~ Jonathan Maberry, speculative fiction author, has a fantastic guest post up at Crowe’s Nest, in which he deftly explains the genres of pre-apocalyptic, apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, and dystopian fiction.

~ Author Terri Guiliano Long, author of In Leah’s Wake: Thanks to you: How book bloggers sparked the indie publishing revolution

~ Neil Gaiman posted a speech he once gave on three authors who influenced his life and work: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and G.K. Chesterton.

Discussion starters:

~ Chrisbookarama: We Just Want to Read – Some excellent thoughts on the funding cuts currently plaguing libraries, along with publishers pulling out of electronic content sites like Overdrive.

~ My Friend Amy: The Growing Relationship Between Books and Television – About the new(ish) trend of TV series adapted from books.

~ Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?: Legit – Survey says people buy books after reading about them on book blogs. Who knew? ~wink~ All kidding aside, it’s nice to have some firm numbers to confirm the value of book blogging.

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, reviewed by Sandy at You’ve Gotta Read This

~ The Orchard by Theresa Weir, reviewed by Kathy at Bermudaonion

~ The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney, reviewed by Jen at Devourer of Books

~ Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks, reviewed by Kristen at BookNAround

~ Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn, reviewed by Tasha at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, & Books

~ The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan, reviewed by Melissa at The Avid Reader’s Musings

~ The Condition by Jennifer Haigh, reviewed by Sheila at Book Journey

Other bookish links:

~ Flavorwire: 15 Famous Authors’ Beautiful Estates

~ Three days left to vote for the March read-along book!

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Post tags: authors, book blogging, libraries, neil gaiman, TBR list, television

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~ Caribousmom: Blogger Impact – inspired by author Beth Kephart’s editorial, The Value Rubric: Do Book Bloggers Really Matter?

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye, mentioned by author Laurie King on Facebook

~ Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski, reviewed by Julie at Book Hooked Blog

~ The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons, reviewed by Katy at A Few More Pages

Book to movie news:

~ The screenplay for the film adaptation of Catching Fire will not be written by Suzanne Collins. Uh, oh…

Other bookish links:

~ Mystery Writers of America announces the 2012 Edgar Award Nominees

~ Are you a fan of the British television series Downton Abbey? If so, publishers have a suggested reading list for you.

~ Penguin is pulling their audiobooks from library download site, Overdrive. After Brilliance Audio pulled the same thing, I’m wondering about the future availability of downloadable audiobooks at the library.

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Post tags: audiobooks, book awards, book blogging, book to film, movies, mysteries, TBR list

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~ Both Sheila at Book Journey and Chris at Bookarama both posted on the changes in the book blogging world. Thought-provoking posts and great discussions in the comments sections of both.

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ After reading Book Trunk’s post, I really need to get my hands on a collection of George Orwell’s essays!

Read-alongs:

~ Don’t forget to vote for your choice of an Irish March read-along book. I’ll keep the poll open until the end of the month, and then announce the winning book so everyone has a month to get their hands on a copy.

Book to movie news:

~ The fourth Narnia movie is in limbo. Is anyone surprised by this after the train wreck that was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?

~ Kate Winslet to star in director Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

~ The Mystery of Edwin Drood: the unfinished Dickens – A new BBC drama imagines how it might have ended. This stars Matthew Rhys – I loved him in Brothers and Sisters.

Other bookish links:

~ Have you read Holly’s Inbox (click on the link for my review)? I loved it – and it is now available as an e-book. The whole book is written in e-mails and text messages, so should be perfect reading on an e-reader or iPhone – and much lighter, as the book is fairly huge.

~ Flavorwire: The 25 Greatest Epigraphs in Literature

Movie links:

~ 2012′s Most Anticipated Movies – I can’t wait to see The Hunger Games, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Les Miserables, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, World War Z (need to read this book first!), The Great Gatsby, and Lincoln. Going to be a good year for movies, I think!

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~ The amazingly gifted Beth Kephart has a new two-book deal with Philomel.

Discussion starters:

~ Book Journey: When authors attack

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss. Vasilly mentioned this as one of the 2012 books she is most looking forward to. It looks amazing!

~ 20 Years Later by Emma Newman, reviewed by Darren at Bart’s Bookshelf

~ Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen, reviewed by Amy at My Friend Amy

~ Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir….of Sorts by Ian Cron. Sherry mentioned this one on her list of twelve best adult non-fiction reads of 2012.

Book to movie news:

~ Cherie Priest’s novel Boneshaker is headed for the big screen.

~ If you’re as curious as I was about how film-makers could possibly turn a book like What to Expect When You’re Expecting into a film, check out the trailer.

