Shelf Awareness for Monday, July 6, 2009


Del Rey Books: The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Dial Press: Whoever You Are, Honey by Olivia Gatwood

Pantheon Books: The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera

Peachtree Publishers: Leo and the Pink Marker by Mariyka Foster

Wednesday Books: Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber

Overlook Press: How It Works Out by Myriam LaCroix

Charlesbridge Publishing: If Lin Can: How Jeremy Lin Inspired Asian Americans to Shoot for the Stars by Richard Ho, illustrated by Huynh Kim Liên and Phùng Nguyên Quang

Shadow Mountain: The Orchids of Ashthorne Hall (Proper Romance Victorian) by Rebecca Anderson

News

Notes: Next Round in Online Sales Tax Bout?; Mary Oliver

Amazon.com and other e-tailers "are winning some skirmishes against cash-strapped states that want to force them to collect sales taxes, but their victories may be short-lived," the Wall Street Journal wrote.

Some states are attempting to interpret laws requiring a physical connection to the state more liberally. But more significantly, "an effort by some states and retailers to streamline sales tax laws eventually could be used to force e-commerce companies to collect tax in 20 states," the Journal wrote. "Congress has considered bills that would allow states that meet certain uniformity and simplification standards in their tax systems to demand that out-of-state sellers collect sales taxes."

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The New York Times went to Provincetown, Mass., for a mesmerizing piece in yesterday's travel section about the terrain and creatures that inhabit the poetry of Mary Oliver, who has lived in the Cape Cod town for some 40 years. Concerning Province Lands park, which includes her beloved Blackwater Pond, the Times wrote that Oliver's "poems draw vivid pictures of all manner of life in this tightly contained ecosystem: blacksnakes swimming, foxes running, goldfinches singing, blue herons wading, and lilies that 'break open over the dark water.' "

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Two authors who relied on their "accumulated knowledge about the king of pop," wrote Moonwalk in Paradise, an instant biography of Michael Jackson that went on sale on Saturday, in 48 hours, according to People's Daily. At least 10 other Chinese publishers are planning to put out instant books about Jackson.

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In a column on the Huffington Post, Nancy Bass, co-owner of the Strand bookstore in New York City, recalled the evening in 2002 when Michael Jackson visited the store after hours. He, his children and entourage spent $6,000 on a range of titles, and at the end, Bass wrote, she wanted "to follow Tinkerbell, be sprinkled with fairy dust, open the window, and fly through the night sky."

She added: "But 7 years later, I now have kids and I read them fairy tales. And as we all know, fairy tales can also have a dark side. Even Peter Pan said, 'To die will be an awfully big adventure.' "

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Christina Baker Kline's fourth novel, Bird in Hand, is coming out in August from HarperCollins. As she works on her next novel, which she aims to finish in a year, she's writing about it on her new blog, A Writing Year: Ideas and Inspiration for Writing a Novel. There she talks about "what motivates and inspires me, what tips and tricks I use to keep going, and how I deal with the unexpected." She also has guest bloggers, who are published writers. It's a fun read--with lots of great pointers and reminders about the art and mechanics of fiction writing.

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Wanda Jewell, executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, is scheduled for surgery tomorrow for breast cancer and will be out for about two weeks.

In an e-mail to members, Jewell noted that "many folks have asked what they can do for me. Here is what all of you can do: Nothing would make me happier than to have you at the SIBA Trade Show in Greenville, S.C., Sept. 25-27. . . . If all goes well, and I expect it will, I will see you there and what could raise my spirits more than a kick-ass SIBA Show?"

We have Wanda in our thoughts and prayers and hope for a speedy recovery.

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FiledBy.com (Shelf Awareness, May 18, 2009) has added a feature that makes it easier for writers publishing a new book to promote and market the book online before publication, something that many in the industry are doing earlier than ever. As FiledBy CEO and president Peter Clifton noted, "Bookselling experts agree that authors should start promoting a new book well before it arrives in bookselling channels to build interest, community and sales."

The company's pre-publication websites include such things as author bios, author photographs, book information and cover art, links for ordering books in advance, links to the authors' presences on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and blogs, event listings, sample chapters, electronic press kits, testimonials and more. The sites can be added to regularly.

 


HarperOne: Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World by Craig Foster


Cool Idea of the Day: An Independent Bookstore Contest

Rainy Day Books, Fairway, Kan., and my3books.com are sponsoring a contest for independent booksellers to celebrate . . . independent booksellers and Independents Week, which ends today.

Stores may be nominated by anyone--customers or book world denizens. On Twitter, using the hashtag #RDB714, nominators should name their favorite bookstores and give reasons for the nomination. Stores may be entered more than once, and multiple tweets may be used to explain the nominations. Nominated bookstores must be members of IndieBound. Deadline for entries is midnight, next Tuesday, July 14, Bastille Day.

@RainyDayBooks (aka Geoffrey Jennings) and @mesjak (John Mesjak) will judge each store's entries based on three criteria: "fervor of support, how they might 'pay it forward' and overall spirit."

The five winning stores each receive an autographed hardcover set of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

 


Park Street Press: An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey by Peter A Levine


Media and Movies

Media Heat: The Thing Around Your Neck

This morning on Good Morning America: Chuck Klosterman, author of Downtown Owl (Scribner, $15, 9781416544197/1416544194).

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Today on NPR's Takeaway: Aaron Cohen, author of Slave Hunter: One Man's Global Quest to Free Victims of Human Trafficking (Simon Spotlight, $24.99, 9781416961178/1416961178).

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Today on the Diane Rehm Show: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of The Thing Around Your Neck (Knopf, $24.95, 9780307271075/0307271072).

