Bookburger

laura ruby...between the buns

Laura Ruby is doing double-duty these days, with a YA novel, Good Girls, that came out this fall, and a book of interconnected stories aimed at slightly older readers due to pop on January 4. The latter is I'm Not Julia Roberts—and we burger-flippers can totally relate, because we are not Julia Roberts either. Not even close. Laura's book is a funny-but-wrenching read about a group of families trying to cope with life in the wake of divorce. Sound familiar? You'll want to pick it up.  Laura recently bared her soul in our pop quiz ...and requested to have a pizza named in her honor rather than the traditional burger! We do love a rebel...

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

Matt Ruff.  In 1988, when he was in his early 20s, he wrote Fool on the Hill — which is this insane, fabulous fantasy set on the campus of Cornell University.  It has everything: randy sprites, evil rats, religious dogs, cynical cats, kick-ass chicks, writers, dragons, Tolkien, Shakespeare, and a mysterious guy named Mr. Sunshine who seems to be orchestrating the whole thing with the help of a band of typing monkeys.  Big fun. 

And just a few years ago, Ruff released Set This House in Order, which is a brilliant, complex, moving love story about a man with multiple personality disorder who meets a woman with multiple personality disorder.  Very different from his first book, more serious, more tragic, but just as amazing. 

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

One of my favorite books was Allegra Maud Goldman by Edith Konecky.   It was absolutely hilarious; I read it over and over again.  I'm not sure if it's in print anymore, but it should be.

I was also fond of Judy Blume's Deenie and, of course, Forever.  Lois Duncan's Summer of Fear and Lois Lowry's Summer to Die. I adored The Outsiders and The Catcher in the Rye.   In high school, I devoured everything Stephen King ever wrote, but I also loved reading the plays Waiting for Godot (Beckett) and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Stoppard).

Describe your ideal place to write.

My office, which is a total wreck, but I love it.  It's got hundreds of books (for reading when one should be writing).  It's got two computers (for internet surfing and song downloads).  It's got a window (for daydreaming).  And it's got two cats (for much needed writing advice).

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

Theme song: "A Girl In Trouble (is a temporary thing)" by Romeo Void.

Best of:  Meeting the husband in New Orleans.  In a bar.  On Bourbon Street.  (I swear no beads were involved).  We danced to a funk band till the wee hours of the morning and then talked children's books.  And yes, it was as perfect as it sounds. 

Blooper:  His name was Paul.  And that's all I'm saying.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

In college, I was a waitress at a place called "Stuff Yer Face" which required a T-shirt with the words "Stuff Yer Face" scrawled across the chest.  And  yeah, the frat boys had a field day with that one.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Alas, Bookburger, the "Laura" burger would actually be a pizza with extra cheese, spinach and those little mushrooms out of a can.

Highly unorthodox, Laura...but for you, anything!

teen book video awards

ok, so maybe it wasn't exactly the MTV awards--no rhinestone navel ornaments, no gang signs flashing...but still, there was a ceremony in New York last night to give out awards for the best "teen book videos." Sponsored by Bookstandard, it gave the nod to three videos, created by film school students or grads, that promote YA titles. The winning videos were for Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now, and Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty. All big books--and great ones. We applaud anything that tries to promote tasty reads...

But the videos...how can we put this nicely? TOTALLY LAME!! It's about time someone created a cutting-edge online video marketing tool for new books...but this ain't it, in the opinion of your humble burger-flippers...cheesy costumes, amateur actors, no use of digital technology to jazz it up...nah...we can't see any of these videos convincing anybody to buy these books. Sorry, bookstandard...we dig your site, but this is just more evidence that sometimes the publishing world really is hopelessly retro in a not very cool way...

you can see the videos here. maybe we're being too harsh?

reminder: we're giving away Nicholas Sparks' Dear John

yes, it's true...the very big book Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (of The Notebook fame) is in our hot little hands and just waiting to wing its way to you. Millions are paying to buy this bestseller...but why should you? You're special. You read bookburger! Just sign up in the "we deliver" box at right for your chance to win. You'll also get our infrequent but always entertaining email bulletins....and it's free, people. Free!

