Advance Screenings for Hunger Games--competition

Whoever is working on the publicity for the Hunger Games movie is brilliantly using crowd-sourcing and social media.

Check out their newest method of creating buzz. Genius!Help win a free screening in your city.

In Defense of Dirty YA Books

Brilliant explanation of one of the conundrums in YA literature by Mike Mullen, the author of Ashfall, a brilliant book which reminded me of McCarthy's The Road. That is, why is violence in our society seen as OK, but even a whiff of something sexual will stop the gatekeepers (parents and librarians) from buying/recommending the title?

Libraries in the Middle and Starting to Advocate

ALA, Authors Guild, 3M Weigh In on Penguin Over-Drive Dispute

I've read a lot about the current state of affairs affecting the availability of audiobooks to library patrons and this one  most clearly explains it for me.

I especially like that they have given a word to the intentional obstacles publishers have in place to make borrowing their books from the library more difficult: friction.

Their greatest fear: frictionless borrowing of library books will send people to the library for books rather than to the bookstores.

ALA Press Release | American Library Association

ALA Press Release | American Library Association

2012 Nominees for Edgar Award Announced

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce on the 203rd anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, its Nominees for the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2011. The Edgar® Awards will be presented to the winners at our 66th Gala Banquet, April 26, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City.






BEST NOVEL

The Ranger by Ace Atkins (Penguin Group USA – G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Gone by Mo Hayder (Grove/Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (Minotaur Books)

1222 by Anne Holt (Simon & Schuster - Scribner)

Field Gray by Philip Kerr (Penguin Group USA - G.P. Putnam’s Sons – Marion Wood Books)



BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Red on Red by Edward Conlon (Random House Publishing Group – Spiegel & Grau)

Last to Fold by David Duffy (Thomas Dunne Books)

All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen (The Permanent Press)

Bent Road by Lori Roy (Penguin Group USA - Dutton)

Purgatory Chasm by Steve Ulfelder (Minotaur Books – Thomas Dunne Books)



BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett (Hachette Book Group – Orbit Books)

The Faces of Angels by Lucretia Grindle (Felony & Mayhem Press)

The Dog Sox by Russell Hill (Pleasure Boat Studio – Caravel Mystery Books)

Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley (HarperCollins Publishers – Harper Paperbacks)

Vienna Twilight by Frank Tallis (Random House Trade Paperbacks)





BEST FACT CRIME

The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars by Paul Collins (Crown Publishing)

The Savage City: Race, Murder, and a Generation on the Edge by T.J. English (HarperCollins – William Morrow)

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

by Candice Millard (Random House - Doubleday)

Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender by Steve Miller (Penguin Group USA - Berkley)

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial

Imposter by Mark Seal (Penguin Group USA - Viking)



BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets

Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of our Time

by Dan Burstein, Arne de Keijzer & John-Henri Holmberg (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making by John Curran (HarperCollins)

On Conan Doyle: Or, the Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda (Princeton University Press)

Detecting Women: Gender and the Hollywood Detective Film by Philippa Gates (SUNY Press)

Scripting Hitchcock: Psycho, The Birds and Marnie

by Walter Raubicheck and Walter Srebnick (University of Illinois Press)



BEST SHORT STORY

"Marley’s Revolution" – Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by John C. Boland (Dell Magazines)

"Tomorrow’s Dead" – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by David Dean (Dell Magazines)

"The Adakian Eagle” – Down These Strange Streets

by Bradley Denton (Penguin Group USA – Ace Books)

"Lord John and the Plague of Zombies" – Down These Strange Streets

by Diana Gabaldon (Penguin Group USA – Ace Books)

"The Case of Death and Honey" – A Study in Sherlock by Neil Gaiman

(Random House Publishing Group – Bantam Books)

“The Man Who Took His Hat Off to the Driver of the Train” – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by

Peter Turnbull (Dell Magazines)



BEST JUVENILE

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger (Abrams – Amulet Books)

It Happened on a Train by Mac Barnett (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Vanished by Sheela Chari (Disney Book Group – Disney Hyperion)

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press)

The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey (Egmont USA)



BEST YOUNG ADULT

Shelter by Harlan Coben (Penguin Young Readers Group – G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Penguin Young Readers Group – G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall (Random House Children’s Books – Knopf BFYR)

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

(Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group – Roaring Creek Press)

Kill You Last by Todd Strasser (Egmont USA)





BEST PLAY

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club by Jeffrey Hatcher

(Arizona Theatre Company, Phoenix, AZ)

The Game’s Afoot by Ken Ludwig (Cleveland Playhouse, Cleveland, OH)



BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Innocence” – Blue Bloods, Teleplay by Siobhan Byrne O’Connor (CBS Productions)

“The Life Inside” – Justified, Teleplay by Benjamin Cavell

(FX Productions and Sony Pictures Television)

“Part 1” – Whitechapel, Teleplay by Ben Court & Caroline Ip (BBC America)

“Pilot” – Homeland, Teleplay by Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff (Showtime)

“Mask” – Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Speed Weed (Wolf Films/Universal Media Studios)



ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

"A Good Man of Business" – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

by David Ingram (Dell Magazines)



GRAND MASTER

Martha Grimes



RAVEN AWARDS

M is for Mystery Bookstore, San Mateo, CA

Molly Weston, Meritorious Mysteries



ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

Joe Meyers of the Connecticut Post/Hearst Media News Group



THE SIMON & SCHUSTER - MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

(Presented at MWA’s Agents & Editors Party on Wednesday, April 25, 2012)

Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton (Minotaur Books)

Come and Find Me by Hallie Ephron (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)

Death on Tour by Janice Hamrick (Minotaur Books)

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (Crown Publishing Group)

Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely (Minotaur Books – Thomas Dunne Books)



# # # #

The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.

POTATO PEEL SOCIETY Closer to Screen

Kate Winslet AND Kenneth Branagh--awesome!

POTATO PEEL SOCIETY Closer to Screen

When the Internet ate my son's manga magazine - Publishing News - Salon.com

When the Internet ate my son's manga magazine - Publishing News - Salon.com

This is something we might be able to use when Phyllis C. comes looking for the newest Shonen Jump----although I doubt she'll be able to comprehend it. Nor will she be happy about it....

WNPL named a best place to work

Warren-Newport was named one of the best places to work in Chicagoland by the Tribune!  Wow!

Writers Choose Their Faves of 2011

Another list of best books! This one is composed of selected writers choosing their favorite titles of 2011. What a great list!

RT Convention 2012

Get ready for the RT 2012 convention in Rosemont!  It looks like it's going to be a big party!  Note there's a teen day as well -- Ellen, do you think there's anyone who might want to go?  RT Librarian Info will take you to the librarian track sessions, but check out all the other goings-on too (like "pimping your badge")!

What bookstores expect from authors these days

Just doing a reading apparently won't cut it any more when authors visit bookstores! See the article:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203388804576617400185035920.html

Penguin Does an About Face on ebook rentals

Penguin changes its mind and decides NOT to lend their e-books to library users. This is NOT progress.

