Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Sunday, June 27, 2010

The Sunday Salon..."Books with Buzz"


It's Sunday! Welcome to The Sunday Salon! Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of joe and relax! The Sunday Salon is where hundreds of bloggers gather together virtually to chat about all the bookish things that happened this week.

One of the exciting things to happen this week in the "eReader world" was the price war between Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders. It started with Barnes & Noble lowering the price of The Nook (with Wi-Fi & 3G) to $199 from the original $259. Amazon almost immediately lowered the price of the Kindle to $189, which was originally $249. Sony then dropped their Sony Touch eReader to $199, down from $250 and then Borders jumped in by not lowering their price on the Kobo, but giving a $20 gift card along with doubling the Borders Bucks for any new Kobo purchased. You can read all about it in my June 22nd post, and I've also included links to all the eReaders mentioned. So, if you were thinking about an eReader, now seems the time to buy one!

Karin Slaughter fans were happy this week as her new book, Broken, was released. Bringing back her characters from Undone, Karin weaves mystery
& suspense together with murder to give us another thriller based in Georgia. Last August I read & reviewed Undone and really enjoyed it! It was the first Karin Slaughter book I had read and I am looking forward to reading more! Like to read this on your Kindle? This book is Kindle Ready! Janet Evanovich fans were happy too, as her 16th Stephanie Plum novel, Sizzling Sixteen, came out this week! If you are unfamiliar with the Stephanie Plum novels, they're kind of like chick-lit noir. Stephanie is a plucky girl working for her cousin Vinny as a bail bondswoman in New Jersey. She's got brains and lots of luck, she's funny and her life is filled with lighthearted adventures... and of course romance. If you want to start at the beginning of this series, One for The Money is it. Her Stephanie Plum novels are numbered "One for the Money", "Two for the Show", etc. For fun Janet Evanovich usually has a contest on her website to name her next book too.

There were a few books that I've had my eye on for a while that were released this week...

The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen... It's a tale of two sisters spanning 70 years as they live and love and travel from Canada to New England. It's gotten wonderful buzz. Unfortunately Beverly Jensen died before it was published. Here's what the publisher writes... In 1916, Idella and Avis Hillock are children living on the edge of a windy bluff in New Brunswick – a hardscrabble world of potato farms and lobster traps, rough men, hard work, and baffling beauty. In The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay, we follow them, along with the ornery men in their lives, through tragedy and comedy, all the way to old age. Relationships between sisters can be difficult, loving, competitive. I look forward to seeing how the relationship between Idella and Avis develope over 70 years! BTW, This book is Kindle Ready!

The Lovers by Vendela Vida... Here's how Indie Bound described The Lovers, "a stunning novel about the love between husbands and wives, mothers and children. Twenty-eight years ago, Peter and Yvonne honeymooned in the beautiful coastal village of DatÇa, Turkey. Now Yvonne is a widow, her twin children grown. Hoping to immerse herself in memories of a happier time—as well as sand and sea—Yvonne returns to DatÇa. But her plans for a restorative week in Turkey are quickly complicated. Instead of comforting her, her memories begin to trouble her. Her vacation rental's landlord and his bold, intriguing wife—who share a curious marital arrangement—become constant uninvited visitors, in and out of the house. Overwhelmed by the past and unexpectedly dislocated by the environment, Yvonne clings to a newfound friendship with Ahmet, a local boy who makes his living as a shell collector. With Ahmet as her guide, Yvonne gains new insight into the lives of her own adult children, and she finally begins to enjoy the shimmering sea and relaxed pace of the Turkish coast. But a devastating accident upends her delicate peace and throws her life into chaos—and her sense of self into turmoil." I thought it would be interesting to see Yvonne's memories of her youth compared with the present as she tried to travel back in time. * BTW, This book is Kindle Ready!

Looking ahead to next week, James Patterson along with Maxine Paetro have a thriller coming out called Private. What's it about?... "Former CIA agent Jack Morgan is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of 18 schoolgirls when he learns of a horrific murder close to home: his best friend's wife, Jack's former lover, has been killed."

Tess Gerritsen, a favorite thrill writer of mine, has a new book coming out, Ice Cold, starring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli ( I just love her!) and medical examiner Maura Isles... "Boston medical examiner Maura Isles is in Wyoming for a conference. Impulsively, she joins an old friend and his daughter on a ski trip. When their vehicle breaks down, they’re stranded in the eerily named Kingdom Come, a small community whose residents appear to have vanished. Then Maura vanishes. The announcement of her death shocks homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, Maura’s close friend. Investigating Kingdom Come, Rizzoli uncovers dark secrets that may explain Maura’s disappearance." *BTW, Jane & Maura are coming to television! TNT will premier the television series this coming July. It's called Rizzoli & Isles, it will take place in Boston, and the pilot episode will be taken from Tess Gerritsen's book The Apprentice. If you want to start from the beginning with Jane Rizzoli, read The Surgeon first. *BTW, Ice Cold is Kindle Ready! And so are The Surgeon & The Apprentice!

