Today, the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance announced the finalists in this year's SIBA Book Awards. I've read a handful of these and am pleased to see that some of ones I voted for (ahem...Eli the Good by Silas House!) made it to the final round.
Winners will be chosen by a jury of SIBA booksellers and announced at the fall trade show in September.
Showing posts with label SIBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SIBA. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
5 of my favorite reads of 2009
I've read a little more than 60 books this year, and there wasn't a truly bad one in the bunch. (My adoration for Mary Tyler Moore prevents me from talking too negatively about her most recent autobiographical adventure, a book I really wanted to love.)
Despite having liked the vast majority of books I read in 2009, there are a handful that definitely stand out. Below, in no particular order, are some favorite 2009 reads. (Note: just because I read them in '09 doesn't necessarily mean they were published in '09.) Click on any title for a full synopsis of the book, courtesy of Indiebound.org.
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
I found this book profoundly moving and very well-written. Jordan does an excellent job of showing us how circumstances shape us (and how sometimes we turn into versions of ourselves we'd never, ever suspect). I highly recommend this to anyone 16+.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
At this year's Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance trade show, I went to a panel called "Got Us Shaking in Our Boots" to hear a handful of authors speak about their haunting fictional creations. As someone who reads very little mystery and horror, I thought it important to attend this session--I wanted to become more educated for my own benefit but also to better work with Avid customers who like this genre. To my pleasant surprise, I was blown away by Carrie Ryan's work. I recommend it for people 13+ who have enjoyed Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and (dare I say it?) Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series.
Oh!: A Mystery of "Mono No Aware" by Todd Shimoda
While at the Chin Music Press booth at Book Expo America this year, my partner in crime and I had the opportunity to meet the intelligent and amiable Todd Shimoda. Jim and he got along swimmingly, and before I knew it we both had autographed copies of Shimoda's book in our hands. And what a beautiful book it is! The people of Chin Music Press pride themselves on high-quality, appealing design. (Check out their site for more examples of their work.) The content is as compelling as the book's look. Shimoda's story is sparse in some places, rich with detail and emotion in others. I could say I recommend it to those interested in Japanese culture and those moved by the beauty of sadness. But if I were to say that, I'd sound more than a bit silly and maybe even pretty snobby--but I'd be telling the truth. This is a book I might never have read had I encountered it in any other way--but I'm so glad I met the author and decided to give it a chance. I just loved it.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I picked this up for a friend while shopping at Bound to Be Read Books and ended up reading it myself first. (That's excusable, right? I mean, I don't dog-ear pages or crack the spines open more than two inches!) Months later, I had the pleasure of sitting in at Bound to Be Read's monthly book club meeting and had a fun time discussing this novel with other readers. It's very funny in parts, but there exists also a nearly overwhelming sadness to the plotline. There are hand-drawnsketches throughout the book, and these bring levity to some of the seriousness of the story. I recommend it for mature kids and adults (14+).
The Great Neighborhood Book by Jay Walliasper
I picked this up while browsing the shelves at Urban Think! Bookstore in Orlando, Florida earlier this month. As someone really interested in my own neighborhood's well-being (and as the secretary of Athens's new-ish Buy Local initiative), I thought that this book would make a useful purchase. To my surprise, I gobbled it up within a day, scribbling feverishly in the margins and underlining ideas that would work well in Athens. If you're wanting to learn ways to make your neighborhood feel more homey, to make your neighborhood safe, to make your neighborhood more of the place you dream of, this is the book for you. I've already recommended it to several like-minded friends in town--won't you give it a shot as well?
Many of you already shared your favorite 2009 reads on our Facebook page, but I know there are more of you out there! Feel free to use the comments section below to tell us what you loved best this year.
Despite having liked the vast majority of books I read in 2009, there are a handful that definitely stand out. Below, in no particular order, are some favorite 2009 reads. (Note: just because I read them in '09 doesn't necessarily mean they were published in '09.) Click on any title for a full synopsis of the book, courtesy of Indiebound.org.
