A good Sunday to you all! Hey, have you started your Christmas shopping yet? I am MOST excited because I think I found the Ultimate Christmas Gift for Thea but shhhhhh don’t tell her!
Anyways, here is our weekly stash:
Giveaway winners:
We’ve got two separate giveaway winners to announce!
The winner of Blood Promise by Richelle Mead is:
Crystal (comment #14)
The two winners of Wild Heart by Lori Brighton are:
Marie (comment # 17)
Lisa Garrett (comment # 15)
Congratulations to all the winners! You know the drill. Send us an email (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your goodies out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and if you didn’t win this time, don’t worry – we have plenty more where these giveaways came from!
Assorted News:
Have your heard of NA? Well, apparently there is a new genre booming and it’s called New Adult, with the age range between 20-26. St Martin’s Press is running a contest and you can read more about the genre here. Although we find the idea interesting we can’t help but to think: is this really needed? What do you think?
Kristi, The Story Siren has a very interesting post about ARCs where she posts the Q&A after she emailed publishers and authors about the cost of producing and distributing, how to request them etc. The post has a lot of information, especially for new bloggers.
Last week, Ana wrote a post, called I, Reader, where she pondered about genre exhaustion and about the sameness that afflicts Romance’s Covers and titles. Well, as it turns out this is a cross-genre malady. Bookshelves of Doom posted a link to a gallery of reused (over and over again) covers for Historical novels; and Aidan from A Dribble of Ink posted the cover art for the new Brent Weeks novel which is very similar to the author’s previous covers in a different series.
Old series:
x
New series:
The post sparked an interesting conversation which had both the author and the creative director chiming in.Be sure to check it out here. (And we really need get around to read the first series by this author. It is in our TBR for AGES) .
Also via A Dribble of Ink: we learnt that there might be a new book in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Thea may or may not have hyperventilated when she heard the news.
The Vault of Horror, one of Thea’s favorite horror blogs , is holding a competition, Ms Horror Blogosphere,
the first-ever “bloody pageant” of horror blogstresses. The contestants have been lined up here.
Movie news:
This week we saw the first trailer of Clash of Titans, the remake of one of our favorite movies. The trailer looks ok:
We really want to see this although we ain’t holding our breaths. We might actually me more excited about the Ray Harryhausen special we have lined up for when the movie comes out! Just for fun check out the original movie’s trailer:
But this: THIS LOOKS AWESOME! Kick-Ass, the Movie:
Kick-ass is a superhero movie, an adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr about a New York teen who becomes a vigilante called Kick-ass. Yes, we SO WANT TO SEE THIS. And here is the teaser:
This Week on the Book Smugglers:
On Monday we have our guest dare of November: Rhiannon Hart reviews The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold.
On Tuesday, we do a joint review of The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White, a YA book we have been dared to read by Angie of Angieville
On Wednesday, Ana reviews the Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh
On Thursday, Thea reviews (and gives away) Darker Angels, the second book of The Black Sun Daugther’s series by M L Hanover
And finally, on Friday, it is our monthly installment of What She Said : Ana reviews Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore, the first book in one of Thea’s favorite Fantasy series and Thea reviews Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, one of the Ana’s top picks of Fantasy this year.
And that’s it from us today! Have a great week!
~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers
28 Comments
dancechica
November 15, 2009 at 7:02 amI’m very interested in this New Adult genre. While I enjoy YA books, I’ve always felt there’s been a gap between YA and adult books, and wished for more books that featured protagonists in this range. I look forward to seeing what comes out of this new line.
Diana Peterfreund
November 15, 2009 at 7:27 amI honestly don’t know what the sturm und drang is all about over those Weeks covers. Author branding is par for the course at a lot of houses. Look at all the “color block” Luanne Rice or Danielle Steel novels.
I’m kinda agog over the “new adult” thing — especially regarding the fact that this is the FIRST I’ve heard of it and they’ve been batting around my series as a prime example of what they are talking about all week.
Moonsanity
November 15, 2009 at 9:08 amWow, So much cool stuff, where do I start. I wasn’t a fan of the old Clash of the Titans…odd I know. But the new one looks awesome. Kick-ass looks SO good. I can’t wait! That trailer is great. On the covers– Are you sure they didn’t make the cover look like that on purpose? Like a branding thing for author? They aren’t exactly the same. As far as romance covers- I can see where they start to all look the same in some series. Others seem really different.
