Trailer Tuesday: Tess Gerritsen’s ‘Ice Cold’

Posted on 4 May 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Ice Cold is Tess Gerritsen‘s eighth book in the Rizzoli & Isles crime series, and if the trailer is any indication, this book will be creepy, adrenaline-pumping and a page-turner.

The novel follows Boston ME Maura Isles to the seemingly abandoned town of Kingdom Come, where she and some friends are stranded in a blizzard. Abandoned houses—with food still on the tables—are suspicious, and the group gets the feeling that someone is lurking in the darkness. After Maura’s body is found in a ravine, homicide detective Jane Rizzoli comes to investigate the town’s “twisted history”. . .

Will you read Ice Cold, out June 29 from Ballantine? An icy thriller sounds about perfect for the heat of summer. . . and just in time for TNT’s new Rizzoli & Isles series.

Also in BookPage: Browse our Tess Gerritsen archives.

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Delightful debuts

Posted on 3 May 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

At BookPage, we have been struck by the high number of impressive spring debuts. A few of our favorites, in no particular order (click the titles to read a review):

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
This Is Not the Story You Think It Is (a memoir) by Laura Munson
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

Do you agree? Which debut is your favorite? Do you have any titles to add to the list? Let us know in the comments.

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‘Complex political questions’ in Bellwether winner

Posted on 3 May 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Naomi Benaron

The Bellwether Prize has just been announced online—Naomi Benaron won for her novel Running the Rift.

The Prize, which comes with a $25,000 award and guaranteed publication by a major publisher, was founded and fully funded by Barbara Kingsolver. The mission of the Prize—given to a first-time novelist—is to “advocate serious literary fiction that addresses issues of social justice and the impact of culture and politics on human relationships.” Benaron’s novel will be published by Algonquin.

In a press release, Kingsolver said that Running the Rift:

engages the reader with complex political questions about ethnic animosity in Rwanda and so many other issues relevant to North American readers. . . For one, it conveys the impossibility of remaining neutral within a climate of broad moral compromise—even for purportedly apolitical institutions like the Olympics.

Benaron has previously published a short story collection, Love Letters From a Fat Man, with BkMk Press at the University of Missouri, Kansas City—interestingly, the same publisher of PEN/Faulkner finalist Lorraine M. López‘s collection Homicide Survivors Picnic and Other Stories.

Now, Benaron teaches at Pima Community College in Tuscon (in addition to working with the Afghan Women’s Writing Project and being a triathlete and a certified orthopedic massage therapist!).

In the past, BookPage has covered Bellwether winners such as The Book of Dead Birds (Gayle Brandeis), Mudbound (Hillary Jordan) and The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (Heidi Durrow). I will eagerly anticipate more information about Running the Rift.

Do you have a favorite novel that addresses social justice issues?

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James Beard Winners announced

Posted on 3 May 2010 by Trisha, Managing Editor

Last night, the 2010 James Beard Award winners were announced. The award highlights the year’s best cookbooks in several different subject areas. We at BookPage were especially pleased to see Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home, cookbook columnist Sybil Pratt’s 2009 favorite, take home the prize for General Cooking. Get your taste buds ready, because this week’s recipe will be Thomas Keller’s delicious take on Pineapple Upside Down Cake, from the pages of Ad Hoc at Home. Did anyone try David Lebovitz’s Nonfat Gingersnaps over the weekend?

2010 James Beard Award Winners (links take you to the BookPage review)

American Cooking
Real Cajun by Donald Link with Paula Disbrowe

Baking and Dessert
Baking by James Peterson

Beverage
Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology by Randall Grahm

Cooking from a Professional Point of View
The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts by The French Culinary Institute with Judith Choate

General Cooking
Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

Healthy Focus
Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes by Anna Thomas

International
The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews

Photography
Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky

Reference and Scholarship
Encyclopedia of Pasta by Oretta Zanini de Vita

Single Subject
Pasta Sfoglia by Ron and Colleen Suhanosky with Susan Simon

Writing and Literature
Save the Deli by David Sax

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Kathleen Kent’s stirring prequel

Posted on 3 May 2010 by Trisha, Managing Editor

wolves of andoverComing in October from Little, Brown—The Wolves of Andover, the prequel to the 2008 hit The Heretic’s Daughter. Dallas novelist Kathleen Kent tells the story of Martha Allen and Thomas Carrier, who in her earlier novel experienced the Salem Witch Trials. Their courtship sounds equally daunting: Thomas, who played a significant role in the English Civil War, finds himself pursued by assassins sent to the New World from London, while Martha navigates the complicated world of a household servant.