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
I found this book profoundly moving and very well-written. Jordan does an excellent job of showing us how circumstances shape us (and how sometimes we turn into versions of ourselves we'd never, ever suspect). I highly recommend this to anyone 16+.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
At this year's Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance trade show, I went to a panel called "Got Us Shaking in Our Boots" to hear a handful of authors speak about their haunting fictional creations. As someone who reads very little mystery and horror, I thought it important to attend this session--I wanted to become more educated for my own benefit but also to better work with Avid customers who like this genre. To my pleasant surprise, I was blown away by Carrie Ryan's work. I recommend it for people 13+ who have enjoyed Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and (dare I say it?) Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series.
Oh!: A Mystery of "Mono No Aware" by Todd Shimoda
While at the Chin Music Press booth at Book Expo America this year, my partner in crime and I had the opportunity to meet the intelligent and amiable Todd Shimoda. Jim and he got along swimmingly, and before I knew it we both had autographed copies of Shimoda's book in our hands. And what a beautiful book it is! The people of Chin Music Press pride themselves on high-quality, appealing design. (Check out their site for more examples of their work.) The content is as compelling as the book's look. Shimoda's story is sparse in some places, rich with detail and emotion in others. I could say I recommend it to those interested in Japanese culture and those moved by the beauty of sadness. But if I were to say that, I'd sound more than a bit silly and maybe even pretty snobby--but I'd be telling the truth. This is a book I might never have read had I encountered it in any other way--but I'm so glad I met the author and decided to give it a chance. I just loved it.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I picked this up for a friend while shopping at Bound to Be Read Books and ended up reading it myself first. (That's excusable, right? I mean, I don't dog-ear pages or crack the spines open more than two inches!) Months later, I had the pleasure of sitting in at Bound to Be Read's monthly book club meeting and had a fun time discussing this novel with other readers. It's very funny in parts, but there exists also a nearly overwhelming sadness to the plotline. There are hand-drawnsketches throughout the book, and these bring levity to some of the seriousness of the story. I recommend it for mature kids and adults (14+).The Great Neighborhood Book by Jay Walliasper
I picked this up while browsing the shelves at Urban Think! Bookstore in Orlando, Florida earlier this month. As someone really interested in my own neighborhood's well-being (and as the secretary of Athens's new-ish Buy Local initiative), I thought that this book would make a useful purchase. To my surprise, I gobbled it up within a day, scribbling feverishly in the margins and underlining ideas that would work well in Athens. If you're wanting to learn ways to make your neighborhood feel more homey, to make your neighborhood safe, to make your neighborhood more of the place you dream of, this is the book for you. I've already recommended it to several like-minded friends in town--won't you give it a shot as well?
Many of you already shared your favorite 2009 reads on our Facebook page, but I know there are more of you out there! Feel free to use the comments section below to tell us what you loved best this year.
Monday, November 23, 2009
GREAT NEWS: I'm heading to Winter Institute!
Thanks to a generous scholarship, I'll be attending ABA's Winter Institute 5 in San Jose, California in early February 2010. The ABA Emerging Leaders Program paired with Ingram Book Company to present eight scholarships to various "emerging leaders" in the bookselling world.
Though there are lots of education opportunities for booksellers throughout the year (Book Expo America and regional trade shows, such as the one I attended in September, come to mind), Winter Institute is more focused on bookseller education and networking. I'm eager to meet many of the folks I've communicated with online and to reunite with some friends I've met over the past many months.
Rest assured I'll report back to you about Wi5, my impressions of San Jose, and more.
Thanks to the friends who've already congratulated me on this scholarship--I'm humbled and quite elated.
Though there are lots of education opportunities for booksellers throughout the year (Book Expo America and regional trade shows, such as the one I attended in September, come to mind), Winter Institute is more focused on bookseller education and networking. I'm eager to meet many of the folks I've communicated with online and to reunite with some friends I've met over the past many months.
Rest assured I'll report back to you about Wi5, my impressions of San Jose, and more.
Thanks to the friends who've already congratulated me on this scholarship--I'm humbled and quite elated.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Book Recommendation & Giveaway! ELI THE GOOD by Silas House
What were you like as a child? I'd like to think I'm now pretty similar to the person I used to be, but of course I can't be sure--memories are constantly being recreated and there's no telling how many Whiny Baby Janet memories I've blocked out in favor of the ones wherein I'm being smart and charming.
As a kid, I spent hours of every day outside. My sister, neighbors, and I had every square foot of our wooded neighborhood memorized by heart. We knew all the secret passages, all the best climbing trees, all the best places to play in the creek without chancing a spill into the creek--because of course a stumble into the water would mean wet pants, a dead giveaway to our mothers that we were, once again, playing in the forbidden stream. (Sorry, Mom--but I'm sure you knew we played back there, right?)