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Tonight on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in a repeat: Justin Fox, author of The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street (HarperBusiness, $27.99, 9780060598990/0060598999).

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Tonight on the Colbert Report, in a repeat: Kevin Mattson, author of 'What the Heck Are You Up to, Mr. President?': Jimmy Carter, America's 'Malaise,' and the Speech that Should Have Changed the Country (Bloomsbury USA, $25, 9781596915213/1596915218).

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Tomorrow on Fox News's Sean Hannity Show: Bethenny Frankel, author of Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting (Fireside, $16, 9781416597988/1416597980).

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Tomorrow on the Diane Rehm Show: Rep. Henry Waxman, author of The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works (Twelve, $24.99, 9780446519250/0446519251).

Also on Diane Rehm: Terri Apter, author of What Do You Want From Me?: Learning to Get Along with In-Laws (Norton, $25.95, 9780393066975/0393066975).

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Tomorrow night on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in a repeat: Oliver Sacks, author of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Vintage, $14.95, 9781400033539/1400033535).

 


G.P. Putnam's Sons: Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney


Movie: I Love You, Beth Cooper

I Love You, Beth Cooper follows a high school loser (Paul Rust) who announces his love for a popular girl (Hayden Panettiere) during his graduation speech and is surprised to find her at his house later that night. Chris Columbus directed this adaptation of Larry Doyle's novel. The film opens this coming Friday, July 10. Harper has the movie tie-in edition ($14.99, 9780061732775/006173277X).

 

 

 


Books & Authors

Awards: SIBA Book Award Winners

Winners of the 2009 SIBA Book Awards, "recognizing great books of Southern origin" and nominated and chosen by member booksellers of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, are:

  • Fiction: Serena by Ron Rash (Ecco).
  • Poetry: Dear Darkness by Kevin Young (Knopf)
  • Cookbook: Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose (Random House)
  • Nonfiction: The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg (Random House)
  • Children's: Two Bobbies by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery (Walker)
  • Young Adult: Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Harcourt Children's Books)

Winners and finalists will be honored at SIBA's annual trade show, September 25-27, in Greenville, S.C.


IndieBound: Other Indie Favorites

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next picks:

Hardcover

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel (Unbridled, $24.95, 9781932961683/1932961682). "Last Night in Montreal is a rare achievement, a gripping, mysterious, and original literary novel about family secrets and the unbearable weight they place on young shoulders. Emily St. John Mandel is a wonderful and refreshingly unorthodox writer, and this should be the start of a brilliant career."--Rich Rennicks, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, N.C.

Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America
by George Whalin (Portfolio, $26.95, 9781591842606/1591842603). "Just when you thought Wal-Mart was gobbling up independent stores right and left, Whalin introduces us to 25 retail superstars that have been around a long time and are doing very well. Long live the independents!"--Joan Kolp, the River's End Bookstore, Oswego, N.Y.

Paperback

Buffalo Lockjaw by Greg Ames (Hyperion, $14.95, 9781401309800/1401309801). "James Fitzroy is headed home to Buffalo for Thanksgiving, but he and his family are struggling with very big questions about the end of life, the quality of life, and assisted suicide. Ames' novel is funny, tragic, sad, and troubling all at the same time."--Ann Reierson, Inklings Bookshop, Yakima, Wash.

For Ages 4 to 8

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam (Flashlight Press, $16.95, 9780979974625/0979974623). "Monster Gabe has gone fishing and his human, Ethan, doesn't know how he will fall asleep without his monster under his bed. This beautifully illustrated story will have youngsters and their parents laughing out loud."--Mary McHale, Fox Tale Books, New Durham, N.H.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]



Shelf Starters: At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream

At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse (Harmony Books, $23.99, 9780307451903/0307451909, June, 2009)

Opening lines of books we want to read:

There's a raccoon on my head.

And I don't particularly look good in hats.

Especially when they're still moving . . .

My cap is very much alive, very much pissed off, and very much sporting a bad stink, a head filled with razor fangs, and a lot of painfully sharp claws.

But I guess I'd be pissed off, too, if someone interrupted my late-night dinner reservation.

Who knew that in the woods you simply can't shove a forgotten bag of trash into your garbage can?

I didn't.

That's because I'm a city boy, a self-obsessed gay man who intentionally bedazzled himself in roughly $1,000 worth of trendy clothing just to walk the trash out in the middle of f***ing nowhere! . . .

Not long ago, I moved to the woods of Michigan from the city, because I wanted to be a modern-day Henry David Thoreau.

My goal? To find myself, to find my modern-day Walden Pond, by stripping away superfluous luxuries and living a plainer, simpler life.

Thoreau famously wrote: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and to see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

And he is right. The woods have already taught me something of great value: I am going to die. Specifically, I am going to die after being disfigured by a raccoon.

--Selected by Marilyn Dahl




The Bestsellers

Top-Selling Titles at AbeBooks.com in June

The 10 bestselling books on AbeBooks.com during June were:

1. The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
2. Saved by the Light by Dannion Brinkley
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
5. The Levanter by Eric Ambler
6. The Soloist by Steve Lopez
7. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm
8. The Five Languages of Love by Gary Chapman
9. Good Wine: The New Basics by Richard Paul Hinkle
10. 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye by John David California
 
The 10 bestselling signed books on AbeBooks.com during June were:
 
1. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
2. Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen
3. Home by Marilynne Robinson
4. Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
5. Moonwalk by Michael Jackson
6. Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
7. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
8. Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
9. Living Faith by Jimmy Carter
10. Dancing with the Devil by Mark Curry

[Many thanks to AbeBooks.com!]


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