Thursday, October 29, 2009

Why are we infatuated with vampires?

I don't know why we love them so much, but we do. Right now, if a chicklit book has the word Vampire in the title, it's the automatic rage and gets press. I'm so excited for New Moon coming out. And the Vampire Diaries are on tv (although I haven't seen the series yet). And...the HBO series True Blood is eccentric and exciting. I've watched the first season of Tru Blood (spelled True or Tru...now I can't remember), and bought all of the 9 True Blood Books by Charlaine Harris. Love them! Love those steamy, sexy vampires!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants is my latest book recommendation. It's a love story centered around the circus and a veterinarian who falls for the horse tamer. It's a bit tragic at times, but it had great scenery, intrigue, and revenge. Loved the revenge. That produced a great twist ending! Has anyone read this book and did you figure out who committed the murder?

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Interesting new book idea

Have you heard of the new romance novels that can be customized? You fill out a form about your name, the name of the male main character that you want, your favorite color, your job, etc. And then the computer fills in all of your information, and you are given a novel-length romance involving you as the main character.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Twilight Series

Another book recommendation: The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. She says that any good story, no matter what it's about, should include a love story. She's right, and her books are amazingly stirring. I know quite a few people who read the books and then asked their husbands why they couldn't be more like the lead vampire character. :)

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Assessment of The Time Traveler's Wife

Since I put a posting about a book signing from the author of The Time Traveler's Wife, I thought I'd write a bit about my thoughts on this particular book. First off, the movie that came out didn't do so well in the box office. I heard it wasn't that good, but that's all second hand because I haven't seen it myself yet. I'm waiting for it to come out on Netflix. That said, movies based on books are never as good for me as the actual book. (Harry Potter, etc.) The movies might even be good, but not quite as rich in mental scenery as my imagination can create when reading the book.

There's been some controversy with the book, The Time Traveler's Wife because the main character, a 40-yr old man, visits his wife when she's 6 years old. The clincher in the controversy is that when the man time-travels, he's always naked. It's not his fault that he shows a 6-yr old girl his naked body, though. It's not this guy's choice to time travel. He can't predict when it's going to happen, and he can't choose where/when he'll go. But he always goes back in time with just his physical body (the rules are that contact, clothes, watches, can't go back in time...only him). So people are saying they won't read the book because of this naked episode between the 40 yr old and the 6 yr old. I don't agree with their condemnation of this scene. I definitely don't think it's a good reason not to read this book. And the scene is handled well, with the 40 yr old man running to try to cover himself. It's not like he's trying to be naked in front of a 6 yr old.

The book itself is one of my favorites. It has more depth than typical Chick-lit. I wouldn't even put it in that genre. I'd call it literary fiction. The time travelling aspect keeps the book moving fast, but it's filled with so much insight and character perspectives on how time travelling affects their lives. It's a great case into psychology. There are definitely parts of the book that are achingly sad, but there is profound hope in the end. I read this two years ago, and that year it was my favorite book I'd read. It's one book that I don't trade during book swaps or give away for my friends to read. I want to keep it on my bookshelf permanently.

Have you read this book? What did you think? What do you think of the controversy associated with it?

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Time Traveler's Wife (book signing in DC)

Audrey Niffenegger, author of the international bestseller The Time Traveler's Wife, is joined by Nan Graham, editor-in-chief at Scribner, to discuss the relationship between writer and editor and the behind-the-scenes work of the publishing industry.

Dates:
Thursday, October 29, 2009 @ 7:00 pm

Place:
Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Drive, S.W. Washington, DC 20560

Tickets are $15-25 and can be purchased through the below website.
http://www.culturecapital.com/event.php?id=6999

Monday, October 5, 2009

Sarah Dessen Book Signing in DC

On this blog, I'll let you know about Washington D.C. book signings by authors you might know and love.

SARAH DESSEN "ALONG FOR THE RIDE" Friday, October 9, 4:30 p.m @ Politics and Prose Bookstore 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008 (202) 364-1919 order signed copies: (202) 364-1919 Book reading/Book Signing Event. Admission: Free

Cupcakes & Cocktails

Event: Save the Date! for the Georgetown Cupcake Go-Getter Girl's Guide Book Party "Cupcakes, cocktails, and conversation!!"
What: Cocktail Party
Start Time: Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm
End Time: Thursday, October 15 at 10:00pm
Where: Georgetown Cupcake

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Secret Society Girl (my first book recommendation)

Hi! I love the series that starts out with Secret Society Girl as the first book. The author is Diana Peterfreund, and I've decided to back her as a favorite author not only because her books are fun and intriguing, but also because she lives in Washington, D.C.! Her website is www.dianapeterfreund.com