Posts Tagged ‘books’

Meet the Bookettes

May 26th, 2010

rockette-experience-imgStarting June 1st, a dozen writers are joining me as regular bloggers on Book End Babes. We’re calling them the Bookettes. Kind of like the Rockettes, only with books. I’m sure we’re going to have lots of high-kicks and hijinks as we share book and author news, reviews, interviews and essays with you on the blog. I’m excited to expand our reach and continue to build the community at Book End Babes. To celebrate, we’ll be giving away a book every Friday in June.
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Our first give-away is SWEET MISFORTUNE by Kevin Alan Milne. To enter, you must leave a comment on the blog that week. Each comment gets one entry as well as each tweet. You may RT @bookendbabes or create your own message and include @bookendbabes so I’ll get the mention. Contest is for USA addresses only.

Meet our bloggin’ babes over at the Bookettes page.

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Cyber Monday for Books

November 30th, 2009

Where: Borders
When: Through Dec.1
Pre-order books or DVDs online and save 40 percent or more. Dean Koontz’s Breathless and Michael Crighton’s Pirate Latitudes are marked down to just over $15 from $28.
www.borders.com

Where: Amazon
When: Today
Special secret deals in all categories – for books, each hour they are highlighting a different book with a special prize. A countdown clock lets you know how long until you can find out the REDUCED price.
Example:
8:00 AM PSTThe Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun by J.R.R. Tolkien $10.30 Check back Deal starts in: 02:06:5010:00 PM PST
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich $18.45 Check back
www.amazon.com

Where: Barnes & Noble
When: Today
50% off all NYT Bestsellers!
www.bn.com

If you take advantage of these great offers, let us know what you bought for gifts on our HoLITday page in comments and you’ll be registered to win our weekly prize pack!

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Side Dish with Kristina Riggle

September 14th, 2009

KROur September Top Pick author Kristina Riggle, author of REAL LIFE & LIARS, dishes about girlfriends and great reads to kick off another fantastic week.

When I think of girlfriends, I think of books.

As a teen-ager, when my best friend Tonia and I had five bucks to spare, one of our favorite ways to spend that money (right up there with a couple pair of giant dangly earrings from Claire’s) was to go buy a paperback book. We both liked Christopher Pike, who wrote spooky teen thrillers.

When I get together with my girlfriends now, one of our favorite things to do is get a coffee at our local bookstore and wander the aisles, browsing, talking about our favorite recent books, books we’d like to read, and books we’re going to buy.

Whenever a group of my girlfriends get together, it’s not uncommon for the subject to turn to books. Like a great lipstick or movie, when we’ve read a great book we want everyone to know about it. I recently brought over a fistful of books to a teacher-friend on summer break for her to plow through before her school year madness started again.

And then there are books about girlfrends. LITTLE EARTHQUAKES by Jennifer Weiner springs to mind, as do the books of Emily Giffin. (LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH is as much a story about friendship as it is about the men in the heroine’s life).

So it’s no wonder there’s been an explosion of book clubs lately including our very own Book End Babes. Girlfriends and books… a natural combination!

Well, to some of us. I was speaking to a group of new moms recently about an anthology called A Cup of Comfort for New Mothers, which included one of my essays. I gave away a copy of my novel to the group. The novel was received gratefully, but not before one of the mothers said in a rather biting tone: Raise your hand if you have time to read.

It is hard to feel like we can spare the time, I know. When my own babies were tiny, I honed the art of nursing-while-reading, though it gets trickier once a bottle enters the picture (we only have so many hands, after all). And with kids at any stage, you’ve got carpools here and there, volunteering, grocery shopping, perhaps a job with a boss who would probably frown on reading at your desk.

But reading gives so much, it’s one of those things I believe deserves space in our lives. It can be just for you! Imagine, something just for yourself! And when you combine it with a book club (in other words, girlfriends) then ta-da! A social life, too, where you get your own name instead of saying, “Hi, I’m Sam’s mom.”

So, what’s your favorite book to recommend to girlfriends? I’m all ears. My “to be read” stack has some space in it…

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Jenny from the Block

September 11th, 2009

Domain_Playground_002For book lovers, the Internet is a 24/7 playground. We can shop to our heart’s content, visit authors web sites and lap up book reviews on dozens of great sites by journalists and bloggers. I started Athena’s Bookshelf more than a year ago as a way to recommend reads for women, but something didn’t seem right. Something was missing. As I do with most ideas, I let it sit on the bench at recess and when the idea was there, we could play ball. The missing ingredient wasn’t on the Internet; it was in real life. What was missing for me was the visceral. I needed to see my friends, share a drink and discuss books, but it had to be fun, fun, fun. I wanted to combine the beauty of the Internet with 3D laughter, not just LOLs on the screen.

