Monthly Archives: February 2012

• Bring on the Flavor – PW

  Posted at 9:07 am by Laura, on February 22, 2012

  Bring on the Flavor: It’s Not Just About Health (bit it won’t hurt) – Publisher’s Weekly – Mark Rotella

  To change things up a bit, here’s an article on the latest news in cooking trends and recently published cookbooks! Makes me want to toss everything out of my fridge, start over, and buy all organic foods and attack my personal fear of the oven and stove.

  Butter, eggs, heavy cream with sherry, and lobster—combined in ramekins and topped with a puff pastry. Like many recipes from Lobster (Storey, May), there is no sparing fat for health concerns. This season’s batch of cookbooks represents an ode to fresh flavor—both traditional and cutting edge.

  …

  But you don’t have to eat fat to get flavor these days—or any animal products at all. Vegetarian, even vegan, cookbooks are striving to reach more general audiences. And they are succeeding—in both recipes and design.

  Coming out from Chronicle is Pure Vegan by Joseph Shuldiner. “Think visual, gorgeous, and stylish,” says Chronicle’s publicity manager, David Hawkey. “It’s not your typical vegan cookbook.”

  Adam Salomone, associate publisher of Harvard Common Press, sees changing trends in vegan and vegetarian cookbooks alike, primarily with Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes by Michael Natkin. “It’s not a book that is just healthy or good for the planet—it’s just good food.”

  …

  There is little doubt that families greatly benefit, both physically and emotionally, from sitting around the table for mealtime. The number of new cookbooks emphasizing the importance of eating together at home illustrates the interest in this trend.

  Makes your mouth water, doesn’t it? Read on for more!

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: cooking, magazine, news, publishing

• B&N Sells More Books, But Liberty Share Dilute Earnings – PL

  Posted at 8:59 am by Laura, on February 22, 2012

  Barnes & Noble Sells More Books, But Liberty Share Dilute Earnings – Publishers Lunch – Michael Cader

  Yesterday’s big announcement was B&N’s quarterly sales report. If you would like to see the specific data, please click the link and continue to read.

  CEO William Lynch says in the release that “our traffic and sales in stores were the highest we’ve seen in five years.” He reports that “physical book sales at our stores increased more than 4 percent over last year, and our merchandising changes in our juvenile business and our toys & games department experienced double-digit revenue growth.” The Nook business continues to grow “and according to some of the largest US publishers, we maintained or slightly gained share in the eBook market during the third quarter.”

  Lynch further explains the future of the Nook business and potential plans.

  Posted in books, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged books, bookstores, ebooks, ereaders, news, technology

• Oscar’s Reading List: Adaptations Dominate Nominees – SA

  Posted at 8:53 am by Laura, on February 22, 2012

  Oscar’s Reading List: Adaptations Dominate Nominees – Shelf Awareness

  Six of the nine best picture nominations for this year’s Academy Awards, which will be presented February 26, are based on books, comprising an impressive reading list in Oscar’s major categories.

  Check it out! Read the summaries of the adaptations, such as the author of the book and what the adaptation is nominated for. A note is left at the end, regarding the Harry Potter snub.

   

  Posted in Link | 0 Comments | Tagged books, movies, news

• Upcoming Books! [5]

  Posted at 3:00 pm by Laura, on February 19, 2012

  I’m going to play around with a new format this week.

  Title: Pandemonium
  Author: Lauren Oliver
  Genre: young adult – fantasy – dystopia
  Publisher: HarperCollins
  Publishing Date: February 28
  Summary: The old Lena is dead. The old Lena remains with Alex in Portland, Maine, behind a wall of smoke and flame, but the new Lena was born in the Wilds, transformed by hardship, deprivation, and loss.
  Now an active member of the resistance, Lena fights for a world in which love will no longer be considered a dangerous disease. Her inner life is as turbulent as the world around her. . . . Although consumed with grief for Alex, might she be falling in love with someone else?
  The second in Oliver’s “Delirium” trilogy.

  ~

  Title: And Then It’s Spring
  Author: Julie Fogliano
  Genre: children’s
  Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
  Publishing Date: February 14
  Summary: Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they’ve had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way. Julie Fogliano’s tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

  ~

  Title: The Dressmaker
  Author: Kate Alcott
  Genre: historical fiction
  Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
  Publishing Date: February 21
  Summary: Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she’s had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic’s doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.
  Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.
  On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic.

  ~

  Title: Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now – As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Left It, and Long for It
  Author: Craig Taylor
  Genre: nonfiction
  Publisher: HarperCollins
  Publishing Date: February 21
  Summary: Five years in the making, and published on the eve of the 2012 Olympics, “Londoners” is a fresh and compulsively readable view of one of the world’s most fascinating cities–a vibrant, narrative portrait of contemporary London, featuring unforgettable stories told by the real people who make the city hum.

  Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: adult fiction, genre: children, genre: dystopian, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: nonfiction, genre: young adult, upcoming books

• Book Review: “In the Woods” by Tana French

  Posted at 9:25 pm by Laura, on February 17, 2012

  In the Woods by Tana French

  As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

  Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox – his partner and closest friend – find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

  Fun fact: I read the second book (The Likeness) without realizing it was the second book and absolutely loved it. It’s one of my favorites and Cassie Maddox is also a favorite character of mine.

  That being said, the narrator Rob Ryan was a difficult character to relate to. His narrative was clinical and descriptive, and not very emotional. By the end of the novel, he blatantly states he would only tell the story the way he could see them, without opinions and bias. His relationship with Cassie is adorable – they would bounce one-liners, zingers, and banter back and forth constantly. The dialogue and chemistry were immensely entertaining during the sludge of “whodunit” ruts.

  Because of their relationship, Cassie was the most fascinating character. I think a part of it had to do with my familiarity of her narrative in the second book, but also because she was the most alive and most truthful character in the murder investigation. Rob’s murky past and turbulent present cause for some anxious monologues and self-reflection in the midst of clinical descriptions of facts, evidence, and interrogations.

  The murderer was not someone I would have guessed either. So many fingers pointed in so many directions that when the murderer was revealed, I was baffled. Even the explanation was startling! This was the moment in the work when psychological expertise took a heavy role. I have to applaud French on her ability to create such multidimensional and accurate (psychologically) characters, motives, and reactions!

  Rating: ★★★★ of 5

  Goodreads: 3.62 of 5

  Posted in Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review

• Sourcebooks Gives ‘Embrace’ a Big Marketing Push – PW

  Posted at 1:28 pm by Laura, on February 17, 2012

  Sourcebooks Gives ‘Embrace’ a Big Marketing Push – Publisher’s Weekly – Sally Lodge

  

  In a world where angels seek vengeance and humans are warriors, a teen must choose her destiny in Embrace, the launch title of a fantasy series by debut author Jessica Shirvington. Due in March from Sourcebooks Fire, the novel is supported by a $200,000 marketing budget, the largest the publisher has ever allocated for a young adult book. Sourcebooks doubled the size of the initial marketing campaign due to the enthusiastic reaction to its 4,000-copy ARC mailing to booksellers, librarians, teachers, and book media, a response that Chris Bauerle, director of sales and marketing, describes as “a tidal wave.” What is it about the novel that triggered the early buzz?

  Read on to find out why! Normally I would never pick up a paranormal book with a cover like this – seems too stereotypical teeny-bopper – but the summaries and reviews are absolutely stunning.

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: fantasy, genre: young adult, magazine, news, publishing

• TOC 2012: Children’s Books Must Exist in Both Formats – PW

  Posted at 5:19 pm by Laura, on February 15, 2012

  TOC 2012: Children’s Books Must Exist in Digital and Print – Publisher’s Weekly – Gabe Habash

  The “What Works Well Where? Considering Books for Children in Different Formats” session at TOC 2012 stressed the necessary coexistence of digital and traditional books for children, an opinion put forth by Junko Yokota, director of the Center for Teaching Through Children’s Books.

  I couldn’t agree more! There are some aspects of a print book that are necessary for infants and children in order to adapt to the environment and to learn! In this case, there are things technology cannot touch.

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 1 Comment | Tagged books, ebooks, ereaders, genre: children, magazine, news, technology

• The Beauty of the Printed Book – NYTimes

  Posted at 5:16 pm by Laura, on February 15, 2012

  The Beauty of the Printed Book – New York Times – Alice Rawsthorn

  Anyone who wishes to be reminded of quite how beguiling old-fashioned books can be should visit “The Printed Book: A Visual History,” an exhibition running through May 13 at the Special Collections department of the University of Amsterdam. Drawn from the university’s book collection, which is among the world’s finest, the exhibition traces the evolution of book design through some of the most compellingly designed books of the last 500 years.

  …

  Even the bibliophiles at Steidl expect e-books to continue to grow, largely at the expense of printed books. For starters, they are incredibly convenient. Just think of the hundreds of e-books you can pack on to a single digital device. They are environmentally responsible: saving trees from being felled to produce paper, and fossil fuel from being burned to transport boxes of books. Interactive books can also dazzle their readers with sound, film clips, animations and data visualizations as well as words and images. And if their readers are puzzled by a word or factual reference, they can check it on the Internet within seconds.

  Yet so far, the design of e-books has been disappointing. Most of them look suspiciously as though their publishers have simply shunted their contents from print on to the screen. But some of the newer titles are more promising, largely because their designers have explored the technical and aesthetic possibilities of the new media.