Nook vs. Kindle (again!)

This article says that Barnes & Noble is going to offer Wi-Fi downloading of library books to the Nook next year! Hooray!

National Book Award Winners for 2011

Last night in NYC, the National Book Award was bestowed upon this years winners. I've read just one of them.....

PW: Could Amazon's Lending Library End in Court?

Looks like Amazon might have "stepped in it" by offering titles for loan without checking first with their publishing houses.

Stay tuned, this is just starting to get interesting.

Crime/Mystery Fiction Readers’ Advisory Talk


By Becky Siegel Spratford

• Becky’s blog is loaded with lots of helpful links which are listed at the end of this document. Here is the blog link (Hit control click to open link)

http://raforall.blogspot.com/2011/09/ra-for-all-roadshow-crime-fiction.html



• Traditional Mystery vs. Crime Fiction

--Traditional mystery: a murder is committed, you usually don’t know who the killer is; an investigator provides clues for the reader to solve the puzzle; killer usually brought to justice

--Crime fiction: Crime committed, investigation launched (usually not a traditional police detective), almost always know who the killer is; killer not always brought to justice, especially in modern crime novels



• Some classic authors

--Edgar Allen Poe

--Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)

--G.K. Chesterton (Father Brown)

--Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot)

--Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Whimsey)

--Ellery Queen (a joint pseudonym for the cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, as well as the name of the primary detective-hero they created)



• Post-World War II brings darker fiction

-- Dashiell Hammett (Sam Spade)

--Raymond Chandler (Philip Marlowe)

--Mickey Spillane (Mike Hammer)

--Ross MacDonald (Lew Archer)



• Police Procedural subgenre also emerges

--Hillary Waugh (Hillary is a man)

--J.J. Marric

--Ed McBain



• 1970s and 1980s: Women and Minorities emerge as authors and in stories; more focus on social issues

--Marcia Miller

--Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone mysteriers)

--Gar Anthony Haywood

--Joseph Hansen and Richard Stevenson

--Sara Paretsky (V.I. Warshawski)



• Genres we will consider

--Mystery

--Suspense and Romantic Suspense

--Thriller

--Adventure

--Psychological Suspense

--Nonfiction: True Crimes



• Appeal of Crime Fiction

--Fast paced and engrossing often because of the compressed time frame

--Also medium or slower paced (ex. Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series meanders)

--Identification with the investigator, but other characters can range from stereotypical to eccentric and unique; series characters also common

--Often multiple points of view with the hero and villain

--Investigative elements are key

--Plots can range from story-centered to character-centered, but all require plot twists and a resolved if not closed ending

--Can contain violence and strong language, but there have never been more “cozy’’ options

----The setting can range from ancient times (Steven Saylor’s Gordianus the Finder) to the future (J.D. Robb’s Eve Dallas)

--Readers may crave a certain frame

--The tone, style and language run the gamut

--Series are a huge appeal factor



• The RA Conversation for Crime/Mystery Fiction Readers

--Type of investigator

--Subgenre considerations – Historical (time and place) and Cozy are big

--Level of violence

--Tone, style, language, frame

--Character vs. plot

--TV or Movie comparisons

--Fiction vs. Nonfiction

--Format preferences



• Appeal of Mystery

--Puzzles with clues provided

--Crime, generally murder, solved by investigator

--Battle of wits (investigator vs. villain, investigator vs. reader)

--Good vs. evil

--Series characters

--Stories are intricately plotted

--Full spectrum of pacing

--Resolved, if not always closed, ending

--Judge a book by its cover—darker the artwork, darker the story



• Mystery Subgenres

--Amateur detective (including but not limited to Cozies)

--Classics

--Historical

--International (Scandanavian, European, Korean, Brittish, etc.)

--Police Procedural

--Police Detective

--Private Investigator

--Humorous



• Key Mystery Authors

--Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch series and Lincoln Lawyer series)

--Diane Mott Davidson (Queen of culinary mystery series with recipes, cooking, amateur detective)

--Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallander series—Nordic Noir, violent, dark suspense, comments on what’s wrong with Swedish Society)

--Louise Penny (Chief Inspector Gamache novels set in Quebec, intricately plotted, set between urban and country; a PI you love)

--Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs series—captivating, popular time period between the two world wars; Maisie strong-willed, intelligent, rises above class structure)



• Mystery: Other Authors to Know

--Nevada Barr (Set in American Parks system)

--Janet Evanovich (Sexy, fun)

--Donna Leon (Commissario Guido Brunetti)

--P.D. James (English female author-- Commander Adam Dalgliesh)

--Anne Perry (Historical mysteries)

--Elizabeth Peters (Egyptologists)

--Peter Robinson (British author, Inspector Alan Banks)

--C.J. Box (Joe Pickett series, set out west)

--Agatha Christie (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot)

--Dashiell Hammett (Sam Spade)

--Robert Parker (Spenser series set in Boston)

--Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe mysteries)



• Mystery Trends and Resources

--Special Interests (ex.: Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce is an 11-year-old English girl interested in chemistry)

--More development of the main character

--Cozy and Humorous Mysteries are huge and not much actual mystery (Intelligent cozies—a new sub-genre?

--Historical (especially World War I to 1960)

--Paranormal



• Suspense: Mystery’s Stepsister

--A plot in which tension builds; menacing atmosphere permeates throughout (prologue)

--Multiple points of view: hero and villain

--Compressed time frame

--Protagonist in peril

--Twists

--Fast paced, resourceful heroes

--Good vs. Evil

--Closed happy ending



• Suspense subgenres

--Not really subgenres but nuances

--Soft suspense –ex. Mary Higgins Clark

--Harder-edged suspense –ex. James Patterson, Jeffrey Deaver, John Sandford

--Romantic Suspense



• Suspense Authors

--Lee Child (Jack Reacher series—conspiracies, outsider, fast-paced)

--Harlan Coben (sure bet, fast-paced)

--Lisa Gardner (used to write romance suspense under another name—great standby author, natural dialogue)

--Tess Gerritsen (Rizzoli & Isles series, forensic scientist)

--Karin Slaughter (set in Georgia—great backstories; examines “why do people do this’’)



Romantic Suspense authors

--Christine Feehan (Paranormal)

--Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan series)

--Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle (one author, three names! Krentz does contemporary romantic suspense; Quick does historical romantic suspense; Castle writes stories of futuristic/paranormal romantic-suspense)

--J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts (hardcover Nora Roberts are romantic suspense; Robb writes futuristic science fiction police procedurals, part of the In Death series)

--Lauren Willig (Pink Carnation series--Historical setting)

--Sandra Brown (many stand-alone romantic suspense novels)

--Linda Howard (many stand-alone romantic suspense novels)

--Karen Robards (many stand-alone romantic suspense novels)

--Catherine Coulter (FBI Series)

--Suzanne Brockman (Tall, dark and dangerous series)

• Suspense: Other Authors to Know

--Mary Higgins Clark (stand-alone titles)

--James Patterson (American psychologist Alex Cross)

--Jeffrey Deaver (new James Bond novels, Quadriplegic forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme series, etc.)

