This is a fantastic idea, focusing on women authors. I wish they'd do this in America!
Women Authors Only
at Penguin U.K. Pop-Up Shop in London
To celebrate
International Women's Day March 8, Penguin U.K. is
launching a pop-up
bookshop
stocked solely
with titles by female authors. The Bookseller reported
that the shop,
called Like a Woman
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz36059386,
will be open March 5-9 on
Rivington Street
in East London in partnership with Waterstones. It will
feature more than
240 writers.
Penguin Random
House said the initiative is a celebration of "the way
that women
contribute, often under the radar, to every facet of society"
and recognizes
women who have "made a difference or fought for change"
in various fields,
including politics, activism, writing, art, science,
sports and
culture. The hashtag #LikeAWoman will be used online to
promote the
pop-up. The bookshop will also host workshops and evening
events, with
proceeds from ticket sales donated to Solace Women's Aid
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz36059387
and shoppers also having the opportunity
to purchase books
to be donated to children housed in the organization's
refuges.
"Women's
voices being heard and taken seriously is key to achieving
gender equality,
and with the Like a Woman Bookshop we're making room
for those voices
to be elevated and celebrated," said Zainab Juma,
creative manager
at Penguin Random House. "We're creating a space where
readers can look
to incredible writers, activists and pioneers for the
inspiration to go
forward and make change like a woman."
Lucy Grainger,
Waterstones festival manager, commented: "To create a
unique bookshop
and event space which is dedicated to a full range of
women's voices,
experiences and ideas is tremendously exciting. We're
delighted to be
working together with Penguin Random House and we think
it promises to be
a fantastic and inspiring week for everyone that joins
us."
Who doesn't love this amazing classic book, and the movie that was based on it? That said, this old theater major is THRILLED that they are doing a stage adaptation of the book directed by Bartlett Sher, who cut his teeth on the Seattle Rep Stage here in the Pacific NW.
On Stage: To Kill a Mockingbird
Jeff Daniels (The
Newsroom) "will reunite with Aaron Sorkin as he
headlines the
writer's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a
Mockingbird
Playbill reported.
Directed by Bartlett Sher, the production is a
collaboration
between producer Scott Rudin and Lincoln Center Theater.
It will begin
performances November 1 at a theatre yet to be announced,
with opening night
set for December 13.
Daniels, in the
role of Atticus Finch, joins a cast that includes Celia
Keenan-Bolger as
Scout, Will Pullen as Jem, and Gideon Glick as Dill.
Playbill noted
that "the casting of the three--each notably older than
their respective
characters--indicates Sorkin's previously reported
intentions to
present the drama as a memory play."
I have to laugh and agree with this major publisher CEO on his words about e-books. I never really got on board with them, myself, despite my husband getting me a Nook from Barnes and Noble soon after they became available. I used it a handful of time and then discarded it to a drawer, where it sits and gathers dust. Reading on a screen for hours bothers my eyes, and lessens the joy of holding a real, great smelling book in your hands that you can revisit and enjoy for the cover and the words inside.
Hachette Livre
CEO: 'The E-Book Is a Stupid Product'
"I think the
plateau, or rather slight decline, that we're seeing in the
U.S. and U.K. is
not going to reverse. It's the limit of the e-book
format. The e-book
is a stupid product.... We, as publishers, have not
done a great job
going digital. We've tried. We've tried enhanced or
enriched
e-books--didn't work. We've tried apps, websites with our
content--we have
one or two successes among a hundred failures. I'm
talking about the
entire industry. We've not done very well."
Hachette Livre
CEO Arnaud Nourry
in an interview
with Scroll.in
This young man grew up wealthy, indeed! He could go downstairs and pick up any book that he wanted and read well into the night. I've often had dreams of living in a library.
Library Video of
the Day: The Temple of Knowledge
The Temple of
Knowledge http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz36116930,
a
video from
StoryCorps, animates Ronald Clark's memories of his father,
who "was
custodian of a branch of the New York Public Library at a time
when caretakers,
along with their families, lived in the buildings. With
his daughter,
Jamilah, Ronald remembers literally growing up in a
library, creeping
down to the stacks in the middle of the night when
curiosity gripped
him. A story for anyone who's ever dreamt of having
unrestricted
access to books."
The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff is the March book we are reading in my library book group, here in Maple Valley. As it was yet another tale set during World War 2, I wasn't expecting to get into it as easily as I did, because we've read a ton of WW2 novels in my book group over the years, and, since it seems to be the same story told over and over, just from a slightly different POV, I figured this book would be a slog. I couldn't have been more wrong. The prose is elegantly simple and spare, yet clear, and the plot gathers steam and plunges along like a runaway train. Here's the blurb:
The Nightingale meets Water for Elephants
in this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, set in a traveling
circus during World War II, by international bestselling author Pam
Jenoff. Seventeen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier during the occupation of her native Holland. Heartbroken over the loss of the baby she was forced to give up for adoption, she lives above a small German rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep.
