Wednesday Notes

I just had a few important book related items to mention, so I'm interrupting the week.

I'm sorry I missed the original announcement from Publishers Marketplace of the sale of the next book from author, and friend, Beth Hoffman.  Beth is the author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.  Pamela Dorman of Viking/Penguin bought world rights to Beth's next book, Looking For Me, based on a seventy page draft.  According to Publishers Marketplace it will be about “a woman who leaves her hardscrabble Kentucky farm life behind for the seductive world of antiques dealing in Charleston, SC, but is drawn home after her brother’s disappearance.”  And, Beth told me there are two mysteries in the story.  Congratulations, Beth!

In other news,  the nominees have been announced for four awards to be presented at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe in March.  They are for books published in 2010.  Conference attendees will vote on the awards.  (Me!  I'm going to Left Coast Crime.)


The Lefty has been awarded for the best humorous mystery novel since 1996. This year's nominees are:

Donna Andrews, Stork Raving Mad (Minotaur Books)
Laura DiSilverio, Swift Justice (Minotaur Books/Thomas Dunne Books)
Donna Moore, Old Dogs (Busted Flush Press)
Kris Neri, Revenge for Old Times' Sake (Cherokee McGhee)
J. Michael Orenduff, The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein (Oak Tree Press)


The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award, first awarded in 2004, is given for mystery novels covering events before 1950. This year's nominees are:

Rebecca Cantrell, A Night of Long Knives (Forge Books)
Robert Kresge, Murder for Greenhorns (ABQ Press)
Kelli Stanley, City of Dragons (Minotaur Books)
Jeri Westerson, The Demon's Parchment (Minotaur Books)
Jacqueline Winspear, The Mapping of Love and Death (HarperCollins)


The Hillerman Sky Award is a special award given this year, in honor of the convention's New Mexico location, to the mystery that best captures the landscape of the Southwest:

Sandy Ault, Wild Penance (Berkley Hardcover)
Christine Barber, The Bone Fire (Minotaur Books)
Margaret Coel, The Spider's Web (Berkley Hardcover)
Deborah J Ledford, Snare (Second Wind Publishing)


The Watson is another special award given this year to the mystery novel with the best sidekick. The nominees are:

Sandy Ault, Wild Penance (Berkley Hardcover)
Rachel Brady, Dead Lift (Poisoned Pen Press)
Chris Grabenstein, Rolling Thunder (Pegasus)
Craig Johnson, Junkyard Dogs (Viking)
Spencer Quinn, To Fetch a Thief (Atria)

Congratulations to all the nominees, but especially to my fellow Desert Sleuths, Deb Ledford and Kris Neri.

The nominees have also been announced for the 2011 Dilys Award, “given annually since 1992 by IMBA [Independent Mystery Booksellers Association] to the mystery titles of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling.” The nominees are:

Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill (Soho Crime)
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Minotaur Books)
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow)
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)
Once a Spy by Keith Thomson (Doubleday)
Savages by Don Winslow (Simon & Schuster)

The Dilys Award winner will also be announced during the Left Coast Crime convention.

My niece, Elizabeth, who once challenged me to see who could read the most books in a year, has extended the challenge again.  She's in sixth grade now, and quite busy, so we'll see if I can beat her this time.  Elizabeth, I've read 16 so far in January.  And, since she hasn't sent me the picture I asked for, here's the picture.  This is Elizabeth, Fred, and me last August.  Two of us are participating in the reading challenge.

And, finally, Erin Blakemore, author of The Heroine's Bookshelf, makes the following announcement.

"12 book bloggers... 30+ literary prizes...

...One swoony month of Heroine Love!

Join The Heroine's Bookshelf for Heroine Love Feb 1-18 (TheHeroinesBookshelf.com)

Celebrate literary heroines with guest posts from 12 amazing book bloggers

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Qualify for a Grand Prize Pack on Feb 18...just enter a weekday giveaway!

Featured Bloggers

Eleanor Brown, author of The Weird Sisters, (The Debutante Ball)

Rebecca, Book Lady's Blog

Beth, An Accomplished Young Lady

Buried In Print

Sandra, Beyond Little House

Jennifer, The Literate Housewife

Chandra Hoffman, author of Chosen

How We Do Run On: a GWTW Scrapbook

Nicole, Linus's Blanket

Jen, Devourer of Books

Leah Stewart, author of Husband and Wife

Laurel Ann, AustenProse

30+ prizes were donated by yours truly, my fabulous guest bloggers, HarperCollins, and Blackstone Audio! "  It's at http://www.theheroinesbookshelf.com/.

Blast from the Past by Meg Cabot

This is my niece, Elizabeth.  I know this is an odd way to start a book review, but, let me explain.  Some of you may recognize her from a few years ago when she challenged me, saying she could read more books than I could that year.  She did beat me, by a couple books.  Elizabeth is still a reader, but she has other interests as well.  She was Junior Goat Princess this year at the fair, and this is her, and her pygmy goat, Fred.  She also plays volleyball, is a cheerleader, and acts in community and school theater. 

But, she's still a reader, and the last time I sent her mother a box of books, she asked if there was one for her.  Not that time, but this book will be coming soon, Elizabeth.  I hadn't read any of Meg Cabot's books in the Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series until this one.  Blast from the Past is book six, but you don't have to have read earlier ones to love Allie.  Why does a girl who wants to be a veterinarian/actress, has two brothers, and lives in an older house within walking distance of a school remind me of Elizabeth?

Allie Finkle is excited about the class field trip.  She's never ridden a bus because she walks to school.  And, she's had bad luck, and missed every field trip, including the one the previous year at her other school, when her former best friend, Mary Kay Shiner had Allie's permission slip, but told the teacher she'd given it back to Allie. 

But, this year, she's all set.  She might not have the cell phone she wants, and her cat might be hiding in the wall, but she's going to ride a bus to Honeypot Prairie to visit a restored one-room schoolhouse and living history museum.   At least Allie's excited until she finds out her class is paired up with her old school, and her partner for the day, her "buddy," is none other than Mary Kay Shiner.

I always mention I know I'm not the target audience when I review juvenile books.  But, Meg Cabot is an exceptional author, whether she's writing for tweens, teens or adults.  Her books are always fun, with humor, and, usually lessons for the reader.  Since Allie Finkle herself has lists of rules for life, Cabot doesn't have to point out her lessons.  I think Cabot's target audience of tween girls will enjoy Allie Finkle in Blast from the Past.  So, this one is coming your way, Elizabeth. 

Meg Cabot has two websites, http://www.megcabot.com/ and http://www.alliefinklerules.com/.

Blast from the Past by Meg Cabot.  Scholastic, ©2010. ISBN 9780545040488 (hardcover), 240p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me an advanced reading copy, in hopes I would review it.