--John Sandford (Prey series, Virgil Flowers series, among others)

--Tami Hoag (Single-title suspense novels)

--Julie Garwood (Single-title suspense novels)

--Erica Spindler (Single-title suspense novels)

--Tana French (Dublin Murder Squad series)

--Kate Atkinson (Jackson Brodie series)

--Stieg Larsson (Dragon Tattoo series)

--John Hart (Single-title suspense novels)



• Suspense Trends and Resources

--Stalking, Stalking, Stalking

--More graphic and bloody

--Lots of views into the “bad guy’s’’ mind

--Used to only be stand alone; now lots of series

--Supernatural and Literary options on the rise

--More investigative; blurring into Mystery

--Established Romantic Suspense moving to Suspense while new Romantic Suspense coming from Romance





• Thrillers Subgenres

--Legal Thriller

--Medical Forensic Thriller

--Techno Thriller

--Espionage/Terrorism Thriller

--Crime/Caper Thriller

--Conspiracy Thriller

--Financial /Corporate Thriller

--Bio/Eco Thriller

--Political Thriller

--Supernatural Thriller



• Key Thriller Authors

--David Baldacci (conspiracy, political, financial; Camel Club series and stand-alone novels)

--Linda A. Fairstein (law and order crime novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper)

--Mira Grant (political thriller with zombies)

--Carl Hiaasen (Crime capers in Florida—humorous, not a series)

--Daniel Silva (Novels feature Gabriel Allon, art restorer, spy and assassin)



• Thriller: Other Authors to Know

--Robin Cook (medical and public health issues)

--John Grisham (legal thrillers)

--John LeCarre (spy thrillers)

--Alan Furst (spy thrillers: Night Soldiers series and stand-alone titles)

--Lisa Scottoline (legal dramas)

--Brad Meltzer (political thriller)

--Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series)

--Continued Series: i.e. Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series written by Eric Van Lustrade, Ian Fleming’s James Bond written by Sebastian Faulks and Jeffrey Deaver



• Thrillers Trends and Resources

--Terrorism

--TV Shows (all of those legal dramas)

--Ancient conspiracies catching up to contemporary

--Lots of Nonfiction crossovers to think about



• Adventure

--Traditional Adventure will not be as appealing to your Mystery readers, but genre is changing

--Adventure can be more over-the-top than other genres—solves crime and saves world

--Exotic locales or military settings

--Not much characterization; fast paced and action oriented with a happy ending

--“Clues’’ not always there; outrageous solutions

--Sea-faring Adventure does not fit Crime appeals



• Adventure Authors who may appeal to Crime Fiction readers:

--Dan Brown (Robert Langdon series)

--Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt series)

--Jack DuBrul (techno thrillers; Phillip Mercer series)

--WEB Griffin (now with son; The Presidential Agent Series (contemporary counterterrorism, OSS Honor Bound Series, among others)

--Jack Higgins (Spy thrillers with character Sean Dillon, among many others)

--Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Pendergast novels -- techno and horror thrillers)

--Matthew Reilly (Shane Schofield series, among others)

--James Rollins (Sigma Force series with Commander Grayson Pierce)



• Adventure Trends

--Thriller is slowly absorbing traditional adventure, which is increasing its crossover appeal with crime fiction fans

--More women readers

--True Adventure



• Psychological Suspense

--Mix of Mystery, Thriller and Horror

--Tension derived from mental fears

--Produces a chill and plays with our minds

--Claustrophobic worlds; unease

--Literary Style; lots of twists

--Character and mood at forefront

--Endings unresolved and could be unhappy



• Psychological Suspense Authors

--Peter Abrahams (many stand-alone titles as well as a Youth mystery series called Echo Falls)

--Carol Goodman (Arcadia Falls)

--Jeff Lindsay (Dexter)

--Ruth Rendell (many stand-alone novels and police procedurals starring her most iconic creation, Chief Inspector Wexford,)

--Gillian Flynn (Dark Places)

--S.J. Watson (Before I Go to Sleep)

--Alfred Hitchcock

--Thomas H. Cook (Many stand-alone books)

--Frances Fyfield

--Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a Train, among others)

--Dean Koontz (many stand-alone novels)

--Thomas Harris (Silence of the Lambs)

--Val McDermid (Scottish crime writer known for her Dr. Tony Hill series)

--Minette Walters (British author, stand-alone books)



• Single Psychological Thrillers of note:

--Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

--Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon

--A Simple Plan by Scott Smith

--The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters



• Psychological Suspense Tips & Trends

--Used to be only standalone; now lots of series

--More twisted and violent

--“Hero’’ is not all good like in suspense; has dark issues

--Many traditional mystery writers and literary fiction authors are exploring this genre

--Some sources classify it as psychological horror



• Nonfiction True Crime for crime fans

--May be more appealing to some fans – Truth

--Killer caught and brought to justice

--Date quickly

--No detail spared

--Safe exploration of dark side of humanity

--Readalikes for authors and specific titles

--In Cold Blood by Capote started the narrative nonfiction genre



• True Crime Authors of Note

--Ann Rule (The Stranger Beside Me)

--John Douglas (Mind Hunter)

--Diane Fanning (Into the Water)

--Joe McGinniss (Never Enough)

--Robert Graysmith (Zodiac)

--Vincent Bugliosi (Helter Skelter)

--James B. Stewart (Blind eye : how the medical establishment let a doctor get away with murder)

--James Swanson (Manhunt : the Twelve-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer)

--Erik Larson (Devil in the White City)



• True Crime Types

--Forensic, journalistic, biographical/autobiographical/ famous/infamous

--FBI, Police, Reporters, Lawyers, Mafia

--Appeal: old books as good as new ones, maybe better



• True Crime Trends

--Whole Collection RA

--Readalikes for titles and authors

--Compilations



• Awards

--Edgar and Dagger for True Crime



• Audio and Graphic Novels

--Mystery and Suspense work well on audio; tension builds slower; can’t skip ahead as easily

--Patrons will cross genres more with audio

--Some of the best readers ply trade here

--Don’t forget that superheroes fight crime

--Frank Miller and Alan Moore do more sophisticated Graphic Novels for crime fans



• Crime Fiction Collection Development

--Take pulse of your collection at least once a year

--What are your most popular titles/authors?

--Where are you lacking?

--What are the trends?

