Pick of the Week!

OK...look up everyone and wave....BYE MICHAEL!

Michael worked with us here at the store this summer and did a great job. This week he's headed back to Russia. Thanks again for your great work this summer and say "Hi!" to your family :)

PICKS OF THE WEEK: Focus on Fantasy
In honor of Michael's favorite genre, here are a few of his (and our!) fantasy favorites...

Myth Adventures Series (Robert Asprin):
When an apprentice wizard meets a demon, it's hate as first sight. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us!) they need each other and learn to work together to defeat armies, kings, and even medieval mobs. These books are FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY! (Ages: Young Adult through Adult)

Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold! (Terry Brooks):
The first in the Kingdom of Landover series, this follows the adventures of reluctant lawyer, Ben Holiday who tries to make a positive change in his life by buying a magic kingdom. Then all hell breaks loose. :) Humorous fantasy. (Ages: Teen through Adult)

Magician: Apprentice (Raymond Feist):
The first book in the Riftwar Saga, this fantastic series features some of Mr. Feist's best work. It follows the development of a young magician and his warrior friend as their homeworld is invaded by alien intruders. Exciting fantasy adventure. (Ages: Teen through Adult)

Hood (Stephen Lawhead):
This new take on the story of Robin Hood takes place in 13th century Wales and is filled with political intrigue and great battles. Excellent, excellent, excellent. The second book in the series, "Scarlett" was released in late August. Fantasy adventure. (Ages: Teen through Adult)

Pick of the Week!

Summer is slowly winding down and we finally have some time to READ again! :) So this fall, Sarah and I have decided to start a special weekly book column called "Picks of the Week".

Sarah will be doing most of the reading, but I'll throw in my two cents as well. I'm catching up on all the books that were written before I was born! Check out "Finn's Classic Spotlight" for my favorites!

Enjoy and let us know if YOU have any recommendations.

PICKS OF THE WEEK: August 27, 2007

Loving Frank (Nancy Horan): Historical fiction from the perspective of the architect Frank Llloyd Wright's mistress. (Historical Fiction)

Einstein (Walter Isaacson): Biography of the brilliant physist Albert Einstein. Based on documents just released from the family archives, this biography is full of wit and great energy. (Biography)

New England White (Stephen Carter): Suspenseful mystery that takes place at a New England University and decends into Washington politics. (Mystery)

Wolf of the Deep (Stephen Fox): True account of the CSS Alabama and a fascinating account of civil war naval warfare. (History)

Finn's Classic Spotlight:
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Jules Verne): Awesome undersea adventure for all ages written in 1869 follows the story of Captain Nemo and the passengers of the submarine, Nautilus. (Children/Teen)

WOOF!
Finn

Local Authors Come To Beach Bag Books & Music!

What a week!

This week two local authors dropped by to visit, give me a pat, and sign copies of their new books. It was great! Here's what Sarah has to say about the books...

Wendy Howell Mills (www.WendyHowellMills.com), author of fun beach mysteries "Callie, the Dealer, and a Dog Named Jake," "Death of a Mermaid," and "Island Intrigue" was in town signing her new book, "Island Blues."

ISLAND BLUES, by Wendy Howell Mills.
A fun, fast-moving mystery filled with quirky characters and a pleasantly neurotic heroine. It's a great mystery that takes place in a small beach community that's trying hard to integrate long-time locals with newer residents. The light style is similar to the books of Janet Evanovich.

Joe C. Ellis was also in town promoting his new book, "Murder at Whalehead."

MURDER AT WHALEHEAD, by Joe Ellis.
A well-written and suspenseful mystery. It takes place here in Corolla and offers very interesting insight into our local history, wrapped up in a good mystery with Christian overtones.

Here are some pictures of the other awesome people who dropped by to say "Hi!" this week. Have a great summer, everyone!

-Finn and Sarah

Beach Reads: Books to Try!

The Outer Banks Guide to Duck, Corolla and the Northern Beaches has put together a list of books to try this summer! Finn and I haven't read them all yet, but I'm betting that they're all pretty great.

Here's a short recap, but you can go to www.outerbanksguides.com for the complete list.

