The Sunday Salon... Bookish Tidbits & Books with Buzz

I enjoy early sunday mornings... It seems the perfect time of day to relax with a steaming cup of coffee, reflect on the week that's just gone by and look ahead to the coming week...

One of the exciting things coming at the end of this week is the iPad by Apple. How is this book related? Well, not only will there be an iBook store, but Amazon has developed Kindle App for Tablet Computers so that you can download Kindle books onto your iPad. You will also be able to read the Kindle books you already own on your iPad. As eBooks gain popularity, and the iPad should push this along a little too, book sales reported by 85 publishers fell .7% in January. EBooks on the other hand had a 261% increase in sales! Even with the popularity of the eReaders and eBooks, publishers still are still debating release dates (4 month delay for Kindle books?), pricing platforms and availability (Random House is debating whether to publish for iPad). As a girl who loves her Kindle, but still buys from the Brick & Mortar store, I am not going to buy the hard cover of a new release just because the Kindle version is delayed 4 months and I would hope that books would someday be released in all eBook versions, so I can purchase it on a Kindle, but my friend can also read it on her Nook. Alright Kindle users, what do you think?!

Another book related tidbit this week... With the soaring popularity of Alice in Wonderland, due in part to the Johnny Depp movie (I think), DailyLit is offering Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll for your reading enjoyment! I posted about DailyLit last July when I discovered their wonderful site. If you're not familiar with what DailyLit is, well basically they deliver a daily dose of literature to you via your email or RSS feed. Each book that you sign up to read is divided into segments that should take you only 5 minutes to read. You can read more about DailyLit at DailyLit.com

There have been some sequels released recently that may interest you too... Flavia De Luce returns in The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag written by Alan Bradley. The first book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, was a hit last year as aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce dabbles in murder... Gabry returns in The Dead-Tossed Waves written by Carrie Ryan. Gabry first appeared in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, the dystopian story with an added dose of zombies...

Which all leads into this weeks Book with Buzz... Here are a few books to keep your eyes out for while you are wondering your favorite Brick & Mortar bookstore...

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson... The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition? This book has gotten so much great buzz! "Delightful", "entertaining", "Charming", are all words used to describe this book in the numerous blurbs I've read. I think it's safe to say this is going to be a hit especially with reading groups. You can read an excerpt at Helen Simonson's website! *This Book is Kindle Ready!

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson... Adam March is a self-made “Master of the Universe.” He has it all: the beautiful wife, the high-powered job, the glittering circle of friends. But there is a price to be paid for all these trappings, and the pressure is mounting—until the day Adam makes a fatal mistake. His assistant leaves him a message with three words: your sister called. What no one knows is that Adam’s sister has been missing for decades. That she represents the excruciatingly painful past he has left behind. And that her absence has secretly tormented him all these years. When his assistant brushes off his request for an explanation in favor of her more pressing personal call, Adam loses it. And all hell breaks loose... Adam is escorted from the building. He loses his job. He loses his wife. He loses the life he’s worked so hard to achieve. He doesn’t believe it is possible to sink any lower when he is assigned to work in a soup kitchen as a form of community service. But unbeknownst to Adam, this is where his life will intersect with Chance. Chance is a mixed breed Pit Bull. He’s been born and raised to fight and seldom leaves the dirty basement where he is kept between fights. But Chance is not a victim or a monster. It is Chance’s unique spirit that helps him escape and puts him in the path of Adam. What transpires is the story of one man, one dog, and how they save each other—in ways they never could have expected. I love "dog" books, and this is sure to please The Art of Racing in The Rain fans, Marley & Me fans, and dog lovers alike. Chance is suppose to really steal the show here... *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes... From Publishers Weekly: Thirty years in the making, Marlantes’s epic debut is a dense, vivid narrative spanning many months in the lives of American troops in Vietnam as they trudge across enemy lines, encountering danger from opposing forces as well as on their home turf. Marine lieutenant and platoon commander Waino Mellas is braving a 13-month tour in Quang-Tri province, where he is assigned to a fire-support base and befriends Hawke, older at 22; both learn about life, loss, and the horrors of war. Jungle rot, leeches dropping from tree branches, malnourishment, drenching monsoons, mudslides, exposure to Agent Orange, and wild animals wreak havoc as brigade members face punishing combat and grapple with bitterness, rage, disease, alcoholism, and hubris. A decorated Vietnam veteran, the author clearly understands his playing field (including military jargon that can get lost in translation), and by examining both the internal and external struggles of the battalion, he brings a long, torturous war back to life with realistic characters and authentic, thrilling combat sequences. Marlantes’s debut may be daunting in length, but it remains a grand, distinctive accomplishment. This book has gotten a lot of press this past week. Riveting and unforgettable are two words that I've seen describe this book. What struck me about this book was that it's not political. Matterhorn is a portrait of young men at war. Not an uplifting read, but one to sink your teeth into. *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

The week ahead promises more great reading & reviewing... I'm finishing The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno by Ellen Bryson , which takes place in the time of P.T. Barnums world of curiosities, and transforms those curiosities into real people. Review will be posted soon. AND I will post my review of Walking to Gatlinburg by Howard Frank Mosher this coming week. I wanted to post it this past week, but time just slipped away and Mr. Mosher's book deserves more than a brief mention - I thoroughly enjoyed Walking to Gatlinburg! I'm also participating in Ted Dekker's book tour for this upcoming release The Bride Collector, and will be reviewing that book this week!

What are YOU reading this week? And what books have caught your eye?!

Happy Reading... Suzanne