down the hairbrush, smiled & said, “We don’t love you anymore.” Fans can tweet the rest of the story using the hashtag #bbcawdio. Follow @BBCAA to see updates to the story. The tweets will be turned into an audiobook that will be available as a free download later this year. Visit the BBC Audiobooks America blog for more information.

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Ten Spooky Books to Read for Halloween

Halloween is only a few weeks away and here in Michigan the leaves are starting to change and there’s a chill in the air. It’s perfect weather for curling up with a cup of tea and a good book. In honor of Halloween, here’s a list of spooky/mystery/supernatural stories you may enjoy: Just After Sunset by Stephen King This collection of 13 short stories ranges from horror to gross-you-out to more common things we are fearful of like divorce and terminal illness. Stories include “The Cat from Hell” which is about a killer cat and the hit man hired to kill it and “N” which features a mental patient with OCD. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger What could be better for fall reading than a gothic ghost story set in and around London’s Highgate Cemetery? It’s a creepy (but not scary) story and the dreary London weather creates the [...]

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