Turning down the Booker?

In an unusual move, Booker Prize nominee John Le Carre has declined his nomination.  From the Guardian:

"'I am enormously flattered to be named as a finalist of the 2011 Man Booker International prize,' Le Carré said in a statement issued through his publishers 'However, I do not compete for literary prizes and have therefore asked for my name to be withdrawn.'"

Click here for more, or check out his newest audiobook, Our Kind of Traitor.

A Discovery of Witches review

Deborah Harkness has scored a hit with her first audiobook, A Discovery of Witches--it's sure to appeal to Twilight fans with more grown-up tastes, as well as people who like a little history and a little fantasy in their reading.  Diana Bishop, the last in a powerful line of witches, inadvertently stumbles across a rare manuscript at Oxford.  It turns out that the book has been sought by vampires, witches, and demons for more than a century, and they will do anything to get it back. 

The story progresses at just the right pace--there's plenty of detail when you want it, but it's compelling enough to make you always want to know what will happen next.  The historical backstory of the vampires and the manuscript adds a nice dimension to the story, too, spanning all the way back to 500AD.  Diana's romance with one of the vampires will probably feel a bit familiar to most listeners, but Harkness's writing is good enough to make it interesting anyway.  The narrator is perfect for the role, handling a wide variety of accents with surprising ease.  Definitely not an audiobook to miss!

Blink: Revolutionary?

Sometimes it's easy to forget that books we all read ages ago can still be inspirational.  Check out this story about how Blink is being used in book groups in Saudi Arabia:

"Inspired by their counterparts in Tunisia, Egypt and other parts of the Arab world, Jiddah's 20-somethings are ablaze on Facebook, blogs and Twitter, tweeting away on iPhones and BlackBerrys about government corruption and the need for political reform, while organizing social gatherings such as those at the bookstore that have long been taboo."

Click here for more, or click here to check out Blink for yourself.

The Tiger's Wife

Book club readers should be on the lookout for Téa Obreht's first novel, The Tiger's Wife--it's getting rave reviews for bringing a human touch to the tragic events in the Balkans in the 90s and should provide much fodder for discussion.  The New York Times says:

"Ingeniously, Obreht juxtaposes Natalia’s matter-of-fact narration with contemporary folk tales that are as simple, enthralling and sometimes brutal as fables by Kipling or Dinesen."

Click here for the rest of the review, click here for yet another review, or click here for the audiobook.

If you haven't heard of Room...

If you haven't heard of Emma Donoghue's Room yet, you should definitely check it out.  Donoghue has just been nominated for the Orange Prize long list after already being nominated for the Booker Prize short list, and it's always nice to see a Canadian book with buzz get an audiobook edition. Fans of topical, contemporary fiction like Jodi Picoult should love this one, which is about a boy and his mother locked away in a room.  From the Globe and Mail's review:

"One of the many virtues of Room – the London, Ont., resident’s book has just been short-listed for this year’s Man Booker Prize – is how it addresses this question by reminding us of not just the terror, but also the daily tedium and the resilient humanity of the victims." 

Click here for the full review, or click here for the audiobook.

Fiction New Releases

Tick Tock by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

New York City's number-one detective, Michael Bennett, has a huge problem: the Son of Sam, the Werewolf of Wisteria, and the Mad Bomber are all back. The city has never been more terrified. 
Tick: a killer's countdown begins:
A rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately, it becomes clear that they are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind. [read more]

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards

With revelations that prove as captivating as the deceptions at the heart of her best-selling phenomenon The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards now gives us the story of a woman's homecoming, a family secret, and the old house that holds the key to the true legacy of a family.  [read more]

 

The Twelfth Insight by James Redfield

In The Twelfth Insight, the long-awaited fourth book in the beloved Celestine Series, we again follow our Hero and his close friend Wil. They have just received a portion of another ancient and mysterious manuscript that describes a secret approach to spirituality that is silently arriving in the second decade of the 21st Century. But the manuscript is only available in fragments.  [read more]