It seems that many older (e.g., non-kids) folks have been complaining over the years about how The Kids These Days don't spend enough time outside. They're overbooked with piano lessons, baseball practice, church groups, and video games. Maybe that's true for lots of kids, but I happen to know several awesome children who still explore their yards and play pretend.
At the SIBA trade show a few weeks back, I attended an author luncheon. While I ate a lunch of boiled vegetables smothered in 2" of cheese, I listened to some formidable authors speak about their work and read excerpts of their writing. Though all four authors' books sounded intriguing, I could tell immediately that Silas House's Eli the Good would mean something special to me. House spoke of the ways in which he revered the environment around him as a child, of the ways in which he felt he communicated with the trees and nature in a way that most children do not these days. This was the kind of kid I was, scrambling up the magnolia tree in our front yard so I could stare at the patterns in the bark and maybe even read my latest Sweet Valley Twins installment. I thought nothing of spending hours on end outside, peeing in the woods when I needed to rather than having to go back indoors.
In Eli the Good, we meet a quiet, introspective boy (Eli) who's slowly waking up to the idea that the romanticized view he had of his life might not be entirely accurate. His best friend is the vivacious Edie, a girl who lives next door and who's tougher than any of the boys in the neighborhood (but who, of course, has some soft spots, too). Eli's marked with a fierce love for his family, even when he can't firmly grasp why his dad gets so violent and why his mom always sticks up for him, what his beloved Aunt Nell and protective older sister Josie are whispering about in the dark. As the story moves along, we watch Eli grow more mature, opening himself up to some of the profund sadness, beauty, and pleasure of the world. Like many gifted children, Eli seems hypersensitive to sensory experiences and emotional interactions with people, even when he's not quite able to verbalize what he's feeling. Silas House is adept at his characterizations, especially as he shows us Eli growing less sheltered but more mature by the day.
In the midst of Eli's love affair with trees and the outdoors, we have the oft violent presence of his Vietnam War veteran father, who is struggling with post traumatic stress disorder and can't quite figure out how to get help--or if he wants to get help at all. I learned a lot about the effects of war on family life by reading Eli the Good; in fact, the war itself is an ominous, forever-lurking character in the book, always waiting around the corner to pounce on an otherwise peaceful moment. Eli lives with the pressure of dealing with the war every day, never knowing when it will thunder down and disrupt the peace he's trying so hard to cultivate. I imagine that veterans and their kids might do well to read this book.
All that being said, Eli the Good is neither a scary book about an abused family nor an idyllic description of growing up a weird, woodsy kid. Eli's age and intelligence are clear to the reader; he's never imbued with an overly mature point of view (as many "kids" in young adult literature tend to be, thereby giving away the fact that the writer is, in fact, old and wise, looking back on his or her life).
I really encourage you to buy a copy of Eli the Good to read it for yourself.I also encourage you to try to win an advanced readers copy of the book that I have to give away, courtesy of Candlewick Press. To enter this contest, please use the comments field below to share what book reminds you of your childhood. Is it a book you read as a child? One you read as an adult that reminded you of your childhood, as Eli the Good did with me? If you feel uncomfortable leaving your full name in the comments field, please just make an anonymous comment and then email me to let me know which entry was yours.
Congratulations to Barbara, who's won a copy of the book! Barbara, please email me at avid[dot]athens[at]gmail[dot]com with your mailing address so I can get the book out to you.
As a kid, I spent hours of every day outside. My sister, neighbors, and I had every square foot of our wooded neighborhood memorized by heart. We knew all the secret passages, all the best climbing trees, all the best places to play in the creek without chancing a spill into the creek--because of course a stumble into the water would mean wet pants, a dead giveaway to our mothers that we were, once again, playing in the forbidden stream. (Sorry, Mom--but I'm sure you knew we played back there, right?)
It seems that many older (e.g., non-kids) folks have been complaining over the years about how The Kids These Days don't spend enough time outside. They're overbooked with piano lessons, baseball practice, church groups, and video games. Maybe that's true for lots of kids, but I happen to know several awesome children who still explore their yards and play pretend.