turkeyburger

we're off for Thanksgiving...talk to you next week...and have a happy one!

got a hobbit habit?

calling all you Tolkien fanatics...if you've got $600,000 to spend (or you're in posession of The One Ring That Rules Them All) you can live out your geek fantasies in the Shire, a new housing development in Bend, Oregon. The cottage-y "dwellings" (see the Swordsman model above) feature "a blend of quaint and charming styling cues"--in other words, they're designed look a lot like Frodo's crib. We'll definitely be moving in if our favorite book publisher/official bookburger celebrity boyfriend promises to pop over for a spot of grog every so often. But first we need to know: do these dwellings come equipped with a special footbath for washing big hairy feet?  

artburger: two we love

In our opinion, some publishing houses are just a bit cooler than the rest. We have a short list of faves, and Princeton Architectural Press is definitely on there….over in our artburger division, our workers are often found poring over the latest PAPress release. The bookmakers there always use great paper stock to reproduce artwork, and they have amazing and original taste. Plus the commentary is always challenging and interesting without being jargon-y or pretentious. Here are two of our recent favorites…great for gifting, if you’re into that kind of thing at this time of year.

Ilf & Petrov’s American Road Trip: The 1935 Travelogue of Two Soviet Writers by Ilia Ilf and Eugeny Petrov
Unlike other reviews we’ve seen, we’re NOT going to compare this fascinating book to a certain megahit mockumentary featuring bad suits and male-on-male nude wrestling. The book lets us see the U.S. of 1930s through the wry commentary of two popular satiric writers from Soviet newspaper Pravda. They’re critical, bemused, and admiring in about equal measure, and the photos shot with their Leica camera are incredibly moving. Thanks to PAPress for unearthing this long-forgotten reportage on a long-gone America.

A Year in Japan by Kate T. Williamson
We dabble in watercolors ourselves, so it was with wonder and a fair amount of envy that we paged through this illustrated journal of the author’s post-collegiate year in the Far East. Glimpses of scenery and quirks of Japanese culture (when you buy a piece of fruit, it comes coddled in packaging fit for a newborn baby) are given loving treatment in bold, bright paintings and thoughtful annotations. It’s just an object of pure pleasure for anybody who’s into Japan or beautiful things.

From the stranger than fiction dept.

it's an ultrasonic teenager repellent!

10-second lit crit: Incantation by Alice Hoffman

Here's the latest mini-review from Hannah, our 15-year-old critic extraordinaire:

I actually didn't really want to read Incantation all that much. I couldn't really tell what it was about from the back cover, and that made me a little wary. But when I find a book, I read it, regardless of whether I think it's going to be good or not. And guess what--it was good! It was pretty intense, too, though, so if you're not one up for alot of gory details, this probably isn't the book for you. It shows the horrid persecution of Jews in the 1500s in all-too-vivid detail. But it also reveals the way life goes on, and how good things and love can come out of even the worst possible situations.

Thanks Hannah!

immortality rocks...

...and dying sucks, don't ya think? That's one of the many reasons we love vampire books. One fang-tastic tale on our radar is Colleen Gleason's The Rest Falls Away, the next title in her series The Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Clever Colleen is running a contest--if you win, Colleen will name a character after a friend of yours in her next novel--oh, and she'll name one after you, too. Longing for your fifteen minutes of fame? Find out how to enter here.

Niki Burnham...between the buns

We have loved men named Georg (no, not George--definitely not George!--GEORG...pronounced gay-org) ever since we first saw The Sound of Music. Seriously, Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp is the very model of a smokin' man-in-uniform, don't you agree? Remember how the Baroness purrs his name..."oh Georg..." The more we see that movie, the more we wish she had nabbed him. We're kind of over the chirpy nun.

