Parrot and Olivier in America

I've just recently finished Peter Carey's latest, a funny and intelligent ode to Toqueville and America's transformative and humble roots: Parrot and Olivier in America. This is one of the best books I've read in a while, and surprisingly light. I loved it!

I'll leave the reviews to the professionals, but this one is definitely worth the read!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/books/review/Mallon-t.html
http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2010/04/11/parrot_and_olivier_in_america

The Pulitzer Prize List

Letters, Drama, and Music

Fiction

Tinkers by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press)

Drama

Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey

History

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press)

Biography or Autobiography

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf)

Poetry

Versed by Rae Armantrout (Wesleyan University Press)

General Nonfiction

The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman (Doubleday)

Music

Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon (Lawdon Press)

2010 Pulitzer Winners Announced; Literary Indie Takes Top Honor in Fiction

Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 4/12/2010 4:41:09 PM

The 2010 Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded with Paul Harding taking top honors in the Fiction category for Tinkers (Bellevue Literary Press), a debut novel set in New England about a dying clock repairman who, on his deathbed, revisits his life. Bellevue is preparing to go back to press on Tinkers--one of  PW's Best Books of 2009--but had not set the new print run as of late Monday afternoon. Bellevue's titles are distributed by Consortium. 

Before the announcement, Bellevue had about 15,000 copies of the book in print, in a combination of hardcover and trade paper. Tinkers is also available as an e-book. Random House has signed Harding's next two novels with Susan Kamil, Random House editor-in-chief, taking U.S. rights to the books at auction from Ellen Levine at Trident. The first book to be released, Enon, is set in the same town as Tinkers.

of course Tinker's is sold out but will soon be available.....more about the pulitzer list tomorrow!

Celebrate Earth Day with a good book

April 22, 2010 is the 40th anniversary of the first international observance of Earth Day and the beginning of the modern environmental movement.  This month Boone Bridge Books participated in the Energy Trust Better Living Show in Portland Oregon.  Our booth hosted book signings for the attending authors and it was a great opportunity to share new books and ideas for sparking interest in the classroom through literature.

Some fine examples for middle school readers have the teen characters fighting for what they believe in and standing up for the environment.  Hoot and Scat by Carl Hiassen are among the most popular on our school lists but some other fine choices are Dolphin Song and White Giraffe of the "Animal Healer" series by Lauren St. John.

Another great offering, billed as fiction with a mission is the Gaia Girls Series.  "Gaia Girls: Enter the Earth" by Lee Welles is a well-written supernatural adventure unabashedly seeking to convert young readers to an ecologically green philosophy. Ten-year-old Elizabeth lives on a thriving farm owned by her family since the 18th century.  Remarkably attuned to nature, she learns why when she meets a talking otter that claims to be Gaia, the spirit of the Earth.  Hidden clues and a companion website help extend the adventure.  "Gaia Girls: Way of Water"  is the second in the Gaia Girls series. While each book forms a single independent story, they are interconnected, as are the elements of the earth. This fabulous collection is ageless in its readership.  Much like Harry Potter in it's ability to cross agegroups,  it is a recommended addition for every bookshelf and library collection. 

The Orange Prize Shortlist

The shortlist for the 2010 Orange Prize for fiction written by women features two debut novelists as well as "the seemingly unstoppable might of Hilary Mantel and Wolf Hall," the Guardian reported. The winner will be honored June 9 in London. 

Finalists are:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel  (winner of the Mann Booker this year)

The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison 

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver 

Black Water Rising by Attica Locke 

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey.

Battle of the Books

Oregon schools are in full gear for another year of "Battle of the Books". If you haven't heard of the program before, I suggest you do a little internet surfing. In Oregon, the OELA comes up with a yearly book list broken down into age groups. Those schools that do participate get kids so caught up in it that they don't have enough books to keep all of the teams reading. I always enjoy seeing what was chosen each year and this year in particular I think the lists are great because in the past there were not so many surprises. This year the OELA compiled a list of books that runs the gamut in interest and also includes some titles I've never heard of. Here's the list:

Books:

2010 OBOB 3‐5

Beauty by Bill Wallace

o Realistic Fiction

The BFG by Roald Dahl

o Fantasy

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

o Historical Fiction

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell

o Mystery/ Fantasy

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

o Historical Fiction

The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

o Fantasy

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

o Fantasy

Honus and Me by Dan Gutman

o Science Fiction

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke

o Fantasy

Iron Thunder by Avi

o Historical Fiction

Leonardo Da Vinci: A Nonfiction Companion to Monday with a Mad Genius by Mary Pope Osborne

o Non‐fiction

Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan

o Non‐fiction

Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

o Mystery

No Talking by Andrew Clements

o Realistic Fiction

Piper Reed, Navy Brat by Kimberly Willis Holt

o Realistic Fiction

Socks by Beverly Cleary

o Realistic Fiction

2010 OBOB 6-8 Division

Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip

o Mystery/Realistic Fiction

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

o Fantasy

Any Small Goodness by Tony Johnston

o Realistic Fiction

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

o Realistic Fiction

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

o Non-fiction/Autobiography

Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey

o Fantasy

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

o Science Fiction

Maximum Ride: the Angel Experiment by James Patterson

o Science Fiction

Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci

o Realistic Fiction/Graphic Novel

Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

o Fantasy

Schooled by Gordon Korman

o Realistic Fiction

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

o Realistic Fiction

Trapped Between the Lash and the Gun by Arvella Whitmore

o Historical Fiction

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

o Historical Fiction

The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy

o Historical Fiction

Zen And The Art Of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick

o Realistic Fiction

2010 OBOB 9-12 Division

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

o Mystery/Thriller

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

o Fantasy/Classic

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

o Fantasy/Graphic Novel

The Book of Fred by Abby Bardi

o Realistic Fiction

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

o Historical Fiction

Boy's Life by Robert McCammon

o Mystery/Fantasy

Deathwatch by Robb White

o Adventure/Survival

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

o Realistic Fiction

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

o Science Fiction/Classic

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston &/or James D. Houston

o Non-fiction

The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjiian

o Realistic Fiction

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

o Science Fiction

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

o Science Fiction

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

o Non-fiction

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

o Realistic Fiction

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

o Fantasy

Young Readers: On your mark, get set.....go!