At the SIBA trade show a few weeks back, I attended an author luncheon. While I ate a lunch of boiled vegetables smothered in 2" of cheese, I listened to some formidable authors speak about their work and read excerpts of their writing. Though all four authors' books sounded intriguing, I could tell immediately that Silas House's Eli the Good would mean something special to me. House spoke of the ways in which he revered the environment around him as a child, of the ways in which he felt he communicated with the trees and nature in a way that most children do not these days. This was the kind of kid I was, scrambling up the magnolia tree in our front yard so I could stare at the patterns in the bark and maybe even read my latest Sweet Valley Twins installment. I thought nothing of spending hours on end outside, peeing in the woods when I needed to rather than having to go back indoors.
In Eli the Good, we meet a quiet, introspective boy (Eli) who's slowly waking up to the idea that the romanticized view he had of his life might not be entirely accurate. His best friend is the vivacious Edie, a girl who lives next door and who's tougher than any of the boys in the neighborhood (but who, of course, has some soft spots, too). Eli's marked with a fierce love for his family, even when he can't firmly grasp why his dad gets so violent and why his mom always sticks up for him, what his beloved Aunt Nell and protective older sister Josie are whispering about in the dark. As the story moves along, we watch Eli grow more mature, opening himself up to some of the profund sadness, beauty, and pleasure of the world. Like many gifted children, Eli seems hypersensitive to sensory experiences and emotional interactions with people, even when he's not quite able to verbalize what he's feeling. Silas House is adept at his characterizations, especially as he shows us Eli growing less sheltered but more mature by the day.
In the midst of Eli's love affair with trees and the outdoors, we have the oft violent presence of his Vietnam War veteran father, who is struggling with post traumatic stress disorder and can't quite figure out how to get help--or if he wants to get help at all. I learned a lot about the effects of war on family life by reading Eli the Good; in fact, the war itself is an ominous, forever-lurking character in the book, always waiting around the corner to pounce on an otherwise peaceful moment. Eli lives with the pressure of dealing with the war every day, never knowing when it will thunder down and disrupt the peace he's trying so hard to cultivate. I imagine that veterans and their kids might do well to read this book.
All that being said, Eli the Good is neither a scary book about an abused family nor an idyllic description of growing up a weird, woodsy kid. Eli's age and intelligence are clear to the reader; he's never imbued with an overly mature point of view (as many "kids" in young adult literature tend to be, thereby giving away the fact that the writer is, in fact, old and wise, looking back on his or her life).
Silas House speaks at SIBA trade show
I really encourage you to buy a copy of Eli the Good to read it for yourself.
Congratulations to Barbara, who's won a copy of the book! Barbara, please email me at avid[dot]athens[at]gmail[dot]com with your mailing address so I can get the book out to you.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
brief book review & GIVEAWAY: Rhodi Hawk's A TWISTED LADDER
Here's the description from the back of the book:
The imagery in A Twisted Ladder conjures realistic snapshopts of the bayou, both antebellum and prohibition-era Louisiana, and post-Katrina New Orleans. I'm not an Anne Rice fan, but I hear she's an influence on Hawk's writing (and other reviewers claim that Rice fans will be Hawk fans).
Psychologist Madeleine LeBlanc has spent her whole career trying to determine the cause of her father's schizophrenia. She always felt that if she could unravel the disease's origins, she could cure the man who left her and her brother, Marc, to practically raise themselves on the Louisiana Bayou. When Marc takes his own life, Madeleine embarks on a shocking journey into her family's history--fraught with dark secrets, conjured demons, and a powerful relative who puts Madeleine's own life and property in peril. The only way she can save herself is to face the ghosts of the past, the dangers of the present, and the twisted ladder that links them all together.
I recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers, well-written scifi, magic realism, and Southern gothicism. People who are interested in the human brain and its mysterious functioning will also have a great adventure with A Twisted Ladder.
UPDATE: Thanks to the four folks who gave interesting and intricate answers to my question! I used a random number generator to determine the winner. Congratulations to Katie B.! Katie, I'll contact you personally to get your mailing address. Hope you enjoy this autographed copy of A Twisted Ladder.