ANYHOW...Niki Burnham's YA novels Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and the latest, Do-Over (or Doover, as we like to call it) are all about a sweet young American girl who meets a hot Euro-prince named GEORG in a ski resort in the Alps. Can't get much more fabulous than that...until complications ensue. These are seriously fun novels (and see her site for other books she's penned). We're fans, so we asked Niki to pop on by and take our pop quiz...and she did:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

I really enjoy reading Lynda Sandoval and Alyson Noel.  They both write books I stay up until 3 am to
finish.  People have probably heard of them, though. 

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

I thought Trixie Belden was the bomb.  She solved mysteries, she defied her brothers when they were
being jerks even though she loved 'em like crazy, she had fantastic friends, and she got the cute (and smart!) guy in the end.  What's NOT to like? 

Describe your ideal place to write.

Anywhere that I have coffee and decent back support is good.  Also, I need to make sure I'm giving off sufficient, "don't talk to me vibes" that I'm left alone. I hate when I'm mid-paragraph and someone wants to chat.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode,
and one that would be on the blooper reel.

While I would like to think of my life having a sweeping soundtrack by John Williams (think Star Wars, etc.), I'd probably have some silly ditty about moving around a lot.  Not Movin' On Up, like The
Jeffersons, but moving AROUND.  My dad was in the army, so I moved all over the place as a kid, and
I still travel a lot.

Highlight reel:  Meeting my husband (there would be an "ooohh!" on the laugh track.)

Blooper reel:  Just yesterday, my cat threw up in my laundry basket.  It's quite disturbing to pull
clothes out of your laundry basket to wash them, then see they're stuck together with this nasty
mystery goop.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

I worked food service at a fancy hotel in New York during my college breaks.  I had to wear a disgusting black polyester dress, a white apron, and these ugly white nursing shoes.  The shoes would get food and glop all over them and I had to clean 'em every night.  And even when I got them clean, they looked revolting.  I hated walking into the dining room to serve people in those shoes.  I always felt like I should apologize.  Something along the lines of, "I know puffy white shoes do not
go with a black waitress dress, but I am compelled to wear these by the management.  If the shoes have ruined your appetite, I apologize."

The worst part of all was that I had to pay for those shoes out of my own pocket and they were
pricey.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Oh, yummy.  A FOOD question!!  Set me up with a quarter pound of organic beef on a toasted bun. Top it with lettuce, a thick slice of garden-grown tomato, and swiss cheese.  Some spicy mustard would finish it off perfectly.  If anyone wants to join me, I'd recommend a garden salad and a tall glass of pink lemonade as accompaniment.

Perfect Niki! No doover necessary...

Reminder: we're searching for America's Next Top Librarian

The entries have been pouring in...but there's still time to nominate your fave library maven as "America's Next Top Librarian"--if you win, your nominee gets a $50 Amazon gift card, and so do you! Enter by emailing us here before midnight EST on November 15.

Covergirl--in living color

Hi all...It's Covergirl, punching the clock once again. My job: judging books by their covers.  You may envy me--but believe me, it's not all champagne and bags of swag.

I too have to live through November, for example. And November is colorless, don't you agree? All those fabulous reds and oranges fade to brown. I don't like brown, burgerfolk. So I'm thumbing my nose at November and celebrating colorful books. Check out this shelf candy:

Brevia by Sony
OK, this isn't exactly a book. To be completely honest, it's a TV commercial for an electronics product. Still, watch it now. It's oh-so-cool and color-licious!!

Only Revolutions by Mark L. Danielewski
Eye-popping cover--and I happened to open this one to see that the author uses type in interesting ways and employs the interjection  "Up bugaloo!"  Love it, Mark.

The Dissident by Nell Fruedenburger
Fabulous graphic punch on ths one, no? It's about a Chinese dissident artist living in Hollywood, so the red-star-over-palm-tree image is actually relevant, too, which is always nice. Well-played, Nell!

The Beauty Buyble by Paula Conway and Maureen Regan
When I see "buyble," I think "Yiddish endearment," not "reference book." Still, the cover is entirely enchanting! The design takes a page from Tord Boontje, a designer with a great aesthetic and a very fun-to-say name.

Now didn't that banish your blahs and defeat your funk? It did mine, honeys. See you next time.