When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants, unknown children ripped from their parents and headed for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the baby that was taken from her. In a moment that will change the course of her life, she steals one of the babies and flees into the snowy night, where she is rescued by a German circus.
The circus owner offers to teach Noa the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their unlikely friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.
The beauty of the relationship between Astrid and Noa, and the heartbreaking lives of the circus performers, plus the fear of discovery of the baby and Astrid, lends a sharp edge to the pages that keeps the novel from sentimentality and preciousness. And I agree with the blurb that it was like Water for Elephants meets The Nightingale, both wonderful books that marry well to create the idea behind this excellent volume. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in historical circuses and historical romance.
Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler is a paranormal fantasy/romance. I've read one of Peeler's other novels, though I can't remember the title off the top of my head, and I don't think it impressed me as much as this book did. Jane True, the half-selkie daughter of a local human is an amazing protagonist, though I felt Peeler took way too long for us to get to the point where Jane's identity in the paranormal community is revealed. Her friend Ryu the vampire comes off as a bit of an arrogant ass, and their relationship develops way too fast (and allows Jane to be a bit too girly and wimpy at times), but as boyfriends go, he seemed sexy and fascinating and worth her time.Here's the blurb:
Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she
didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly,
clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane
to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human. Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new "friend," Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.
It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie's lamp.
If you love Sookie Stackhouse, then you'll want to dive into Nicole Peeler's enchanting debut novel.
I felt that like Harris's Sookie books, the Jane series is probably meant to be very hip and contemporary and fun, with dangerous mysteries salted into the plot to keep it moving. The prose is kitschy and smooth, while the plot dashes along at a gallop. This isn't the kind of series you look for big truths in, its more of something to keep you distracted and entertained on an airplane or in the doctors office. I plan on reading the rest of the series, as soon as I can get copies from the library. I'd give this flirty, fluffy fun tome a B+ and recommend it to anyone who likes the Sookie Stackhouse books or other paranormal romances.
Hunter, Healer (the Society series, Book 2) by Lilith Saintcrow is the fast-paced sequel to The Society, which I read a month ago. Like the first book, there's a lot of melodrama and perilous rescues in the text, and while our protagonist Rowan the super psychic has grown up a bit since the first book, there's still some moments in this novel where I wanted to shake her and tell her to quit being such a wimpy, whinging baby and get to rescuing her beloved Delgado and blowing up the evil black ops organization called Sigma, once and for all. Here's the blurb:
Rowan is no longer a civilian in the shadow war. Her talents are fully trained, and she’s become something she never dreamed of—a cool, clinical, lethal psionic operative. Working as Henderson’s second-in-command, she’s utterly focused on two things: repairing the Society’s infrastructure and rescuing Justin Delgado. Yet under her shell of calm and gentleness, her rage is simmering . . . and it’s about to break loose.
Delgado knows he can’t remember something important. He puts up with Sigma’s beatings and questioning, the pain and the torture. Sigma keeps asking him the same question—where is Rowan Price? He doesn't know who this woman is or where she is, but if he can escape Sigma one more time, he’s damn sure going to find out. Because Price, whoever she is, holds the key to his fractured memories and destroyed soul.
But first, he has to get out. Then he’ll find Rowan Price.
Unfortunately, that may be the one thing Sigma’s counting on.
Lilith Saintcrow is a wonderful storyteller whose prose is golden, and whose plots rarely disappoint. So any qualms I have about her books are generally trivial, because she's a master at creating characters we care about, especially female protagonists who are complex and damaged and who still manage to kick serious butt in every single story. That said, when she has a protagonist like Rowan, who is trying to deal with the death of her father and best friend, plus the guilt over losing her lover to the Sigmas, and training her psychic powers, I feel there really is no need to have Rowan be so deeply pathetic and whiny. Quit with the self pity and get on with it, already! This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book, I did, and the ending was pretty good. So I'd give it a B+, and recommend the novel to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance with some spicy adventure thrown in.