As far as what I'm reading this week... I've got my nose in Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea and am loving it! The story takes place in a small dusty Mexican town where all the men left to go north for work. The women in the village are wonderful, and when banditos threaten to take over the little town, 19 year-old Nayeli along with three of her friends, go in search of help. The writing is wonderful, and Urrea's descriptions of the surroundings is so vivid. *Psst...Look for a review and a GIVEAWAY for this soon!

And it's still June, and that means it's still audiobook month! On my iPod, I'm listening to Stuart Woods' Hot Mahogany, and it is fabulous! It's got that old time detective story feel to it, with Lawyer turned sleuth Stone Barrington, the theft of a piece of antique furniture, women falling for the hero, and a great side kick. Tony Roberts is the narrator and his voice is perfect for this crime noir! I'll be giving you the full scoop when I've finished.

AND, If you haven't yet, there's still a few days left to enter the GIVEAWAY for Knight of Passion by Margaret Mallory! Giveaway ends monday, June 28th at midnight!

What have you been reading?! Listening to any audiobooks lately? Share what books have caught your attention! I'd Love to know what you've found this week! In the meantime, I hope you found something that peaked your interest here!

Happy reading... Suzanne

13 comments:

Erotic Horizon said...

Thanks for a full post of little bit and peieces that reminds of loads of stufff I had brushed under the carpet..

I wish we would have an ereader price war on this side of the pond - all our prices over here in the UK are still fairly high...

I will be getting the Slaughter book soon - She is over here next month at a Crime thriller weekend - I do so love her stuff..

Ice Cold is so on order for me - I think she just get better and better. She is one of a handful of authors that I only read in paperback...

Nothing like curling up with a spine chilling Gerritsen book.

Happy Sunday..

I am still listening to Carla Neggers - Cold River..

Hopefull I'll be done with it by the 30th..

E.H>

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi E.H.!
I think eventually all the eReader prices will be "reasonable". Hopefully the publishers keep the prices equally reasonable. I hate seeing the eBook price HIGHER than the price of the paperback!

Have loads of fun at the Crime Thriller Weekend! I wish I was able to go! But I'm going to see about getting that Carla Neggers audiobook! Thanks for reminding me how much you are enjoying it! I'm almost done with the Stuart Woods audiobook, which was easier as it only had 7 discs!

Have a great week!

bermudaonion said...

I saw Sizzling Sixteen at Target yesterday and I was very tempted by it, but I stayed strong.

Anonymous said...

I'll take the latte, Suzanne :)
Eventually I'll get to the latest JE book but I'm only up to #9 - I was late to the party. I read a good blogger review for The Lovers last week. It's on my look for list.

I'm still loving my Kindle. With several review books on my schedule I'm trying to read a book on Kindle every couple of weeks and I'm always so happy with the experience.

Have a great week!

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi bermudaonion!
I KNOW you probably have so many books waiting for your attention, so I'm sure Janet forgives you! :-)

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi bookfanmary!
I have catching up do with Stephanie Plum too! I'm up to #9 as well! But will eventually will get to #16. Plus she's coming out with a graphic novel with her daughter soon with a different character that looks fun.

Glad you are still enjoying your Kindle! What a great idea to read one of your books every few weeks on the Kindle! I should make a mental note to do that too. Thanks for sharing!

Kaye said...

Thanks for the heads up on TNT's new upcoming show and Beverly Jensen's book. My late mother-in-law came from a farm on Boudrie Island down to Boston with 3 of her sisters. I think that would be a real interesting book.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Wow, you've tempted us with several intriguing titles...I have read only one Stephanie Plum, but I loved it, and have Finger Lickin' Fifteen on my stack for next week.

I've been meaning to read some Tess Gerritsen, and now that you've mentioned the upcoming series, which I'd been wanting to watch, I should definitely plunge in.

Here's my salon:

http://laurel-rainsnowsaccidentallife.blogspot.com/2010/06/sunday-salon-june-27.html

Helen Ginger said...

So many great books! What fun to come here and read about them.

I just finished Don't Kill the Cat (a nonfiction on screenwriting) and have started Shut Up and Kiss Me by Christie Craig.

Esme said...

The recipe for the muffins is up.

carla said...

That was a very informative posting.

Was in a Target yesterday and looked at their Kindle and Sony offerings. Neither demo model was working the best. Also saw an ipad. Those are small, would think they'd be hard to read a book on.

Just finished listening to the Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter book. Very well written and totally believable.

Reading Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates currently.

I have read One for the Money, Stephanie Plum is fun to read.

Have a good week!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Suzanne...looking forward to so many of the books that you profiled here: The Lovers, Sisters of Hardscrabble Bay and Tess Gerritsen too.

Aisle B said...

I adore Stephanie Plum and excited to hear that Kindle is ready with number 16! Team Ranger all the way!

Have a great read... still dreaming about I Pad... one day ... one day :)

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