http://booksandauthorsblog.com Expert Book Reviews, Recommendations, Author Biographies Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:38:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_1190" align="alignright" width="265" caption="The Surrendered "][/caption] As the title suggests, Chang-rae Lee's latest novel, The Surrendered, is not exactly uplifting, but critics are calling it moving and impossible to forget.  The Surrendered tells the stories of June, Hector, and Sylvie--three characters who come together after experiencing horrifying violence in the ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1188 [caption id="attachment_1186" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Finally, a book equating librarians and superheroes!"][/caption] Are librarians the world's last hope?  How long will Going Rogue be the only Sarah Palin title in bookstores?  And what does the future hold for book tours?  Find out below... This week's news gets off on the right foot with ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1184 [caption id="attachment_1181" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Model Home by Eric Puchner"][/caption] You know those novels about families where everything--I mean, everything--goes wrong, yet you can't stop reading?  And laughing out loud amid the heartbreak?  That's the kind of book Eric Puchner (award-winning author of the story collection Music Through the Floor) has ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1176 Hope you're recovered from Read Across America!  Today we remember author Barry Hannah, argue about the best books turned movies, and take a literature quiz just for fun. [caption id="attachment_1178" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Barry Hannah, R.I.P."][/caption] This week the literary community remembers novelist and short-story writer Barry Hannah, who passed away on Monday ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1174 [caption id="attachment_1170" align="alignleft" width="217" caption="Read Across America is Seussational!"][/caption] Tuesday, March 2nd, is Dr. Seuss's birthday, and the National Education Association (NEA) invites you to celebrate with Read Across America!  Read Across America is an annual event promoted by teachers, librarians, bookstores, politicians, and celebrities across the country to get kids ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1167 [caption id="attachment_1165" align="alignright" width="158" caption="Mario - secret bookworm?"][/caption] In today's news, see who made the cut for the PEN/Faulkner short list, find out how to incorporate the classics into your Nintendo gaming schedule, and see why "tattoo" and "Bridget Jones" are in the same sentence. After considering 350 novels and short story ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1159 [caption id="attachment_1161" align="alignleft" width="198" caption="The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson"][/caption] As the cover and title suggest, Jerome Charyn's The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson is a foray into the reclusive poet's private life.  Charyn uses his talent as a fiction writer (he's written 30+ novels) to assume the voice and persona ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1157 [caption id="attachment_1154" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Edward Cullen is only the latest fad in the history of vampire obsession."][/caption] Today's news focuses on science fiction and fantasy, from the Nebula Awards to vampires to an emerging genre of paranoid fiction.  Speaking of which, is that your boss looking over your shoulder? The 2009 Nebula ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1152 [caption id="attachment_1150" align="alignleft" width="264" caption="Cuba may be lacking a biathlon team, but they could take home literary gold in the 2010 Best Translated Book Award!"][/caption] Today's news should give you lots of ideas for weekend reading, from the best translated books of 2009 to a spotlight on unreliable narrators.  And if ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1146 [caption id="attachment_1148" align="alignright" width="196" caption="The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot"][/caption] If you haven't read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks yet (it's only been out for 2 weeks), you probably will soon.  In this nonfiction merger between history, science, race relations, and bioethics, Rebecca Skloot tells the story ... http://booksandauthorsblog.com/archives/1144