RA Run Down

February 19th, 2012

The readers’s advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television. This blog is brought to you by the Reader’s Advisor Online. TRY THE FREE RA DATABASE based on Libraries Unlimited’s print Genreflecting Advisory series. Give it a whirl and let us know how you like it. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on any of our posts, or contact us at raoblog@lu.com. Also check out our free newsletter with more in-depth articles at Reader’s Advisor News.

By Cindy Orr and Sarah Statz Cords

New To the Bestseller Lists This Week:

FICTION

NONFICTION

GRAPHIC BOOKS



To Be Published Week of Feb 19-25, 2012:

Fiction

  • Beaton, M.C. – Death of a Kingfisher
  • Chiaverini, Jennifer – Sonoma Rose
  • Harrison, Kim – A Perfect Blood
  • Pearl, Matthew – The Technologists
  • Robb, J. D. – Celebrity in Death
  • Nonfiction

  • Bartels, Peggielene – King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village
  • Cordery, Stacy A. – Juliette Gordon Low: The Remarkable Founder of the Girl Scouts
  • Feingold, Russ – While America Sleeps: A Wake-up Call for the Post-9/11 Era
  • Smith, Jean Edward – Eisenhower in War and Peace
  • Taylor, Craig – Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now–As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Have Left It, and Long for It
  • This is just a sample from our picks of the week. Scroll down or click here for the complete list, including ISBNs.



    Forthcoming Books of 2012

    How did it get to be February already? We’re a bit late starting this, but we’re compiling lists of 2012 book previews. Look to the right hand column for our collection of links, or click here. As we find new lists, we’ll add them at the top of the column.



    News of the Week:

    Ebook News:

    New ebook format? Author publishes book as Facebook gallery

    How to talk to your patrons about ebook loans (or lack thereof)

    Ebook library lending rises

    Copia to let readers ask authors questions (and get answers!) directly through ebooks

    Harper Collins ebooks and their 26 circs: one year on

    The future of children’s books?

    Amazon, Publishing Industry News:

    Does Amazon have fewer Prime subscribers than everyone thinks?

    International publisher alliance shuts down piracy site

    Penguin vs. Amazon?

    Publishers, take note! Patrons buy books they borrow

    Kirkus diversifiesinto editing services

    Are books and the internet about to merge?

    Other Reading News of the Week:

    Yet another piece defending genre fiction (chick lit, in particular)

    Libraries still important for kids’ book discovery

    Happy 10th birthday to Unshelved comic

    What is the most successful kind of nonfiction?

    OCLC Unveils Website for Small Libraries Beta Project

    Analyzing the All-the-Best-Books-Compilation: Crime and Thrillers



    Professional Development Opportunities:

    Check out our guide to the RA programs at this year’s PLA conference (coming up in March)

    Using the Cybils for Readers’ Advisory



    Books on Screen

    Friday Night Lights movie update

    Abraham Lincoln: Vampire HunterTrailer (And: is there already a sequel in the works?)

    Matthew Quirk gets movie deal for The 500

    Zeitoun, the animated film?

    I Am Legend prequel planned?



    Awards

    Betty White wins Spoken Word Grammy Award

    Sami Rohr Prize announced

    British Janklow & Nesbit Bath Spa Prize award winner to be published in the US

    Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association awards

    The Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction has a new, anonymous backer

    Red House Book Awards



    Authors

    New York Times correspondent and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Shadid has died in Syria

    Jennifer Egan’s take on technology

    The love letters of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, digitized

    The Dear Sugar columnist at the Rumpus is revealed:Cheryl Strayed

    Clive Barker and recovering from toxic shock syndrome

    R.L. Stine posts horror story on Twitter

    Amanda Knox gets $4-million-dollar book deal



    Lists

    Vile women in fiction

    Ten romantic comedies that aren’t terrible

    Can you guess which title tops a new top 100 books for kids list?

    Ten best books for kids aged 7 to 9



    Lighthearted Links of the Week

    If George R. R. Martin wrote nursery rhymes

    Police composite sketches of literary characters

    Sh*t book reviewers say

    Dirty literary love letters

    New, Noteworthy, and No-Brainer

    February 16th, 2012

    To be published week of February 20 – February 26, 2012

    MONDAY FICTION

  • Alger, Cristina – The Darlings – 9780670023349
  • MONDAY NONFICTION

  • Cordery, Stacy A. – Juliette Gordon Low: The Remarkable Founder of the Girl Scouts – 9780670023301
  • Robison, James – Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It’s Too Late – 9781455503124
  • TUESDAY FICTION

  • Berenson, Alex – The Shadow Patrol – 9780399158292
  • Chiaverini, Jennifer – Sonoma Rose – 9780525952640
  • Harrison, Kim – A Perfect Blood – 9780061957895
  • Johnson, R. M. – Deceit and Devotion – 9781439180570
  • Mallon, Thomas – Watergate – 9780307378729
  • Moon, Elizabeth – Echoes of Betrayal – 9780345508768
  • Odell, Jonathan – The Healing – 9780385534673
  • Pearl, Matthew – The Technologists – 9781400066575
  • Robb, J. D. – Celebrity in Death – 9780399158308
  • Robinson, Peter – Before the Poison – 9780062004796
  • TUESDAY NONFICTION