--Keep shelves neat and clean

--Replace classic and popular titles

--Weed



• Merge crime collections

--More space

--Patron displeasure/education

--Clearer catalog records and stickering



• Display ideas

--Overlooked Stars (Use Overbooked web site, listed below)

--Show off new popular subgenres (Use Stop You’re Killing Me web site listed below)

--Crime stories not from the mystery section

--Sure bets (by title or author)

--Use face out options whenever available

--Post series lists for most popular authors

--Consider special paperback shelving, not just spinners



• Sure Bet Investigative Tales

--Erik Larson: Devil and the White City

--Ann Rule: The Stranger Beside Me

--Michael Connelly: The Black Echo

--Harlen Coben: Tell No One

--Ruth Rendell: 13 Steps Down

--Mary Higgins Clark: One the Street Where You Live

--PD James: A Taste for Death

--Diane Mott Davidson: Dying for Chocolate

--Nevada Barr: Choose by location preference

--Louise Penny: Still Life



Becky's Favorite Crime Fiction Resources: (hit control click to open link)

Books

• Caught Up in Crime: A Reader's Guide to the Criminous in Fiction by Gary Warren Niebur (LU, 2009)

• Read On...Crime Fiction by Barry Trott (LU, 2007)

Web

• Everything tagged "Crime Fiction" here on RA for All (includes original book reviews with readalike options)

• All Readers-- to check the levels of sex and violence

• The Berwyn Public Library's Suggested Reading Lists

• Booklists' May 2010 Crime Fiction Webinar

• Best Crime Novels of the 2000s

• Crime Time (Homepage and Database of British Magazine), including their Crime Scene series in partnership with the International Association of Crime Writers.

• Overbooked's Crime Fiction Section

• 10 Best Modern European Crime Writers

• The Rap Sheet: An Award winning blog that covers all things Crime Fiction from books to TV to movies, old and new.

• Criminal Element: A blog which has stories, reviews and crime info. Updated daily.

• From 2009 this interesting round table discussion on the State of Crime Fiction from the Huffington Post

• Daily Beast articles by Sarah Weinman, crime fiction book expert

• The Outfit: A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers (blog)

• Nordic Bookblog: All things Nordic Noir in one place (also search RA for All for specific mentions of the very popular Nordic Noir trend)

Becky's Favorite Mystery Resources:



Books

• The Readers' Advisory Guide to Mystery, Second Edition by John Charles et al. (ALA Editions, 2011)

• Make Mine a Mystery II: A Reader’s Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction by Gary Warren Niebuhr (LU, 2011)

• Murder in Retrospect: A Selectvie Guide to Historical Mystery Fiction by Michael Burgess and Jill H. Vassilakos (LU, 2005)

Web

• Everything tagged "Mystery" here on RA for All (includes original book reviews with readalike options)

• Stop You're Killing Me-- just go there; you'll be glad you did.

• DorothyL mailing list for writers and readers

• The Gumshoe Site

• Historical Mysteries

• Mystery Net: An online resource for mystery lovers

• Mystery Reader: includes Suspense, Romantic Suspense, and Thrillers. Rated reviews

• Mystery Readers International

• And just for fun...Murder by Toaster a Fiction-L list of surprisingly lethal weapons

Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Thriller, Adventure, and Psychological Suspense Resources:



Books

• Blood, Bedlam, Bullets, and Badguys: A Reader’s Guide to Adventure/Suspense Fiction by Michael Gannon (LU, 2004)





Web

• Everything tagged Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Thriller, Adventure, or Psychological Suspense here on RA for All: click on each genre for a specific list (includes original book reviews with readalike options).

• Becky's Psychological Suspense Handout (pdf of a tri-fold brochure)

• International Thriller Writers-- covers suspense, adventure, mystery, and even some horror.

• Mystery Reader: includes Suspense, Romantic Suspense, and Thrillers. Rated reviews

• NPR's Top 100 Killer Thrillers

• 100 Greatest Adventure Stories of All Time from National Geographic

True Crime Resources:



Books

• The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Nonfiction by Neal Wyatt. (ALA Editions, 2007)

• The Real Story: A Guide to Nonfiction Reading Interests by Sarah Statz Cords (includes fiction read-a-likes.) (LU, 2006)

Web

• Overbooked’s True Crime Reading List

• Book Browse’s Recent True Crime List

• Popular True Crime Books via GoodReads

• 25 Best True Crime Books

• True Crime Book Reviews

• Top 50 true crime blogs

• Queen of True Crime, Ann Rule's homepage

Awards for Crime Fiction Books in All Genres Mentioned Above:

Award lists, both the winners and nominees, are a great way to identify popular and critically acclaimed novels and authors for your crime fiction fans. Many of these awards include a category for best debut. This is an excellent resource for your readers who claim they have already read "everything."

• RUSA's Reading List-- highlights outstanding genre fiction that merit special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them.

• Agatha Award–Malice Domestic Convention

• Macavity Awards–Mystery Readers International and given annually at Bouchercon

• Anthony Awards–awarded at Bouchercon by vote of members of convention

• Edgar Awards–Mystery Writers of America

• Shamus Awards–Private Eye Writers of America

• Daggers–awarded by Crime Writers Association of Britain

• Mary Higgins Clark Award-- for books most like Clark's

• International Thriller Writers Annual Awards

• Shirley Jackson Award-- "for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic."

• Black Quill Awards-- "honor those works of dark genre literature – horror, suspense, and thrillers"

Becky's 5 RA Resources You Cannot Live Without:



• Amazon: Plot summaries, possible read alikes, but most importantly, customer comments! 5 star and 1 star reviews are the most helpful.

• NoveList: EBSCO Database: subscription required, check your local library.

• Kent District Public Library’s What’s Next: Easy to retrieve and print lists of books in series order. Makes patrons happy. Brings them back!

• Gnooks: When you are desperate…distract them.

• RA for ALL: where you are right now

Amazon Picks Top Ten Books of 2011

Amazon Unveils Best Books of 2011 List, and Names "The Art of Fielding" Best Book of the Year



SEATTLE, Nov 08, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --



Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced its picks for Best Books of 2011. This annual feature includes the Editors' Picks for the Top 100 Books of the Year and Top 10 lists in more than two dozen categories, from Literature & Fiction to Children's Picture Books to the new category Kindle Singles. To see all of the Best Books of 2011, or to download any of the picks to your Kindle, visit www.amazon.com/bestbooks2011.





"Well-known authors like Haruki Murakami and Jeffrey Eugenides really delivered this year, but 2011 was also a time for notable debuts," said Chris Schluep, Senior Editor of Books at Amazon.com. "There are three first-time novelists among our top 10 picks, led by our choice of Chad Harbach's 'The Art of Fielding' as Best Book of the Year. We welcome the opportunity to introduce our customers to voices that will entertain and inform for years to come, and with choices from literary masterworks to genre fiction to nonfiction, there's something for everyone."



The Best Books of 2011 Store is live now on Amazon.com. The Best Book of the Year, "The Art of Fielding" by Chad Harbach, was an Amazon spotlight pick for September's Best Book of the Month. In a year of wonderful debuts, our editors singled out Harbach's first novel for its depth and confidence, superior narrative and style, unique publishing story, and ability to transcend that story and just be a great read.