~ Warner Bros has released the first two official images of Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Other bookish links:

~ NY Times: Publishers guild books with special effects to compete with e-books

~ LA Times: Has book blogging hit the wall? William Morrow’s blogger notice

~ New coin honors Charles Dickens

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~ In August, James Dashner will publish The Kill Order, a prequel to his Maze Runner series.

~ For those of you who loved The Adoration of Jenna Fox and The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson, her short story, “The Rotten Beast,” which is told from Allys’ point of view, is available to read at Tor.com.

Discussion starters:

~ Lots of hoopla a couple of weeks ago over Friday Reads and disclosure. I know I’m late coming to the party, but here are a couple of good posts on the issue: My Friend Amy: Unsolicited Advice – When in Doubt, Disclose; The 3 R’s Blog: Full Disclosure – on blogging, books, and money; Caribousmom: Transparency and Why It Is Important. Wendy also posted a survey about paid content on book blogs, and has posted the results.

~ Bookalicous: Self publishing and the reviewer

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan, reviewed by Michelle at Galleysmith

~ Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie, reviewed by Jen at Devourer of Books

~ 11/22/63 by Stephen King, reviewed by Jenn at Jenn’s Bookshelves

~ A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor, featured at Devourer of Books

~ Then Again by Diane Keaton, reviewed by Arti at Ripple Effects

Reading challenges:

~ Time to sign up for the 2012 War Through the Generations Reading Challenge – the focus is World War I. I’m looking forward to it!

Book to movie news:

~ Martin Scorcese set to direct the film adaptation of The Snowman by Jo Nesbo.

~ Asa Butterfield, star of Hugo, will star in the film version of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game.

~ HBO to produce western series based on Mary Doria Russell’s novel Doc.

~ Janet Evanovich says Katherine Heigl is the perfect Stephanie Plum – just who she wanted for the role. Hmmmm….. I have a lot of comments on my two posts about casting for the film that would disagree. (post one and post two)

~ Universal and Tom Hanks’ Playtone Studios will produce the film version of Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts, with the possibility of Hanks starring.

Other bookish links:

~ Truth, lies, and historical fiction – how far can an author go?

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blogging, book to film, book to tv, historical fiction, janet evanovich, movies, reading challenges, stephanie plum, TBR list, television

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~ Congratulations to Nnedi Okorafor – her novel Who Fears Death won the 2011 World Fantasy Award. I LOVED this book!

~ Be sure and check out my interview with Joan Leegant, author of Wherever You Go.

Discussion starters:

~ Adventures of an Intrepid Reader: Blogging….so much more than just maintaining a blog

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen & Jonathan Case, reviewed by Candace at Beth Fish Reads

~ Variant by Robison Wells, reviewed by Suey at It’s All About Books

Read-alongs:

~ Amy is hosting a read-along of A Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin this month. I’m joining in via audiobook.

Book to movie news:

~ Paramount will produce the film adaptation of Tana French’s novel The Likeness. Any casting thoughts?

Giveaways:

~ Don’t forget to enter my giveaways: enter to win one of three copies of Atlas Shrugged: Part One on DVD; and a DVD/Book Bundle of Water for Elephants.

Other bookish links:

~ Vote for your favorite reads of the year in the 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards.

~ I want this clock!

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Post tags: author news, blogging, book awards, book to film, tana french

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And now for my interview of Gina:

Me: You mentioned on your “about me” page that you’re rarely found anywhere without a book. We have that in common – my husband laughs at the way I always have a book in my purse to pull out during any spare minute that finds me. So, my question is: where is the strangest place you’ve ever read?

Gina: I don’t think I’ve read in strange places. I can read in the car and I’ve heard others say they can’t. I don’t remember ever reading in the bathtub. I don’t always have a print book but have over 100 titles on my iTouch

Me: I see books as a way to travel to new places and try on new personalities. What are some of your favorite bookish destinations?

Gina: Pern. One of Anne McCaffrey’s worlds, I love the dragons but wouldn’t really like to live there.

Me: Who are some of your favorite bookish personalities?

Gina: The three couples from the Key trilogy by Nora Roberts.

Me: What is your earliest book-related memory?

Gina: The one that comes to mind right away is from high school. I had purchased two Dick Francis novels and I started reading one when I went to bed. When I finished it, I picked up the other one. When my alarm went off I got up to go to school.

Me: Do you have any “rituals” when it comes to reading? For instance, when I start a new book, I read the cover blurb, then the author bio, then check to see how many pages it is – all before I start reading the first page.

Gina: Rituals….I think that by the time I’m ready to read a book, I just start it. Of course, now that I’m thinking of rituals I may find out I have some. If it’s a print book, I like to get comfortable on the couch with a drink nearby. I usually kick back the recliner and wait for the cat to curl up on my lap or at my feet. I usually pause and rub the cover some and just kind of sit to clear my head of everything else. Not sure what I do if it’s an ebook.