  • Bartels, Peggielene – King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village – 9780385534321
  • Bonner, Raymond – Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong – 9780307700216
  • Diamandis, Peter H. – Abundance: Emerging Forces, Breakthrough Technologies, and Why the Future Is Going to Be Much Better Than You Think – 9781451614213
  • Goldstein, Elisha – The Now Effect – 9781451623864
  • Feingold, Russ – While America Sleeps: A Wake-up Call for the Post-9/11 Era – 9780307952523
  • Smith, Jean Edward – Eisenhower in War and Peace – 9781400066933
  • Taylor, Craig – Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now–As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Have Left It, and Long for It – 9780062005854
  • Wolff, Jonathan – The Human Right to Health – 9780393063356
  • WEDNESDAY FICTION

  • Beaton, M.C. – Death of a Kingfisher – 9780446547369
  • PLA 2012 RA Programs

    February 14th, 2012

    Below is a brief listing of programs having to do with RA, reading, and collection development that will be held at the upcoming PLA conference in Philadelphia. The entire list of programs can be found at: http://www.placonference.org/programs.

    Preconference

    Tuesday, March 13
    Opening Books, Opening Doors: Providing Effective RA Service, with Nancy Pearl

    Educational Programs

    Thursday, March 15: 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.

    Books and Authors: The Top 5 of Another 5
    “RA experts will showcase another 5 top genres (Romance, Sci Fic, Suspense/Thrillers, Literary, Historical) and what every librarian should be familiar with about them: the top 5 authors, books, up-and-comers, and trends.”

    Engaging Customers in an Online Environment
    “Learn how 4 libraries have engaged customers of all ages online using a variety of methods including popular Web 2.0 tools including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr and Yelp”

    Optimizing Author Visits
    “Instructions for planning a successful author visit – choosing the right author; working with speakers’ bureaus, publishers and bookstores; forming partnerships to promote your program; and transforming your facility into an event space.”

    Start a Social Network Book Club
    “Using social network sites to create book clubs is a free and easy. Salt Lake County Library Services uses Goodreads.com to engage hundreds of customers and authors in discussions about books and reading.”

    Young at Heart: YA Books with Adult Crossover Appeal
    “Hear from YA authors Gayle Forman, Alexander Gordon Smith, Gregg Olsen, and Maggie Stiefvater on crossover appeal, what makes the genre so malleable… and how adult readers remain so young at heart.”

    Thursday, March 15: 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.


    Every Child Ready to Read in Action

    “This program will present information on the ECRR workshop Fun with Science and Math for Parents and Children. A panel of librarians will share their experiences in using the updated ECRR toolkit.”

    Isn’t it Romantic?
    “Six award-winning and best-selling authors will talk about the enduring appeal of the romance genre, their own romance novels, and why when it comes to reading: romance rules!”

    Meet This Season’s Best in Debut Authors
    “This new AAP/PLA program features book publishing’s finest in first time authors talking about their work. Speakers include: Charlotte Rogan, Wiley Cash, Gerry Fitzgerald, and Stephen Dau.”

    RX for RA Revisited
    “Discuss the benefits of starting a genre discussion/study group, practical ways to organize it, and the resources you will need.”

    Thursday, March 15: 2 to 3:15 p.m.

    Collection HQ at Your Library
    “Collection HQ is a collection performance improvement solution which is revolutionizing the way many public libraries select, manage and promote their collections.”

    Leaders as Readers
    “Four directors will share how they brought reading into their Library culture and their personal investment in the goal of supporting a reading community.”

    Read/Watch/Discuss: Book and Film Programs in the Library
    “Public libraries have long known how popular book discussion groups and film screenings can be for patrons. Community members and library staff appreciate inexpensive, engaging, and entertaining programs. Combine these two activities for informative and stimulating discussions that enhance the combination of the reading and viewing experience.”

    Trends in Genre Series

    “Join us for a lively discussion of trends in genre series with four top-notch stars in the field. Joyce Saricks will speak about “Gentle Reads.” John Charles will tackle Romance. Becky Spratford will talk about horror fiction and Kier Graff will finish up with mysteries.”

    Friday, March 16: 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.

    Beyond Booktalking: Innovative Approaches to Readers’ Advisory with Teens and Younger Adults
    “Create community around books within this socially connected demographic using youth-targeted personalized reading lists, librarian-facilitated peer-to-peer readers’ advisory, and fun, unusual displays.”

    Good Reading You May Have Missed
    “Jessica Moyer will lead a panel of 3, Keir Graff of Booklist, Kaite Mediatore Stover of the Kansas City Public Library, and Katie Dunneback of the Library of Congress, highlighting the best books of the past year and new and upcoming titles that you might have missed.”

    Readers’ Advisory Toolkit V
    “Everyone working in the library offers some form of readers’ advisory assistance. How do you train your entire staff, large or small, to engage with readers?”

    Social Networking, Gaming, and Summerreading.org
    “In 2010 Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library and Queens Library developed a groundbreaking summer reading website: summerreading.org.”

    What Makes a Collection? Redefining the Library through the Collection

    “Panel speakers will share their experiences managing a unique library collection. Some of the collections include; seeds, guitars, video games, and eReaders.”

