2011 Edgar Award Winners announced

The winners of the 2011 Edgar Awards have been announced by the Mystery Writers of America. The awards are given annually to the best of the best in the mystery genre.

Best Novel
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Minotaur Books)

Hunger Games News: District 5 cast and big names in the running for roles

Lots going on with the Hunger Games casting. It seems every day brings another casting announcement. Yesterday it was the tributes for District 5. Newcomer Chris Mark will play the unnamed boy tribute from District 5. The elusive Foxface, the girl tribute from District 5, will be played by newcomer Jacqueline Emerson.
Click here for the official Facebook page of the Hunger Games movie to get a visual on each of the tributes.

While casting seems to be focusing on unknown actors for the roles of the tributes, some big names are being thrown around for the remaining roles. Earlier this week, Elizabeth Banks officially signed on as Effie Trinket. Now rumor has it Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Lenny Kravitz are up for some of the remaining roles. According to some, Harrelson may have been offered the role of Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker for the 74th Hunger Games. Where does that leave Tucci and Kravitz? Anyone care to venture a guess?

Hunger Games Update: District 4 Tributes Cast & Effie

More news on the Hunger Games movie cast: Elizabeth Banks is now officially cast as Effie Trinket. The actress had been in talks all week about taking on the role and today it has been confirmed.
Also added to the cast: Ethan Jamieson and Tara Macken as the tributes for District 4.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Trailer Released

July is still a few months away, but yesterday Warner Bros. released the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2. This will be the final film in the epic film series based on the now-classic Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Check it out:

Robopocalypse

Book to film news for a book not yet released? Daniel Wilson's Robopocalypse won't be available for purchase until June 7, but the film is already in pre-production. Stephen Spielberg is set to direct, with Drew Goddard already at work on the script. Goddard also penned the 2008 film Cloverfield, as well as episodes of "Lost," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Alias," and "Angel." According to a January article from Vanity Fair, Guy Dyas is working on the project as well. Dyas worked as the production designer for the film Inception. The film Robopocalypse is set for a 2013 release.

I was able to get an early copy of Robopocalypse and will be posting a full review as soon as I finish it.

"Three Cups of Tea" still under fire

Controversy is still surrounding Greg Mortenson and the accuracy of his books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools. Yesterday, a former climbing partner claimed to have "misspoken" to Jon Krakauer about Mortenson's climbing experiences. Regardless of the partner's words, Krakauer had numerous sources, including an article penned by Mortenson himself.
Today, I came across an editorial published in New York Times on April 20. The editorial, written by Nicholas Kristof, reserves judgement of Mortenson. I found it to be fair and reasonable. Anyone following the Tea-scandal can read the editorial here.

Noah Barleywater Runs Away

Title: Noah Barleywater Runs Away

Author: John Boyne

ISBN: 9780385752466

Releases: May 10, 2011

In John Boyne’s new novel Noah Barleywater Runs Away, our title character is eight years old when he decides to run away. As he points out, as old as he is, he still hasn’t accomplished anything. Besides that, there are problems at home that Noah would rather not think about. Noah instead journeys through the woods and passes through two strange villages before coming to a third village with a wondrous toy shop.

Update: Haymitch Role Still Up for Grabs?

Yesterday we posted that a rumor has been circulating that John C. Reilly may have been offered the role of Haymitch Abernathy in the upcoming film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. Today, Reilly's agent has denied that the offer was made and said claimed that NY Mag, the magazine that first broke the story, didn't check their facts before announcing the offer.
Fan picks across the web seem to have the field narrowed down. With that in mind, we've got a new poll up. Who do you want to see as Haymitch?

Also announced today, more tributes have been cast! Newcomers Ian Nelson and Kalia Prescott join the cast of The Hunger Games as the unnamed tributes from District 3, a district of Panem with vast knowledge of electronics and technology.

More Hunger Games Cast Announced

The cast of the upcoming Hunger Games film seems to be growing almost daily! Rumor has it the role of Haymitch MAY have been offered to John C. Reilly. As of the writing of this blog, this is just a rumor. What are your thoughts? Could Reilly play the surly, drunken Haymitch?

Among the most recent confirmed announcements: Elizabeth Banks will be playing the bubbly pink-haired Effie Trinket and Paula Malcolmson will be joining the cast as Mrs. Everdeen (mother of Katniss and Prim).

Here's a recap of all announced cast members, including tributes for Districts 1 and 11:

2011 Hugo Award Nominees

Nominations have been announced for the 2011 Hugo Awards. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Reno, Nevada on August 20.

Best Novel
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
Feed by Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

Three Cups of Deceit

The book world (and news in general) is on fire this week amid allegations that Greg Mortenson's bestselling memoir Three Cups of Tea and its sequel Stones into Schools may not be truthful after all.

Jon Krakauer, a respected journalist and bestselling author, this week published an 89-page expose entitled Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way. The article comes immediately following a 60 Minutes episode which also suggests that much of the books may have been fabricated.

Hunger Games News!

