Newtonville Books Community Blog

This movie premieres February 13, 2009. 

Millions of readers have come to adore New York Times best-selling author Sophie Kinsella’s irrepressible heroine. Meet Becky Bloomwood, America’s favorite shopaholic—a young woman with a big heart, big dreams…and just one little weakness.

She tries cutting back. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky’s only consolation is to buy herself something … just a little something….

Sophie Kinsella has brilliantly tapped into our collective consumer conscience to deliver a novel of our times—and a heroine who grows stronger every time she weakens. Becky’s hilarious schemes to pay back her debts are as endearing as they are desperate. Her “confessions” are the perfect pick-me-up when life is hanging in the (bank) balance.

http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/kinsella/books/display.pperl?isbn=9780440244875

I just had to smile at this news bit from Shelf Awareness:

In a Press Trust of India (via Indopia) article headlined, “Buddha feel better when youth throng bookshops and not malls,” West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said, “I am not against shopping malls. But I feel good when I find young men and women thronging bookshops.” He spoke at the inauguration of the 33rd Kolkata Book Fair.

The Michael L. Printz Award  is “an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.”

The 2009 winner was announced on Monday and awardedto “Jellicoe Road” by Melina Marchetta

Honor books included:

 The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson

 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

 Nation by Terry Pratchett

 Tender Morselsby Margo Lanagan

The 2009 Caldecott and Newbery awards were announced Monday by the American Library Association.

  The Newbery medal was awarded to Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book.” The book follows a young boy raised in a cemetery by ghosts and werewolves after escaping a harrowing ancient league of assassians.

Honor books included:

“The Underneath” by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small

“Savvy” by Ingrid Law

“After Tupac and D Foster” by Jacqueline Woodson

 The 2009 Caldecott medal went to “The House in the Night,” illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson. The scratchboard illustrations set this book apart from other picture books as well as its comforting and  cozy theme of the safety and warmth of home.

The three honor books included:

“A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever” by Marla Frazee

“How I Learned Geography” by Uri Shulevitz

“A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams,” illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant

Previously published as Q & A, the novel Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup seems to be sweeping up all the awards for the movie adaptaion of the book.

About the book:

Ram Mohammad Thomas has been arrested. Because how can a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school correctly answer all twelve questions on the television game show Who Will Win a Billion?- unless he cheated?

As the story unfolds, Ram explains to his lawyer how he knew the answer to each question by telling a chapter of his amazing life- from the day he was salvaged from a dustbin to his meeting with a security-crazed Australian army colonel whlie performing as an overly creative tour guide at the Taj Mahal. Stunning a television audience of millions, Ram draws on a store of street wisdom and accidental encounters that provides him with essential keys not only to the quiz show but also to life itself.

In the beguiling blend of high comedy and poignancy, Vikas Swarup has created a kaleidoscopic vision of the struggle of good against evil, and what happens when one boy has no other choice in life but to survive.