    Friday, March 16: 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

    Adult Storytimes: Why Should the Kids Have All the Fun?
    “Following up on his presentation at PLA 2010 and article in Public Libraries, David Wright discusses adult storytimes with you.”

    Family Literacy on the Inside: Bringing the Public Library to Incarcerated Parents
    “Over 2.3 million adults are behind bars in the United States. That leaves roughly 1.5 million children with parents serving time. Evidence shows that strong family connections greatly reduce recidivism rates of former inmates. Libraries can help these families stay connected…”

    Mystery Solved: The Best in Mystery Authors and Books!
    “Get a sneak peak at what’s inside the season’s latest in new mystery books. Hear from the nation’s leading writers on what has inspired them most in the writing of their upcoming mystery and thriller titles!”

    Friday, March 16: 2 to 3:15 p.m.

    On Shelf, Off Shelf, No Shelf: Weeding in a Digital Age
    “The explosion in formats for leisure materials is a challenge for all aspects of collection management, especially weeding and evaluation.”

    Perfect Partners in Crime-Public Libraries and Sisters in Crime
    “Sisters in Crime, founded to promote crime fiction by women, is also committed to literacy and support of public libraries. The panel will discuss (1) ways SinC and libraries can work together, (2) trends in crime fiction, and (3) examine the ways that SinC’s annual summit meetings with publishers and recently completed survey of who buys and reads mysteries have positioned the organization to bring unique insight to what your users are reading and why.”

    The State of Ebooks in Public Libraries and Publishing
    “A discussion of the current state of ebooks with regards to public libraries and the publishing industry. Points will cover current and best practices as well as what will be coming down the pike.”

    Friday, March 16: 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.

    We’ve Got the Beat: Music Advisory in Public Libraries
    “No matter your taste or theirs, you can help your patrons find music at your library. Learn tools to help familiarize yourself with the latest trends and old standards.”

    Saturday, March 17: 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

    Books for Dessert: A Book Club for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
    “Books for Dessert provides an opportunity for adults who are intellectually challenged to belong to and participate in a book discussion group, assisting each other in the reading, comprehending and discussing of books.”

    Cuddle Up and Read: Storytimes for Pregnant and Parenting Teens

    “This presentation will provide a hands-on overview of the early literacy storytimes conducted with teen parents.”

    Get with the Program, Get Graphic: Using Graphic Novels for Programming For Teens!
    “Your library has shelves upon shelves of Graphic Novels and Manga. They are popular and go out a TON … why not capitalize on Teens’ love for this format by creating innovative Outreach and programming!?”

    Take Time to Read! A Community Campaign
    “Reading has never been more critical to success, yet finding time to read often seems impossible. This is why The King County Library System and the King County Library System Foundation launched a dramatically different multidimensional promotional campaign, Take Time to READ.”

    Under the Covers: Collecting Erotic Fiction and Erotica in Public Libraries
    “Topics will include a brief history of the genre, author & publisher insight to genre readers and discussion of collection development policies and handling possible challenges.”

    Saturday, March 17: 10:15 to 11:30 a.m.

    Team Read-a-Book: Building Bridges to the Library for Kids Who Learn Differently
    “Come prepared to learn about a partnership program that helps kids with learning disabilities and their families feel more comfortable within our library environments while developing successful reading and coping strategies!”

    What’s New in Fantasy and Science Fiction for Teens and Adults
    “Three librarians, longtime science fiction and fantasy fans, will present a PowerPoint presentation and booktalks of approximately sixty of their favorite new adult and young adult titles in these two challenging genres.”

    Zines, Records and Nonconformist Media: Marketing through Alternative Collections

    “Zine collections and other alternative media can open new doors into underserved adult communities and provide exciting new programming and marketing opportunities.”

    RA Run Down

    February 12th, 2012

    The readers’s advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television. This blog is brought to you by the Reader’s Advisor Online. TRY THE FREE RA DATABASE based on Libraries Unlimited’s print Genreflecting Advisory series. Give it a whirl and let us know how you like it. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on any of our posts, or contact us at raoblog@lu.com. Also check out our free newsletter with more in-depth articles at Reader’s Advisor News.

    By Cindy Orr and Sarah Statz Cords

    New To the Bestseller Lists This Week:

    FICTION

    NONFICTION

    GRAPHIC BOOKS



    To Be Published Week of Feb. 12-19, 2012:

    Fiction

  • Kinsella, Sophie – I’ve Got Your Number
  • Palmer, Michael – Oath of Office
  • Patterson, James, and Mark Sullivan – Private Games
  • Rice, Anne – The Wolf Gift
  • Rosnay, Tatiana De – The House I Loved
  • Willig, Lauren – The Garden Intrigue
  • Nonfiction

  • Cordery, Stacy A. – Juliette Gordon Low: The Remarkable Founder of the Girl Scouts
  • Feldman, Deborah – Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots
  • Preston, Diana – The Dark Defile: Britain’s Catastrophic Invasion of Afghanistan, 1838-1842
  • Sebba, Anne – That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
  • Tillman, Barrett – Enterprise: America’s Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War II
  • This is just a sample from our picks of the week. Scroll down or click here for the complete list, including ISBNs.



    Forthcoming Books of 2012

    How did it get to be February already? We’re a bit late starting this, but we’re compiling lists of 2012 book previews. Look to the right hand column for our collection of links, or click here. As we find new lists, we’ll add them at the top of the column.