The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner is a Doctor Who novel that features the 10th Doctor (my favorite) played by the delicious David Tennant, and his beloved companion, the sassy Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. I normally do not read dramatizations of TV shows or movies that I've enjoyed in the past. There have been exceptions, like the couple of novels about characters from Babylon 5, or the Star Trek Voyager novels I've read, (and I am reading a Star Wars novel about Princess Leia's teenage years right now) but for the most part, anything fan-fiction-like turns me off due to quality issues. Fortunately, since I wasn't expecting War and Peace, I wasn't too disappointed when this novelization of the Doctor's adventure was like reading a comic book with characters painted in broad comedic strokes. Here's the blurb:
A 2,000 year old statue of Rose Tyler is a mystery that the Doctor and Rose can only solve by travelling back to the time when it was made. But when they do, they find the mystery is deeper and more complicated than they ever imagined.
While the Doctor searches for a missing boy, Rose befriends a girl who it seems can accurately predict the future. But when the Doctor stumbles on the terrible truth behind the statue, Rose herself learns that you have to be very careful what you wish for.
An adventure set in Roman times, featuring the Tenth Doctor as played by David Tennant and his companion Rose Tyler.
The prose was somewhat simplistic and amateurish, and the plot was equally easy to figure out. That said, this is another one of those books that you can pick up and read on an airplane or while waiting in line at the grocery store. It's just a fun book that requires very little concentration and is short enough to keep you distracted for awhile. Doctor #10 is my favorite of all the Doctors, so I enjoyed reading about his adventure in ancient Rome. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to Doctor Who fans who are looking for a little escapist reading to while away the hours.
Their first mistake? Kidnapping her lover. Their second? Thinking she wouldn’t do something about it.
The
black-ops government agency known as Sigma has shattered the
resistance, destroyed its infrastructure, and taken its best operative
captive. It’s about as bad as it can get, but Sigma’s forgotten one
thing: Rowan Price. Rowan is no longer a civilian in the shadow war. Her talents are fully trained, and she’s become something she never dreamed of—a cool, clinical, lethal psionic operative. Working as Henderson’s second-in-command, she’s utterly focused on two things: repairing the Society’s infrastructure and rescuing Justin Delgado. Yet under her shell of calm and gentleness, her rage is simmering . . . and it’s about to break loose.
Delgado knows he can’t remember something important. He puts up with Sigma’s beatings and questioning, the pain and the torture. Sigma keeps asking him the same question—where is Rowan Price? He doesn't know who this woman is or where she is, but if he can escape Sigma one more time, he’s damn sure going to find out. Because Price, whoever she is, holds the key to his fractured memories and destroyed soul.
But first, he has to get out. Then he’ll find Rowan Price.
Unfortunately, that may be the one thing Sigma’s counting on.
Lilith Saintcrow is a wonderful storyteller whose prose is golden, and whose plots rarely disappoint. So any qualms I have about her books are generally trivial, because she's a master at creating characters we care about, especially female protagonists who are complex and damaged and who still manage to kick serious butt in every single story. That said, when she has a protagonist like Rowan, who is trying to deal with the death of her father and best friend, plus the guilt over losing her lover to the Sigmas, and training her psychic powers, I feel there really is no need to have Rowan be so deeply pathetic and whiny. Quit with the self pity and get on with it, already! This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book, I did, and the ending was pretty good. So I'd give it a B+, and recommend the novel to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance with some spicy adventure thrown in.
The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner is a Doctor Who novel that features the 10th Doctor (my favorite) played by the delicious David Tennant, and his beloved companion, the sassy Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. I normally do not read dramatizations of TV shows or movies that I've enjoyed in the past. There have been exceptions, like the couple of novels about characters from Babylon 5, or the Star Trek Voyager novels I've read, (and I am reading a Star Wars novel about Princess Leia's teenage years right now) but for the most part, anything fan-fiction-like turns me off due to quality issues. Fortunately, since I wasn't expecting War and Peace, I wasn't too disappointed when this novelization of the Doctor's adventure was like reading a comic book with characters painted in broad comedic strokes. Here's the blurb:
A 2,000 year old statue of Rose Tyler is a mystery that the Doctor and Rose can only solve by travelling back to the time when it was made. But when they do, they find the mystery is deeper and more complicated than they ever imagined.
While the Doctor searches for a missing boy, Rose befriends a girl who it seems can accurately predict the future. But when the Doctor stumbles on the terrible truth behind the statue, Rose herself learns that you have to be very careful what you wish for.
An adventure set in Roman times, featuring the Tenth Doctor as played by David Tennant and his companion Rose Tyler.
The prose was somewhat simplistic and amateurish, and the plot was equally easy to figure out. That said, this is another one of those books that you can pick up and read on an airplane or while waiting in line at the grocery store. It's just a fun book that requires very little concentration and is short enough to keep you distracted for awhile. Doctor #10 is my favorite of all the Doctors, so I enjoyed reading about his adventure in ancient Rome. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to Doctor Who fans who are looking for a little escapist reading to while away the hours.
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