• "Walking in Circles Before Lying Down" (Merrill Markoe, Villard, $22.95)
  
• "Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam" (Skye Moody, Sasquatch Books, $16.95)
  
• "Abundance" (Sena Jeter Naslund, HarperCollins, $26.95)
  
• "The Book Thief" (Marcus Zusak, Random House, $16.95).
  
• "A Thousand Splendid Suns" (Riverhead, $25.95), is here!
  

Happy Reading!

Mysterious Adventures: Books To Try!

Need an escape from the summer heat? Try a thriller (or two) from these talented writers!

• Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child: "A Cabinet of Curiosities", "Relic", "Dance of Death"
• James Rollins: "Black Order", "Deep Fathom"
• Stephen Coonts: "The Traitor", "Deep Black"
• Stephen King: "Lisey's Story", "Carrie", "The Dark Tower" (the entire series)
• Michael Connelly: "The Lincoln Lawyer", "The Overlook", "Echo Park"
• David Baldacci: "Simple Genius", "The Collectors"
• Steve Berry: "The Templar Legacy", "The Romanov Conspiracy"
• Dean Koontz: "The Husband", "The Good Guy"
• Jonathan Kellerman: "Gone", "Rage"
  

Enjoy!

Vampire Fiction? Books to Try!

Hi everyone, Sarah here...

This morning, Finn dragged me down the stairs, up the street, across the deck and onto the beach. Usually we go to the beach in the afternoon so that we don't have a sandy, wet dog here at the store. But today that's not the case. I now have a shaggy, sopping wet Newfie sleeping under the Kids table. :) Silly Finn.

But that means that I can sneak onto Finn's blog and talk about a section in our store that gets more than a few funny looks and a lot of laughs...

VAMPIRE FICTION (cue creepy music)


In the last year, we've been astonished at the number of books about vampires that are out there. The genre covers everything from very steamy romances (J.R. Ward) to classic cop adventures (Laurell K. Hamilton) to silly light comedies (Mary Jane Davidson & Katie Macallister) to serious vampire-lore (Bram Stoker & Anne Rice). Plus my two favorite books of last summer, TWILIGHT (Stephanie Meyer) a wonderful romance written for young adults and THE HISTORIAN (Elizabeth Kostova) a serious, well-written piece of historical fiction.

So give the vampires a chance!

Don't be shy. Ask us about books by these and the many other authors that are exploring the serious, scary, funny, and sexy side of the night.

• Laurell K. Hamilton
• Katie Macallister
• Heather Graham
• Mary Jane Davidson
• Anne Rice
• Charlaine Harris
• J.R. Ward
• Christine Feehan
• Lyndsay Sands
• Brian Lumley
• L.A. Banks
• Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Bram Stoker

For Young Adult Readers...

• Stephanie Meyer
• Daren Shan
• Holly Black

Need Non-Fiction? Books to Try!

Hi everyone - Sarah, here!

Not everyone who comes to the beach wants to loose themselves in the latest Janet Evanovich or Tom Clancy paperback. Many (like me!) are more inclined to delve into a biography, true-life adventure, or weird science story.

Here are just a few to consider (in no particular order)!

1. A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)
2. Salt: A World History (Mark Kurlansky)
3. And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails (Wayne Curtis)
4. Team of Rivals (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
5. Marie Antoinette (Antonia Fraser)
6. Mayflower (Nathaniel Philbrick)
7. The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey (Linda Greenlaw)
8. Hatteras Blues: A Story from the Edge of America (Tom Carlson)
   
9. The Audacity of Hope (Barak Obama)
   
10. One Soldier's Story: A Memoir (Bob Dole)
11. Flags of Our Fathers (James Bradley/Ron Powers)
12. Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Trip Into the Heart of Fan Mania (Warren St. John)
13. Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd (Richard Zacks)
14. Running with Scissors (Augusten Burroughs)
15. Marley & Me (John Grogan)
16. Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer)
17. Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battel of Thermopylae (Steven Pressfield)
18. How the Irish Saved Civilization (Thomas Cahill)
    
19. Helter Skelter (Vincent Bugliosi)
20. The Secret (Rhonda Byrne)

Books: What's New In Summer '07

Hi everyone, Sarah here:


While Finn naps away the afternoon under the swing, I'm grabbing the keyboard to let you know what books we're most looking forward to this summer!