    News of the Week:

    Ebook News:

    Penguin Group terminating its contract with OverDrive

    Another call to drop DRM for ebooks

    Is bundling ebooks with print books a good idea?

    Self-published author is Kindle’s best seller

    A look into publishing’s future?

    A charge to you: “let’s be honest about the ebook situation

    Amazon News:

    Indigo and Books a Million won’t stock Amazon titles either

    First Amazon store to open in Seattle?

    ABA joins Amazon boycott

    Nancy Pearl: “caught in the anti-Amazon backlash”

    Other Book and Reading Headlines

    February audiobook release round-up

    More info about World Book Night

    Maud Newton and Laura Miller team up on new “Chimerist” site

    Librarians: a dying breed?

    A look at 2011 nonfiction



    Professional Development Opportunities:

    PLA is coming up! Check back here later this week for a short round-up of the conference’s RA programs

    Can’t make it to PLA? Apply to do a virtual poster session instead! (Deadline for applications: Feb. 20)

    SWONtech working on a survey and other RA projects

    A new tool for learning languages?

    Looking for alternatives to OverDrive? Try Freading

    The ALCTS Subject Analysis Committee’s Subcommittee on Genre/Form Implementation is working with the Library of Congress to add terms to the Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT). LC is beginning to work on a project to establish LCGFT terms for literature. The SAC Subcommittee is forming a group that will work with LC on this project. An additional 3-4 members, particularly from the public library and school communities, are sought to join the working group; they do not have to be members of the Subcommittee on Genre/Form Implementation. The group will be chaired by Mary Mastraccio (MARCIVE, Inc.). If you are interested in working on the literature terms for LCGFT, please contact Adam Schiff, Chair of the Subcommittee on Genre/Form Implementation, at aschiff@uw.edu by February 24, 2012.



    Books on Screen

    Miniseries on Columbine massacre, based on Dave Cullen’s book Columbine, to air on Lifetime

    The Lorax trailer, aired during the Super Bowl, gives the book a boost too

    The Bourne Legacy: Trailer

    Vampire soap opera Dark Shadows to return in book and movie

    Bernard Schlink sues the Weinsteins for royalties on The Reader



    Awards

    Rachel Maddow wins John Steinbeck award

    Romance Writers of America award canceled

    Hatchet job of the year award

    Horror Writers Association shortlist for Bram Stoker Vampire Novel of the Century award

    Romantic Novelists’ Association’s shortlist for their 2012 awards



    Authors

    John Christopher: Obituary

    Bill Wallace: Obituary

    Damien Bona, author of Inside Oscar: Obituary

    Jeffrey Zaslow: has died in a car accident while promoting his latest book; Obituary

    Chabon and Nesbo to appear at BEA

    Scholarly interest in David Foster Wallace grows

    Wendell Berry to give 2012 Jefferson Lecture

    Stephen Fry on the Bat Segundo Show

    Curtis Sittenfeld latest author tapped to re-imagine Austen

    Anne Rice to discuss The Wolf Gift at Google

    New Lemony Snicket series coming in November



    Lists

    Do you agree with this list? Most Influential Sci Fi Films

    Happy Valentine’s Day!:
    Books you definitely shouldn’t give your Valentine; and
    Ten of the Greatest Kisses in Literature

    A trip through time for young Black History Month readers

    An essential postmodern reading list

    Pinterest boards for book-lovers



    Lighthearted Links of the Week

    Like getting mail? Join the Letter Writers’ Alliance!

    Judging books by their covers

    You didn’t think we’d end the Run Down without a Downton link (or two), did you? Here we go: Downton Abbey Valentine’s Day cards; and how watching an episode of the program “counts as reading book”

    RA Run Down

    February 5th, 2012

    The readers’s advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television. This blog is brought to you by the Reader’s Advisor Online. TRY THE FREE RA DATABASE based on Libraries Unlimited’s print Genreflecting Advisory series. Give it a whirl and let us know how you like it. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on any of our posts, or contact us at raoblog@lu.com. Also check out our free newsletter with more in-depth articles at Reader’s Advisor News.

    By Cindy Orr and Sarah Statz Cords

    New To the Bestseller Lists This Week:

    FICTION

    NONFICTION

    GRAPHIC BOOKS



    To Be Published Week of Feb. 5 to 12, 2012:

    Fiction

  • Bazell, Josh – Wild Thing – 9780316032193
  • Chaon, Dan – Stay Awake: Stories – 9780345530370
  • Englander, Nathan – What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank: Stories – 9780307958709
  • Flynn, Vince – Kill Shot: An American Assassin Thriller – 9781416595205
  • Gardner, Lisa – Catch Me – 9780525952763
  • Hobb, Robin – City of Dragons – 9780061561634
  • Houston, Pam – Contents May Have Shifted – 9780393082654
  • Jance, J.A. – Left for Dead – 9781451628586
  • Nonfiction

  • Boo, Katherine – Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity – 9781400067558
  • Lashinsky, Adam – Inside Apple: How America’s Most Admired–and Secretive–Company Really Works – 9781455512157
  • Max, Tucker – Hilarity Ensues – 9781451669039
  • Seung, Sebastian – Connectome: How the Brain’s Wiring Makes Us Who We Are – 9780547508184
  • Simon, James F. – FDR and Chief Justice Hughes: The President, the Supreme Court, and the Epic Battle over the New Deal – 9781416573289
  • This is just a sample from our picks of the week. Scroll down or click here for the complete list, including ISBNs.



