Genre Fiction

Have a kid’s party coming up this summer that you are responsible for planning? Why not use it as an opportunity to encourage reading early on by incorporating some favorite story book characters?

For one of her oldest son’s early birthdays, my sister hosted a party featuring Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar. There was a craft project for the kids, a themed cake, and even a giant a paper cutout of the caterpillar with a picture of the birthday boy in each body segment, starting with one of him as an infant followed by one of him at each month.

Cake Wrecks, a blog about disastrous professionally-made confections, has a “Sunday Sweets” edition each week that features cake successes. Today, the blog included a themed “Sunday Sweets” about cakes honoring favorite childhood books. Blogger Jen found inspirations for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon and Guess How Much I Love You, Dr. Seuss’s One Fish Two Fish … and Fox in Socks, Golden Book’s Poky Little Puppy, Babar, and Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit.

Click on the picture here to check the rest out for inspiration to make your own - or, for the less creatively confident, print out one of the pictures and take it to your own local bakery.

Don’t forget to spread the theme across the whole party, too! Incorporate the character or characters into the decorations, gift bags, crafts, games, etc.: Play pin the tail on Babar. Make monster masks or rabbit ears. Give out Swedish fish - or even a small copy of the chosen book! Have fun with it, knowing that you’re encouraging reading while celebrating a birthday!

Another book-to-film creation hits theaters next month. On June 26, leaving you just enough time to read the novel before watching the movie, the big screen version of Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper releases under the same name.

My Sister’s Keeper is a heart-wrenching, “what would you do if” story about family versus self. It asks the questions how much do you owe to your family members and howw much of yourself should you sacrifice for their health and happiness. It’s the story of child sick with leukemia - Kate, played by Medium’s Sofia Vassilieva - and her sister - Anna, played by Abigail Breslin - who was conceived simply to provide Kate with any necessary transplants.

As they grow up, both girls start to question how much their parents - played by Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric - expect Anna to give up in her own life to save Kate’s. When Anna seeks emancipation so that she can stop undergoing painful medical processes to provide bone marrow and such for Kate, the Fitzgeralds begin to fall apart.

It is a story of familial love, don’t let that fact slip by. These sisters love each other and are connected in a way that most of us will never understand. But also know that you will surely want to bring along a box of tissues … or wait and rent it so that you can watch it and cry your eyes out in the comfort of your own home.

Click to check out more about: the book, the author, and the movie.

Angels & Demons, the film version of Dan Brown’s prequel to his infamous Da Vinci Code, opened a few weeks ago as the top seller of its time despite raking in a good $30 million less than its preceding sequel during each film’s first weekend.

Yes, it is holding its own in the ticket sales world, but there is still plenty of negativity surrounding the story line: Two days before the film premiered Westminster Theological Seminary, one of the oldest and most respected religious institutions, launched www.TruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com, an online resource dedicated to providing a balanced assessment and factual response to the spiritual, historical, and scientific assertions in the book and movie of the same name. This site follows 2006’s www.TheTruthAboutDaVinci.com that coincided with the film release of Da Vinci Code.

“This Web site will help individuals sift through the mix of fact and fiction woven into the novel and presumably the film,” said Dr. Bill Edgar, professor of apologetics at Westminster. “By providing biblically-sound facts and highlighting issues related to the intersection of religion and science that Angels & Demons presents, we hope to educate people and empower them to engage in conversation about the book and film.”

“In the wake of The Da Vinci Code’s popularity, many people began to question the validity of the Bible’s message and its influence throughout history,” explains Dr. Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster. “The Da Vinci Web site fostered doubt about doubt, which we also hope to again generate as it relates to Angels & Demons.”

I spent my entire day today at the American Vegan Society’s Garden Party. There was veg food, live music, new friends - and a few old ones too, speakers, coupons, and the part that took up the most of my time: a book room.

The Vegan Society’s book room is just a rinky dink, narrow building with two rooms lined with tall metal shelves, each filled with vegan health, nutrition, animal rights, poem, and recipe books, and much more too. But it was heaven to me! With a copy of the New York Times’ best-selling book When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson already on route to me from Paperback Swap I passed that one by. But I still had another three dozen books that I wanted to buy! Making a decision was hard, but I narrowed it down to three (plus a dozen old Vegetarian Times and Natural Health magazines and a few other free pamphlets):

* Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet, a beginner raw foods prep book that gives a lot of very basic ideas and concepts as well as some more creative creations using the basics.

* The Tofu Cookbook by Leah Leneman, a collection of over 150 meals, desserts, drinks, and more that you can make using the soy veg staple.

* Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness by Kathy Freston, the highly talked and raved about health guide that was featured on both Oprah Winfrey’s and Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show.

What i have been reading you ask? Here’s what’s been getting action on my book shelves lately …

This week I finished up reading Rosy Thornton’s newest novel, Crossed Wires - and I enjoyed it! It’s a great story about people in similar life situations finding comfort in each other and, even though it is ultimately a romance of sorts, it is very realistic. The story is about a slow building relationship between two single parents. It’s not hot and heavy, down in the sheets. You get to know the children too and, as I imagine it is for single parents, just as much about the kids as it is about the adults.

