Lauren Oliver Discusses Pandemonium (Releases in 10 days!!)

According to Harper Collins Facebook page, Pandemonium will release in 10 days!!!  Who's excited now?

Let's Play Tag....(a Just For Fun visit with other book bloggers)

I was just tagged by Reading With My Eyes Shut!  (It's nice to be on someone's radar!)  This should be fun and a great way to hop around to other book bloggers' sites and get to know them better.   To participate, one must do the following:

THE RULES

1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them!

QUESTIONS

1. What was the last book that made you tear up/cry? Laugh out loud? Believe it or not, the last book to make me cry was The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins), the part where sweet young Rue dies and Katniss pays a tribute to her with flowers.  It really touched me to read of the humanity amidst the games of life and death.  The last book to make me laugh out loud was Little Princes by Connor Grennan.  I enjoyed his anecdotal remarks, his descriptions of the people, his adventures, and the fact that he never took himself too seriously.
2. What new book are you most excited to read this year?  Oh goodness, there are quite a few!  Pandemonium is one for sure!  It comes out February 28th.  Can't wait!
3. If you could spend the evening with one author, living or dead, who would it be?  Agatha Christie!  It would take someone extra special to knock her off the pedestal I've put her on!  I love the humour she infused the Tommy and Tuppence books with, the twisted plots, the characters of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, the fact that I can never figure out who did the deed.  I haven't read all of her books yet, but I intend to.
4. If you could be reincarnated as one of your favorite characters, who would it be and why? While I don't believe in reincarnation, to think I could come back as a real-life, previously fictional, character is a fascinating thought.  How about Hermione Granger?  She is such a wise and talented young witch! 
5. If you could pick an author to write the story of your life, who would you choose?  Oh that my life were that fascinating! :P  Perhaps Jodi Picoult for her ability to write such heart wrenching scenes, she'd really dramatize those moments of my life and endear me to her readers; but add a happy ending please!
6. What’s your favorite cook book? Betty Crocker.  I have had this cookbook since I purchased it at age sixteen. (believe me, that's a long time)  It is my "go to" recipe book with several favourites inside.
7. Edward v Jace.  Who wins that fight? (Whether or not you like the books or characters, be fair about their attributes!)  Who is Jace?  If we are talking Edward of Twilight, then Edward to win.  No doubt.
8. Dumbledore v Gandalf. Same question.  Both are powerful and wise, thus the decision to choose one over the other is much more difficult.  I would choose Gandalf, though, because The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were written so long ago and yet they have staying power, thus Gandalf is now as powerful as he was when he was written.  I think Dumbledore (of Harry Potter) will see the same fame and staying power (he is a loveable character), though he did allow himself to be killed and never returned, really, while Gandalf did return to lead the last battle.
9. What is your favorite book to movie adaptation?  Julie and Julia.  I found the movie to be far better than the book and it is still one of my favourite movies!  Meryl Streep plays a wonderfully loveable Julia Child.
10. What book would you want to buy a special edition for?  Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, as it's my favourite childhood book.
11. What, if anything, do you snack on while you’re reading?  Must I say?  Very well, then.  I snack, when I am so inclined, on chocolate.  Usually, though, I have a bottle of water at my side and save my snacking for movies.  (a bad habit, to be sure!)

Who shall I tag?  Included here are some of my favourite bloggers from when I began blogging two years ago and some relatively new.  

Who's Next:

1. Sheila at Book Journey 
2. Tamara at Book Ruckus
3. Amy at Amy's Book Den
4. Jennifer at Crazy for Books
5. Freda at Freda's Voice
6. Mari at Bookworm With a View
7. Misty at The Book Rat
8. Lea at LC's Adventures in Libraryland
9. Miss Remmers at Miss Remmers Review
10. David at The Quivering Pen
11. Meg at A Bookish Affair

My Questions:  (please copy and paste these on your blog when you respond)

1. Who is your favourite author and why?  What is your favourite book(s) written by him/her?
2. When did you begin blogging and why a book blog?
3. If you were to aspire to being a writer, who would you like to be compared to and why?
4. What is your favourite genre?  Please explain.
5. What is your all-time favourite book? Please explain what makes it your favourite.
6. Which book do you feel has had the greatest influence in your life?
7. Which book have you re-read the most?  Explain.
8. If you were stranded on a tropical island, what items would you want with you?  Which book would you want to read?
9. Do you have a favourite spot to read in?  Describe.
10. Do you make reading selections according to your moods?  What influences your reading choices?  
11. E-books or physical books?  Why?

Michael Morpurgo Talks About His Novel War Horse

Join The Hunger Games Read Along....

To join the Hunger Games Read Along, visit:  http://howlingturtle-pdx.blogspot.co.nz/

Canada Reads Something Fierce aka A Winner is Announced!!!

Day 1:  Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat is out

Day 2:  The Tiger by John Vaillant is eliminated

Day 3: On A Cold Road by David Bidini is eliminated

Day 4:  It's between Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre and The Game by Ken Dryden.....

Carmen Aguirre, author of Something Fierce, interviews with George Stromboulopoulos about terrorism:

To Kill a Mockingbird to be Released in Theatres This February!

To Kill a Mockingbirdo Kill A Mockingbird - Classic Film Series Movie Synopsis

In the critically-acclaimed movie To Kill a Mockingbird, attorney Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck, who won both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for his work in the movie) decides to defend a black man (Brock Peters) charged with raping a poor white woman.

The bigoted townspeople would rather lynch the accused than try him, and they make life hell for the lawyer, his daughter, Scout (Mary Badham, who received an Academy Award nomination), and his son Jem (Philip Alford).

While Atticus tries the case, his inquisitive children learn a hard and unforgettable lesson in justice, morality, and prejudice, part of which requires overcoming their fear of their mysterious neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall).

Based on the best-selling novel by Harper Lee. (from the Tribute site)

Coming February 15, 2012!!!  Check your local listings for availability and times.

John Grisham's New Novel: Calico Joe due out in April

Ian Rankin Talks On Research

Charles Dickens: Behind the Literature

Feed the Hunger (Games)! New Releases Today!!!

Just released in stores near you:

Here it is, The Hunger Games with a movie tie-in cover!

You cannot be a fan and not want a copy of the 

The Hunger Games:  Tribute Guide, also released today!

The Hunger Games: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion.  Love the book, can't wait for the movie?  Bide your time with this colourful companion to the movie, The Hunger Games!

The Hunger Games movie comes to theatres March 23rd, 2012.  Starring:    Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg. The Hunger Games is directed by Gary Ross.