    Forthcoming Books of 2012

    How did it get to be February already? We’re a bit late starting this, but we’re compiling lists of 2012 book previews. Look to the right hand column for our collection of links, or click here. As we find new lists, we’ll add them at the top of the column.

    News of the Week:

    The big ebook news:

    Random House will sell ebooks to libraries with no limit on circs

    Other ebook news:

    Game of Thrones is getting an enhanced e-book version
    Ebook sales up in Great Britain too; on the other hand, are ebook sales slowing?
    Ebook vs. print: does anyone care anymore?

    Amazon news tidbits

    AMZN stock down?
    Goodreads to source data from Ingrams, not Amazon
    Barnes and Noble will not stock Amazon titles; what Melville House says about it; Authors Guild weighs in on Amazon dominance
    Amazon getting into the bricks and mortar game?
    Amazon launches e-commerce site in India

    Other book and publishing headlines:

    Forget ebooks; are humans the hot new book format?
    Are publishers “sour” on tablets?
    World Book Night deadline extended to Feb. 6
    Does everyone have a book in them?
    Apple gets into self-publishing game
    BEA might, just might, open up to the public for one day…in 2013.
    Newbery/Caldecott books get sales bump
    Crime more popular than romance in the UK?
    Can bells and whistles save the book?
    LeVar Burton in charge of Reading Rainbow Twitter
    Domestic abuse charges against protagonist of Dave Eggers’s award-winning book Zeitoun leads the L.A. Times to wonder about the “responsibilities of nonfiction”
    Book Industry Study Group: Books by the numbers



    Professional Development Opportunities:

    LinkedIn’s CardMunch app

    Ten Commandments of book reviewing



    Books on Screen

    John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars optioned

    Game of Thrones Season 2: Trailer

    Game Change: Trailer

    More Ender’s Game casting news

    Natalie Portman to produce Judith Krantz novel for ABC

    Shirley MacLaine to join Downton Abbey cast; books about Downton Abbey

    Terry Brooks’s Landover series optioned

    Dickens at 200: 12 great film adaptations; (and, for good measure, 20 books about his life)



    Awards

    Center for Fiction and ABA team up to sponsor award

    Battle for Best Children’s Book of the past decade



    Authors

    Espionage novelist Dorothy Gilman: Obituary
    Wislawa Szymborska, poet: Obituary
    Samuel S. Vaughan, publisher and author: Obituary
    Phillip Finch, thriller and nonfiction author: Obituary

    Debbie Reynolds to write memoir

    Phil Jackson also working on memoir

    Helen MacInnes spy novels coming back into print

    Paulo Coelho invites you to download his books

    Gaiman vs. McFarlane: resolved

    Jack Gantos: Interview

    Billy Ray Cyrus lands Amazon book deal



    Lists

    Do you agree with these picks? The best 50 movies of all time

    Need movies for your Valentine’s display? Consider these ten romantic picks

    Tina Brown’s must reads

    For Dickens’s 200: Best Dickens characters

    Your guide to literary tumblrs

    10 Sequels based on classics



    Lighthearted Links of the Week

    20 most beautiful bookstores in the world

    Yet another reason to save libraries: unintentionally sexual books

    Left Coast Crime award nominations

    January 31st, 2012

    Nominees have been named for this year’s Left Coast Crime convention awards!

    The Lefty
    has been awarded for the best humorous mystery novel since
    1996. This year’s nominees are:

    Donna Andrews, The Real Macaw (Minotaur)
    Rita Lakin, Getting Old Can Kill You (Dell)
    Jess Lourey, October Fest (Midnight Ink)
    Kris Neri, Magical Alienation (Red Coyote Press)
    Cindy Sample, Dying for a Dance (L & L Dreamspell)
    John Vorhaus, The Albuquerque Turkey (Crown)

    The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award, first awarded in 2004, is given to mystery novels covering events before 1960. This year’s nominees are:

    Rhys Bowen, Naughty in Nice (Berkley Prime Crime)
    Rebecca Cantrell, A Game of Lies (Forge)
    Ann Parker, Mercury’s Rise (Poisoned Pen Press)
    Priscilla Royal, A Killing Season (Poisoned Pen Press)
    Jeri Westerson, Troubled Bones (Minotaur)
    Jacqueline Winspear, A Lesson in Secrets (Harper)

    The Golden Nugget is a special award given to the best mystery set in California, in recognition of the location of this year’s convention. The nominees are:

    Jan Burke, Disturbance (Simon & Schuster)
    Michael Connelly, The Drop (Little, Brown)
    Janet Dawson, Bit Player (Perseverance Press)
    Sue Grafton, V is for Vengeance (Putnam)
    Kelli Stanley, City of Secrets (Minotaur)

    Eureka! is a special award this year for the best first mystery novel. The nominees are:

    Sally Carpenter, The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper (Oak Tree Press)
    Darrell James, Nazareth Child (Midnight Ink)
    Tammy Kaehler, Dead Man’s Switch (Poisoned Pen Press)

    RA Run Down

    January 29th, 2012

    The readers’s advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television. This blog is brought to you by the Reader’s Advisor Online. TRY THE FREE RA DATABASE based on Libraries Unlimited’s print Genreflecting Advisory series. Give it a whirl and let us know how you like it. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on any of our posts, or contact us at raoblog@lu.com. Also check out our free newsletter with more in-depth articles at Reader’s Advisor News.