(Thanks to Rhodi Hawk and her publishers for giving me a free copy at SIBA two weeks ago.)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
New books & new friends at SIBA
This past weekend I ventured to Greenville, SC for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) trade show. Originally I'd planned on driving up super-early one morning only to return the same day--this would save me from spending hotel money but would also mean having to just pick one of several fun days to attend. Turns out my fairy godmother (read: very real biological mother) decided to come with me AND throw in dough for the hotel. Score!
My mom's love of reading is probably the most predominant factor contributing to my complete and utter bookwormdom. She has been a voracious reader since she was a young girl, and she holds degrees in English and book club management. (So I'm inventing a second degree here--but hey, she's deserving of the title if anyone is.) As I've changed my job plans frequently since graduating from college in 2002, it stands to reason that my parents might not be entirely ready to jump in full-force behind these bookstore plans. But now that I've been planning Avid for two years and show no signs of slowing, I think they're beginning to understand that this is it. This is for real. So having my mom at SIBA with me was pretty great--she got to meet some of my real-life and virtual-life friends and got to pick up lots of ARCs (advanced reading copies), which is a thrill for any reader.
There were several people whom I've emailed or tweeted with whose faces I'd never really seen. I'm happy to report that all were just as nice in person as they seem to be online. These folks included writers Laurel Snyder and Donny Seagraves as well as SIBA gurus Nicki Leone, Elton Porter, and Wanda Jewell. Of course it was lovely to finally meet online book industry folks in person: Rich Rennicks and Caroline Green of Malaprop's, Michael Hill (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Bob Gray (Shelf Awareness), and more.
A few weeks before SIBA, I looked through the day-to-day schedule of the show and recognized very few author names. Attending two Book Expo America shows taught me a valuable lesson, though: not having heard of many names on the program is not a bad thing at all. In fact, it's a thrill to walk into a trade show on a Thursday with a program chock full of strangers' names and leave on Saturday having met (and acquired signed books of) many of those authors. Now I'm thrilled to have a staggering new collection of books I can't wait to read. Some books I'm most excited about include those of authors that appeared at two panels I attended: the "Got Us Shaking in our Boots Author Panel" and the "Writing the South" panel. I'm not a big thriller/suspense reader, but when I met the gracious and funny Robert Jackson Bennett at a mixer hosted by Fiction Addiction, I decided to support him by attending the panel he'd be taking part in. And am I glad I did--it turns out I am interested in suspenseful, scary books (at least the ones presented by this collection of authors).
Now if only I could freeze time and spend the next couple of months reading the 40+ books I acquired in the last few weeks. Sigh.
What new (or new to you) books are you excited about reading?
My mom's love of reading is probably the most predominant factor contributing to my complete and utter bookwormdom. She has been a voracious reader since she was a young girl, and she holds degrees in English and book club management. (So I'm inventing a second degree here--but hey, she's deserving of the title if anyone is.) As I've changed my job plans frequently since graduating from college in 2002, it stands to reason that my parents might not be entirely ready to jump in full-force behind these bookstore plans. But now that I've been planning Avid for two years and show no signs of slowing, I think they're beginning to understand that this is it. This is for real. So having my mom at SIBA with me was pretty great--she got to meet some of my real-life and virtual-life friends and got to pick up lots of ARCs (advanced reading copies), which is a thrill for any reader.
Janet, Mary Carol, & Marsha Wood
Robb Soriano
Among the real-life friends I got to reunite with were Marsha Wood and Robb Soriano from Ingram Book Company; Jef Blocker and Jeff McCord from Bound to Be Read Books; Charley Greiner from Baker & Taylor; and Laura and Anne Devault (sisters from Charlottesville, VA whom I met at the Paz & Associates training). There were several people whom I've emailed or tweeted with whose faces I'd never really seen. I'm happy to report that all were just as nice in person as they seem to be online. These folks included writers Laurel Snyder and Donny Seagraves as well as SIBA gurus Nicki Leone, Elton Porter, and Wanda Jewell. Of course it was lovely to finally meet online book industry folks in person: Rich Rennicks and Caroline Green of Malaprop's, Michael Hill (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Bob Gray (Shelf Awareness), and more.
Robert Jackson Bennett & Rhodi Hawk
Mary Carol, Janet, & author Batt Humphreys
Jenny and her mom, author Donny Seagraves
chef/author Ted Lee and author Laurel Snyder
Mary Carol with Jeff & Jeff of Bound to Be Read Books
What new (or new to you) books are you excited about reading?
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