Book Buzz

Sarah Palin promises more cities on book tour

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:18:39 -0500

Just in from the Associated Press:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is promising to visit more cities than a conventional book tour when her memoir "Going Rogue" is published later this month.

Palin says the locations of her book tour will be announced later this week by her publisher, HarperCollins. But in a Facebook posting Tuesday, the former Alaska governor says she's decided to travel to cities outside of the typical book tour venues.

Her book hits stores Nov. 17. Palin will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" the day before the book release.

Palin says she's also trying to line up other interviews with hosts such as Bill O'Reilly, Barbara Walters and Rush Limbaugh.

Price moves up and down for new Grisham book

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:11:15 -0500

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- It was a weird day in the book price wars.

The cost of John Grisham's "Ford County," officially released Tuesday, moved up and down like stock market shares as rivals Amazon.com and Walmart.com extended, then rescinded, their high discounts for top-selling pre-orders.

Amazon.com extends Internet price war on books

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:54:19 -0500

From the Associated Press
NEW YORK -- The book price wars are no longer just for pre-orders.
Amazon.com was offering hardcovers of John Grisham's "Ford County" and Barbara Kingsolver's "The Lacuna" for just $9 on Tuesday, the official release date for both books. Hardcovers generally have a list price of $24 or higher.
In mid-October, Walmart.com announced dramatic discounts for pre-orders of "Ford County," Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" and other popular November publications. Wal-Mart.com initially charged $9 for the books, a price quickly matched by Amazon.com, then dropped to $8.98 by Wal-Mart.com.
Authors, publishers and rival booksellers worry that cutting the price so low will harm competition and force down the cost of books overall, leading to a reduction in author advances.
On Tuesday, Walmart.com was selling "Ford County" for $12 and "The Lacuna" for $13.50. Another price cutter, Target.com, was selling "Ford County" for $15 and "The Lacuna" for $18.89.

Twilight dolls for the ultimate fan

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:45:05 -0500

I'm thinking this might be a best-seller for Christmas.

See Mitch Albom at JCC

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:47:45 -0500

The York Jewish Community Center will present Mitch Albom Live via satellite from the 92nd Street Y in New York City at 8 p.m. Nov. 4.

Tickets are only $5 and include light refreshments. They are available at the JCC, 2000 Hollywood Drive, and at Bookland and Borders Books & Music.

Best-sellers at Borders

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:15:54 -0500

Best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Oct. 25.

1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown.
2. "In a Perfect World" by Laura Kasischke.
3. "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom.
4. "The Big Burn" by Timothy Egan.
5. "Arguing with Idiots" by Glenn Beck.

Ghost tour, book signing New Oxford

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:14:23 -0500

The New Oxford Area Historical Society will host a ghost tour of haunted properties in New Oxford at 6 and 8 p.m. Nov. 7 at New Oxford Coffee Company and Visitor's Center in Center Square.

Steve McNaughton, paranormal investigator and author of "Pennsylvania's Adams County Ghosts," will be the guide.

Tickets are $11 the day of the tour, $10 in advance and $9 to NOAHS members, available at the New Oxford Coffee Company and The Christmas Haus, 110 Lincoln Way West. Proceeds benefit the historical society.

No children under the age of 10 and no children under the age of 16 without an adult.

McNaughton will sell and sign copies of his book after each tour.

Romance writers to meet

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:13:10 -0500

The Central Pennsylvania Romance Writers will meet 10 a.m. Nov. 7 at the Cleve J. Fredericksen Camp Hill Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill.

Jennifer Blackwell-Yale will speak. New members are welcome.

For details, call 795-0874.

High school senior to sign second book

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:11:41 -0500

Alex Martin, 17, a senior at Susquehannock High School, will sign copies of his second book "Resurrection" at 10 a.m. Nov. 7 at the Paul Smith Library of Southern York County, 80 Constitution Ave., Shrewsbury.

"Resurrection" is the second in a four-cycle science fiction series called "Shadows." Publisher is Hulu.com.

Story of the middle child

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:10:19 -0500

J. Michael Brunner, associate lay pastor at Emanuel United Methodist Church in Loganville, has written "Memoirs From the Middle -- How I Survived Being a Middle Child."

It is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com under the Christian contemporary genre.

New book on Marine hero

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:08:06 -0500

Spring Grove resident Norman Fulkerson has written "An American Knight: The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley USMC."

The book was published Oct. 28, one year after the passing of Col. Ripley, who was known for his service in Vietnam.

For details or to buy the book for $14.95 plus shipping, visit www.AmericanKnight.org or call 888-317-5571.

10 writers win Whiting prizes

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:32:46 -0500

The Associated Press reports:

Ten emerging writers, their home countries ranging from Vietnam to the United States, each have received a $50,000 prize.
The Whiting Writers' Awards, given annually for "exceptional talent and promise in early career," were announced Oct. 28. The recipients included fiction writer Vu Tran, born in Vietnam and now living in Las Vegas, and poet Jay Hopler, a native of Puerto Rico who lives in Tampa, Fla.
The other winners were poets Jericho Brown and Joan Kane, playwright Rajiv Joseph, nonfiction authors Michael Meyer and Hugh Raffles, and fiction writers Adam Johnson, Nami Mun and Salvatore Scibona, whose novel "The End" was a National Book Award finalist in 2008.
The awards, presented by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, were founded in 1985. Previous winners include such Pulitzer Prize winners as Jeffrey Eugenides, Michael Cunningham and Jorie Graham.

Get ready, novel writers

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:44:15 -0500

Writers planning to participate in the National Novel Writing Month are invited to meet to discuss ideas at 10 a.m. Oct. 31 at The York Emporium, 343 W. Market St., York.

National Novel Writing Month begins Nov. 1. The goal is to write a 175-page
(50,000-word) novel by midnight Nov. 30.

For details, visit www.nanowrimo.org or the local group's Facebook page. Look for Central-PA-Wrimos.

Best-sellers at Borders

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:37:31 -0500

Best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Oct. 18.
1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown.
2. "In a Perfect World" by Laura Kasischke.
3. "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom.
4. "Touch of Dead" by Charlaine Harris.
5. "The Big Burn" by Timothy Egan.

The Secret World of Johnny Depp by Nigel Goodall

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:34:52 -0500

Johnny Depp, son of an engineer father and a homemaker mother, was born in Owensboro, Ky. As a young boy, he spent most of his time with his beloved grandfather, who died shortly after Johnny's seventh birthday. That same year, his family moved to Florida, living in at least a dozen different houses, leaving him feeling displaced. When he was 15, his parents divorced. Johnny became surly and disinterested in school. He turned to drugs and a wild, rebellious lifestyle that carried over into adulthood and followed him through his career.

When he was 12 years old, his mother bought him an electric guitar and he taught himself how to play. He eventually formed a rock band, The Kids, that played in clubs around Florida opening for big name bands. At 20, he met and married (and eventually divorced) Lori Ann Allison, who introduced him to a friend of hers, Nicholas Cage, nephew of Francis Ford Coppola. Cage in turn, suggested Johnny try acting and introduced him to his agent, who landed him an audition for the movie, "A Nightmare on Elm Street." And the rest is history.