    By Cindy Orr and Sarah Statz Cords

    New To the Bestseller Lists This Week:

    FICTION


    NONFICTION

    GRAPHIC BOOKS



    To Be Published Week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, 2012:

    Fiction


  • Groening, Matt – The Simpsons/Futurama Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis – 9780060897260
  • Hannah, Kristin – Home Front – 9780312577209
  • Harris, Robert – The Fear Index – 9780307957931
  • Laurens, Stephanie – The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae (Cynster Series)(mass market) – 9780062068620
  • Roberts, Nora – Bennett & Camilla: The Playboy Prince\Cordina’s Crown Jewel (mass market) – 9780373281558
  • Sala, Sharon – Next of Kin (mass market) – 9780778313120
  • Woods, Sheryl – The Summer Garden (mass market) – 9780778313090
  • Nonfiction

  • Isay, Dave – All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps – 9781594203213
  • Murray, Charles – Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010
  • This is just a sample from our picks of the week. Scroll down or click here for the complete list, including ISBNs.



    Best Books of 2011



    It’s Best Books of the Year season! Look to the right hand column for our collection of links, or click here. As we find new lists, we’ll add them at the top of the column.



    News of the Week:

    Ebook News:

    ALA To Meet With Top Executives of Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin on Ebook Lending

    OverDrive Reports 35 Million Digital Titles Checked Out in 2011, Page Views Up 130 Percent

    Pew Says Ownership of Tablets and E-Readers Doubled Over the Holidays

    Library e-Book Wars and Bundling

    Is Digital Rights Management NOT the way to go?

    Sesame Street launches digital series

    Social networks, privacy, etc.:

    New social network for book lovers

    Facebook’s IPO is coming

    Take a look at Google’s new privacy policy

    And all other things literary:

    How bestseller lists work

    Amazon makes a deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

    No wonder it’s hard to keep up; “there were more books published this week than in all of 1950.”

    Indie publisher Melville House turns 10

    Most Quoted Books of 2011

    Washington, D.C., the nation’s most literate city



    Professional Development Opportunities:

    Library Journal webcast: Meet the Power Patron

    How to use Pinterest



    Books on Screen

    Six of the nine best picture films are from books

    The obligatory Downton Abbey post

    Sweet Valley High, the musical!



    Awards

    2012 Oscar nominations are in!

    National Book Critics Circle Award Finalists

    Ayn Rand app wins prize

    Andrew Miller wins the Costa Award; now Short Stories have their own Costa Award as well

    All awards ALA, announced last week:

    2012 ALA Notable Books
    ALA Reading List Awards
    Newbery and other youth awards
    RUSA Listen List
    2012 odyssey award
    Sophie Brody Medal; Louis Shores Award (congrats Sarah Johnson!); Zora Neale Hurston Award; Stonewall Book Award



    Authors

    Charla Krupp: Obituary

    Newt Gingrich: SF author

    Charlotte Bronte, love letter writer

    Tolkien’s Middle-earth “family tree”

    Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day turns 50

    John Green on NPR



    Lists

    The 5 Books That Inspire the Most Tattoos

    Most Dangerous Novels of all time

    New York Times Editors’ Choice for Jan. 27



    Lighthearted Links of the Week

    Stephen Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak (video)

    Authors accessorize!

    Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, Alex, King, and Other Youth Award Winners

    January 23rd, 2012

    John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:
    Jack Gantos – “Dead End in Norvelt”



    Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book
    Chris Raschka – “A Ball for Daisy”



    Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
    John Corey Whaley – “Where Things Come Back”

    Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing African American authors
    Kadir Nelson – “Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans”


    Coretta Scott King Book Award for illustration
    Shane W. Evans – “Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom”

    Pura Belpre Award honoring a Latino illustrator
    Duncan Tonatiuh – “Diego Rivera: His World and Ours”

    Belpre Author Award
    Guadalupe Garcia McCall – “Under the Mesquite”

    Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
    Susan Cooper

    Theodor Geisel Award for most distinguished beginning reader book
    Josh Schneider – “Tales for Very Picky Eaters”

    William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens
    John Corey Whaley – “Where Things Come Back”

    Schneider Family Book Award for best teen book embodying an artistic expression of the disability experience
    Wendelin Van Draanen – “The Running Dream”

    Schneider Award for middle-school readers
    Joan Bauer – “Close to Famous”
    Brian Selznick – “Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures”

    Alex Awards for adult books that appeal to teen audiences
    “Big Girl Small” by Rachel DeWoskin
    “In Zanesville” by Jo Ann Beard
    “The Lover’s Dictionary” by David Levithan
    “The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens” by Brooke Hauser
    “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern
    “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline
    “Robopocalypse: A Novel” by Daniel H. Wilson
    “Salvage the Bones” by Jesmyn Ward
    “The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures” by Caroline Preston
    “The Talk-Funny Girl” by Roland Merullo

