Shelf Awareness for Readers for Friday, July 27, 2018
From My Shelf
The Writer's Life
Rosie Walsh: A Reason for Ghosting
photo: Anna Pumer Photography |
Book Candy
Self-Reinvention
Author Liese O'Halloran Schwarz chose her "top 10 books about self-reinvention" for the Guardian.
---
Pop lit quiz: "Guess the book titles using only emoji," Electric Lit challenged.
---
"Jane Austen loathed the Prince Regent, who later became George IV, but he might have been one of her first readers," the New York Times reported.
---
"After nine tries, the husband of celebrity chef Paula Deen has won the Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest," the Guardian reported.
---
Author Lauren Groff recently tweeted a list of "40 of the books that make up my brain."
---
A 2,000-year-old mystery papyrus reveals its secrets," Atlas Obscura reported, adding: "For centuries, no one could read it."
---
"Which Great American Read are you?" Penguin Random House wondered.
---
From Peter Carey to Cormac McCarthy, author Paul Howarth shared his "top 10 tales from the frontier" with the Guardian.
---
From Catullus to Dylan Thomas, author Ruth Padel picked her "top 10 elegies" for the Guardian.
---
Bustle revealed "7 surprising things librarians do other than check out books."
---
"A literary themed hotel in Portugal is a bookworm's dream complete with its own library and even a gin bar," the Times Mirror.
---
Great Reads
Rediscover: Harry Potter
On September 1, 1998, readers in the United States got their first magical taste of what would become a global phenomenon. In the 20 years since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone cast its spell on children and adults alike, J.K. Rowling's world of wizardry has summoned seven books, plus spinoffs, eight movies, plus spinoffs, whole amusement parks and a Diagon Alley's worth of other odds and ends. No fan of fantasy or young reader growing up in the late '90s/early aughts will ever forget the Boy Who Lived, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or any of the dozens of other unforgettable characters and places sprung from Rowling's fertile imagination.
The celebrations surrounding such a major anniversary for such a storied franchise are as widespread and bewitching as their source material. Besides all kinds of parties and events, publishers are planning special editions of the Harry Potter books. Scholastic has released the seven Potter titles with new cover illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick. (They still include the original interior decorations by Mary GrandPré.) For those who can wait, the titles will appear next month as a boxed set, adorned with crests of each Hogwarts house and a closeup of Harry. --Tobias Mutter
Book Review
Fiction
What We Were Promised
by Lucy Tan
Discover: Set in Shanghai, Lucy Tan's debut novel follows Wei and Lina Zhen's family crisis over the return of Wei's prodigal brother, who was also Lina's first love.
The Family Tabor
by Cherise Wolas
Discover: A loving family is thrown into crisis when a secret from the patriarch's past emerges.
Mary B: A Novel: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice
by Katherine J. Chen
Discover: Mary Bennet, the awkward middle sister, finally gets to tell her own story in this acerbic, surprising debut novel.
The Last Cruise
by Kate Christensen
Discover: Gathered for a carefree vintage voyage to Hawaii, a cultured mix of guests and crew find that sailing into the past doesn't leave the troubled present behind.
Ghosted
by Rosie Walsh
Discover: Radio silence, and all the mystery it brings, clouds a modern romance set in Gloucestershire, England.
Mystery & Thriller
On the Java Ridge
by Jock Serong
Discover: As the passengers of two boats struggle for survival after a disastrous meeting at sea, Australian politicians refuse to respond.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
One of Us
by Craig DiLouie
Discover: In 1984 Georgia, a lost generation of mutated children forced apart from normal society reaches adolescence.
Romance
Cottage by the Sea
by Debbie Macomber
Discover: A young woman mired by grief relocates to a small, seaside town where her presence fosters healing in herself--and others.
Biography & Memoir
I Can't Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I've Put My Faith in Beyoncé
by Michael Arceneaux
Discover: This is a winning collection of funny and touching essays about growing up black and gay in the South.
Political Science
We're Doomed. Now What?: Essays on War and Climate Change
by Roy Scranton
Discover: War and its effects and climate change are the focus of these confrontational essays.
Children's & Young Adult
Mightier Than the Sword
by Alana Harrison, Drew Callander, illus. by Ryan Andrews
Discover: In this interactive adventure, you're trapped in a land of stories, where your only chance of escape is to rescue a missing prince with a pencil as your only weapon.
The Princess and the Pit Stop
by Tom Angleberger, illus. by Dan Santat
Discover: With only one lap left, can the Princess beat the other fairytale characters in Tom Angleberger and Dan Santat's NASCAR-style storybook race?
Denis Ever After
by Tony Abbott
Discover: Five years after his death, Denis reconnects with his still-living 12-year-old twin brother to solve the mystery of his own death in this dark and twisty middle-grade novel.
--- SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL OFFERINGS ---
Brodie (An Until Her Novella)by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Dear Reader, As an author, it's sometimes difficult to write the demise of a couple especially since I'm in the business of giving out happily ever afters. In Until Willow, I watched Brodie lose the woman he loved due to his own negligence, and even though I knew he messed up, I truly believed that he wasn't a bad guy and that he deserved to find love again. And he didn’t make the same mistakes when falling in love with Reese. Aurora Rose Reynolds 1001darknights.com/authors/collection-eleven/aurora-rose-reynolds-brodie |
Pub Date: ISBN: List Price: |
--- SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL OFFERINGS ---
The Challenger (Phantom Stallion #6)by Terri Farley
Dear Reader, Filmmaker and friend Ashley Avis says, "Storytelling carries great power in educating people about what is really happening in our natural world." I totally agree! Storytelling and STEM are natural companions. On the cover of THE CHALLENGER, you'll see a crouched cougar and a young stallion in danger. The scene is rooted in truth. Because I love wild horses, it's not always easy to love their predators. But I do. In THE CHALLENGER, ranch girl Samantha Forster is torn between wanting to protect both the wild horses she loves and the orphaned cougar stalking them. My books are fact-based. Samantha's encounter with a fictional cougar grew from talking with a friend whose daughter survived a cougar attack. I write to bring my readers adventure, empowerment, empathy and the fun of riding the range with best friends. Come and ride along! Terri Farley |
Pub Date: ISBN: Type of Book: Age Range: List Price: |