But to share my love of books *only* with fellow book lovers wasn’t quite right, either. After all, we already blog about books, buy books and support authors. We needed to get out beyond our recliner and reach out to our non-reading friends. We needed to get all evangelical about reading – coaxing our girlfriends to read and exploring life through the magic of books AND the magic of girls night out. YES! Even though I *thought* it sounded like a good idea, I think I have good ideas all the time, but my believing it doesn’t always make it so. I wanted some proof.

Enter Jenny.

Jenny is a new friend of mine and upon telling her about my new book club/reading revolution she looks up and says, “I don’t think I’ve read a book in years.” She went on to say she loves to go into book stores but has no idea what to pick out or where to start. Jenny is a nurse with a wild sense of humor. I recommended she lose her second reading virginity to THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYS HOME by Sam Wilde. She’ll get the perineum humor and hopefully the book will entice her to come back for more. Another and another and another.

Jenny is now a member of my chapter 1 of BEbabes. My challenge for you all, since you are reading this and not your non-reading friends, is that you don’t bristle when a friend says, “I don’t read,” aka I only read Glamour/People/Star/TIME, or the other excuses we hear which we’ll talk more about next week, and probe them (geeeeently) for what their interests are. See, great book lovers are also great matchmakers. We don’t just push our own reading interests on people. We find out more about them – even from the type of TV shows they like to watch – and suggest some books they may like. I assure you, just like Jenny did, they will appreciate it.

I hope you’ll consider starting up a chapter of BookEndBabes, not because I’m trying to build a castle, but because I genuinely believe that reading benefits our society at large. I will help you in any way you can to get set started. Our challenge for the weekend then is to not only invite the low-hanging fruit – the lit lovers whose bookshelves are stuffed full – but the Jennies out there.

Let the conversion begin. – Malena Lott

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Call to Arms…Full of Books

August 31st, 2009

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UpClose & Personal: Malena Lott

January 1st, 2009

A/B is pleased to announce several new special sections in ‘09:

UpClose & Personal with an Author, This Author Reads and Writing Tip Tuesday. Authors! See our Authors & Publicists page for submission guidelines. To kick off our New Year, our editor Malena Lott will submit her UpClose & Personal interview:

 

Malena Lott, Dating da Vinci, Nov ‘08

Favorite guilty pleasure: Lipstick Jungle. Heard it may be canceled, though, and then I’ll be left with the shows I watch with my husband: 30 Rock and The Office. 

Writing crutch? Usually have to have a drink by my side. Starbucks Cafe Mocha and Frappaccinos are both addictive and expensive. 

Plotter or Pantser? Pantser, though I usually plot in bed right before I go to sleep. I figure if it’s a great idea I’ll still remember it when I wake up the next day. 

Favorite movie snack: Buttery popcorn with M&Ms in it. Only good thing that came from a relationship with an ex-boyfriend. 

Personal style: It changes from day to day, but I love to wear color and add a little glamour and glitz to my outfits, with a scarf or jewelry or funky hat. Gap jeans and cowboy boots with a fitted T and jacket would be my favorite ensem. Comfortable but seems dressy compared to a lot of mom-wear. 

Favorite brands: Apple, and therefore all the Apple baby brands like the iPod and iPhone and the cool applications like iTunes and iPhoto and iWeb, which is what I use to create malenalott.com

Favorite time of day to write: Mornings before 10. My mommy brain is fried by evening. 

Favorite writing spot: Lately I’ve started writing again in the playroom/office. I sit in this 1960s pink office chair against the window so it’s nice and sunny. I also love to sit in a sleek black recliner in my library downstairs. 

Favorite writing motivation: A fat, juicy contract would be nice motivation, but usually just setting a word goal is good enough for me. I like to write 2,000 words a day if I’m in first draft mode. 

Favorite weekend activity: Long walks with my husband if it’s nice weather. I also like to go on little mini adventures with the family. Weekends is when I update Athena’s Bookshelf and get more reading done, too. 

Favorite vacation spot: I’ve only been to Hawaii once, but it really was paradise. I thought, “Wow! This is on our planet? What else has the universe been keeping from me?” I aim to find out. Anything in nature is pretty satisfying for me. 

Favorite writing tip: Finish. 

Finish these sentences:

When I was young, I...dreamed of being famous and traveling the world. I grew up in a small town and couldn’t wait to see what else was out there. 