Related in BookPage: Our review of The Heretic’s Daughter.

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From gangsters to vampires

Posted on 3 May 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson fame is launching a new series, the latest Sookie Stackhouse book is is out and more—it’s a big week for reviews and features on BookPage.com! Which book will you read first? (Click on the book titles to keep reading.)

Interview with Leah Stewart about Husband and Wife
Sarah and Nathan are just your average American couple: still in love after more than 10 years together, they have a toddler daughter and an infant son; Nathan is a well-regarded novelist poised for commercial success with the release of his new book, Infidelity. Sure, Sarah isn’t writing poetry much anymore, and she hates her day job, but sacrifices must be made in the name of family. Then Sarah learns that Nathan’s new book isn’t all drawn from his imagination. He cheated on her, at a writer’s retreat, while she was pregnant with their son.

Review of The Red Pyramid—book #1 in Rick Riordan’s new series
The author of the wildly popular Percy Jackson series introduces a new set of heroes to his legions of fans in Book One of the Kane Chronicles series. Siblings Carter and Sadie Kane have been raised on opposite sides of the globe—Sadie with her grandparents in London and Carter with his father, who travels the world studying Egyptian artifacts.

Review of Get Capone by Jonathan Eig
I’m a Chicago guy. Been one all my life. So I thought I knew everything there is to know about the “Chicago Way.” You know, using hustle and muscle to get power and money. But along comes this other Chicago guy, Jonathan Eig, to teach me some new things. His book, Get Capone, is about the guy who made the “Chicago Way” famous. Al “Scarface” Capone, that is—the most notorious Chicago gangster of all time.

Interview with Charlaine Harris about Dead in the Family
For an author who gives a lot of interviews, Charlaine Harris knows how to keep a secret. She’s working on a new series, but can’t share the details (“people who talk don’t write”), she’s cagey about where Sookie’s telepathic abilities came from, and she won’t say whether Sookie really wants to live her life with a vampire.

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Monday contest: Dead in the Family

Posted on 3 May 2010 by Trisha, Managing Editor

Sookie Stackhouse’s 10th adventure goes on sale tomorrow.

You know you want it! To win a copy, read our interview with Harris and tell us in the comments: Who moves in with Sookie in Dead in the Family? Contest closes at 5 pm CST on Friday, May 7.

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Best of the blogs

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

The End of Poetry Month
Posted on The Best Words in their Best Order

FSG has done a fantastic job with their poetry month blog, and if you haven’t been keeping up, today’s post provides links to some highlights. Read about the “distinct animal” of the poetry reading, why Louise Glück doesn’t like National Poetry Month, why Meghan O’Rourke enjoys publishing emerging poets in The Paris Review and more.

The Surrendered, by Chang-rae Lee—a review
Posted on Shelf Life

I interviewed Chang-rae Lee for the March issue of BookPage, and since reading The Surrendered, I’ve wondered what sort of response people will have to Lee’s latest novel. It’s written beautifully, but the characters live (or are killed by) such wrenching tragedies that the nearly 500 pages can be a lot to stomach. So I enjoyed reading Gentle Reader’s post on Shelf Life, in which she describes her reactions to the novel, and I understood when she wrote, “while I recommend Lee’s writing, I feel this book is definitely for the stout of heart.”

Behind the scenes of the Rock Bottom Remainders
Posted on A Moment of Jen

Trisha posted about author rock band the Rock Bottom Remainders a couple weeks ago, and it was fun to read a behind-the-scenes report of one of their concerts in Jennifer Weiner‘s blog. She writes, “Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer…but I had rock-and-roll fantasies, of standing in front of a cheering crowd, wailing into a microphone or rocking out on a guitar.”

What book blog posts have you enjoyed this week?

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BookPage inaugural podcast: Beatrice and Virgil

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Your friendly podcasters: Kate, Eliza, Abby and Trisha

After hearing a huge range of critical reactions to Yann Martel’s Beatrice and Virgil, BookPage editors Trisha, Abby, Kate and I decided to read the book for ourselves and discuss it in our first-ever BookPage podcast.