New Adult,huh? Not sure what the point is really. Children’s okay, then move on the YA-that I understand, but after that we’re all adults and I don’t get the need for another division…
TDF Pamela
November 15, 2009 at 10:33 am“New Adult?” Really? Because when I was between the ages of 20 and 26, I was fine with reading adult novels. I didn’t need something that was more mature than YA, but not quite an adult novel yet. It sounds like a marketing ploy and a slightly insulting one at that.
Li
November 15, 2009 at 10:36 amI’ve never read Brent Weeks but I love the covers. Old and new.
And New Adult? Interesting. From a marketing perspective, it sounds like a “if you like [YA author], try this” thing.
One of the comments in the post you linked had another post with examples:
http://sjaejones.com/blog/2009/new-adult-shelving
And the book suggestions surprised me. I mean Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series as New Adult? Why? What specifically makes it New Adult?
Don’t get me wrong, some of my favourite books are included in that list, but I’m puzzled as to why they were suggested as examples. Though…does the fact I have favourites in the list make me a New Adult? 😉
katiebabs
November 15, 2009 at 10:37 amThe trailer for the remake of Clash of the Titans does nothing for me. Give me the one with Oliver and Hamilton any day!
YA 20-something fiction? More sex, cursing and violence in those books?
Christine
November 15, 2009 at 10:42 amI want to see Kick-Ass now, too! 😀
Danielle
November 15, 2009 at 11:15 am“New Adult”? Aren’t there already thousands of books in that age range? Why must we confuse the consumer more so they already are?
I have Moira Leahy sitting on my TBR pile. Can’t wait to hear what you think.
Roxy
November 15, 2009 at 11:26 amNew Adult… sounds interesting although my first thoughts were kinda similar to katiebabs. I’ll be interested to see what books are marketed under that label.
Those two trailers looked awesome!!! I’m so excited to see them. And did I see McLovin in the Kick-Ass trailer?
RKCharron
November 15, 2009 at 1:29 pmThank you very much for the update post, links, trailers and information.
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
Tiah
November 15, 2009 at 3:21 pmNew Adult? That is weird. All the books I read that aren’t YA seem to be in that age range (especially the heroine) so I don’t think is necessary. What’s next?
26-35: experienced adult
35-46: mid life crisis adult
MaryK
November 15, 2009 at 5:28 pmWTF?!? Seriously???
The idea may be good, but the age range is ridiculous. When I was 20-26, I would’ve been seriously pissed at being targeted for “mature writing and ideas, but not full on adult stories.” Seriously. Pissed. 👿
Who are these 20-26 year-olds? College students, possibly graduate students, studying science, philosophy, medicine, etc? How many are married and have children by 26? How many soldiers are that age? And they’re not ready for “full on adult stories?”
I find the whole idea distasteful.
P.S. – “‘new adult’ or postadolescent fiction” 😯 😯
TDF Pamela
November 15, 2009 at 5:37 pmOh, and I saw the Kick Ass trailer today when we saw 2012. It looks FANTASTIC. I’m not that big a Mark Millar fan, so I haven’t read the comics, but the movie looks great.
Rhiannon Hart
November 15, 2009 at 7:40 pmI’m very curious about New Adult. I felt that Snyder’s Study series, as the MC is 19, straddled the YA and A demographic. But the publishers got around it by releasing it for first adults, then teens. Where will NA fit in at the bookstore?
Thea
November 15, 2009 at 7:49 pmAna darling, I have never heard of “New Adult” before reading this post! 😆 Can I just say how funny it is that the initials are “NA” – and the genre itself seems a little…Not Applicable?
Ohoho! I crack myself up! 😛
Jenn M.
November 15, 2009 at 10:08 pmhmmm…in some ways I can see where the “New Adult” genre would fit in. I read a lot of YA and the broadness of the genre is immense. For example, I just finished up I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter which is YA, but a very clean, young YA. I also recently read Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Also YA, but contains much more violence and sexual themes. I would consider these “older” YA. I dunno. Just my thoughts.
Nikki @ Bookizzle
November 15, 2009 at 10:59 pmOoh, I just started The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks and I must that I’m enjoying it! The Way of Shadows was definitely a lot more intense and gritty than I expected.