Me: Who are your “have-to-read” authors – the ones whose entire backlog you are determined to read, as well as anything new they publish?

Gina: Stephanie Laurens, Jo Beverley, Lillian Jackson Braun, Dick Francis, Anne McCaffrey (& son, Todd), just off the top of my head

I enjoyed getting to know Gina – and I hope you will click over to her blog and spend some time getting to know her, too.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBAW, blogging

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While the awards are a fun part of BBAW, they can never accurately represent the depth and breadth of diversity in the book blogging community. Today you are encouraged to highlight a couple of bloggers that have made book blogging a unique experience for you. They can be your mentors, a blogger that encouraged you to try a different kind of book, opened your eyes to a new issue, made you laugh when you needed it, or left the first comment you ever got on your blog. Stay positive and give back to the people who make the community work for you!

My BBAW interview partner mentioned the huge list of blogs I have on my sidebar. She then asked me to narrow it down and tell her the blogs I HAVE to visit. I’ll be honest – questions like this usually induce anxiety on my part. I hate having to choose! My blogroll is long, and I’ll admit that I don’t have time to visit all of these blogs every week – let alone comment – but those blogs are all on my sidebar for a reason.

That said, there are a few bloggers with whom I have developed a more than blogging friendship, others who challenge me in different ways, and others whose reviews I never miss. I answered my interviewer’s question with the first blogs that popped into my head, with the caveat that the list might be different on a different day. So, knowing that, I will address today’s topic with the same list I gave her.

You’ve Gotta Read This – Sandy shares my love of audiobooks and Viggo Mortensen.

The Written World – Kelly and I have done some buddy reads that produced great discussions, and we have an online friendship that goes beyond books.

My Friend Amy – I love Amy’s heart.

1330v – Vasilly reminds me that I’m never too old for picture books – and she challenges me to read outside my comfort zone.

Musings of a Bookish Kitty – Wendy writes terrific reviews, but she also writes long, chatty posts that I love reading.

Mental Multivitamin – Melissa makes me think – and helps me stay passionate about the joys and benefits of home education.

GalleySmith – Michelle feeds my love of YA lit.

Caribousmom – Wendy often reviews books that are outside of my normal sphere, and I am never disappointed when I read a book she recommends.

Unfinished Person – Bryan makes me laugh, and shares my love of television as well as books.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBAW, blogging

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~ One of my favorite books, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, was a Jeopardy question.

Discussion starters:

~ Emily’s Reading Room: Bad blogging behavior

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ Haunt Me Still by Jennifer Lee Carrell, reviewed by Tasha at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books

Book to movie news:

~ It looks like the brilliant Kenneth Branagh may be directing the film version of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. Loved this book – and I bet Branagh will do it justice!

Giveaways:

~ I’m giving away an ARC of Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers to one blogger willing to do a buddy read and joint review in September.

Free downloads:

~ If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you already know how much I love Wendell Berry. I’m even hosting a reading challenge dedicated to him! Well, if you haven’t given him a try, and you love audiobooks, you can now download the audio version of his novel, Hannah Coulter, for free. If you’re not a fan of Christian fiction, don’t let the “Christian Audio” web site deter you. Hannah Coulter wasn’t published by a Christian publishing house and is not an evangelistic or proselytizing book – it is simply the beautiful story of a woman’s life.

Other bookish links:

~ Please let me know if you’re interested in a September read-along of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.

~ This is the perfect way to propose to a book blogger!

~ Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming up September 12th through the 16th. Click over to register and get all the details.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: audiobooks, BBAW, book to film, jamie ford, TBR list, wendell berry

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Discussion starters:

~ Bookalicious: Google Friend Connect – The Experiment

~ A columnist for Santa Cruz News pissed off a lot of book bloggers with her column Book Expo’s Sorry Turn. To quote:

Book blogging has become a subculture whose members are mostly women between 20 and 50 years old, often known as “mommy bloggers” because they are housewives who blog about romance novels, horror/vampire stories and paranormal novels.

As a housewife – homeschooling mom, no less – and book blogger between the ages of 20 and 50, I really wanted to write a response. I was too busy this week, though, so I’ll leave you with these fantastic responses from Laura at I’m Booking It, Florinda at The 3 R’s Blog, and Jennifer at The Literate Housewife Review. There are also a lot of great responses from familiar names in the comments section of the original article.

Other bookish links:

~ Flavorwire: The 30 harshest author-on-author insults in history

~ Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2011 is coming up! Save the date – and, if you can, sign up to volunteer.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: authors, book blogging

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