    Brody, Shores, Hurston, Stonewall Prize Winners from ALA Midwinter Conference

    January 23rd, 2012

    Sophie Brody Medal for Outstanding Jewish Literature:
    “Sacred Trash: the Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza” by Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole (Schocken Books)

    Honor Books:
    “Jerusalem: the Biography” by Simon Sebag Montefiore (Alfred A. Knopf)
    “MetaMaus” by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon Books)
    “Quiet Americans: Stories” by Erika Dreifus (Last Light Studio Books)

    Louis Shores Award for Book Reviewing
    Sarah L. Johnson, professor of library services at Eastern Illinois University and author of the blog Reading the Past and book review editor, The Historical Novels Review

    2012 Zora Neale Hurston Award for Outstanding African-American Literature
    Vanessa Irvin Morris, author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Street Literature (ALA Editions)

    Stonewall Book Award for exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience
    Bil Wright – “Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy”

    RUSA’s Inaugural Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration

    January 23rd, 2012

    “All Clear,” by Connie Willis. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Brilliance Audio. (ISBN 978-1-4418-7576-1).
    This sequel to “Blackout,” a stellar science fiction adventure, follows the plight of a group of historians from 2060, trapped in WWII England during the Blitz. In a narrative tour de force, Kellgren brings to life a large cast of characters, including a pair of street-smart urchins who capture the hearts of characters and listeners alike.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Away” by Amy Bloom. Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. HighBridge.
    “Pirate King” by Laurie R. King. Narrated by Jenny Sterlin. Recorded Books.
    “Year of Wonders” by Geraldine Brooks. Narrated by Josephine Bailey. Books on Tape.

    “Bossypants,” by Tina Fey. Narrated by Tina Fey. Hachette Audio. (ISBN 978-1-60941-969-1). AudioGO. (ISBN 978-1-60941-719-2).
    In a very funny memoir made decidedly funnier by its reader, Tina Fey relates sketches and memories of her time at SNL and Second City as well as the difficulties of balancing career and motherhood. In a voice dripping with wit, she acts out the book, adding extra-aural elements that print simply cannot convey.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” by David Sedaris. Narrated by David Sedaris. Hachette Audio.
    “I Was Told There’d Be Cake,” by Sloane Crosley. Narrated by Sloane Crosley. Penguin Audio.
    “The Partly Cloudy Patriot,” by Sarah Vowell. Narrated by Sarah Vowell. Simon & Schuster Audio.

    “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey,” by Walter Mosley. Narrated by Dominic Hoffman. Penguin Audio. (ISBN 978-0-14-242856-6). Books on Tape. (ISBN 978-0-3078-7583-9).
    Dominic Hoffman reads this elegiac novel of memory and redemption with fierce grace, inhabiting Mosley’s characters with voices perfectly crafted in pitch and rhythm. His rough, gravelly narration manages the pace and mood of the book with astounding skill, brilliantly capturing the mental clarity and fog of 91-year-old Ptolemy Grey’s world.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Emily, Alone,” by Stewart O’Nan. Narrated by Andrea Gallo. Recorded Books.
    “Flowers for Algernon,” by Daniel Keyes. Narrated by Jeff Woodman. Recorded Books.
    “Noah’s Compass,” by Anne Tyler. Narrated by Arthur Morey. Random House Audio. Books on Tape.

    “Life Itself: A Memoir,” by Roger Ebert. Narrated by Edward Herrmann. Hachette Audio (ISBN 978-1-60941-035-3). AudioGO. (ISBN 978-1-61113-792-7).
    Ebert’s clear-eyed account chronicles his life from his youth in Urbana, Illinois, to his fame as a world-renowned film critic in Chicago. Herrmann’s engaging, affable reading mirrors the author’s tone—honest, often humorous, sometimes bittersweet—as he unhurriedly ushers listeners through Ebert’s moving reflections on a life well lived.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life,” by Steve Martin. Narrated by Steve Martin. Simon & Schuster Audio. Recorded Books.
    “Chapters from My Autobiography,” by Mark Twain. Narrated by Bronson Pinchot. AudioGO.
    “Life,” by Keith Richards and James Fox. Narrated by Keith Richards, Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley. Hachette Audio.

    “Middlemarch,” by George Eliot. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson. NAXOS. (ISBN 978-184-379-439-4).
    Juliet Stevenson brings crisp clarity, a witty sensibility and a charming tonal quality to Eliot’s masterpiece of provincial life. Through her deft management of pacing and tone, she reveals character motivation and illuminates the many themes of the novel. But most of all she reclaims Eliot for listeners who thought they did not enjoy classics.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “The Age of Innocence,” by Edith Wharton. Narrated by Lorna Raver. Blackstone Audio.
    “Jane Eyre,” by Charlotte Brontë. Narrated by Nadia May. Blackstone Audio.
    “Pride and Prejudice,” by Jane Austen. Narrated by Josephine Bailey. Tantor Media.

    “The Mischief of the Mistletoe,” by Lauren Willig. Narrated by Kate Reading. Penguin Audio. (ISBN 978-0-14-242830-6).
    In this Regency Christmas caper, a pudding, a spy, a hilarious school theatrical and a memorable country house party lead to laughter, love and an offer of marriage. Reading’s lovely English accent and exuberance are a perfect fit for the wide range of characters, from young girls to male teachers to members of the aristocracy.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “The Black Cobra Quartet,” series by Stephanie Laurens. Narrated by Simon Prebble. Harper Audio. Blackstone Audio.
    “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” by Baroness Emma Orczy. Narrated by Ralph Cosham. Blackstone Audio.
    “The Talisman Ring,” by Georgette Heyer. Narrated by Phyllida Nash. AudioGO.