Here's a look at the Top 10 editors' picks for the year:



1. "The Art of Fielding" by Chad Harbach: "The Art of Fielding" is the veritable baseball book that's actually about much more than baseball, and it's on par with the work of Bernard Malamud and David James Duncan. It's rare to see a debut so confident, intimate, unpredictable and wholly memorable.



2. "1Q84" by Haruki Murakami: Murakami has created a sensation: a nearly 950-page novel that is ordered and scrupulous, and reads like a meditation. "1Q84" is the story of two people living in parallel, who we know must meet each other eventually, and their twisting arcs drive this magnum opus by one of the world's finest novelists.



3. "What It Is Like to Go to War" by Karl Marlantes: The veteran marine and best-selling author of "Matterhorn" draws on his brutal experiences in foreign jungles to look at the nature of combat with unflinching honesty. Balancing novelistic descriptions of fear, power games and courage with a thoughtful prescription for our soldiers' well being, Marlantes lifts the bar for understanding the experience of war.



4. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larsen:Master storyteller Larsen describes the life of America's first and only ambassador to Nazi Germany, along with the scandalous adventures of the ambassador's carefree daughter. "In the Garden of the Beasts" is an historical portrait that is as entertaining as it is important, and it reads like the best of political thrillers.



5. "The Marriage Plot" by Jeffrey Eugenides: Eugenides' third novel, and his first after the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Middlesex," describes the lives of three college seniors at Brown in the early 1980s. It is a thoughtful, andat times disarming, novel about life, love and discovery, set during a time when so much of life seemed filled with deep portent.



6. "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor: With this young adult novel, National Book Award finalist Taylor has created a magical world that will sweep up even the most jaded of readers. The story of 17-year-old Kalou is an enchanting tale of magic, star-crossed love and difficult choices with heartbreaking repercussions that could make it the next hot YA sensation.



7. "Before I Go to Sleep" by S.J. Watson: Suspenseful from start to finish, Watson's "Before I Go to Sleep" -- the story of Christine, who wakes up every day not knowing who she is -- presents profound questions about identity and is one of the best literary thrillers of the past few years. Compelling, immersive and chilling.



8. "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson: Few in history have transformed their time like Steve Jobs has. In this timely book, Isaacson paints a vivid, compelling portrait that pulls no punches -- the end result is satisfying, complete, and gives insight into a man who managed to turn his contradictions into potent strengths.



9. "Lost in Shangri-La" by Michael Zuckoff: A riveting story of survival and deliverance from a notorious valley in the New Guinea jungle, Zuckoff's "Lost in Shangri-La"deserves its place among the great survival stories of World War II.



10. "The Tiger's Wife" by Téa Obreht: Croatian native Obreht tells the story of a young doctor seeking answers around her grandfather's death, delving into a land of storytelling, mythology, and conflict in her extraordinary debut.

Cook Library's Own Susie Pasini

Libertyville Patch talked to Susie about Cook Library's Library's goal to become a library without walls!

How to Load up your EReader with Books for Free

Lifehacker, a website for geeks, had a good post steering folks toward the public library and away from Amazon's newest 'deal.'

Nothing new here, but another perspective from outside library land.

Breakdown of Titles in Kindle Lending Library

 Kindle's announcement about lending their titles to Kindle owners for one month sounds like a great deal, but here is a site which breaks down those free titles into categories.

Something our patrons might be interested in knowing.

BTW, these titles are only available on the Kindle devices, NOT to those running the Kindle app on another device.

Kindle Launches Lending Library!

 Kindle Launches Lending Library

For those who are Amazon Premium members (costs $79 a year), Amazon will now lend up to 5000 Kindle titles!

Whoa---now they're in direct competition with libraries.

Your thoughts??

Best Sellers in 1972---Remember what YOU were reading?

The Way Back Machine – Best Sellers 1972


by jhills


This month, we're traveling back to 1972 - a year of dubious distinction (Watergate happened in 1972, after all). Some of the other things you might remember from that year, if you were sentient:

• The movie, The Godfather, is released in March, inspiring kids everywhere to fill their cheeks with cotton and begin speaking in a Noo Yawk accent.

• The Sunshine Mine Fire occurred in Northern Idaho in May, killing 91 workers. It remains one of the worst mine disasters in U.S. history.

• Apollo 17 lands on the moon in December, the last manned Apollo mission, and the last mission to the moon. Maybe it's time to go back?

In case you don't remember 1972 firsthand, or want to experience it again, pick up one of these books from the New York Times Best Seller List for the week of October 29, 1972. It's an offer you can't refuse! (Okay - a little too punny - I can hear you groaning from miles away...)

~~~

FICTION:

1 - Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

2 - August 1914 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

3 - The Winds of War by Herman Wouk

4 - Semi-Tough by Dan Jenkins

5 - On the Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt

6 - Captains and the Kings by Taylor Caldwell

7 - To Serve Them All My Days by R.F. Delderfield

8 - Dark Horse by Fletcher Knebel

9 - My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

10 - A Portion for Foxes by Jane Mcilvaine Mcclary

~~~

NONFICTION:

1 - I'm OK, You're OK by Thomas Harris

2 - The Peter Prescription by Laurence J. Peter

3 – Eleanor: The Years Alone by Joseph P. Lash

4 - Open Marriage by Nena And George O'Neill

5 - O Jerusalem! by Larry Collins And Dominique Lapierre

6 - Super Money by Adam Smith

7 - Luce and His Empire by W. A. Swanberg

8 - A Nation of Strangers by Vance Packard

9 - Fire in the Lake by Frances Fitzgerald

10 - Paris Was Yesterday by Janet Flanner

jhills
October 27, 2011 at 9:00 am
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Short List Announced for DSC Prize for South Asian Lit

Finalists for the $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, which was created to "acquaint readers to the rich diversity of South Asia's myriad language traditions," are:




Bharathipura by U.R. Ananthamurthy

A Street in Srinagar by Chandrakanta

Monkey-man by Usha K.R

Chinaman by Shehan Karunatilaka

The Thing About Thugs by Tabish Khair

The Story that Must Not Be Told by Kavery Nambisan



The winner will be announced January 21 at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival.

Best Books of 2011

Yipppeee! It's time for the lists of the best books of 2011 and I do love lists! Amazon apparently jumped the gun (according to my friends at EarlyWord) and here is theirs:

Amazon's list of best books of 2011

 More to come---this is just the beginning. (It's sort of like that huge Christmas display at Macy's weeks before Halloween, but for book lovers.)

Page to Screen--Fall 2011

Books on the silver screen for this fall!

Amazon Rewrites the Rules of Book Publishing

Amazon

According to the NYT, Amazon seems to be on the verge of making publisher and bookseller nightmares a reality. I will miss browsing bookstores, if their nightmares come to pass....

National Book Award Nominees Include YA for 1st Time!

