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October 2004

This week (October 16-22) is Teen Reads Week. Now in its 7th year, this promotion organized by the American Library Association is concerned with promoting teen reading. You may see notes about this at your local or school library as more than 1,400 libraries across the country are participating in this celebration of books and reading. As we know that YOU love to read, may we ask that you spend this week suggesting books to friends who are not as interested in reading as you are? Share favorite titles, or help them seek out books that revolve around things that they are interested in. It's scary to think how many teens do not read for pleasure. There is so much they are missing out on by not reading books.

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Name the last book that kept you up reading a lot longer than you planned.

October 15, 2004

Interview: Stephen R. Donaldson, author of The Runes of the Earth: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 1

Oct 15, 2004

October 15, 2004

Bookreporter.com's contributing writer Cindy Lynn Speer interviewed Stephen R. Donaldson, author of six previous books in "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" series and THE RUNES OF THE EARTH, the first of four new "Covenant" novels. Donaldson talks about his decision to return to the world of Thomas Covenant following a 21-year hiatus, the current state of the fantasy genre, and the strong influence that his childhood in India had on his writing abilities.

Interview: S. J. Rozan, author of Absent Friends

Oct 15, 2004

October 15, 2004

Bookreporter.com's Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek interviewed Edgar Award winner S.J. Rozan, whose latest thriller ABSENT FRIENDS is set in New York following the horrific events of September 11, 2001. Rozan talks about the impact that 9/11 had on her career as a fiction writer, some of the characters who populate the novel, and what readers can expect from her in the future.

Interview: Chris Van Allsburg, author of The Polar Express

Oct 15, 2004

October 15, 2004

According to author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg, his Caldecott Medal-winning picture book THE POLAR EXPRESS originated with the image of a train standing alone in the woods. He then asked himself, What if a boy gets on the train? What does he do, and where does he go? From there, ideas of Christmas, Santa Claus and faith began to take shape. Kidsreads.com Founder Carol Fitzgerald talks to Allsburg about this cherished holiday classic and his thoughts on the film adaptation, which will be released on November 10th.

October 15, 2004

On Monday morning many of you, like me, woke to the sad news that Christopher Reeve had passed away. I remembered reading his book, STILL ME, when it came out in 1998. Until then, I had little, if any, knowledge of what it means to be a quadriplegic. Flash forward to 2002 when a book called MIRACLES HAPPEN by Brooke and Jean Ellison came out. Brooke had been paralyzed in a car accident when she was 11. She went on to graduate from Harvard with both undergrad and masters degrees, with her mom at her side each step of the way. I interviewed Brooke and Jean when their book came out, and I remember their sharing that Reeve had planned to direct a movie about Brooke's life. Recently I read that it is to air on A&E on October 25th at 8PM ET (Check local listings). This week I had planned to share this reminder with you. Now this movie takes on more significance in the wake of Reeve's death as it is one of the last films that he directed. He spent the last 9 years of his life empowering those who were confined to chairs and beds by telling his story. I urge you to click on the links above to honor his memory and learn more about his story --- and Brooke's.

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Stephen R. Donaldson, author of The Runes of the Earth: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 1

Stephen R. Donaldson, author of six previous books in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, returns with the first of four new Covenant novels. In the original series, Thomas Covenant is transported to a fantastic world in which a battle for the soul of the land is being waged, and he is forced to accept his role as savior of the Land.

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Early October 2004

This summer I previewed a DVD that is now available in stores, LOVE COMES SOFTLY, which is based on Janette Oke's bestselling book of the same title. If you are looking for a nice film that you can enjoy with your entire family, may we suggest you pick this one up?

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Interview: S.E. Hinton, author of Hawkes Harbor

Oct 8, 2004

October 8, 2004

Cindy Lynn Speer and Wiley Saichek of Bookreporter.com interview bestselling young adult author S.E. Hinton, who has written a novel for an adult audience titled HAWKES HARBOR. Hinton talks about the fictional town in which the book is set, why she chose to write a tale that features a vampire and her decision in the 1980s to take a break from fiction writing.

October 8, 2004

Greetings from Toronto. I arrived here Wednesday for the Bouchercon Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Conference. The past few days have been a flurry of events, panels and passings in the hallway with authors. Who's here? 350 authors and 850 readers. Among the authors are Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Laura Lippman, and Ian Rankin, and to my delight some authors who we have featured in our suspense/thriller feature like Joseph Finder, William Lashner (who is up for a Shamus award tonight), M.J. Rose and Raelynn Hillhouse. What's fun about this conference is that is a fan conference. I end up learning about a lot about authors and books from readers as I walk the halls and attend panels!
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