Three Seconds by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom

In this dark and gripping novel from number-one best-selling Swedish writing duo Roslund and Hellström, Piet Hoffman is the Swedish police’s most valuable secret operative. His cover is that of a lieutenant inside the ruthless Polish mafia, trying to take over amphetamine distribution within Sweden’s prison system. With this, his most dangerous assignment, success will mean a new identity and the freedom to start a new life with his wife and young sons. [read more]

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.  Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks.  [read more]

Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag

Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.  When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother's bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin.  [read more]

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Award-winning author Alan Bradley returns with another beguiling novel starring the insidiously clever and unflappable 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce. The precocious chemist with a passion for poisons uncovers a fresh slew of misdeeds in the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey—mysteries involving a missing tot, a fortune-teller, and a corpse in Flavia’s own backyard.  [read more]

Non Fiction New Releases

Scorecasting by Tobias Moskowitz

In Scorecasting, University of Chicago behavioral economist Tobias Moskowitz teams up with veteran Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim to overturn some of the most cherished truisms of sports, and reveal the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football, and hockey games are played, won and lost. [read more]

The Tell-Tale Brain by V.S. Ramachandran

V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field - so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience".  Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness.  Taking us to the frontiers of neurology, he reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved.  [read more]

Now...Build a Great Business! by Mark Thompson & Brian Tracy

Don’t be daunted by a challenging economy and fierce competition. Even in the toughest environment, innovative, highly profitable businesses abound. And yours can be one of them with Now, Build a Great Business! This essential success kit from business heavyweights and acclaimed authors Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy is filled with straightforward, powerful strategies to ignite growth in your business.  [read more]

The Investment Answer by Daniel C. Goldie

What if there were a way to cut through all the financial mumbo-jumbo? Wouldn't it be great if someone could really explain to us - in plain and simple English - the basics we must know about investing in order to insure our financial freedom?  At last, here's good news. Jargon-free and written for all investors - experienced, beginner, and everyone in between - The Investment Answer distills the process into just five decisions-five straightforward choices that can lead to safe and sound ways to manage your money.  [read more]

Trust Agents by Chris Brogan & Julien Smith

There's no question that the Internet has changed the way we do business - especially when it comes to marketing. Consumer environments are short on trust and populated by consumers who are cynical, savvy, and informed. Though it's easier than ever to reach your customers, it's less likely that they'll listen. Today, the most valuable online currency isn't the dollar, but trust itself.  [read more]

ScreamFree Marriage by Hal Edward Runkel

Through the best-selling ScreamFree Parenting, Hal Runkel showed thousands of parents how keeping their cool can revolutionize their family life. In his groundbreaking new book, ScreamFree Marriage, Runkel now shows couples how learning to stay calm, in the face of common marital conflicts, is the key to creating and enjoying a deep, lifelong connection.  [read more]

The Yes Factor by Tonya Reiman

The premier guide to combining verbal and nonverbal communication to gain confidence, establish credibility, and make lasting impressions.  Yes: a small word, but the key to opening doors both professional and personal. The power of The Yes Factor gets you the job, the promotion, or the second date. But getting a "yes" can be tricky.  [read more]

You Already Know How to Be Great by Alan Fine


Most people who want to get better—at hitting golf shots, negotiating with clients, delivering presentations, or any other field of endeavor—seek out new information. They read a book, take a class, hire an expert tutor. But as Alan Fine has learned from many years of coaching athletes and businesspeople, this “outside-in” approach often doesn’t produce the results people want. More information becomes a distraction rather than a solution, and high performance remains elusive. Fortunately, there’s a better way.  [read more]

A pair of reviews of Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

It sounds like Gabrielle Hamilton's new memoir Blood, Bones & Butter is going to be the next hot foodie title.  Blurbed by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain as "Simply the best memoir by a chef ever," it's definitely one to check out.  Here's what the New York Times has to say:

"On the page and in the kitchen, Ms. Hamilton can be charming, tempestuous, persnickety, vulgar, poetic, provocative and mothering, sometimes all in the course of a single flurry of sentences. Whatever scars she has, she is not inclined to cover them."  Click here to read the rest of the review.

You can also check out a review and a clip from the audiobook at Culture Mob:  click here.

And of course, click here for the audiobook.