    “One of Our Thursdays is Missing” by Jasper Fforde. Narrated by Emily Gray. Recorded Books. (ISBN 978-1-4498-4675-6).
    In this genre-bending romp, the “written” Thursday must rescue the “real” Thursday from a nefarious Bookworld plot. Emily Gray wears Thursday like a second skin, as she does the robots, dodos, and space aliens running around. The story is paced such that every nuance of pun and word play is captured and rendered aurally.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Blackout,” by Connie Willis. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Brilliance Audio.
    “The Peculiar Crimes Unit Mysteries,” series by Christopher Fowler. Narrated by Tim Goodman. Recorded Books/Clipper Audio.
    “Relative Danger,” by Charles Benoit. Narrated by Patrick Lawlor. Blackstone Audio.

    “A Red Herring Without Mustard,” by Alan Bradley. Narrated by Jayne Entwistle. Random House Audio (ISBN 978-0-307-57643-9). Books On Tape. (ISBN 978-0-3077-0479-5).
    Flavia de Luce, a terrifyingly proficient 11-year-old amateur chemist and sleuth, investigates the beating of a gypsy and the death of a villager in this third outing. Entwistle’s spot-on narration reveals the irrepressible, intrepid heroine’s prowess and captures a delicious range of secondary characters in these whimsical mysteries set in 1950s rural England.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee. Narrated by Sissy Spacek. Harper Audio/Caedmon. Recorded Books.
    “Special Topics in Calamity Physics,” by Marisha Pessi. Narrated by Emily Janice Card. Penguin Audio. Books on Tape.
    “Tallgrass” by Sandra Dallas. Narrated by Lorelei King. Macmillan Audio. BBC Audiobooks America.

    “The Snowman,” by Jo Nesbø. Narrated by Robin Sachs. Random House Audio. (ISBN 978-0-307-91750-8). Books On Tape. (ISBN 978-0-307-91752-2).
    The icy chill of the Norwegian countryside and a series of cold-blooded murders dominate this Harry Hole crime novel. Sachs contrasts Hole’s world-weary professional attitude, his unquenchable thirst for justice and his yearning for love and comfort, as he skillfully maintains a suspenseful pace and projects an overarching sense of doom.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson. Narrated by Simon Vance. Books on Tape.
    “Hell is Empty,” by Craig Johnson. Narrated by George Guidall. Recorded Books.
    “Rain Gods,” by James Lee Burke. Narrated by Tom Stechschulte. Recorded Books.

    “A Tale of Two Cities,” by Charles Dickens. Narrated by Simon Prebble. Blackstone Audio. (ISBN 978-1-4551-0867-1).
    The tragedy and heroism of the French Revolution come alive through Prebble’s distinctive and graceful narration. As the lives of Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton intersect, Prebble takes listeners deep into France and England, narrating terrifying descriptions and breathless acts of courage with a cadence that sweeps one away.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Les Misérables,” by Victor Hugo. Narrated by George Guidall. Recorded Books.
    “Sharpe’s Fury,” by Bernard Cornwell. Narrated by Steven Crossley. Recorded Books.
    “War and Peace,” by Leo Tolstoy. Narrated by Frederick Davidson. Blackstone Audio.

    “The Tiger’s Wife,” by Téa Obreht. Narrated by Susan Duerden and Robin Sachs. Random House Audio (978-0-307-87700-0). Books On Tape. (ISBN 978-0-307-87702-4).
    In this imaginative novel, Balkan physician Natalia, on a mission of mercy, learns of her beloved grandfather’s death. Duerden’s mesmerizing voice leads listeners through the complexities of this rich novel with its intertwining stories, while Sachs memorably relates her grandfather’s haunting tales in a gentle and gruff voice.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Bel Canto,” by Ann Patchett. Narrated by Anna Fields. Harper Audio. Blackstone Audio.
    “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” by Jonathan Safran Foer. Narrated by Jeff Woodman, Barbara Caruso, Richard Ferrone. Recorded Books.
    “Pretty Birds,” by Scott Simon. Narrated by Christina Moore. Recorded Books.

    “Why Read Moby-Dick?,” by Nathaniel Philbrick. Narrated by Nathaniel Philbrick. Penguin Audio. (ISBN 978-1-61176-024-8). Books on Tape. (ISBN 978-0-307-96967-5)
    In what should be required reading before cracking the pages of Moby-Dick, Nathaniel Philbrick’s homage to this great American novel compels the listener to experience Melville with an almost incandescent joy. His voice resonates with palpable enthusiasm and calls to mind a New England professor giving a fascinating lecture.

    Listen-Alikes:

    “Moby-Dick,” by Herman Melville. Narrated by Frank Muller. Recorded Books.
    “My Reading Life,” by Pat Conroy. Narrated by Pat Conroy. Random House Audio. Books on Tape.
    “The Swerve,” by Stephen Greenblatt. Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. Recorded Books.