Oprah announced her newest pick yesterday: A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. According to www.oprah.com: “In A New Earth, Eckhart provides practical teachings for waking up to a new, enlightened mind-set. If you’re seeking a more loving self and a more loving planet, this is the book for you.”
Archive for January, 2008
Oprah’s Latest Pick
January 31, 2008Long-awaited Novels
January 29, 2008Booksellers love authors like Dan Brown and Christopher Paolini who capture the public imagination with novels that everyone decides that they must read. However, when such bestelling authors take a break between books then we soon get sick of answering the questions about when their next book will be out: “Is there a release date yet for the 3rd book in the Inheritance series?” “Is Dan Brown’s new novel out yet?”
Earlier I relayed the good news about Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, which finally has a pub date of 9/20/08. The Wall Street Journal seems to think there’s hope for the new Dan Brown novel as well.
Wild Girls
January 26, 2008
Wild Girls by Pat Murphy (Viking Press, hardcover, $16.99) is a marvelous children’s book about friendship, family, and the craft of writing.
In the early 1970s twelve-year-old Joan moves with her family from Connecticut to California, where she becomes best friends with Sarah. When Joan and Sarah win 1st place in a story contest, they get talked into taking a summer writing class.
The lessons they learn that summer apply to more than just writing and give the girls the tools and maturity they need to cope with their unhappy family situations.
I wish I could singlehandedly convince every 12-year-old girl to read this amazing book. Please buy a copy of Wild Girls for any creative writing teacher, writer-to-be, or children’s librarian that you know.
2008 Edgar Award Nominees
January 25, 2008The nominees for the 2008 Edgar Awards are available for your perusal: http://www.theedgars.com/nominees.html.
I’m rooting for Down River by John Hart, even though I haven’t yet read it. Hart’s first book, The King of Lies, is one of my favorite mysteries ever and my mom liked Down River even better. The reason I haven’t read Down River yet is that I’m saving it up for a sick day read when you need something absolutely compelling to keep your mind off how miserable you feel 
YA Fantasy for Boys
January 23, 2008For boys 12 & up who have already devoured Harry Potter, consider trying:
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The Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini. The 1st book is Eragon.
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The Redwall books by Brian Jacques.
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The Pit Dragon trilogy by Jane Yolen. The 1st book is Dragon’s Blood.
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Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley.
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The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. The 1st book is The Book of Three.
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The Belgariad by David Eddings. The 1st book is Pawn of Prophecy.
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The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper.
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The Lost Years of Merlin series by T.A. Barron.
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The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist. The 1st book is Magician: Apprentice.
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The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King.
- The Dragonlance books. I’d start with Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
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The Forgotten Realms books. I’d start with either The Crystal Shard or Homeland.
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Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. The 1st book is Eye of the World.
For those boys willing to read books with female protagonists, check out our list of YA Fantasy for Girls.
YA Fantasy for Girls
January 21, 2008We are frequently asked for fantasy suggestions for 12 and ups who have already devoured all the Harry Potter books and are looking for the next great fantasy read. I’m going to divide my list of suggestions into one for girls and one for boys, although voracious readers will probably be easily persuaded to cross gender lines.
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Anything by Tamora Pierce. I suggest starting with either Alanna: The First Adventure or First Test.
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Almost anything by Robin McKinley (she has one adult novel: Sunshine). The Blue Sword is my favorite of her young adult novels.
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The Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. The 1st book is Dragonsong.
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Anything by Patricia Wrede. I suggest starting with either Dealing with Dragons or Sorcery and Cecilia.
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Anything by Annette Curtis Klause. I find Blood and Chocolate to be her best book.
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Anything by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Hawksong is the 1st book of her Kiesha’ra series.
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The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.
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Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block.
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Almost anything by Nina Kiriki Hoffman.
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Tanith Lee’s Claidi series. The 1st book is Wolf Tower.
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The Sabriel series by Garth Nix.
Endless Blue
January 19, 2008
I’ve been a fan of Wen Spencer since I picked up a copy of her first book Alien Taste. In 2003 she won the John W. Campbell Award Winner for Best New Writer.
Spencer is a very diverse writer — the Ukiah Oregon series (beginning with Alien Taste) is a fun romp somewhat similar to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series; her two books featuring Tinker (Tinker and Wolf Who Rules) are urban fantasy a la Emma Bull; and Endless Blue is a science fiction novel of alien contact.
Endless Blue (Baen, hardcover, $25.00) reminded me of a cross between the Miles Vorkosigan books of Lois McMaster Bujold and the Chanur series by C.J. Cherryh, another John W. Campbell Award winner. I loved the characters and I’m hoping that Spencer is planning more works set in this universe.
Check availability of Wen Spencer books at Fiction Addiction.
3rd Book in Paolini’s Inheritance Trilogy
January 17, 2008Knopf has just announced that the long-awaited third book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series will be titled Brisingr, an Old Norse word for fire. The book will release at 12:01 am on Saturday, September 20th, in hardcover for $27.50. If you’d like to pre-order a copy from Fiction Addiction, just send us an email.
Children’s Book Awards
January 15, 2008The American Library Assocation has announced its 2008 Newbery and Caldecott Award winners and both choices are somewhat surprising.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children was awarded to The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholatic, hardcover, $22.99), a 550- page novel in words and pictures, by Brian Selznick. The story revolves around a boy at the turn of the 20th century who lives in a Paris train station and a mystery involving invention. This is the first time that a full-length novel has won the coveted award.
The John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature was awarded to dark horse candidate Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick Press, hardcover, $19.99). The book offers 22 monologues by characters from a medieval English village. Schlitz, a Baltimore school librarian, wrote the pieces for her students to perform.
Atlanta Gift Market
January 14, 2008I got back late last night from an exhausting day at the huge gift trade show at AmericasMart in Atlanta. The good news is that we saw some great things from companies who didn’t have huge minimum orders (I’m still in shock over this). The Valentine’s Day gifts should be arriving soon and after that we’ve got some great gardening, Easter, Mother’s Day, and beach items planned. So if you need a gift please consider Fiction Addiction!
