Genre Fiction

Usually I only read one book at a time, but in the past week I have started reading three fiction books. Upon the arrival of my new Latte MP3 player I have started reading Emma by Jane Austen using the player’s book reading feature. I have also started listening to Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger that I downloaded with my free trial at eMusic’s Audiobooks. I’ve also begun a new evening book - Knit Two by Kate Jacobs, the follow up read to The Friday Night Knitting Club - which means that I have finished another and so I have a review for you …

I fell in love with Lisa See’s writing after reading her fifth novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which was released in 2005. Loving both her style and the historical fiction genre, I snagged her next novel, 2007’s Peony in Love. The latter was a story with a unique twist: Much like Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, the main character passes away near the beginning of the book and spend most of the story as a ghost. In addition to learning all about 17th century Chinese beliefs about women, literature, and marriage, the reader also gets a first-hand look at the beliefs and rites surrounding death and the afterlife.

While if you are only going to read one of these two See’s novel I certainly recommend Snow Flower over Peony, both of these books are extremely entertaining and historically educational.

In addition to these two novels, See has written four before and one since these, all of which are on my “to read” list:

On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995)
Flower Net (1997)
The Interior (1999)
Dragon Bones (2003)
Shanghai Girls (2009)

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation’s oldest and largest children and families’ literacy nonprofit organization, hosted The Gift of Reading Gala earlier this month in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for their cause … and a phenomenal $430,000 to support their efforts to motivate children to read!

“Our annual Gift of Reading Gala is a way for Reading Is Fundamental to acknowledge those who have committed themselves to improving children’s literacy throughout this country,” commented Carol H. Rasco, CEO and President of RIF.

Also during the fund-raising gala, Macy*s was presented with the Legacy of Literacy award for their outstanding commitment to children’s literacy through continued support and commitment to helping all children discover the joy of reading.

Check out RIF’s Web site to find out how you can volunteer to help encourage the kids in your community to read.

As previously announced, Lauren “LC” Conrad of MTV faux reality shows including The Hills has written and released L.A. Candy, the first teen novel in the three-part series contract that she received with Harper Collins Publishers. All joking aside … well, okay, not all joking because come on, “LC” an author? Really? … but anyways, apparently it’s an entertaining book, according to the Fug Girls. Quality literature? No. Cheesy summer read? Not quite. But entertaining, yes.

The Girls ventured to the book store on the day L.A. Candy was released and quietly picked up a copy so that all of us curious about it, but too embarrassed to actually be seen buying the book, could learn all of the details. Get the gossip on Lauren’s writing ability, the obvious connections and allusions to her real life, and more over at the Fug Girls’ review on the Cut.

As announced by Modality, Inc. and Wiley Publishing, Inc., the popular cheat sheet study guides CliffNotes now has an interactive application available for iPhone users, available in the Apple App Store.

Five individual CliffNotes apps, the first in a series of more than 40, provide comprehensive character, theme, and plot summaries and analysis; multiple choice quizzes; text highlighting; character maps and profiles, and audio CramCasts covering five classics:

* The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
* Macbeth by William Shakespeare
* Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
* The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
* To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

These first five CliffsNotes study guides are available for just $0.99 per application now, and additional titles will debut later in 2009.

It has only been nine months since Harper Collins Publishers contracted Lauren “L.C.” Conrad, of MTV reality show fame, to write a three-part teen book series called L.A. Candy, and already the first book is upon us.

Conrad recently celebrated the upcoming June 16 release of L.A. Candy at the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills with BFF and reality costar Lo Bosworth by her side.

According to Faded Youth Blog, the first installment “tells the story of Jane Roberts, a young beauty most notable for her sweet nature and innocence. She eventually packs up and moves to L.A. with her BFF from kindergarten, the gorgeous, smart–mouthed Scarlett. After only a few nights out on the town, the duo are swept up by a producer making a new reality show.”

About the overwhelming similarities between her real life and that of her story’s character, Conrad said that “some of the characters may symbolize people in my life, but it is in no way calling anyone out.”

As for the writing quality and actual content, Teen Vogue helps give a glimpse with the exclusive inside look.
Read an excerpt over at Teen Vogue.

With just one week until the June 14, 9 p.m., season two premiere of the HBO series True Blood, based on Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire Series. And another five months after that until the November 20 premiere of the second movie based on Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. While you get back into the vampire swing with one show, and await the arrival of the other film, take some time out to enjoy some other vampire novels; all of these are recommended by Barnes and Noble.

For Vampire Romance try:

* Skin Trade, number 17 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series by Laurell K. Hamilton

* Lover Avenged, number 7 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J. R. Ward

For Classic Vampire stories check out:

* Dracula by Bram Stoker

If you want a Vampire Thriller read:

* The Strain by Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

* Deadly Desire, number 7 in the Riley Jenson Guardian Series by Keri Arthur

For Graphic Novels about Vampires look for:

* Dark Hunger, number four in the Dark Series, written by Christine Feehan and illustrated by Zid

* Vampire Knight, Volume 6, written by Matsuri Hino and illustrated by Matsuri Hino

If Vampire Horror is more your taste feast on:

* All four of Anne Rice’s vampiric reads, available in a boxed set titled The Complete Vampire Chronicles, including Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, and The Tale of the Body Thief.

* Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, translated by Ebba Segerberg

Yesterday I took the whole day off to gallivant around New York City and be a tourist. The first destination on my list was the New York Public Library. Ever since I saw its huge marble stairs and gorgeous interior architecture on the Sex and the City movie I have been wanting to see it in person. I’m not a huge SATC fan, but I am a huge fan of libraries - and this one was over the top.

I visited the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Ave. and 42nd Street, a research-only location meaning that you cannot check out books. You request the books that you need and a librarian brings them to you in a study room for you to use.

I cannot begin to tell you how phenomenal this building was. It was so much more than just a library. There are a number of special exhibits, an art room with several paintings, a children’s section that is home to the original Winnie the Pooh, one of the first Gutenberg Bibles, and so much more. But even if the building were empty, the architecture alone would make it worth while: the ceilings are the most elaborate ceilings that I have ever seen.

I took the tour, led by a volunteer, that lasted just over an hour and I definitely recommend doing the same if you are in the area. Read about the rest of my day in NYC on my other blog, Living Without Meat.

Check out all of my NYC pictures by clicking on the one in this post.

If you have a minute, head to the NYPL Web site to learn the letter writing campaign and how you can help them maintain enough funding to stay open six days a week.