With less than two months to go until movie Part 1 of the last book in the Harry Potter series is released, a new trailer has come out that shows some great new scenes. I especially liked the snapshot of everyone transformed into Harry for their escape from the Dursley’s house at the beginning of the book. The scene of the wedding was also particularly haunting. Can’t wait for November 19th!
National Book Festival is this Weekend!
The National Book Festival is this coming Saturday on the National Mall. Sadly I will not be around to check it out, but for all those in the DC area, there will be lots of great authors there (including Diana Gabaldon & Suzanne Collins – two of my favorites). The festival runs from 10AM to 5:30PM.
Out – Natsuo Kirino September 13, 2010
I picked up this book at a bookstore in San Francisco on a table of Asian fiction. I am slowly planning a trip to Japan (hopefully early next year) so my next two book reviews concern Japanese writers/stories. Out is translated from the original Japanese so I was expecting it to be a bit disjointed (lit in translation is never as good as the original). Fortunately, I think the English translation actually added to the curt, matter of fact, impersonal writing that characterizes crime fiction (and Japanese fiction in general).
Out reminded me of a Japanese version of the Maltese Falcon/The Big Sleep and I ended up absolutely loving it. The story focuses on 4 women, all in very different situations, who come together to work the night shift at a boxed lunch factory. A murder brings them together and the story is characterized by violence and the seedy yakuza (Japanese gangsters) that inhabit the underbelly of Japanese society. One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much is that the story could easily have taken place in any factory outside any US city.
This book is incredibly violent, so skip this one if you have a weak stomach. For some reason, I have an easier time reading about violence then seeing it (one of my favorite books to this day is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, if you haven’t read it, get a copy!). I have no problem reading the gory parts of the Sookie Stackhouse series but have not yet been able to get through the first episode of the series True Blood (based on Charlaine Harris’s books). I guess the violence I picture in my head is more of a cartoon version than the violence depicted on TV.
While on my Japan book binge I also purchased Japanland which I will hopefully be writing a review about soon.
*Image taken from the Rice Cracker Review*
Suzanne Collins Book Signing in DC!
Suzanne Collins will be visiting Politics & Prose to sign copies of her newest book in the Hunger Games trilogy (Mockingjay – review to be posted soon) the afternoon of September 23rd. I am a huge Suzanne Collins fan but sadly have to work from 3-4:30 on Thursdays so I will be missing this book signing.
Also think it is a little strange that she suffers from hand strain and thus will be stamping the books instead of signing them…. I guess when your books are as good as hers are you can get away with ridiculousness like that.
Pre-Order Mockingjay for $8.45 from Borders August 5, 2010
Got an email from Borders today with a special pre-order price for Mockingjay, over 50% off!
Mockingjay Available For Pre-Order July 13, 2010
Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy is now available for pre-order. The official release date is August 24th. I am currently re-reading The Hunger Games and Catching Fire in preparation.
I was petty excited to see that Barnes & Noble already has posters up.
New Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Promotions July 12, 2010
It seems that everywhere you turn lately, there is news of Harry Potter. With the recent opening of the theme park down in Orlando and the new trailer for the upcoming movies (see below) it’s no surprise that a new poster campaign has debuted as well.
image taken from mtv.com
I am loving the new posters and that the campaign is focusing on both movies. I am especially curious to see where they decide to split the book and which scenes they decide to focus on. All of this hype is making me want to re-read all of the books….
The Apostle – Brad Thor June 12, 2010
Possibly the complete opposite of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, this fun & quick read served me well on a couple flights I took last week. Though the story is a little far fetched at some points it was an enjoyable fast paced read and definitely a good way of taking your mind of flying. The characters are likable and it is nice to pretend that the real world is divided between the “good guys” and the “bad guys” that Thor frequently mentions (there is no way you can read this book and not know which side of the political spectrum Thor leans towards…). As is predicted, the good guys are victorious and everyone goes home safe and happy (hope I didn’t spoil that for everyone…). If I see another one of Thor’s books at the airport and need something for the plane, I may just pick one up. Anyone looking for an intellectual read might want to pick up a copy of the Economist instead.
Out Of Print Clothing June 11, 2010
Apologies for the lack of posts lately. We finally got internet in our new apartment yesterday so I should be able to start writing posts more frequently! I wanted to quickly post a link to a site I recently read about in a magazine. The site is called Out Of Print Clothing and sells T-Shirts printed with cover designs from out of print books. Not only are the T-Shirts pretty neat but for every shirt sold, the organization donates one book to Books For Africa (one of my favorite charities). The shirt below is my favorite; I am a sucker for Sherlock Holmes.
image taken from Out Of Print Clothing site
Fun Bookends May 14, 2010
Since it’s Friday, I wanted to post something on the lighter side. These bookends are the perfect addition to any book collection 🙂
The MoMA Bookends are cute and functional.
This one might be my favorite, I can’t look at it without giggling.
These are really fun but a bit on the pricey side.
I wish they showed these with some books in the middle.
These were created by a cool design firm Zuny. Their site is actually pretty neat as well and is worth checking out.
Flourish & Blotts Book News 