New Fiction Titles on the New York Times Best Seller List (3/12/06)

Fri, 03/17/2006 - 9:15am by Mazie

Have you been following the plagiarism trial in London over the sources Dan Brown used in writing his blockbuster? So far it has not had much of an impact on the astounding sales of The Da Vinci Code which is still #3 after 153 weeks.

At #4 is The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry: another book about the Knights Templar riding on the magical coattails of the above bestseller.

At #6 is The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais: Elvis Cole does not make an appearance but the scene is LA in all its corrupt glory and a murder to be avenged.

At #8 is The Old Wine Shades by Martha Grimes: Scotland Yard's own Richard Jury is back in yet another pub in England where he hears a disturbing tale of disappearance and possible foul play.

Joy of cooking without meat

Thu, 03/16/2006 - 3:28pm by S.T. Augustine

If you are tired of wiping and bleaching that goes along with cooking (to prevent the spread of salmonella, etc), try cooking vegetarian meals.

A few favorite cookbooks:
How it All Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Banyard
The Family Vegetarian Cookbook by Nava Atlas
Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

Cant wait to try:
Vive le Vegan
Vegan with a Vengeance

Also, check out the following blogs for ideas:
The Vegan Lunchbox
Bunnyfoot

Happy Birthday, Alice Hoffman

Thu, 03/16/2006 - 3:25pm by Maxine

Today, March 16, is the birthday of Alice Hoffman, author of more than twenty books and several screenplays. Her latest book for young teens, Aquamarine about a wise mermaid, has recently been made into a film. Hoffman's books are infused with magic so that sometimes it's difficult to tell the real from the unreal. Ghosts can be as important in the development of the story as the flesh and blood characters like in The River King and the moral concerns can be both contemporary and timeless.

The Ice Queen,her latest novel for adults, is about (of all things!) a librarian who is struck by lightning and whose favorite book is one on suicide. She moves to a town in Florida which is known to be its lightning capital and is drawn into the mysteries of this electrical phenomenon.

Raw Food: Preparing Food Without Cooking

Thu, 03/16/2006 - 2:42pm by Van

Vegetarian? Maybe. Or Maybe a Step Further to Raw Foods

Eat Smart Eat Raw by Kate Wood
The Complete Book of Raw Food: Healthy, Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine Made with Living Foods
Raw Food Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow by Matthew Kenney
Raw by Charlie Trotter
Living Cuisine: the Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler
Juice Fasting and Detoxification: Use the Healing Power of Fresh Juice to Feel Young and Look Great by Steve Meyerowitz
Raw: the Uncook Book by Juliano

Former British Army captain tops charts!

Wed, 03/15/2006 - 6:00pm by EllenS

James Blunt, a former captain in the British Army, is now topping charts with his debut album Back to Bedlam. His first single “You’re Beautiful” is currently #3 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. His emotionally charged music may be enjoyed by those who are already fans of Jack Johnson or Damien Rice. The hold list is growing, so add yourself soon!

Imagine the Edge!

Wed, 03/15/2006 - 1:44pm by ryanikoglu

These are not just for kids. M.T. Anderson has two new books with two different illustrators and they are lovely "share aloud" for elementary school ages! In Me, All Alone, At The End Of The World and A Serpent Came To Gloucester Anderson's melodious prose wrap around dramatic pictures and make these original tales memorable.

Award Bits - Caldecott 2006

Thu, 03/09/2006 - 4:51pm by ryanikoglu

The winner of the 2006 Caldecott Award for picture books is The Hello,Goodbye Window. The text is by Norton Juster and the illustrations are by Chris Raschka, who is illustrator for Charlie Parker Played BeBop, Mysterious Thelonius, and more.

New Fiction Titles on the New York Times Best Sellers List (3/5/06)

Thu, 03/09/2006 - 1:15pm by Mazie

I'm not a huge fan of James Patterson's thrillers but millions are and he enters the list at #1. On the other hand I loved The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant and couldn't wait to read her latest book of historical fiction. For something completely different, check out her contemporary mysteries especially those featuring Hannah Wolfe.

At #1 is The Fifth Horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro: the Women's Murder Club and Det. Boxer investigate suspicious deaths at a San Francisco hospital.

At #6 is In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant: in this "moody and bristling" historical novel a courtesan and her household fight for survival in Renaissance Italy.

Norman Mailer receives France's highest honor

Wed, 03/08/2006 - 2:49pm by sernabad

In a ceremony at the French cultural Embassy on New York's Upper East Side, H.E. Jean-David Levitte, the French ambassador to the United States, awarded Norman Mailer, 83, France's Legion of Honor medal.

M. Levitte said the medal, which has only been bestowed on a handful of foreigners, was given to Mr. Mailer who is "...an American hero with a fierce love of freedom and an intellectual who has taken a stand in all the great struggles for his time."

During World War II, Mr. Mailer lived in Paris, studying at the Sorbonne. From that experience came The Naked and the Dead.

This is not the first time that the French have bestowed honor on Mr. Mailer. He adds France's 1983 insignia of Commander of the French Order of Arts and Letters to his two Pulitzer Prizes (The Armies of the Night, 1969, and The Executioner's Song, 1980).

Wayne Greenhaw wins the 2006 Harper Lee Award

Tue, 03/07/2006 - 7:50pm by sernabad

Wayne Greenhaw, author of this year's The Thunder of Angels: The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the People Who Broke the Back of Jim Crow was named the 2006 Harper Lee Award winner.

The intensely private Harper Lee is one of Alabama's most revered citizens following the publication of her classic To Kill a Mockingbird.

Born in 1940, Greenhaw's extensive bibliography includes contributions
to The New York Times and the Alabama section for Fodor's Guide to the South.

The Harper Lee Award was established in 1998 to "... recognize the lifetime achievement of a writer who was born in Alabama or who spent his or her formative years living and writing in the state."