Now that Katniss, Peeta, and Gale have been cast, fans worldwide have been waiting to hear who would be cast next. Haymitch? Effie?
Two more have been added to the cast: fellow tributes Thresh and Rue will be played by Dayo Okeniyi and Amandla Stenberg, respectively.
Read the full article from Entertainment Weekly here.

Just announced hours ago, Primrose "Prim" Everdeen, Katniss's younger sister has been cast as well: newcomer Willow Shields will make her film debut in the role.
Read the full article from the L.A. Times here

Help Trailer Released

The first official trailer has been released for the film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's bestseller The Help. The film releases August 12.

Books into Film News

Lots of news this week about long-anticipated film adaptations. Here's a quick rundown:

*HBO is in talks to acquire rights to Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods as a potential fantasy series. American Gods will celebrate its 10 year anniversary this summer.

*Lionsgate has hired Craig Gillespie as director for the film version of Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

*Fox 2000 has hired on Matt Reeves to direct the film version of Justin Cronin's bestseller The Passage. Reeves previously directed and was a writer for Let Me In, based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

*Games of Thrones debuted on HBO. The first episode had 4.2 million viewers. HBO has already ordered a second season of the show, based on the novel by George R.R. Martin.

Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced

This year's Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced!

Fiction
Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (winner)
The Privileges by Jonathan Dee (finalist)
The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee (finalist)

Pre-order The Bippolo Seed!

Earlier we announced that a NEW Dr. Seuss book is coming out this September (the 27th, to be exact). Now you can pre-order the title through Garfield Book Company. Reserve your copy today at Garfield Book Company or email us with your name and telephone number along with how many copies you'd like.

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories includes stories by Seuss that were previously published in magazines in 1950-51 which have never been available in book form. Order your copy of literary history today!

Team of Rivals News

Casting Update: Doris Kearn Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, currently being adapted by Pulitzer- and Tony-winner Tony Kushner and Oscar winner Stephen Spielberg, is tentatively scheduled for release late in 2012. Daniel Day-Lewis will be playing the famed President Lincoln. Just announced, Sally Field will be playing First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

Anyone else curious what the film will look like? With such stars and award winners heading the project, it seems off to a good start.

Life of Pi Film and More

Yann Martel's bestselling novel Life of Pi will soon be a feature film. Seventeen year-old Suraj Sharma will make his film debut in the lead role. The film also stars Adil Hussain and Irrfan Khan. Tobey Maguire, recently added to the cast list, will play a writer interviewing the boy as an adult. The film, directed by Ang Lee, is scheduled for a tentative release in December 2012.

Also just announced: The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood has been optioned by HBO films. Katherine Heigl is set to star in and produce the project. Award-winning playwright Craig Wright will pen the adaptation.

Two Kisses for Maddy

Title: Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love

Author: Matthew Logelin

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

ISBN: 9780446564304

Published: April 2011

Two Kisses for Maddy is the type of story no one imagines having to tell, the kind of story no one wants to be real. Matt and Liz Logelin meet their senior year of high school. Their relationship survives college long-distance, with Matt in Minnesota and Liz in California, and real world distance when Matt’s work later takes him around the world for months at a time. Their determination and love for one another seems to be leading to a storybook life: they buy a beautiful home and Liz learns she is pregnant with a baby girl. Her pregnancy is difficult and plagued by severe nausea and bouts of bed rest. Still, Matt and Liz are certain it will all be worth it.

"Unsuitable" Children's Books

Check out this fantastic article from The Guardian, linked in today's Shelf Awareness, by Patrick Ness. What "adult" books should actually be read by teens? What was your favorite book as a teenager?
Read the list here

Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss

Surprise! Coming this fall from Random House, a NEW collection from Dr. Seuss! Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories includes seven stories that were originally published in magazines in 1950-1951. The stories have never been published in book form.

Nothing

Title: Nothing

Author: Janne Teller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 9781416985792

            I first picked up the Danish novel Nothing after hearing it described as “Lord of the Flies for the 21^st century.” It’s a quick read, 227 pages of a larger font size and some of those pages have only a sentence or two. Still, Nothing is one of the most powerful books I’ve read in some time. It’s disturbing, gut-wrenching, and somewhat horrifying.

Hunger Games Film News!

It's official: the three lead roles for the film adaptation of the wildly popular Hunger Games series have been cast! Earlier this month, Jennifer Lawrence (Oscar-nominee for Winter's Bone) was cast in the lead role of Katniss Everdeen. The two male leads were announced yesterday: Josh Hutcherson (The Kids are Alright) will play Peeta Mellark while Liam Hemsworth (Last Song) is set to play Gale Hawthorne.
Fans may rest easier knowing that Suzanne Collins is said to have signed off on the casting choices and was even present at Hutcherson's audition. Of Hutcherson, Collins has said, "Three lines into the read I knew he'd be fantastic." In early March, Hutcherson spoke about his strong desire for the role in an interview with Entertainment Weekly where the actor said, "I love Peeta. The character is so much who I am--self depricating, a people person. And he'd be such a great character to play! Like in the third book? Oh my God."

So what do you think of the casting choices? Love them? Hate them?
Now that these roles are cast, who do you want to see as Haymitch and Effie, or the other characters?