">Link 2011 National Book Award nominees

The twenty Finalists for the 2011 National Book Awards were announced on Oregon Public Broadcasting's morning radio program, Think Out Loud, in front of a live audience at the new Literary Arts Center in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, October 12. The announcement was also streamed live on Oregon Public Broadcasting's website, www.opb.org/nationalbookawards. Past NBA Winners, Finalists, and Judges announced this year's Finalists by category:




Virginia Euwer Wolff, National Book Award Winner in 2001, will announce the Young People's Literature Finalists.

Vern Rutsala, National Book Award Finalist in 2005, will announce the Poetry Finalists.

Sallie Tisdale, National Book Award Judge in 2010, will announce the Nonfiction Finalists.

Charles Johnson, National Book Award Winner in 1990 and Judge in 1999 and 2009, will announce the Fiction Finalists

Ebook Check-outs up 200% vs. 2010

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Yup, sounds about right.

http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/10/12/overdrive-reports-ebook-checkouts-already-up-200-percent-versus-2010/

Shareable: Libraries Aren't Dying, They're Evolving

Shareable: Libraries Aren't Dying, They're Evolving

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Hooray for Teen Novels

Hooray for YA Novels for Readers of All Ages

NPR ran a story this summer about YA fiction that adults would enjoy. So, if you're looking to dip into some YA literature, here are their recommendations.

Evolving Book Clubs article from LJ

Evolving Book Club from LJ
Anyone else noticed that it's mostly non-librarians who are wringing their hands and worrying about the future of books....????
Librarians are just quietly dealing with it. I'm glad this article points out some of the things libraries are doing to deal with the changes and the new technology.

Chris Crutcher's Response to YA Kerfuffle

Although the WSJ started this YA kerfuffle back in early June, Chris Crutcher's response is invaluable. The point that most resonates with me, from my own experiences, is that YA literature gives names to the bad things that can happen to kids which then allows then to talk about it. It's easy to forget that kids who have bad things happen to them, often feel as if it was their fault. YA literature, yes even the darkest of the dark, can empower teens and be the basis for conversations with the adults in their lives.

Hugo Awards for 2011 Announced

Connie Willis wins again!

Other Books for fans of "The Help"

W. 11th & Bluff: More suggestions for fans of "The Help"

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Carnegie Strout Library in Dubuque, Iowa has compiled some lists of read-alikes for fans of The Help (since there are now over 70 holds on our copies....)

Conjuring the Next Harry Potter

Fascinating WSJ article about The Night Circus  and the publishing industry's search for The Next Big Thing.

(Have I mentioned how much I LOVED this book???)

Oh, the pages that glow!

Fasten your seatbelts and keep your hands inside the car----it's gonna be quite a ride!


Oh, the pages that glow!

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Amazon Launches the Kindle Cloud Reading

The Revolution continues! Long live the Revolution!

Isn't it FUN being part of this!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!!!!

New Word for today: Transmedia

JK Rowling is about to do it again! Pottermore.com, a website scheduled to open to the public in October, is predicted by some to "transform storytelling."

I read this article and still don't quite understand it, but I will be there in October to play in this new sandbox!

The Case for Raunchy YA Lit

Raunchy is a strong word used by the author of this article to make a point about the value of, say, realistic fiction for teens. A must-read article, IMHO.

Ebooks Accelerate Paperback Release Dates

An unintended consequence of the huge changes taking place in the publishing industry started by ebooks, works to our advantage! Book clubs will benefit!

Google Has Entered the eReader Game!

Wow---$140 for an eReader from Google......

The YA Lit Kefuffle, continued

This interesting debate seems to bring out passionate responses from all sides of the political spectrum. (yeah, I know, another mixed metaphor.)

Book on Amazon's Top Lists---while it's still being written?!

Could John Green, best-selling, YA author, have his finger on the future (sorry for the mixed metaphor) of publishing?

Gatsby Without the Greatness?

So Fitzgerald's masterpiece has been re-written to make it more "accessible" to less able readers. Sort of like re-working Mark Twain to make it "less racist." So has political correctness gone TOO far? Roger Ebert certainly thinks so.

South Korea to throw away schoolbooks by 2015

South Korea to throw away schoolbooks by 2015

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RITA Awards Announded

The Romance Writers of America gave out this year's award for the best romantic novels in a wide variety of subcategories.

 I will be reading the YA winner The Iron King by Kagawa.

Scholastic's Book Wizard helps find Read-alikes

Stumped for a Read-like for a young adult? This site might help! You can modify by reading level and find similar books for teens and younger readers. Is NOT limited to Scholastic titles and was designed for teachers, but it looks useful.

Pretty cool! Go ahead, play with it a bit. (I tried Hunger Games as my first search and only came up with its sequels. My next search was better.)

Hope this is helpful!

Your loyal blogger.

PW's Take on the Recent YA Lit Controversy

Publisher's Weekly summarizes the recent storms in the YA lit world. Did you miss them? This is all you'll need to read.

Another Kerfuffle about YA Lit

Last weekend, the WSJ published an article about how 'dark' YA literature is and questioned whether is was appropriate for the teens to be reading about suicide, drug abuse, sex, etc. etc. As you might imagine, a healthy debate has ensued. This links you to the WSJ article and to NPRs summary and history of this debate.

Just so you know what's happening in the wide world of YA this week. :-)

Lillian Jackson Braun dies at 97

The author of the always popular Cat Who... series has died.

Let the E-Reader Price War Begin!

Barnes & Noble has just dropped the price of their popular e-reader, increased the screen size and added a touch screen, apparently trying to squash Kobo's advantage.

Good time to buy an e-reader!

Value of YA Lit

The first sentence alone is the best thing I've read for a long time about YA literature. Definitely worth reading this thoughtful and short essay. 

Great Gatsby cast looks awesome!

Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carroway.....this could be GREAT!!

Cloud Atlas: Coming to a Screen Near You!

David Mitchell's novel is coming to the screen and will feature Tom Hanks and Susan Sarandon, among others. Looks like it's got a big budget and some great people signed on.

Guess I'd better read that book.....

Could this be the next Harry Potter movie series?

Exciting news for King Arthur and Merlin fans! (Of which I am one.)

Motherland, the next chapter

 If you remember, in Motherland, young Edith made a good friend, Gertie,  on the ship coming to America. After a couple of weeks of hanging out together, they were separated and never had contact again. That is until a group of Naperville 8th graders, after hearing Fern speak about her mother, decided to try to track down Gertie. The Facebook generation didn't understand the concept of losing track of someone, so they went to work and found Gertie.

This blog details the story of the kids, their search, their resources (the library, of course!) and the reunion after 73 years of these women who met when they were the age of the Naperville students.

This is a story that will bring tears to your eyes.

Coming soon: The Great Gatsby in 3D (seriously!)

Do you suppose that Fitzgerald would approve of this newest adaptation of his tome?

Locus Award 2011 Finalists

Science fiction's biggest awards have been announced.


(And I've actually read two of them!)