As far as the New Adult genre goes…I plead the 5th. I don’t really care for it, but I don’t mind it either. It gives us bibliophiles another shelf to catalog our books, I guess.
Ana
November 16, 2009 at 12:41 amRoxy – YES you did see Mclovin in the Kick-ass trailler! *hyper*
AS for the whole NA thing (Thea: 😆 ), it seems to me another marketing driven idea. *shrugs* I don’t know.
MaryK
November 16, 2009 at 1:01 am@Jenn M. – I can certainly see separating younger and older YA, but it’s hard to tell if that’s what they’re doing. Here are books they list as fitting the NA category:
* A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS by Dave Eggers
* RULES OF ATTRACTION and LESS THAN ZERO by Bret Easton Ellis
* THE GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING by Tracy Chevalier
* EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED by Jonathan Safran Foer
* The KUSHIEL’S LEGACY series by Jacqueline Carey
* KAFKA ON THE SHORE by Haruki Murakami
* NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman
* THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO by Junot Diaz
* THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA by Lauren Weisberger
* THE NANNY DIARIES by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
* The NIGHT HUNTRESS series by Jeaniene Frost
* THE GIRL WITH A DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson
* BLACK SWAN GREEN by David Mitchell
* MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by Arthur Golden
* THE TIME-TRAVELER’S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger
* SECRET SOCIETY GIRL by Diana Peterfreund
* THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH and WONDER BOYS by Michael Chabon
* A CURSE DARK AS GOLD by Elizabeth C. Bunce
* ASH by Malinda Lo
* THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak
* GRACELING by Kristin Cashore
* THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart
* THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION, VOL I: POX PARTY by M. T. Anderson
Jenn M.
November 16, 2009 at 8:16 amMaryK~ Interesting. One of the books I mentioned is on that list, and I’ve read a few of the others. I do have to say, I think YA is used a lot as a marketing ploy. Some books just get thrown in there for the heck of it.
Just the other day I was looking for a new copy of Pride & Prejudice (my copy got loaned and never returned) at B&N and couldn’t find it. Thought I was going nuts. Eventually found it over in YA. I guess it’s no longer a classic… 🙂
Thanks for the list
Diana Peterfreund
November 16, 2009 at 9:07 amJenn, is there a “classics” section in your B&N? I’ve never seen that before. And who is to say that a “classic” can’t be YA? Huckleberry Finn? To Kill a Mockingbird?
Jenn M.
November 16, 2009 at 9:14 amDiana Peterfreund~ Yup….my B&N has a “classics” section. I agree, Huck finn and TKAM could be YA, but if I were the bookstore, I would have them in both.
If you were out looking to buy Huck Finn and the bookstore has a YA and a classics section, where would you head first to look for it? And P & P….not YA in my opinion, but it is just that….my opinion.
Diana Peterfreund Blog | More on New Adult
November 16, 2009 at 9:54 am[…] illustrative is the massive response to The Booksmugglers 4-line mention of it in their massive post full of far more interesting book news, cover reveals, and movie trailers. Readers were, in a word, […]
Monday Morning Stepback «
November 16, 2009 at 11:16 am[…] lines, Ana of The Book Smugglers posted about repetition in historical romance. Check out their Weekly Stash for a link to Ana’s initial post and a couple of related posts, including one from The Story […]
Hana
November 16, 2009 at 2:00 pmInteresting that no one’s mentioned the uncanny resemblance between Brent Weeks’ ‘Shadow’ series covers look to the artworks of a certain game ( http://www.plunderbund.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/assassins-creed-20060921105332117.jpg ). Perhaps those who read these books also happen to not be the gaming type?
It’s Monday Again. My Planned Week in Books. « Between the Lines
November 16, 2009 at 10:47 pm[…] The Book Smugglers announced that there is buzz about a new genre, New Adult. Read their post HERE. Despite it being young, I still enjoyed it. It was a cute, fun […]
Marie
November 17, 2009 at 10:30 am‘New Adult’…Hmm…sounds like the publishing world is trying to attract a wider audience, going after people who won’t touch a YA book.
I can’t wait for Ana’s take on ‘Resenting the Hero’. I love this series!
Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)
November 25, 2009 at 8:21 amCongrats to the winners. Wow, Christmas shopping already…are you kidding me?! I haven’t even prepared myself for cooking that Thanksgiving dinner yet.