Colorfully yrs,
Covergirl

Nicholas Sparks Dear John--our tear-jerking-est giveaway ever

Ok, beautiful burgerpeople, grab your hankies and get signed up for the b-list (if you haven't already): We've got a brand-new beautiful hardback copy of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks to give away. We'll choose one lucky winner--so sign up in the "we deliver" box over there on the right to enter, now through November 30!

The book is a love story (of course!) with a topical 9/11 twist...and if you liked Spark's The Notebook, you're gonna want this one, too...

10-second lit crit: Stake That!

Hey--it's time for another mini-review (we keep 'em short because you know how most reviewers babble on and on...) from Hannah, our teenage reading queen. She read Mari Mancusi's Stake That. This toothy YA tale isn't out until December 5, but we wanted to give you a little nibble in advance...take it away, Hannah:

Stake That:
Vampire books are amazing. That comes as a bit of a shock to me, as I always thought they would be dark and gloomy and creepy, but when I [somewhat reluctantly] started reading Stake That! I couldn't put it down. Mari Mancusi knows what she's doing--she was able to write just like a teenager, online slang included, and make the impossible seem real. It's hard to say anything about the book with out giving away the whole plot, but I'll just let you know, it includes all the things that make a book amazing: gorgeous vampires with accents, dangerous missions, and quite a bit of kissing. =]

artburger report: Siberia is sad and beautiful

The staff of Artburger (a subsidiary of bookburger) is very tired. We stayed up way late reading Siberia, a graphic memoir sent to us by Soft Skull Press. Nikolai Maslov tells a heart-wrenching story of his adolesence in a Siberian village, his time in the Soviet military, and his struggle to become an artist. We just couldn't put it down. It gives a rare glimpse into world you never hear much about. Think your town is a boring place where  certain people drink too much? Get this book--it'll put it all into perspective. Maslov's quest to make something of his life, and the story (revealed in an afterword) about how he his work ultimately came to light and ended up being talked about in places like this blog is inspiring. Hooray for the cool cats at Soft Skull Press who published the book in the U.S!   

Don't shop for Pop! at Borders...

because the chain has decided not to carry Pop! a novel we posted about earlier. Why is Borders passing on Pop!? Some say it's simply because they didn't think it would sell...but Aury Wallington, its author, thinks its because of the subject matter: de-virginization. Here's what she told the burger when we emailed her yesterday:

"I'm not sure why Borders isn't carrying my book, and I'm completely bummed about it, because I think it's a good, funny story that readers would like (most of the reviews -- and Planned Parenthood -- think so too!)....

I dedicated POP! to my neice, Natalie, so when she's ready to start thinking about sex and relationships and love, she'll have a way to get answers without the embarrassment of actually having to ask anyone.  (Although I guess I'll have to mail her a copy, since she won't be able to find it at Borders, which is the only bookstore in the small town where she lives...)

the one good thing about Borders decision? it makes me feel like Christian Slater in Pump Up the Volume..."

Oh, and we also asked her about her cool first name. Turns out it's short for Aurelia. 

our favorite book publisher

It's not enough that he looks like a god and talks like an elf. Did you know that he runs his own small press too? We hereby name you Bookburger's Official Celebrity Boyfriend of the 2006-2007 Publishing Season, Viggo. Call us!

Winning looks...

from the winners of our Incantation giveaway. They sent in their pix and they cashed in big, nabbing fresh new copies of big burger interviewee Alice Hoffman's latest novel. Want to win something--but too shy to show yourself? Just sign up for our b-list bulletins over there on the right...we pluck winners off this list every month and shower them with bookish goodies!

Winner #1 Patrice, models her faboobulous costume--she's Beth Chapman, wife of "Dog the Bounty Hunter"--her boyfriend is "Dog."
Cute couple!

Here's Winner #2, Erin, dressed as a scarecrow when she was a wee lass. Awww.

Here's Sara, our third and final winner, dressed fetchingly as a Catholic school girl. Good heavens!!

Happy reading, you victorious glamazons...