If you are a fan of great YA Fantasy you should mark on your calendar June 2012 as this is the month when SHADOW AND BONE, volume 1 of the new and already sensational Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo is coming out. The first reviews from highly coveted advanced reading copies are starting to come in and they are all very positive; describing the story as vivid, heart wrenching an impossible to put down. New York Times bestselling author, Veronica Roth said “Set in a fascinating, unique world rich with detail, SHADOW AND BONE was unlike anything I’ve ever read. Alina …
The National Book Critics Circle Awards honor (since 1974) the best literature published in English in six categories—autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, non fiction and poetry. These are the only American awards chosen by the critics themselves. They were established to honor outstanding writing and foster a national conversation about reading, criticism and literature. The shortlist was released on January 2012 and the finalists announced last week, representing a range of good books to read and enjoy, and perhaps a couple to put away for summer reads. This year’s award for fiction goes to a collection of short stories BINOCULAR VISION: …
The Orange Prize was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote international fiction by women to readers worldwide and is awarded for the best novel, the only criteria being that it must be written in English. This year’s winner will receive £30,000 and a limited edition bronze known as a ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed. This year’s jury chaired by Joanna Trollope(Chair), included writer, Lisa Appignanesi, writer, novelist and broadcaster, Victoria Derbyshire, journalist and broadcaster, Natalie Haynes, writer and broadcaster, Natasha Kaplinsky, broadcaster. Their choices offer an inspiring long …
Our live chat on February 29 with award-winning author Cath Crowley was a little different to our usual live author chats. Joining us on the live chat was a group of young adults from Derby District High School, in the Kimberleys, a remote area of Western Australia. The English class seemed well prepared and very eager as they showered Cath with questions about her inspiration, writing habits and favorite new words. The remoteness of their location was no barrier in the internet world and they were able to chat with Cath at the very same time as our readers in …
There is no doubt that the HARRY POTTER saga is one of those phenomena that generate an absolute awe or serious dislike. You either waited with bated breath for every volume or you spent time telling everybody how you did not care about these books and how you could not understand what the big fuss was all about. One thing is undeniable; no matter what your preferences, millions upon millions of kids (and adults) read these books, a lot of them loved them and some of them got hooked on reading for life. It has been almost three years since …
