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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BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Review (4 out of 5 Stars)

Beautiful Creatures
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Release Date: December 1, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown
Pages: 576
Source: Purchased
Buy on Amazon
Even before Beautiful Creatures was published in December, the book was getting a ton of buzz and plenty of comparisons to Twilight. The fact that authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have already landed a movie deal grabbed people’s attention as well. These days, almost every YA book with paranormal themes is billed as “the next Twilight,” but I think Beautiful Creatures is one of the few books that live up to the hype. Star crossed lovers, an atmospheric setting, and interesting mythology combine to form a great read.
The story is about Ethan Wate, a popular basketball player who has lived in Gatlin, South Carolina his entire life, and Lena Duchannes, the mysterious new girl in school. [...]

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Twilight Graphic Novel Cover Revealed

Stephenie Meyer’s website was updated on Wednesday with a press release from Hachette Book Group:
YEN PRESS ANNOUNCES TWILIGHT: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, VOL. 1 WILL GO ON-SALE ON MARCH 16, 2010
NEW YORK, NY (January 20, 2010) — Yen Press, the graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group, announced that it will publish the highly-anticipated first volume in the graphic novel adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight on March 16, 2010. Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 will be released in hardcover for $19.99 ($22.99 CAN) with a first printing of 350,000 copies. As is typical in graphic novel publishing, due to the length of the prose novel, the book will be divided into two volumes and the release date for the second volume is forthcoming.
Twilight: The Graphic Novel contains selected text from Meyer’s original novel with illustrations by Korean artist Young Kim. A rare fusion of Asian and Western comic techniques is [...]

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Is Stephenie Meyer the Author of the Decade?

Read Street, the book blog of the Baltimore Sun, has declared 2000-2009 the decade of Stephenie Meyer. Their reasoning for this bold declaration is that:
Meyer’s novel “Twilight,” released in October of 2005, hit the top of the bestseller lists and has hardly budged since — while being joined by others in the series.
In the comment section the author clarifies:
I’m not saying she’s the best author if the decade, but her emergence is one of the biggest trends since 2000. There’s no doubt about that.
It’s true, vampire books have been a huge trend in the past few years and Stephenie Meyer’s success has spread to other authors like L. J. Smith and Charlaine Harris. On the other hand, while recent years have been all about vampires, I would argue that J. K. Rowling dominated most of the decade. The first Harry Potter book was published in [...]

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What To Read Next – Twilight Edition

Have you read all the books in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga and are thirsty for more vampires? Here’s a list of Young Adult read alikes that feature vampires or have similar themes as Twilight.

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Like Twilight, Tantalize is about humans, vampires, and werewolves. The story is narrated by seventeen-year-old Quincie who, along with her uncle, is reopening the family restaurant in Austin, Texas with a vampire theme. When the chef at the restaurant is murdered, werewolf and Quincie’s best friend, Kieren, is the prime suspect.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
This might appeal to you if you’re looking for a story about forbidden love. Werewolf Vivian falls in love with Aiden, a sensitive human boy she meets at her new school. She finds herself caught between the worlds of humans and her fellow pack members.
 

The Silver Kiss by Annette [...]

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Friday News Roundup, November 6, 2009

Here are some book related stories that have been in the news this week:
Entertainment Weekly has the first chapter of the Twilight parody, Nightlight. (EW)
Mattie Stepanek’s mother, Jeni, has written a new book about his life. Good Morning America has an excerpt. (GMA)
Are ebooks and the price war changing the publishing industry? (PBS)
The family of Stieg Larsson, author of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, is battling over his estate. Things are complicated because he and his girlfriend of 32 years never married and he didn’t leave a will. (The Guardian)
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s final Anne of Green Gables book reveals a darker side of the Blythes. (The Globe and Mail)
10 cool bookends for the bibliophile in your life. The Star Wars trash compactor bookends are awesome. (Oddee)
The top 5 books on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller [...]

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Eric Northman Vs Aro

So last week I asked who everyone’s favorite vampire crush was between Eric Northman (of the Sookie Stackhouse series) and Edward Cullen (of Twilight). I’m sorry to say for all you Twilight fans out there that it wasn’t even close. Eric won by a landslide. So this week, I’ve come up with a new question. In a fight between Eric Northman vs Aro (leader of the Volturi in Twilight), who do you think would win?
Here are a few stats if you need help making up your mind:
Aro
Location: Volterra, Italy
Age: 3,000+
Skills: Can read minds of anyone he’s touched
Pros/Cons: Although Aro is old, strong and cunning, he might be out of practice in a fight. As leader of the Volturi, there are plenty of people he can order to do his dirty work for him so he may need a refresher in vampire to vampire combat. [Spoiler if [...]

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Edward Cullen Vs Eric Northman – Who Would You Sink Your Teeth Into?

Two of the most crushed on vampires as of late would have to be Edward Cullen (from the Twilight series) and Eric Northman (from the Sookie Stackhouse novels). So, who would you sink your teeth into? Here is a profile on each character if you need help making up your mind:
Edward Cullen
Height: 6′2
Hair: Bronze
Eyes: Topaz (or black if he needs to hunt)
Age: 104
Pros: Besides being a perfect 10 in the looks department, he’s also great at piano, can read minds, can function during the day, and has a sweet car collection.
Cons: Lives with his mother (and other family members), can read minds, will always be in high-school.
Eric Northman
Height: 6′5
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Blue
Age: 1,000+
Pros: Also easy on the eyes, Eric has many things going for him that make worthy of a crush. For starters, he’s the most powerful vamp in area 5, and owns his own bar. He’s also [...]

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What to Read Next – Harry Potter Edition

The film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hit theaters last week and it made me nostalgic for the days of reading the books for the first time. If you are like me and want to read another great series, here is a list of books that might help fill the void left by Harry Potter. Both children and adults can enjoy most of these books. Many have themes similar to Harry Potter, such as a child who doesn’t fit in finding out that he or she is somehow special or different from most kids.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl, a twelve-year-old boy genius and criminal mastermind, has uncovered the secret world of fairies and plots to steal their gold. These are not traditional fairies, however, as they are heavily armed and equipped with advanced technology. The Artemis Fowl series is often compared to Harry Potter [...]

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