Many of them are the next in a series, so now's the perfect time to catch up...




FICTION
"Obsession"--Jonathan Kellerman (3/27)
"I Heard That Song Before"--Mary Higgins Clark (4/3)
"Nineteen Minutes" -- Jodi Picoult (4/10)
"The Good Husband of Zebra Drive"--Alexander McCall Smith (4/17)
"The Woods"--Harlan Coban (4/17)
"Simple Genius"--David Baldacci (4/24)
"The 6th Target"--James Patterson (5/8)
"Bad Luck and Trouble"--Lee Child (5/15)
"A Thousand Splendid Suns"--Khaled Hosseini (5/22)
"The Overlook"--Michael Connelly (5/22)
"The Good Guy"--Dean Koontz (5/29)
"Lean Mean Thirteen"--Janet Evanovich (6/19)
"The Quickee"--James Patterson (7/3)

YOUNG ADULT
"Reckless"--Cecily Von Ziegesar (11/1/06)
"Heart of Glass"--Zoey Dean (4/1)
"Don't You Forget About Me"--Cecily Von Ziegesar (5/1)
"Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports"--James Patterson (5/29)
"Eclipse"--Stephanie Meyer (8/1)

CHILDREN
"Physik"--Angie Sage (4/1)
"How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse"--Cressida Cowell (4/1)
"Gregor and the Code of Claw"--Suzanne Collins (5/1)
"The Titan's Curse"--Rick Riordan (5/1)
"Pilgrims of Rayne"--DJ Machale (5/22)
"The Icebound Land"--John Flanagan (6/26)
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"--JK Rowling (7/21)

**Ask us about our Harry Potter midnight release party! We'll have games, prizes, and tasty treats that would make a House Elf proud!

The Smoke Thief: "Spellbinding, Dazzling!"

It's a chilly 34 degrees here on the Outer Banks today and Finnegan is curled up on the couch with his favorite toy, snoozing and watching Animal Planet. So I finally have a chance to sneak online and add my two cents to this blog! Finn generally hogs it all the time - he loves keeping in touch with everyone :)

I just finished a wonderful pair books that I recommend for anyone looking for a romantic adventure with a little bit of history and a whole lot of magic. For me, romance novels are like chocolate. Some are sweet, some have a little spicy chilli-powder in them, and others are darker. But when you discover Godiva (a lovely chocolatey combo) - you've gotta let everyone know.!

"The Smoke Thief" opens with a misty prologue describing an ancient hidden castle deep in the Carpathian mountains, dripping with gems and brilliant beauty. Then, as with many lovely things, the castle is attacked by Others and the castle-dwellers are wiped out...or are they? The story then jumps to England in 1737 and we are introduced to an accomplished jewel thief named Clarissa Rue Hawthorne and the plot thickens. (Follow the links below for a complete synopsis.)

I just LOVED this book. The characters are interesting and well rounded, and the action moves very quickly. I am always thrilled when I stumble across a talented author and Shana Abe has written many other books that I'll have to get my hands on soon. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Talk to you soon,
Sarah

The Bottom Line:
Title: "The Smoke Thief" and "The Dream Thief"
Author: Shana Abe
Genre: Historical Romance / Paranormal
Stars: ***
Why Read it: Good writing, strong plot, excellent romance, and lots of dragons
Reviews:

• www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.asp?bookid=6953
  

• www.amazon.com/Smoke-Thief-Shana-Abe/dp/0553804480

Finnegan's Fall Favorites

Who doesn’t like to cuddle up with a great book in the autumn (and of course their dog, cat, or goldfish)! Just pour yourself a mug of warm cider, give a treat to your furry (or scaly) companion and escape into a great story.

(And there's something for EVERYONE in the family!)

