Dracula Returns

After a 112-year break, Count Dracula is back!  Dacre Stoker's Dracula: The Un-Dead  picks up 25 years after the original with vampire hunters Mina and Jonathan Harker, Professor Van Helsing, and Dr. Seward facing a new enemy who may or may not be the presumed dead Count.   The sequel, written by Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew, is sure to please fans of the original and leaves the door open for further adventures of the vampire hunters.

Los Angeles Times Review
Dracula: The Un-Dead Website

Book TV

Here are some of the highlights from this weekend's Book TV schedule:

Total Recall: How the E-memory Revolution Will Change Everything by Gordon Bell

Honeymoon in Tehran: Two Years of Love and Danger in Iran by Azadeh Moaveni

Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms by Diane Ravitch

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof

Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Truly Eat Responsibly by James McWilliams

A New Literary History of America by Greil Marcus

Vampire Novels

In honor of Halloween, the Top 10 Vampire Novels.

Spotlight on John Irving

John Irving, perhaps best known for the quirky The World According to Garp, published his 12th novel this week.  Last Night in Twisted River is an adventure story that takes place from 1954 to 2005 and covers familiar Irving territory--a New England setting, complicated families, memorable characters.  You can listen to Irving discuss writing and read from his new novel here.


Los Angeles Times Review
New York Times Review
Amazon's John Irving Page

John Irving Bibliography:

Setting Free the Bears
The 158-Pound Marriage
The Hotel New Hampshire
The Cider House Rules
A Prayer for Owen Meany
A Son of the Circus
The Water-Method Man
A Widow for One Year
The Fourth Hand
A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound
Until I Find You
Last Night in Twisted River

November Releases

Place your holds now on these upcoming releases:

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Rainwater by Sandra Brown
The Quilter's Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini
No Less Than Victory by Jeff Shaara
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan
Under the Dome by Stephen King
Broken Jewel by David Robbins
The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw
Ice by Linda Howard
The Wrecker by Clive Cussler
Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro
The Original of Laura: A Novel in Fragments by Vladimir Nabokov
The Imperial Cruise: A True Story of Empire and War by James Bradley
The Morning Show Murders by Al Roker

Book TV

Here are some of the highlights from this weekend's Book TV schedule:

What Else But Home: Seven Boys and an American Journey Between the Projects and the Penthouse by Michael Rosen

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles

Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich

Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell

Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Health Care Reform: How We Can Achieve Affordable Medical Care for Every American and Make Our Jobs Safer by Howard Dean

Necronomicon '09

Florida's premier science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention will take place this weekend (October 23-25) in St. Petersburg.  Necronomicon, now in its 28th year, features authors, gaming, art, vendors, workshops, and more.  This year's guests of honor are writers Catherine Asaro, Patricia Briggs, and Richard Lee Byers. 

The convention will be held at the Hilton Bayfront St. Petersburg


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Read.gov

Explore new worlds with the Library of Congress!

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress recently launched Read.gov--a website for "people of all ages to discover the fascinating people, places and events that await you whenever you read".  Read.gov has author webcasts, booklists, and information on local/community resources.  You can also read classic books that have been digitized.  Take a look at A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

In addition to the cool stuff  for kids, teens, and adults, Read.gov has teaching resources for parents and educators.

St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading

The 17th annual St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading will take place this Saturday, October 24 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  Some of the featured authors presenting and signing their books include:  

• Taylor Branch (The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President)
• Tim Dorsey (Nuclear Jellyfish)
• Senator Bob Graham (America, The Owner's Manual)
• Richard Lederer (A Treasury for Dog Lovers,  A Treasury for Cat Lovers)
• Gary Mormino (Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams)
• James Swain (The Night Monster)
• Lisa Unger (Die for You)
• Jane Velez-Mitchell (iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life)

For a full list of scheduled authors click here.  The festival will also feature a marketplace with more than 50 booksellers and exhibitors.  Admission to the festival is FREE.

Date:  Saturday, October 24
Time:  10 a.m. - 5 p.m.


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Parking information is available here.

Book TV

Here are some highlights from this weekend's Book TV schedule:

Descent Into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel

Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival by Clara Kramer

In Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemmings Sex Scandal by William Hyland Jr.

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell

The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President by Taylor Branch

National Book Award Finalists

The National Book Foundation has announced the finalists for the 2009 National Book Awards.  The National Book Awards, now in their 60th year, celebrate the best in American literature.   The winners from each of the four categories--Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature--will be announced on November 18.  Gore Vidal, this year's recipient of the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, will also be honored.

National Reading Group Month

October is National Reading Group Month.  National Reading Group Month, established in 2007 by the Women's National Book Association, "aims to foster the values reading groups encourage: camaraderie, enjoyment of shared reading, and appreciation of literature and reading as conduits for transmitting culture and advancing civic engagement".

Click here for the 2009 National Reading Group Month Great Group Reads selections.  These titles are bound to be popular with book clubs.

If you're interested in joining a book group, check with your local branch library or search for one at Reader's Circle.

Book TV

Here are some highlights from this weekend's Book TV schedule:

The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege and How We Can Be Safe Again by Tom Ridge

The Death of Conservatism by Sam Tanenhaus

No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beavan

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert Edsel

Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes by David Helvarg

Booker Prize

Hilary Mantel won the 2009 Booker Prize for her novel Wolf Hall.  For a list of previous Booker winners click here.

Indie Next

Check out the recommendations from independent booksellers in the October Indie Next list.

October Releases

Here are some of the new books out in October:

The Professional by Robert B. Parker
Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman
Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell
True Blue by David Baldacci
Invisible by Paul Auster
A Christmas Promise by Anne Perry
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

Book TV

Here are some of the highlights from this weekend's Book TV schedule:

The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the South by W. Ralph Eubanks

Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder that Rocked New Orleans by Ethan Brown

Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by Doug Stanton

The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown

All of these titles are available from PCLS.