*News From the Glamorous World of Bookselling*
"There are cuts for everyone in the new U.S. budget.
Tax cuts for the rich and service cuts for the poor . . ."
--Anonymous
1) DANCE LITTLE SISTER . . . As excited as fantasy fans are that Patrick Rothfuss' sequel to The Name of the Wind (9780756404741) 8.99 has finally arrived with Wise Man's Fear (9780756404734) 29.95, you can rachet up that excitement about tenfold with the announcement that George R.R. Martin's long overdue fifth book in the Song of Ice & Fire, A Dance With Dragons (9780553801477)35.00, will be released on July 12. Am I excited? You bet. This is the best fantasy series since J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, and I'm not one for hyperbole. As an added bonus, Martin's books are getting the little screen treatment when HBO begins airing the TV series starring Sean Bean as Ned Stark on April 17. Beginning with The Game of Thrones (9780553573404) 8.99, each TV season will represent a different book in the series. You can read more about it here: http://georgerrmartin.com/if-update.html . There is also a new 15 minute trailer available on HBO's web site here: http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html . So the next question is: Who here gets HBO?
2) GIMME SHELTER . . . What is it with tigers? First there was Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (9781594202841) 25.95, which presented an easy way to raise your children so that they will resent their parents for the rest of their lives. Now the buzz has switched to a new fiction title set in the Balkans called The Tiger's Wife (9780385343831) 25.00 by Tea Obreht. Belgrade-born Tea moved to the United States at the age of twelve but writes way beyond her years. She was recently featured on The New Yorker's list of writers to watch under 40, and if this debut is any indication, they would seem to be spot on. Keep an eye on this one, it could be the sleeper of the season . . .
3) DEAD FLOWERS . . . Hopefully spring is right around the corner and what better time to purchase What's Doin' the Bloomin'? (9781933272221) 19.95 by Clayton Oslund. His book has become the definitive book on flowering plants in the Midwest. The new third edition is chock full of even more plants, more full-colour photographs, and, of course, some useful 'tips for incorporating native wildflowers into your home landscaping projects.' I don't know about you, but I'm a hopin' to be seein' some bloomin' pretty soon . . .
Odds & Sods
Our good friends at McLean & Aikens hosted Paula McLain, the author of The Paris Wife last week, and apparently a good time was had by all. The Paris Wife (9780345521309) 25.00 has been hitting all the bestseller lists, which proves once again that Hemingway never goes out of style . . .
Speaking of geeks, you might find this article interesting:
http://www.salon.com/technology/gaming/index.html?story=/mwt/feature/2011/03/08 Also, The Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplay Starter Kit (9780786956296) 19.99 would be perfect for that 40-something geek player in your life . . .
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