I know, when you're thinking Stephen King read-alikes, the Mormon author of Ender's Game doesn't jump to the top of your list. But he should. For this one book, at least. Lost Boys...Read More
If Jody Picoult wrote a 373-page Amber Alert, it might read a lot like The Weight of Silence by debut novelist Heather Gudenkauf. This trade paperback best seller begins with seven-year-old Calli Clark emerging from the woods and uttering her first word in four years. Will she be able to lead the authorities to the other little girl missing from her bedroom since early that morning? And what happened to pre-school Calli that would silence her for years? What happened to her in the woods that has finally shaken her speech loose? The day's events are told in short chapters through the eyes of Calli, her drunken and abusive father, her doting older brother, her unhappy mother, her mother's old flame the deputy sherif...Read More
Our Web Crush for this Friday is the blog of one Nathan Bransford: Literary Agent Extrordinare (as far as we're concerned). For anyone interested in how a book gets published, this guy tells all. An extensive FAQ section on the writing process and publishing world, as well as regular industry postings.
Just last week, a patron asked me how she could even get started on her idea for a children's books. Naturally I sent her to the usual suspects on the shelf (Writers Market, etc), but then I pointed her in the direction of Nathan's FAQ section because he gives real answers to real questions.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/08/faqs.html
One of the things I enjoy about historical womens' fiction is that it tends to age well, and The Naked Heart by Jacqueline Briskin is no exception. Contemporary fiction loses something over time, soon reeking of trends and fashion, but a book set in another era gets to stay firmly in the past. In The Naked Heart, former bestselling author Briskin crafts a story of war, revenge, friendship, and love. Gilberte and Anne are best friends torn apart by the Nazis in World War Two. Aristocratic Gilberte is uncovered as a collaborator while Anne gets to run off into the sunset with Gilberte's cousin. Years later they meet again, and Gilberte is hell-bent on revenge. Secrets from the past will get you every time...
*Note to our Loyal Readers: This was originally posted on our site last month, but we thought since Glee's been bumped for 2 weeks thanks to the World Series, readers might be hankering for their fix of funny, so you could send them to these titles. Enjoy!
As a singer myself (not to mention a lover of snarky humor), I was not surprised at the immediate popularity of FOX’s new show, Glee. Although, the guidance counselor has rapidly gone from cute and quirky to disturbing and sad, and both of the pregnancy storylines are completely absurd… but I digress.
Welcome to Shelfrenewal! We're Karen Kleckner and Rebecca Vnuk, librarians in the Chicago metro area with a combined 20 years of readers' advisory experience. Recently, we started feeling a little sorry for those backlist titles that just don’t get enough attention. We wanted to know, what could we do for those awesome books languishing on the shelves, while library patrons walk away empty handed waiting for the newest thing? What could supplement the journals, catalogs, web sites and databases that we and all of our colleagues were already using? And then we realized, "Hey! We love books, have short attention spans, and like things posted in chronological order....Read More
It's no coincidence that Salzman's novel about a Carmelite nun is, itself, contemplative. Sister John of the Cross has brought thousands closer to God with her inspirational writings. Her experiences of the Divine are s...Read More
Rhoda Janzen's perfectly titled Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is everywhere--Indiebound's November 2009 Indie Next List, Entertainment Weekly, Time Magazine, and Marie Claire. Readers looking for quilting patterns, buggy repair tips, or the Schadenfreude found in autobiographies of women raised in restrictive subcultures will be disappointed. Readers who like collections of essays by smart, funny women who still wonder why they had to bring their own milk on family vacat...Read More
In honor of the Halloween weekend, we decided this week's Web Crush of the Week will be a site that often features horror fiction. Welcome to Bookgasm.
I think the opening lines of their "About Us" page says it all: "Hey, have you read the new Nora Roberts? Are you a member of Oprah’s Book Club? Do you enjoy stories about the struggles of the disenfranchised in our society? If you answered “no” to all those questions, we’d like to welcome you to BOOKGASM, the site dedicated to READING MATERIAL TO GET EXCITED ABOUT."
Bookgasm covers mainstream as well as indie publishers, news, reviews, and interviews. They skew towards thrillers/horror/noir. We love them for their snarky sense of humor and their willingness to embrace books that most mainstream book blogs won't even walk alongside of.
I know, when you're thinking Stephen King read-alikes, the Mormon author of 
If Jody Picoult wrote a 373-page Amber Alert, it might read a lot like 
Birds of America by Lorrie Moore. 1998.
...
Rhoda Janzen's perfectly titled Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is everywhere--