When I grow old, I...hope I can look back and see that I’ve made a difference in the world and that my loved ones felt I loved them as best I could. 

When I first fell in love, I…felt giddy and stupid. I usually had multiple crushes at once. The only time I felt truly hopeful about love was when I fell in love with my now husband. I had a feeling we could last, and fifteen years later I think I’m still right about that. 

I love to read because…there’s no better way to get to live multiple lives and experience the raw, rich emotion of human existence. 

Web site: www.malenalott.com

Lott’s second novel, Dating da Vinci, a tale of love, longing and la dolce vita, is in bookstores everywhere and available online. 

 

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Best Books of '08

December 31st, 2008

We’ve read. We’ve loved. We’ve conquered a massive TBR pile. So now we’re happy to have sifted through our reviews of ‘08 to present our favorite reads among them. Thank you for reading and loving books as much as we do! We’re announcing fun changes and improvements to Athena’s Bookshelf tomorrow! 

From Kathy Wheeler, A/B Reviewer:

Best Romance:

Passion & Pleasure in London by Melody Thomas

Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Mederios

Before the Scandal by Suzanne Enoch

From A/B editor Malena Lott:

Best General Fiction:

The Letters by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilynn Jackson

Best Women’s Fiction:

The Opposite of Love by Julianne Buxbaum

My Husband’s Sweethearts by Bridget Asher

Best Debut Novel:

Falling Under by Danielle Young-Ullman

Best Mom Lit:

Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter

Best Non-Fiction:

Where Did I Leave My Glasses by Martha Weinman Lear

To Hell with All That, Loving & Loathing Our Inner Housewife, by Caitlin Flanagan

 

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Meaning of Sunglasses, Hadley Freeman

Best Inspirational Non-fiction:

More Notes from the Universe by Mike Dooley

Best Memoir:

Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry

 

 

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How can we get more people to read?

July 10th, 2008

The statistics are dreadful, no matter how you slice it. Fewer Americans are reading, and when they do read, they don’t read much. By reading, of course, I’m not talking about e-mails or the Internet or even magazines, which provide bite-sized news, advice and annoying FW: FW: FW:s. I’m talking Books! Non-fiction, fiction, pick a genre, any genre, just for the love of God, read! Hear are some stats to depress you as we launch in to our Deep Thought Thursday discussion. Writers and readers are encouraged to jump in!

» Read more: How can we get more people to read?

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Borders Gets New Web site

June 10th, 2008

Borders has cut its umbilical cord to Amazon, now offering its own books online thankuverymuch. So far the site hasn’t worked properly for me in Safari, but that just made this post juicier. I’m sure when the words aren’t all on top of each other, it would be pretty snazzy. The lay-out is warm (tones of red and gold), and the rich content contains lots of author interviews, which I’m certain we’ll be linking to often. Our production budget only stretches so far. As a brand strategist myself, I am certain someone in their brainstorming sessions said, “we want the site to feel like the experience of being in the bookstore.” Check it out for yourself at www.borders.com

I’m not sure if it’s a feature-length interview, but Stephanie Meyer’s interview never fully loaded for me. After five minutes I just had to have a late night snack and gave up. I offer you the link and wish you better luck. 

http://www.bordersmedia.com/shows/bookclub/meyer.asp

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Welcome to Athena's Bookshelf

May 5th, 2008

So you stumbled on our virtual bookshelf or you were guilted by the editor to stop by and check us out. Welcome! No need to be scared. Consider us your cool bookies – we’ll recommend the hot reads so you don’t have to ask the not-so-cool bookie in your life.  Just like Martha Stewart is your home style maven and Oprah is your go-to spiritual guide, so may we at ATHENA be your reading guru! (Yes, Oprah, Eckhart Tolle said we had a big ego, but we just can’t let go of it!) We can’t think of anything we like more than offering our opinion! Okay, maybe reading.

What will you find on Athena’s bookshelf and why should you care? Fabulous question! Thanks for asking. On A/B, you’ll get access to great reads with convenient links to Amazon to buy it now!, a fun A/B TV page chock full of video content, a clever short review format so you can read it quickly each morning without getting pinged by the boss, and lots of snarky categories and commentary to make your day a little brighter. For more, browse on over to the About page to learn more about A/B and it’s cool book nerds, er, contributors. 

And let’s jump right in with our Launch Reviews! We’re happy to provide you with the first line of the book so you can judge a book, not only by its cover, but by the first line, too. Of course – and we encourage this – you can click on the book to take you to Amazon to order and be one step closer to wholeness. Really, that’s what this enlightenment through reading thing is all about. Enjoy! We look forward to your (kind) comments. 

 

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