Next, I’ve picked up Lisa See’s Peony in Love and am trying to finish it before she comes to town next week.

Overly similar book cover designs were spotted again by a Totally Looks Like user again.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, also known as the book with the most cover designs ever (my count is at eight, including the one here - two movie ones, one foreign, and at least five others), was originally published in 1993 but I can’t find a specific year on this cover.

Disappearing Ingenue by Melissa Pritchard, which only seems to have two different cover designs including this one, is a collection of eight interrelated short stories was published nine years after Virgin Suicides, in 2002.

And on a separate note … while writing looking these books up, I realized for the first time that the author of Virgin Suicides also wrote Middlesex, whose screenplay rights are owned by Rita Wilson.

My current MP3 player is barely functioning. It is jammed up and only plays about half of the songs on it, never labels them correctly, and won’t let me remove them at all. It also shuts off if it jiggles and occasionally locks up, always on the same songs. Clearly, it is time for me to consider investing in a new MP3 player, especially with my new personal challenge of training for a half marathon.

I don’t have any money to spend; however, I have accumulated enough points in my MyPoints account to earn $75 in gift certificates to spend at Overstock.com (side note: MyPoints is seriously awesome. Leave a comment and I will send you an e-invite.)

I began shopping around the discount site to figure out what kind of MP3 player I want, which is when this story starts to relate to books. I narrowed my many choices down to the ones with the best gigabyte to price ratios - and that’s when I found Latte’s iPearl. It has 8GB of memory, FM radio, and a microphone. It can double as a USB storage device and can hold and show digital pictures. And … you can read e-books on it while listening to music (or with the music turned off if you cannot multi-task that well).

This aspect was the deciding factor for me. I take public transportation a lot and often am already carrying so much stuff with me for work that I sadly don’t have room for a book. This will be the perfect way to always have something to read on me!

I read - and loved - Dan Brown’s 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code before all the hubbub and controversy surrounding the concept of the story truly blew up. In fact, when I picked up my copy I hadn’t even heard of it yet. Brown is a good writer, regardless of whether you agree with his plot about Jesus’ blood line or not. The book is a well-written, suspenseful mystery. The movie, on the other hand, was only enjoyable because I enjoyed the book so much, but I digress … Dan Brown is a good author.

After The Da Vinci Code became a best-selling hit, readers went back in time to appreciate Brown’s 2000 novel, Angels & Demons, which is about the same characters and similar events. I haven’t read the predecessor yet, but it garnered almost as much positive and negative attention as its follow up novel. And now, the one written first is also a movie, which was released this past Friday, May 15. Tom Hanks reprises his lead role as Robert Langdon, while director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman also returned. A few newbies, including Ewan McGregor, join the cast.

With the new film release, artsy people are revving up their crafty engines, excited for a movie that prominently features some classic artwork. The folks over at Craftster are so excited that they have put together a collection of angel and demon crafts made by the community board’s members.

Check out the angelic and demonic sculptures, screen printing, photography, stuffed toys, and more, including the hand stitched towel set shown here.

This is the week of bookish good luck for me! First, I got bargains on two books that have been on my wish list for a while now. Today, I found out that two of my favorite authors are going on book tour and will be stopping by a library near me.

Jennifer Weiner, a Philadelphian like me, has a new book, Best Friends Forever, coming out in July. The details of the book tour - aside from the fact that she will be visiting her hometown - for this new release are still coming together, according to Jennifer via her blog. Follow her on the social networking media of your choice to find out if and when she’ll be in your area: Find Jennifer Weiner on Facebook, Twitter, her blog, or MySpace.

Lisa See will be kicking off her tour to promote her newest Chinese historical fiction book, Shanghai Girls, which releases on May 26, in Philadelphia. Check out all the dates across the country on See’s Web site.

What do you get when you mix Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw with the mysterious, unknown gossip blogger from Gossip Girl? That would be Paula Froelich, the real life New York gossip girl who is a columnist for the New York Post’s Page Six, shown here.

Froelich’s latest work is her debut novel, Mercury in Retrograde, which doubles as a survival guide for women living in New York City. Candace Bushnell and Cecily von Ziegesar, the authors of Sex and the City and Gossip Girl respectively, have already read Mercury and are both giving it two thumbs up:

“Froelich writes with humor, charm, and heart. Readers will love the hilarious misadventures of Penelope Mercury,” said Bushnell.

“A very funny New York story,” says Von Ziegesar. “[It] reads like a late night cab ride with friends. The tales of Penelope, Lipstick, and Dana are at once fabulous, tragic, and hysterically funny.”

Mercury in Retrograde will go on sale in June 2009.