  …

  Yet there is still something very special about an adroitly designed printed book, perhaps because it is so simple and devoid of technological trickery.

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged books, ebooks, news, newspaper, publishing

• Upcoming Books! [4]

  Posted at 8:28 am by Laura, on February 13, 2012

  Apologies for the late post, normally I do this on Sundays. Been a rough few weeks with class.

  Here’s the latest news on upcoming and newly published books!

  Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult which will be released February 28th!

  

  Summary: Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.
  With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?
  Lone Wolf explores the notion of family, and the love, protection and strength it’s meant to offer. But what if the hope that should sustain it, is the very thing that pulls it apart?

  ~

  At Left Brain, Turn Right by Anthony Meindl

  

  Summary: 15 Weeks and 25 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Brando, Einstein, and Shakespeare:
  The most successful and creative people in the world don’t possess anything different than you. They have no magic formula or special secret. They’ve simply prevented the left hemisphere of their brain – the “logical,” analytical side – from sabotaging their life. Whether you’re a ballerina or banker, accountant or actor, At Left Brain Turn Right shows you how to silence the noise of your left brain, ignite your creative side, and live the life you’ve always imagined. Using relatable no-nonsense stories from his own creative journey, Anthony Meindl guides you from the left brain to the right to realize your own full creative potential.

  ~

  The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice, out on Valentine’s Day!

  

  Summary: A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer . . . An older woman welcoming him into her magnificent family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . An idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence, the young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation, as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing what he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.

  ~

  And finally, a few books to look forward to later in 2012 and 2013:

  • Lisa O’Donnell’s The Death of Bees, two young sisters trying to keep the world at bay after the mysterious death of their parents
  • French Lessons author Ellen Sussman’s The Paradise Guest House, set in Bali during the aftermath of the 2002 nightclub bombings, a story about love, risk, and facing up to our deepest fears
  • A four book series by Lemony Snicket, due out October 23rd.
  Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: adult fiction, genre: children, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: nonfiction, genre: young adult, upcoming books

• Book Review: “Running in the Family” by Michael Ondaatje

  Posted at 1:23 pm by Laura, on February 12, 2012

  Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje

  In the late 1970s Ondaatje returned to his native island of Sri Lanka. As he records his journey through the drug-like heat and intoxicating fragrances of that “pendant off the ear of India, ” Ondaatje simultaneously retraces the baroque mythology of his Dutch-Ceylonese family. An inspired travel narrative and family memoir by an exceptional writer.

  Another piece that I was required to read for my advanced nonfiction writing class. It was very different from the others (Maya Angelou and Geoffrey Wolff) in topic, writing style, and flow.

  Running in the Family was difficult to read and dive into, at first. The writing style is disjointed and the timeline of the narrative jumbles and hops around.  Within each section of chapters, the paragraph could begin with a story about the narrator’s grandmother, and end with paddies and riding on trains. However, after reading for a few hours and sinking into the rhythm of the text, I began to notice a pattern to the prose, poetry, dialogue, and photographs.

  In order to me to understand this memoir, I pretended the narrator was a friend of mine, sharing a scrapbook of his family and telling stories about each photograph. Beautiful prose would describe the landscape of Sri Lanka, then memories of a family member and their adventures in Sri Lanka would spark, and from those stories a narrative about an adventure in England would branch. When I approached the memoir in this fashion, it was much easier to follow and discover the links from one family member to the next – and finally to the story of the narrator’s mother and father.

  Another aspect of this memoir that is worth noting: while Wolff and Angelou repeatedly reminded the readers of their cultural background, their race, their history, Ondaatje’s identity was mixed. This colonial interpretation was so intricately woven that his own racial and cultural identity was vague. I understood that he was Dutch, but there were so many English, Canadian, and American ties within the Sri Lanka life that understanding Ondaatje’s identity and the identity of his family members became blurred. The jury’s still out figuring out if I liked that or not.

  It was a good read, a bit difficult, but I do not think I’ll pick this book up again. And for that, I give it:

  Rating: ★★ of 5

  Goodreads: 3.88 of 5

  Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: nonfiction, goodreads, review

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

• Search the Blog

  Search for:

• Currently Reading

  

• Book Review Rating Key

  ★★★ — It’s good
  ★★★★ — It’s great
  ★★★★★ — OMG LOVE!!!

• Recent Posts

  • MSWL for 2026
  • Favorite Reads of 2025
  • Deal Announcement: Nina Moreno, YA Romance
  • Deal Announcement: Sharon Choe, YA Fantasy
  • Deal Announcement: Hanna R. Neier, MG Historical/Contemporary