Ehh...not that crazy about this book

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. "A true-crime murder story and hugely entertaining and deliciously perverse travelogue." Maybe I'm like my nephew who is also struggling with Southern literature. It did make me want to visit Savannah, but I wasn't excited about reading it (meaning, it didn't make me stay up too late).

Also finished Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins which will be coming out in March 2010. Sophie Mercer, a witch, gets sent off to Hex Hall for a prom-night spell that doesn't go exactly as planned (but it's pretty funny). Mmmmm...not in love with this one either. Am sending off to my niece for review - she's a tougher critic than me.

Wine and Murder

I haven't read any of Ellen Crosby's books yet, but she's now on the list. How could I not want to read books that combine some of my favorite vices - wine and mystery books. With titles like:
The Chardonnay Charade
The Bordeaux Betrayal
The Merlot Murders

I'm ready to open a bottle of wine and crack open a book (and she's from Northern VA, so maybe I can get her to come to the store for a reading and wine tasting!).

Cate Blanchett in Arlington

Yes, she and her kids were visiting Aladdin's Lamp, the children's indie bookstore right across the street from my house.

You already knew this about friends...

but it's always good to have confirmation. In her NY Times article, What Are Friends for? A Longer Life”, Tara Parker Pope, notes that people "overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life: their friends." Thanks, guys!!!!

Still reading...more on the mystery binge:
Corpus Christmas by Margaret Maron - look, a holiday murder book.
Friends in High Places by one of my favorites, Donna Leon. I enjoy settling into the grey area that is Venice (and I mean that in the best of all possible ways).

Two of my favorite things - together!

"The American Booksellers Association and NPR will join forces beginning November 13 'to provide thoughtful bestsellers and unique book coverage to readers, both on NPR.org and IndieBound.org,' Bookselling This Week reported. NPR Books will publish four weekly bestseller lists--hardcover fiction, hardcover nonfiction, paperback fiction and paperback nonfiction--using the Indie Bestseller List feeds"(from Shelf Awareness, 11/6/09).

What we all should want for the holidays (besides world peace)

Books, books and more books...

Not sure what to get? Check out the Indiebound NEXT List for November 2009.

The Body Finder and In the Woods

Starting off strong..."The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest finished second on the U.K.'s book charts last week...according to book sales monitor Nielsen BookScan. It came in behind Dan Brown's thriller The Lost Symbol..." (Shelf Awareness, October 8, 2009). US release for Hornets' Nest scheduled for October 31st.

From last week's New Atlantic region indie book conference...Just finished the advanced reading copy of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. While I'm older than the target audience (by far!), I really enjoyed the mystery.
Described as: "A serial killer on the loose...A girl with a morbid ability...And the boy who would never let anything happen to her." On-Sale date: 3/16/2010.

Already out, In the Woods by Tana French. Best described by Nancy Pearl on NPR's Morning Edition: "...intense debut novel...part whodunit, part psychological thriller, and wholly successful...French's plot twists and turns will bamboozle even the most astute reader." Winner of the 2007 Edgar Award for Best First Novel