When books that I really really want are first released in hardback only, I force myself to wait it out, usually impatiently, until it either goes on sale, releases in paperback, or becomes available on Paperback Swap. Sometimes I check nonstop for a deal on the book, and other times I forget about it until one day I am pleasantly surprised by a sale. This weekend, I was overjoyed when not just one but two of the books on my long list of “patiently waiting for” ones came to me cheaply!

On Saturday morning I headed out to check out a nearby Seventh-day Adventist church. With no car, I am a slave to public transportation and thus ended up in the area 45 minutes before the service started. As luck would have it, a Borders was just across the street. Continuing on my lucky streak, I popped in and found a hardback copy of Augusten Burroughs’ (easily one of my fave authors) latest book, A Wolf at the Table, for a mere $7.99. I was sad for him that his book had so many copies that didn’t sell at full price, but still quite excited to find it.

Later that evening, I got a notice from my Paperback Swap account that another user posted Jennifer Weiner’s Certain Girls and that I was next in line to receive it - for the cost of just one credit, which I earned by mailing out one of my old books to someone else.

It was a very good -very book surprise filled - weekend. Now, if I can just get my hands on a copy of Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs …

If teens and kids are reading less now because of the popularity of the Internet, then perhaps a kick butt Web site all about authors, bestsellers, new releases, and more would help generate some more young readers. Let’s see what I can find …

* Random House publishing company hosts Teens @ Random where there are quizzes, author interviews, related videos, new noteworthy reads and old favorites, and social opportunities to make friends, pick fave books, and create a profile. This site has recently been making blogging headlines for welcoming author Judy Blume to chat and answer questions on a message board there. The layout and design of Teens @ Random is much more appealing than most reading sites, too.

* Harper Collins Publishers also has a teen-specific site, Harper Teen. There’s no Judy Blume, but there is plenty of reviews, author info, contests, and, of course, vampires.

* TeenReads.com includes all of the basics too: interviews, polls, reviews, book clubs, info about books being made into movies, and much more. This site tops the others on variety of content, but could use some help in the graphic design area.

* Teen Ink magazine covers all the regular book-related stuff in a well-designed, youthful way, but also features writing fun. While gathering inspiration from fave authors, teens can submit their own poems, short stories, and even artwork and photos for publishing. Education resources are available for those ready to go to college or interested in a summer writing program. It’s not just an online magazine either; Teen Ink can be read in print as well.

Find more links by clicking on the picture shown here.

The best-selling books of this week don’t look much different than the bestsellers of this time last year: Stephenie Meyer is dominating still, again, and more. With four out of four books from the Twilight sage not only being recognized on USA Today’s Top 150 Bestsellers for the week of April 26, 2009, but taking the top four spots we are certainly still living in the reigning era of vampire queen Meyer.

All of the books have hit the number one position at one time or another, but currently they fall in this order:

1. New Moon (2006, book 2)

2. Twilight (2005, book 1)

3. Eclipse (2007, book 3)

4. Breaking Dawn (2008, book 4)

If, like me, you’ve watched and loved the Twilight movie version but are unsure as to whether or not you are ready to dive into the books behind it, here’s a little teaser - the first few sentence of each book in the series:

Book 1: My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down.

Book 2: I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that I was dreaming.

Book 3: (written as a handwritten note from Jacob, most of which is crossed out) Bella, I don’t know why you’re making Charlie carry notes to Billy like we’re in second grade, if I wanted to talk to you I would answer the …

Book 4: No one is staring at you, I promised myself.

The top ten out of USA’s top 250 are rounded out with the following six reads:

5. First Family by David Baldacci

6. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin

7. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey

8. The Shack by William P. Young

9. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

10. Dark Summer by Iris Johansen

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything from the Sookie Stackhouse True Blood novel and television empire. So lest we forget about the popular books by Charlaine Harris turned HBO series starring Anna Paquin, Borders is hyping up the May 5 release of the newest book in the series, Dead and Gone, and the May 19 release of True Blood on DVD and Blu-ray.

Starting today, May 4, exclusively at Borders True Blood site, in collaboration with Penguin Publishing, Sookie’s fans - both readers and viewers - can get their fix online by enjoying video and author content including:

* Behind-the-scenes footage: A sneak peek at the making of the TV series, including interviews with the director and actors.

* Character pieces: Video vignettes on characters including Sookie, Bill, Sam, Tara, Jason, and Lafayette.

* Series trailer: Exciting highlights of scenes from the first season.

* Chapter excerpt: An excerpt of Harris’ highly anticipated new release, chosen by the author.

* Q&A with Harris

* Author essay: “Sookie and Me and HBO,” an essay exploring Harris’ thoughts on HBO’s adaptation of her books.

* Not-yet-published book covers: An advance look at yet-to-be released book covers for Harris’ other Sookie Stackhouse novels: Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, and All Together Dead.

Chicago fans will get an extra special True Blood fix when Harris stops by the Chicagoland market at Borders in Oak Brook, Illinois, on July 13 to greet her fans and sign copies of Dead and Gone.

Season two of True Blood premieres on HBO on June 14.