Briefly, Beatrice and Virgil is about Henry, a novelist whose life parallels Martel’s. Henry comes to know a taxidermist—also named Henry—who is writing a play. The play stars Beatrice and Virgil, a donkey and a howler monkey, and Henry (the novelist) comes to see their story as an allegory for the Holocaust.

For more background on the novel, read Alden Mudge’s interview with Martel in BookPage, a review of the book or a blog post from our What We’re Reading Wednesday series.

Warning: There are spoilers in the podcast, so listen at your own risk!

Part 1: Interpreting Beatrice & Virgil

Should we interpret Beatrice and Virgil as an allegory—and if so, what does it mean? How should we react to the “Games for Gustav” in the final section?

Part 2: Life after ‘Pi’

Will Life of Pi fans be disappointed with this novel? Why has critical response from major review outlets and book blogs been so varied? Will Beatrice and Virgil become a favorite for book clubs?

Part 3: Pears, publishing and pedantry

Why has the famous pear scene so captured the hearts of readers? Does Martel manage to represent the Holocaust in an innovative way? What does Beatrice and Virgil teach us about content vs. sales potential, in the eyes of a publisher?

Part 4: Final assessment of the book

Is Beatrice and Virgil a “successful” novel?

How did you react to Beatrice and Virgil? Tell us in the comments.

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John Hart takes top Edgar Award

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Last night the 2010 Edgar Allen Poe Awards were announced in New York City. The Edgars recognize the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2009.

The Last Child by John Hart took top honors for best novel. No surprise there. Who wouldn’t want to read about the “lineal descendant and spiritual soul mate of Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield“?

Dave Cullen’s Columbine—which has “the immediacy and starkness of a documentary“—won an Edgar for Best Fact Crime.

Several BookPage editors were pleased that Mary Downing Hahn won for Closed for the Season (“Best Juvenile”). Hahn wrote Tallassee Higgins, one of my childhood favorites, and many others. In September, watch for Hahn’s new book The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall.

Click here to view the complete list of Edgar winners. For an interesting analysis on why Edgar winners don’t typically win more than once, read this article in the Wall Street Journal.

What’s the best mystery you read in 2009?

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May Bestseller Watch

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Trisha, Managing Editor

This expanded version of the popular feature from the print edition of BookPage shares the release dates for some of the guaranteed blockbusters hitting shelves in May. Which May release are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments.

May 4

Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush
Scribner, $30
The highly anticipated memoir from the notoriously
private former first lady. It will also be available as a signed collector’s edition.

Tell-All by Chuck Palaniuk
Knopf Doubleday, $24.95
The always edgy author gives his unique take on old Hollywood in a subversive new novel.

Blue-Eyed Devil by Robert B. Parker
Putnam, $25.95
Parker’s posthumous Western brings back Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch for some vigilante justice.

May 11

Executive Intent by Dale Brown
Morrow, $26.99, ISBN 9780061560859
It’s president against vice president in Brown’s near-future political thriller.

Miracle on the 17th Green by James Patterson & Peter de Jonge
Little, Brown, $19.99
Patterson and de Jonge pair up for the inspiring story of a man who, at 50, suddenly achieves his life’s dream of becoming a professional golfer.

May 25

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
Knopf, $27.95
The final novel in the Millennium Trilogy brings back Lisbeth Salander for more adventure, danger and suspense.

Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger
Simon & Schuster, $25.99
What happens when normal girls are left behind when their boyfriends hit the big time? They get revenge.

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A “Decemberists”-style kids series

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Colin Meloy

This morning I was psyched to see an unexpected deal on Publisher’s Marketplace—Colin Meloy, the lead singer/songwriter for Portland-based indie rock band The Decemberists, has signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins. He’s writing a middle-grade series called “Wildwood,” and according to a press release it’s “a classic tale of adventure, magic, and danger, set in an alternate version of modern-day Portland, Oregon.” Meloy said the books will be his “humble paean to that grand tradition of epic adventure stories” by the likes of Lloyd Alexander, Roald Dahl and Tolkien.

The first book will come out in Fall 2011. Donna Bray, who in the past has worked on Newbery winner Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi and National Book Award Finalist The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, among many others, bought the book.

