I’ve begun to notice a pattern in my reading. This happens a lot. I’ll jump from historical fiction to literary coming-of-age stories to popular best sellers and back, gobbling them all up along the way.
It seems there is an abundance of Appalachian fiction these days and it would appear that I am slightly addicted to it. We all know how I felt after reading Sweeping Up Glass. I also ventured outside the Random House family last fall and read Velva Jean Learns to Drive and The Well and the Mine, both fine reads. My latest favorite, Bloodroot, is set in East Tennesse’s Smoky Mountains and follows three generations of a family haunted by secrets and madness, blood red love and intense hatred, from the Great Depression to present day. And I must say I agree with a fellow Goodreads.com member who said not to be fooled by the peaceful looking cover, this book is vicious. A debut novel, it is wonderfully written. Somber and heartbreaking, even the most difficult moments are gorgeous. Also woven into the narrative and the lives of the characters are smidges of magical realism that enable the reader to vividly imagine each wild woman and her “haint blue” eyes as well as the ghosts that haunt the residents of Bloodroot Mountain.
This one is available now. Pick it up. You won’t be sorry!
As I trek to and from work each day, it’s easy to forget the presence Random House holds in the public’s consciousness. I still get a thrill from the fact that both Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts uttered our company name in Stepmom, when I was in high school. And I admit that I barely glance around the impressive lobby as I make my way up to our Library Marketing office space most days.
So imagine my glee to watch the hilarious Kathy Griffin experience the thrill of entering the Random House offices. Her memoir, Official Book Club Selection, is coming in September and I’m so excited for it! That woman cracks me up, never fails.
Now, if I could just accomplish a real celebrity sighting here at work! I had thought it would be inevitable, but so far Bon Jovi, Martha Stewart, and ANDRE AGASSI have eluded me. And now Kathy Griffin, as well. I must spend far too much time at my desk…
Do you or your patrons use BookGlutton? It’s a social reading platform and Random House Publishing Group has teamed up with them to promote Sarah Dunant’s newest title, SACRED HEARTS (which I just loved and am now a bit obsessed with nuns as a result). BookGlutton has the ability to allow its users to read the same book simultaneously and share the experience by making notes online, chapter by chapter. And readers can chat with Sarah Dunant in real time!
Hi. My name is Marie, and I’m a “buzz book” addict.
It started with Cutting for Stone and now, unabashedly influenced by Jen’s post, I hereby declare my love for Carolyn Wall’s Sweeping Up Glass. If you are at all a To Kill a Mockingbird fan, read this. If you found Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes charming, read this. If Bastard Out of Carolina is one of your favorites, read this. If you were as enamored as I was with God of Animals by newcomer Aryn Kyle, read this. If you’ve never read any of those books but have a hankering for great characters with names like Wing and Love Alice, the hauntingly clear setting of Pope County, Kentucky and a complex narrative full of family, legacy, and wolves… read this. This gem of a book is a surprising delight. You won’t be disappointed.
Last week’s Newsweek featured the highly anticipated, candid memoir from the chief prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Tribunal for Rwanda.
“She’s faced down the mob and genocidal dictators. So why is Carla Del Ponte barred from discussing her own book?” – Newsweek
What we’ve all be eagerly awaiting! Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved series finally brought to life on HBO, beginning Sunday, March 29th, 8pm.
Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain), who died last year, directed the two-hour pilot. Grammy-award winner, Jill Scott, plays Precious Ramotswe. Tony award winner Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) plays her secretary, Mma Makutsi. The series was shot is Botswana.
We are just two weeks away from the publication of Therese Fowler’s second novel, Reunion. She’s perfect for fans of Barbara Delinsky, Luanne Rice, and Jodi Picoult!
And in anticipation of her latest release, her first novel, Souvenir, is now available in paperback! Book Groups should stock up - Library Journal gave it a STARRED review !
I was so lucky to meet the wonderful Ms. Fowler at the 2008 Midwinter conference in Philadelphia. She was delightful to meet and chat with about her book and experiences as a first time author. Get to know the charming Therese Fowler on her blog, Making It Up.
This summer, CNN’s Anderson Cooper ran a story that was both shocking in its immediacy and haunting with its heart-wrenching tale. Four years ago, North Korea admitted to a program of abducting Japanese citizens in the hopes of training them as spies during the Cold War. Sakie Yokota lost her thirteen-year-old daughter, Megumi, in 1977 to this insidious scheme. This is the story of one woman’s personal struggle to find the daughter who was so cruelly taken from her and her transformation from happy housewife to political activist and crusader.
In August 2006, Sakie met with President Bush to further talks about demanding sanctions on North Korea. The documentary, Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story is available and also a quick search on YouTube will allow you to explore more coverage of this astonishing emotional and political quagmire. This riveting true story of every parent’s worst nightmare will captivate and horrify you.
I was thrilled to watch Kate Winslet win the Oscar for her performace in THE READER. And when I recently read an article in which she describes her well worn copy of Bernard Schlink’s haunting novel, I instantly knew I would read those same passages and for a moment be connected to the brilliance that is Kate Winslet.
-Erica
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I’ve begun to notice a pattern in my reading. This happens a lot. I’ll jump from historical fiction to literary coming-of-age stories to popular best sellers and back, gobbling them all up along the way.