Is this the future of the book???

Is it a book or an app???

This is WAY cool!! Watch the video narrated by Al Gore about this new product.

Interview with Greg Mortenson

Outside magazine conducted a friendly interview with Greg Mortenson, allowing him to tell his side of the story. This was forwarded to me by Cathy Amin.

MinnPost - Book Club Club: E-book sales overtake paperbacks in February

MinnPost - Book Club Club: E-book sales overtake paperbacks in February

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about eReaders, ........

but were afraid to ask.

This IPL site is good and might be helpful. It even includes the best eReaders for kids and basic descriptions of the various formats in 7-11 English.

Amazon to Allow Library Lending on Kindles

Hang on to your hats, the winds of change are blowing hard today!

Orange Prize Short List Announced

 London, 9.30am, 12 April 2011: The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman, today announces the 2011 shortlist. Celebrating its sixteenth anniversary this year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world.




•Emma Donoghue (Irish) - Room; Picador; 7th Novel

•Aminatta Forna (British/Sierra Leonean) - The Memory of Love; Bloomsbury; 2nd Novel

•Emma Henderson (British) - Grace Williams Says it Loud; Sceptre; 1st Novel

•Nicole Krauss (American) - Great House; Viking; 3rd Novel

•Téa Obreht (Serbian/American) - The Tiger’s Wife; Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1st Novel

•Kathleen Winter (Canadian) - Annabel; Jonathan Cape; 1st Novel

Open Letter to Librarians from Harper Collins

Although I don't have as much fire in my belly over this as some of those who respond to this letter do, it's another fascinating POV in the skirmishes betwen librarians and HC.

Nominees for Indies Choice Award

Good list of new books. Enjoy!

Overdrive's response to HarperCollins

Last week HarperCollins made a huge decision to allow only 26 uses per license of their ebook titles. This is Overdrive's response. On one hand this is interesting (watching an industry try to maintain control during a time of huge change), but on the other hand it's making things so much more complicated for our patrons.

Loose Cannon Librarian on HarperCollins

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Powell's Book Store's Tournament of Books

Now these are some brackets I could get excited about! What a brilliant concept!

Harpercollins Caps Loans on EBooks

This is NOT progress.

Larsson, Gilbert Top OverDrive's Most Downloaded Library E-Books List

Larsson, Gilbert Top OverDrive's Most Downloaded Library E-Books List

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Huckleberry Finn's newest edition is being....edited

Not sure how I feel about this 'change' in Huck Finn. Seems to indicate that readers are afraid of Twain's provocative use of language and unwilling to address the word's power and history. 


Your thoughts?

An early look at 'Water for Elephants'

An early look at 'Water for Elephants'

Water for Elephants coming to a screen near you in mid-April! Here's the trailer for it.

Top Audiobooks for 2010

Yup, even audio books get a best of 2010 list, but this seems to be just a tease. It does confirm my love for Simon Vance as a narrator. I'd happily listen to him read a phone book!

Kirkus Reviews Best of 2010

Sick of lists of Best Books yet?? Just in case you're not, here's Kirkus's version. Enjoy!

More Best Books of 2010!

Here is a blogger who is keeping track of EVERY list of Best Books for 2010. So, list lovers---enjoy!

The Year in Reading: Malcolm Gladwell

The Year in Reading: Malcolm Gladwell

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Best Adult Books 4 Teens 2010

Good books not only for teens, but the couple of these I've read have been excellent!

Calibre eBook Manager

This might be a good tool for those really tech-y people to use to translate eBooks into a format they could use on their eReaders.

Caution: Only for those who are proficient with computers and patient about self-teaching.

Google Set to Launch E-Book Venture

This is probably the most mind-blowing change in book selling and marketing I've ever seen. This is a must-read article!

"Google Editions hopes to upend the existing e-book market by offering an open, "read anywhere" model that is different from many competitors. Users will be able to buy books directly from Google or from multiple online retailers—including independent bookstores—and add them to an online library tied to a Google account. They will be able to access their Google accounts on most devices with a Web browser, including personal computers, smartphones and tablets."






Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704369304575632602305759466.html#ixzz16sX4IURo

Technology Petting Zoo

Not sure if this is might ever happen at Cook, but I love the idea of a Technology Petting Zoo!

The Fairfield, Conn., Public Library offers a "Technology Petting Zoo" where patrons "can now try out new e-book readers and other emerging technologies... Currently the library has an Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook, and an Apple iPad for patrons to demo," the Sun reported.

National Book Award Nominees

Now Hear This: National Book Award nominees 2010 via NPR.

Kids Would Read More If They Had E-Readers

Great NYT article which articulates what seems to me to be an obvious observation......if we put e-readers in kids' hands, they would read more!
What an exciting time to be in the library/book business!

A Judge Writes about Ellen Hopkins YA series on Meth

One of the more frequently challenged YA series is written by Ellen Hopkins who personalizes the meth crisis. The books are brutally honest and frankly describe the many horrors of addiction to meth. This is an incredibly thoughtful and informative essay by a judge about his experiences in his courtroom with meth addicts and how Hopkins's books have helped him gain insight into the addicts' psyche.

Celebrate Banned Books Week by reading a banned book---the list is long and filled with some really good books.

Ten Best e-Readers

One techy site I frequent suggests that these are the ten best e-readers with a couple of honorable mentions. There are a couple here I'd never heard of, but leave it to the geeks to seek them out and evaluate them. 
Christmas is coming.......

October Is National Reading Group Month

October Is National Reading Group Month

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First Look at New Sony eBook Readers

These look to be the most promising for those looking to check out eBooks from the library!! Unfortunately, they aren't as affordable as the Kindles.

Hunger Games & Yom Kippur

Fascinating take on the moral aspects of Hunger Games as they relate to Yom Kippur (and Eat, Pray, Love).

Size of Books & E-Readers Determined by Medieval Sheep

After lists of books, I love learning bits of historical trivia reminding me that "the past isn't dead, it isn't even past." (apologies to Wm Faulkner) 

How cool is this?!?

Sony Releases Redesigned, Upgraded Suite of Digital Readers

Sony Releases Redesigned, Upgraded Suite of Digital Readers

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Upgraded their readers AND raised their prices. The eReader price wars might be coming to an end. Just sayin'.

Hugo Awards 2010 Announced

The Hugo Awards for 2010 have been announced. These are the best new science fiction stories, books and authors for the year.

Man Booker Prize Shortlist Announced

Judges decide on six shortlisted titles
7 September 2010
Peter Carey, Emma Donoghue, Damon Galgut, Howard Jacobson, Andrea Levy and Tom McCarthy are today, Tuesday 7 September, announced as the six shortlisted authors for the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. For over four decades the prize - the leading literary award in the English speaking world - has brought recognition, reward and readership to the outstanding new novels of the year. The shortlist was announced by Chair of judges, Sir Andrew Motion, at a press conference held at Man's London headquarters.

