Inheritance, November 8, 2011

He was 15 years old when he wrote Eragon, and now this home schooled prodigy is releasing Book 4, Inheritance.  Look for it.

Following Atticus by Tom Ryan

When a close friend dies of cancer, Tom Ryan and his miniature schnauzer Atticus, decide to pay tribute to her by attempting to climb all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000 foot peaks twice in one winter while raising money for charity.  This is their story...the story of a middle aged, overweight, acrophobic newspaperman and a dog of singular character.  It is a book about a remarkable journey and an extraordinary relationship that began when a 5-pound puppy pierced the heart of a tough-as-nails newspaperman opening his eyes to the beauty and possibility in the world.  This is an inspiring story about love, loss, and the resilience of the human and animal bond.

Last Words of 25 Famous Dead Writers

When you've dedicated your life to words, it is important to go out eloquently.  This list from BuzzFeed is pretty interesting.  My favorite, of course, is from Edgar Allan Poe.

Top 10 Cities in the U.S. for Book Lovers

Here's the list from livability.com.  And no, one cannot live on books alone. That's why the cities picked offer a great quality of life, plenty of entertainment and awesome outdoor activities. After all, there's nothing worse than reading an inspiring novel and having nothing to do after closing the cover.

1.  Portland, OR
2.  Kansas City, MO
3.  San Jose, CA
4.  Charlottesville, VA
5.  Iowa City, IA
6.  Traverse City, MI
7.  Pueblo, CO
8.  Coral Gables, FL
9.  Spokane, WA
10.  Charlotte, NC

Baby Shower Invitation

Possibly the cutest idea I've seen for a baby shower in a long time.  I just love it!

The Smell of a Book

So many people claim to love the smell of books.  Here's an article that attempts to explain why.

Literary Pets

Hemingway and friend

Since I love all things literary, and I'm a pet lover too, this seemed to be a nice fit (courtesy of 50watt.com)

Page Corner Bookmarks

Novel-Tea Teapot

For that special person on your list who loves tea and books, how cute is this?

Packaging for Books and Beans, a used book and coffee shop

Vintage Library Themed Wedding Shoot

I have never seen a book themed wedding.  I just love this!

Great Novels to Read When You're Broke

From Flavorwire, comes this list of great novels to read when you're broke.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I loved this book!  It was such a fast fun read.  I recommend it highly.

The Waverlys are a family of women who reside in Bascom, North Carolina.  All the Waverley women have reputations for having certain gifts.  Claire Waverley is a successful caterer, who prepares dishes made with the plants from her garden, which mysteriously blooms year round.  She has an apple tree with prophetic fruit, edible flowers that imbue people with special powers, and she's eccentric, reclusive, and an enigma.  Claire's distant relative Evanelle gives people things.  It is not always clear why she is supposed to give them something, but invariably some time after the gift is made a purpose is revealed.  Claire's sister Sydney, who ran away from Bascom the moment she could, returns suddenly one day and Claire's quiet and carefully tended life spins completely out of control.

This book is about so much more than two sisters reconnecting after many years.  It is full of magic and enchantment, and flower lore, and just plain joie de vivre.  Sarah Addison Allen, the author, was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, a place Rolling Stone magazine once called "America's New Freak Capital."  She has a B.A. in Literature because she thought it would be amazing to get a diploma for reading fiction.  She thought it was like being able to major in eating chocolate (a girl after my own heart).

Read this book.  Prepare to be delighted.

Book Related Tours

Looking to take that special book related tour? Check out this site.

Street Bookseller

This guy has tenacity.  Barnes and Noble has come and gone, but he's still here.

The Demon's Parchment by Jeri Westerson

This is book three in Jeri Westerson's medieval noir series.   Westerson's main character is Crispin Guest, a sort of medieval Sam Spade, who lives in the Shambles area of 14th century London and uses his intelligence and keen eye for detail as the "Tracker".  He is approached by a Jewish physician, Jacob of Provencal, who wants him to find stolen parchments which someone might have used to bring forth a demon.  These same parchments might be behind a series of grusome murders of young boys.  With the help of his apprentice, Jack Tucker, Crispin must unravel all the mysteries and try to stop the murders.

It is a wild notion to write about a medieval serial killer who murders and defiles children, but in fact this novel is based on a retelling of a very real and strange tale of a 15th century serial killer, Gilles de Rais.  There is even another character in the book who is based on a real person, but I won't give away the surprise by telling you who here.  Just read the book and be surprised and delighted.

Westerson is a skillfull writer who knows her subject.  She has an uncanny knack for making you feel like you are right there in 14th century London experiencing these things along with Crispin.  She has a great eye for historical detail, and her writing is superb.

"Troubled Bones", the latest installment in this series comes out in October.  In the meantime, go here and check out Crispin Guest's Journal, or here and check out Jeri Westerson's webpage.

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

Rose Grandee is a texas housewife.  She has a mother who departed her life early on leaving her with a pile of books and at the mercy of her Daddy's abusive fists.  Rose Grandee endures the physical abuse of her husband.  After all, it is pretty much all she has known over the course of her life.

But, underneath the surface of Rose Grandee, lies Rose Mae Lolly, a teen age hellion and heartbreaker from Alabama who is a crack shot with a pistol.  When the tarot cards of a gypsy fortune teller predict that Rose's husband is going to kill her unless she kills him first, Rose Mae Lolly rares her head.

After trying to kill her husband (before he kills her), and botching it, she and her dog fat Gretel, leave on a journey where she uncovers long buried truths about her family.  That journey results in a harrowing depiction of how far a mother will go to right a wrong and how far a daughter will run to escape forgiveness. 

Forbes Highest Paid Authors List

James Patterson ($84 million)

Danielle Steel ($35 million)

Stephen King ($28 million)

Janet Evanovich ($22 million)

Stephenie Meyer ($21 million)

Rick Riordan ($21 million)

Dean Koontz ($19 million)

John Grisham ($18 million)

Jeff Kinney ($17 million)

Nicholas Sparks ($16 million)

Ken Follett ($14 million)

Suzanne Collins ($10 million)

J.K. Rowling ($5 million)

A Bookshelf that gently goads you into reading

Now this is wild. . .to help you keep the balance between read and unread books!

Literary Shoes etc.

In my search for all things book related, I came across these.  Now why didn't they have things like this when I was young?

Making Room for Readers

This very interesting article from The Millions makes some excellent points about readers and reading.

Neil Gaiman purse

One of the interesting vendors I met at the recent ALA meeting in New Orleans was Caitlin Phillips from Rebound Designs, which she bills as a second chance for well-loved books".  She transforms old and unwanted literature into one of a kind Book Purses and Paperback Wallets.  Have a favorite book? She's got you covered.  Check her out here.  The picture above is the purse she did for me using the leatherbound tenth anniversary issue of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods".  I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.