Top Books: January 2015

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Emma Watson's Favorite Books

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Emma Watson has officially been cast as Belle in the couldn’t-come-any-sooner live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

The actress — who also starred in the adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, of course — announced Monday night that she’s taking on the bookish titular character in the film, which is scheduled to begin production later this year. And the role is perfect — not only does Watson look the part, but she is also a self-professed book lover.

Watson has never been shy about sharing books that have meant a lot to her in interviews — or tweeting out book recommendations.

Here is a list of the books that you might find in Watson’s collection (books that Belle would probably love too!)

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Dead of winter by Kresley Cole Promises to be Intense and Electrifying!

Dead of Winter (The Arcana Chronicles) by Kresley Cole

In Poison Princess and Endless Knight we’ve been exposed to a lot of things. Jackson , the apocalypse, drastic changes of life after the end, Evie’s Arcana powers and Death. But that was only the beginning.

Dead of Winter doesn’t waste a single minute before it’s diving into the deep end. Then again, why would it wait? Jackson was captured and was in the hands of potentially the two most sadistic people left in the world.

If Evie doesn’t get to him in time, who knows what could happen...

Can Evie convince her rival loves to work together? Their survival depends on it in this third book of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles, a nonstop action tale of rescue, redemption, and a revenge most wicked.

Heartbreaking decisions

Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her—until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, the Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death’s uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts…and stolen glances from a former love.

Uncertain victory

Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on the Lovers. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn’t know what will prove more impossible: surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana—or convincing Jack and Death to work together.

Two heroes returned

There’s a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn’t know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first...?Expect your affinities to waver, your heart to pound furiously, the game to escalate in ways that are surprising, thrilling and scary. This third book in The Arcana Chronicles is not to be missed.

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith hits stores nationwide!!

Seth Grahame-Smith is the author of the bestseller "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," and the follow-up, "The Last American Vampire," has now hit stores nationwide!

The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith

Grahame-Smith is also busy with a number of other projects, including his directorial debut on the film "Something Wicked This Way Comes," writing and co-producing the sequel to "Beetle juice," writing two "Lego" movies and writing a pilot for CBS. He's also on the writing team for this year's Academy Awards.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

The Last American Vampire Hunter is entertaining, and very easy to read. History intertwined with the story line was well done.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Author Dean Koontz Reveals That “Odd Thomas “Is Based on His Rough Childhood

Dean Koontz is one of the best-selling authors of all time. He just released "Saint Odd," the final book in one of his most popular series, a series filled with stories inspired in part by troubles in his own life.

Dean Koontz

"I'm just the guy who lives down the street, and I do books instead of sell cars," Koontz said.

If that's true, then Koontz is the Henry Ford of authors. He's written around 100 different books from sci-fi and suspense to horror with a touch of satire. "When I write a novel, I don't move from page one to page two until I've written 20 or 30 drafts. I have to polish it until I think it can't be any better. Then I can move on," Koontz said. "This comes out of a very deep self-doubt. And that comes out of my childhood."

"He came to me in the most amazing way. I was working on another book, and into my head came the line, 'My name is Odd Thomas. I lead an unusual life,'" Koontz said.Koontz has also led an unusual life. He grew up poor in Pennsylvania and calls his mother Florence a saint, his father a sinner who once tried to stab him. "My dad had 44 jobs in 34 years. He was a violent alcoholic," Koontz said. When Koontz's father was 81 years old, he tried to kill his son.

"I ended up putting it in a novel. We're merciless, us writers. We use everything," Koontz revealed. "You know, it's a terrible thing to say about your own father. I have no happy memories. I literally cannot think of one."He said while those memories were something he had to overcome, they also helped define who he is today.

Right now, Koontz is mourning a loss. He's just released the eighth and final installment in his series about his everyday hero, Odd Thomas, a fry cook who sees dead people. The books have sold 20 million copies.

Saint Odd: An Odd Thomas Novel by Dean Koontz

Best-Selling Romance Writer Nicholas Sparks Ends Real-Life Romance with Wife Catherine.

Best known for his novel "The Notebook," Nicholas Sparks recently admitted he and his now former wife Catherine have decided to end their 25-year marriage. According to TMZ, The couple filed a "post marital agreement" in August 2014.

After their separation, Sparks and ex-wife accepted that neither has a claim on the other's assets so they agreed that neither of them would seek alimony from the other.

The two first met when Sparks was in his senior year at Notre Dame. In October 2014, he revealed to GQ that he met Catherine on a Monday and told her "I will marry you" by Tuesday. They got married in 1989 and share five children, Miles, Ryan and Landon and twins Lexie and Savannah.

In an Interview with US Weekly Spark’s stated "Cathy and I have separated. This is of course not a decision we've made lightly. We remain close friends with deep respect for each other and love for our children. For our children's sake, we regard this as a private matter,"

Nicholas Sparks has an exceptional track record of having novels adapted into film. Here is a list of some of the most popular books that came to life on the big screen.