The six books, selected from the Man Booker Prize longlist of 13, are:

Peter Carey Parrot and Olivier in America (Faber and Faber)

Emma Donoghue Room (Picador - Pan Macmillan)

Damon Galgut In a Strange Room (Atlantic Books - Grove Atlantic)

Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question (Bloomsbury)

Andrea Levy The Long Song (Headline Review -
Headline Publishing Group)

Tom McCarthy C (Jonathan Cape - Random House)

Chair of judges Andrew Motion, comments:

"It's been a great privilege and an exciting challenge for us to reduce our longlist of thirteen to this shortlist of six outstandingly good novels. In doing so, we feel sure we've chosen books which demonstrate a rich variety of styles and themes - while in every case providing deep individual pleasures."

Australian author Peter Carey is one of only two authors to have won the prize twice, in 1988 for Oscar and Lucinda and in 2001 for True History of the Kelly Gang. Should he win this year, he would become the only author to have won three times. He was also shortlisted in 1985 for Illywhacker. South African author Damon Galgut has previously been shortlisted for his book The Good Doctor in 2003 and Howard Jacobson has been longlisted twice before for his novels Kalooki Nights in 2006 and Who's Sorry Now? in 2002. Irish author Emma Donoghue is, at 40, the youngest author on the shortlist.

The winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction will be announced on Tuesday 12 October at a dinner at London's Guildhall. The announcement will be broadcast on BBC News across television, radio and online.

The winner will receive a cheque for £50,000 and worldwide recognition. Last year's winning novel, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, has now sold over half a million copies in the UK alone. Each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, receives £2,500 and a designer bound edition of their shortlisted book.

Chaired by Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate, the 2010 judges are Rosie Blau, Literary Editor of the Financial Times; Deborah Bull, formerly a dancer, now Creative Director of the Royal Opera House as well as a writer and broadcaster; Tom Sutcliffe, journalist, broadcaster and author and Frances Wilson, biographer and critic.

On Sunday 10 October, two days before the winner is announced, the shortlisted authors will appear at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall. It is the only public opportunity to join the 2010 shortlisted authors for readings from their books, discussion and an audience Q&A.

In addition, the Man Booker Prize has teamed up with the Victoria and Albert Museum and the London based private members' club The Groucho Club, who will both host events with some of the shortlisted authors for their members.

Last month the prize announced exciting new digital plans for 2010. The Man Booker Prize App is now free to download from the App Store to an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch and is the UK's first app for a literary prize. The prize has also partnered with T-Mobile via the digital book retailer GoSpoken. T-Mobile users can access content on their mobile phones and GoSpoken has provided free audio extracts from all the 13 longlisted titles which can be downloaded to subscribers' mobiles.

Read the full press release here.

Q&A interviews with each of the shortlisted authors can be found in Perspective.

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Oprah's Book Club Is Back in Session

The book world is all abuzz about Oprah's surprise announcement that is going to re-activate her book club. Everyone's speculating about what the title might be----here's some feasible guesses from a reliable source.

E-Readers Compared

After bumbling through a question from a patron today about e-readers, I thought I should educate myself about the choices out there and their quality.

There's also C-Net which does great reviews of all things tech-y.

I suspect that this Christmas season e-readers will be a hot gift!

Why Kindles Can't Use eBooks from the Library---easy to understand

Here's a good article which explains quite simply why those patrons with Kindles cannot use books from anyone else except Amazon.

It seems digital music went through this sort of growing pains for several years early on before sorting out a common format.

The article suggests that this confusion and lack of cooperation between companies might last for a while.

Man Booker Dozen announced

The judges for the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction today, Tuesday 27 July, announce the longlist for the prize, the leading literary award in the English speaking world.

A total of 138 books, 14 of which were called in by the judges, were considered for the ‘Man Booker Dozen' longlist of 13 books.

The longlist includes:

Peter Carey Parrot and Olivier in America (Faber and Faber)

Emma Donoghue Room (Pan MacMillan - Picador)

Helen Dunmore The Betrayal (Penguin - Fig Tree)

Damon Galgut In a Strange Room (Grove Atlantic - Atlantic Books)

Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question (Bloomsbury)

Andrea Levy The Long Song
(Headline Publishing Group - Headline Review)

Tom McCarthy C (Random House - Jonathan Cape)

David Mitchell The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (Hodder & Stoughton - Sceptre)

Lisa Moore February (Random House - Chatto & Windus)

Paul Murray Skippy Dies (Penguin - Hamish Hamilton)

Rose Tremain Trespass (Random House - Chatto & Windus)

Christos Tsiolkas The Slap (Grove Atlantic - Tuskar Rock)

Alan Warner The Stars in the Bright Sky
(Random House - Jonathan Cape)

The chair of judges, Andrew Motion, comments:

"Here are thirteen exceptional novels - books we have chosen for their intrinsic quality, without reference to the past work of their authors. Wide-ranging in their geography and their concern, they tell powerful stories which make the familiar strange and cover an enormous range of history and feeling. We feel confident that they will provoke and entertain."

Peter Carey is one of only two authors to have won the prize twice, in 1988 for Oscar and Lucinda and 2001 for True History of the Kelly Gang. In 1985 his book Illywhacker was shortlisted for the prize and Theft: A Love Story was longlisted in 2006.

Three authors have been shortlisted before: David Mitchell (twice shortlisted in 2001 for number9dream and in 2004 for Cloud Atlas), Damon Galgut (in 2003 for The Good Doctor) and Rose Tremain (shortlisted in 1989 for Restoration). She was also a judge for the Booker Prize in 1988 and 2000.

Howard Jacobson has been longlisted twice for his book Kalooki Nights in 2006 and for Who's Sorry Now? in 2002.

The 2010 shortlist will be announced on Tuesday 7 September at a press conference at Man Group's London headquarters. The winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2010 will be revealed on Tuesday 12 October at a dinner at London's Guildhall and will be broadcast on the BBC Ten O'Clock News.

The winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction will receive £50,000 and can look forward to greatly increased sales and worldwide recognition. Each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, will receive £2,500 and a designer bound edition of their shortlisted book.

Chaired by Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate, the 2010 judges are Rosie Blau, Literary Editor of the Financial Times; Deborah Bull, formerly a dancer, now Creative Director of the Royal Opera House as well as a writer and broadcaster; Tom Sutcliffe, journalist, broadcaster and author and Frances Wilson, biographer and critic.



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Alison Weir

This is part of a site called Five Books in which well-known authors reveal their five favorite books ever. Quite interesting!

Alison Weir

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The Kids Books Are Alright

Adult fans of Harry Potter, Twilight and the Hunger Games series are speaking out about why they love these books, ostensibly written for young adults! (We're in good company!)

Duncan Smith podcast.

Short (five minutes about) podcast by Duncan Smith talking about changes at NoveList this summer!

NPR's Top 100 Thrillers

NPR listeners voted for their top 100 thrillers. Interesting list....