Historical Fiction–The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova)
Science Fiction–The Traveler (John Twelve Hawks)
Young Adult–Twilight (Stephanie Meyer)
Young Adult–Interstellar Pig (William Sleator)
Classic–All the King’s Men (Robert Pen Warren)
Espionage–Agents of Innocence (David Ignatius)
Music–I’m With the Band (Pamela Des Barres)
Spooky–Faerie Tale (Raymond Feist)
Mystery–The Cherry Cheesecake Murder (Joanna Fluke)
Fantasy–Anansi Boys (Neil Gaiman)
Fiction–The Misson Song (John Le Carre)
Fiction–Little Children (Tom Perrotta)
History–Manhunt (James L. Swanson)
True Crime–The Innocent Man (John Grisham)
Pirates–The Pirate Coast (Richard Zachs)
Vampire Fiction–Kiss of Darkness (Heather Graham)
Romance (Historical)–Devil in Winter (Lisa Kleypas)
Romance (Modern)–Blow Me Down (Katie Mcalister)
Suspense–Spy (Ted Bell)
Sports–Moneyball (Michael Lewis)
Memoir–I Feel Bad About My Neck (Nora Ephron)
Grades 3-6–The Lightening Thief (Rick Riordan)
Picture Book–Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Judith Viorst)
Early Reader–Blizzard of the Blue Moon (Magic Tree House #36) (Mary Pope Osborne)

Top 10 Summer Reads!

(Finn’s curled up in the back room for his morning nap, so he asked me to take over this part of his blog. Enjoy! –Sarah)

These are the Top 10 books that are most likely to be full of sand and water-logged from the hot tub!

Read below to see if your “Corolla classic” made the cut. Then add any other favorites and personal reviews in the “comments” section!

Adult
1. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter (Kim Edwards)
2. Marley and Me (John Grogan)
3. My Sister’s Keeper (Jodi Picoult)
4. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
5. Running With Scissors (Augusten Burroughs)
6. Goodnight Nobody (Jennifer Weiner)
7. Something Borrowed (Emily Giffin)
8. Velocity (Dean Koontz)
9. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
10. Skinny Dip (Carl Hiaasen)

Young Adult
1. Gossip Girl series (Cecily Von Ziegesar)
2. The Clique (Lisi Harrison)
3. Summer Boys (Hailey Abbott)
4. Twilight (Stephanie Meyer)
5. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (James Patterson)
6. Nightmare Academy (Frank Peretti)
7. Small Steps (Louis Sachar)
8. Eragon (Christopher Paolini)
9. Good Omens (Terry Pratchett/ Neil Gaiman)
10. Hoops (Walter Dean Meyer)

Grades 3–6
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling)
2. Peter and the Starcatchers (Dave Barry)
3. Inkheart (Cordelia Funke)
4. How to be a Pirate (Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III)
5. The Mystery of Blackbeard the Pirate (Carole Marsh)
6. Pirateology (Dugald Steer)
7. The Lightening Thief (Rick Riordan)
8. The City of Ember (Jeanne Duprau)
9. Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)
10. Thunder from the Sea (Joan Harlow Hiatt)

Early Readers
1. Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon (Lisa Papademetriou)
2. The Magic Treehouse (Mary Pope Osborne)
3. Junie B. Jones (Barbara Park)
4. Nate the Great and the Boring Beach Bag (Marjorie Weinman Sharmat)
5. A to Z Mysteries (Ron Roy)
6. Sky the Blue Fairy (Daisy Meadows)
7. Little Bear (Else Holmelund Minarik)
8. Frog and Toad are Friends (Arnold Lobel)
9. Oliver Pig and the Best Fort Ever (Jean Van Leeuwen)
10. The Dog That Pitched a No-Hitter (Matt Christopher)

Picture
1. Bats at the Beach (Brian Lies)
2. Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs (Giles Andreae)
3. How I Became a Pirate (Melinda Long)
4. Do Pirates Take Baths? (Kathy Tucker)
5. Beach Day! (Patricia Lakin)
6. Punctuation Takes a Vacation (Robin Pulver)
7. T is for Tar Heel (Carol Crane)
8. Arnold the Smiling Horse (Karine Nguyen-Tuong)
9. Curious George Goes to the Beach (Margret Rey)
10. Clifford and the Missing Beach Ball (Norman Bridwell)