The Decemberists are one of my favorite contemporary bands—and they put on an incredible live show. At first I thought it was odd that Meloy is writing novels, but when I think about the storytelling nature of his songs, it makes perfect sense (“The Mariner’s Revenge Song” in itself could be a book!)

A Carson Ellis-designed Decemberists cover

Carson Ellis—Meloy’s wife, and the artist behind The Decemberists’ memorable album covers—will illustrate the books. You may also be familiar with her work on Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society; she designed the cover and the interior illustrations in book one of the series.

Do you listen to The Decemberists? Will you check out the Wildwood books? The Decemberists have such a dedicated fan base that I suspect these books might reach beyond the typical middle-grade audience and become collector’s items for music fans!

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Suzanne Collins among “Most Influential People”

Posted on 29 April 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Suzanne Collins

The 2010 Time 100 list was released online today, and I was thrilled to see Suzanne Collins show up in the Artists category. Lizzie Skurnick, author of  Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading, wrote an ode to Collins and her Hunger Games books. (If you’ve been living under a rock*, The Hunger Games is book one in a dystopian YA trilogy. A group of 24 teens must battle to the death—only one can be left standing—in a reality-TV-show-meets-the-Olympics-type spectacle. Katniss Everdeen is the female representative from the underdog “District 12″.)

Skurnick writes about Collins:

Like Katniss, she’s a natural, lighting from thriller to bodice ripper to fantasy in the space of a few chapters, churning out a powerful, innovative oeuvre without making a big deal about it . . . She’s a literary fusioneer, that rare writer who is all things to all readers. Today’s would-be revolutionaries should be so lucky.

Nora Roberts and Alice Munro were both interviewed for the Time 100 Alumnae list. You will all appreciate Munro’s answer about the person who most influenced her when she was growing up: “It wasn’t a person. The most influential thing in my life growing up was books.”

The Time 100 list recognizes “the people who most affect our world.” Which other authors should be on that list?

*Like me, until this past weekend, when I ditched all invitations and responsibilities to read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. And yes, I would love to attend a Mockingjay midnight release party on August 24.

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Recipe of the week: David Lebovitz’s Nonfat Gingersnaps

Posted on 29 April 2010 by Trisha, Managing Editor

As a new feature on The Book Case, we’ll be sharing select recipes from the cookbooks reviewed in our monthly cooking column. First up is a delicious cookie recipe from David Lebovitz, whose Ready for Dessert is “inspired and inspiring,” according to our reviewer Sybil Pratt. Give this recipe a try and see for yourself—and share your results in the comments!

Nonfat Gingersnaps

Makes about 20 cookies

The name may lead you to think these are crisp cookies, but they’re not. They are snappy in another way—there are plenty of spices in the batter, plus a generous helping of candied ginger, making them deserving of the snap moniker. They’re good on their own, but with such a soft, chewy texture, I had a hunch that they would make dynamite ice cream sandwiches, so I filled a few with Tangy Lemon Frozen Yogurt and popped them in the freezer. The next day, when I pulled a sandwich out of the freezer and took a bite, I stopped dead in my tracks because I was so stunned: it was the best ice cream sandwich I’ve ever had.

Complete recipe after the jump:

Continue reading →

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Happy birthday, Harper

Posted on 29 April 2010 by Eliza, Associate Editor

Harper Lee

Yesterday was Harper Lee‘s 84th birthday. It’s a special year for the author of the “best novel of the century”—it’s the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Although I haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird since ninth grade, I’ve had the book on my mind after recently watching Gregory Peck perform as Atticus Finch in one of the best movie adaptations ever. I’ve also had Charles J. Shields’ Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee on my nightstand. This biography of Lee—written without any interviews with the intensely private author—is most interesting for its depiction of Lee’s move from Alabama to New York City, her path to publication and her famous friendship with Truman Capote.

TKAM fans will likely ask the same question as BookPage reviewer Alison Hood when reading this book—Do we really need to know Ms. Lee’s innermost thoughts; isn’t it enough that she wrote a worthy book that continues to inspire?—but Mockingbird is certainly worthwhile for a glimpse at the mysterious author’s life.

Most of us were probably introduced to Lee’s classic novel in high school English class. Do you still think about the book? Have you re-read it or listened to it on audio?

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