Bookburger

artburger review-- Mingering Mike: The Amazing Career of an Imaginary Soul Superstar

Sure, we're all rock stars in our own minds--but, as documented in Dori Hadar's amazing new book published by the hepcats at Princeton Architectural Press,  Mingering Mike took it a few steps further. 
A lonely teen back in 1960s and 1970s Washington DC, he created a completely imaginary career for himself as a soul singer. He designed incredibly elaborate record jackets and actually constructed fake vinyl records out of cardboard.  He made up song titles, song lyrics, bandmembers...Hadar, a DJ by night and criminal investigator by day, came across Mingering Mike's hand-drawn discs while digging through crates of records at a DC flea market. The story of how he pursued clues and eventually found the man behind the self-created myth is really compelling. Plus, this is a beauty of a book, reproducing Mike's cover art and liner notes in all their obsessive glory.

Since we at the burger are kinda obsessive ourselves, and because we too are very invested in our imaginary careers,  we love Mingering Mike. Go grab yourself a copy...it's hitting shelves tomorrow!

reminder: get yourself some freebies

we're currently running two giveaways, burgerpeeps:

Kristen Buckley's Tramps Like Us: to win this true tale of a Jersey girl, just send an email to mail @ bookburger.com saying you'd like to enter--we'll choose a winner at random on May 15.

The Complete Clique Novels: write a haiku about these guilty-pleasure reads in the comment area of our previous Clique post, and you'll be entered to win a set of all SEVEN of Lisi Harrison's meisterwerks...

why? because we love you!

10 Sec Lit Crit (special prom edition): Prom Dates from Hell

Back when your friendly neighborhood burger-flippers (ie, the bookburger masterminds) were going to proms, there were no books to get you into the prom-season spirit...you just had to get all anxious, dread-filled, and dress-obsessed on your own. Now, big publishing houses are sending prom-themed novels out into the world like so many corsage-pinned debutantes....and we've got Hannah, our teen reviewer extraordinaire to get all Simon Cowell on them. So here's her first prom-novel review...

If you have a slight fear of demons, or of mirrors, then Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore is not, and i repeat, NOT the book for you. I'm pretty sure I was up till five this morning wondering whether i was imagining the putrid smell of burning. (Don't worry, I was)

Anyway, this was a great book. The writing was fabulous, the plot line made perfect sense, and I couldn't put the book down. I highly suggest it for anyone who does not fall into the catagory of extremely afraid of everything or easily influenced by thought. Or for people like you who don't actually mind being afraid.
Or maybe you're like Maggie, a hero with pretty good intuition and enough salt to save the world. That's all she needed--or had--when well-known people in her school started suffering odd accidents. Was this just a coincidence, or was something 'hellish' happening? Read it before your prom--or else!

PS Bookburger's on vacay til next week...see you then!!

Kristen Buckley...between the buns

Memoirs are often written about extreme life experiences...being taken prisoner by a cannibal tribe, say, or getting addicted to marshmallow peeps and then overcoming your habit to become an internationally known fashion designer/movie star.  But just growing up in Jersey? You wouldn't think it would qualify. And you'd be wrong...in Kristen Buckley's memoir Tramps Like Us, growing up in Jersey is heroic--when it's not hilariously tragic. And note that the title is taken from a Bruce Springsteen song. Ol Bruce may be kind of yesterday's news everywhere else, but we challenge you to drive the NJ Turnpike for more than 30 minutes with the radio on and NOT hear a Springsteen tune. It is (little known fact) statistically impossible...

anyhow...Kristen agreed to answer our goofy questions AND she sent us us a copy of her new book (due on shelves April 24) to give away. To enter, just send an email to mail at bookburger.com. We'll pick a winner on May 15. Take it away, Kristen... (oh btw she also wrote the screenplay for How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days).

What was the absolute best thing about growing up in NJ?

WATERWORKS WATER PARK in Seaside Heights

What was the absolute worst thing about growing up in NJ?

Turnpike Stench and the fact that we always forgot about it -- and invariably you'd be driving down the turnpike and everyone would
accuse everyone in the car of flatulence, only to realize it was just the Turnpike.  So, I guess the worst thing wasn't the Turnpike Stench
but the fact that at any moment you could be accused of horrific acts   of flatulence.

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

Ignazio Silone

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

Early reading -- say 10-14 --- Anything by Paul Zindel, Secret Garden, Lois Duncan was always amazing, especially for summer reading.  I remember loving The Westing Game, and Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of Nimh.  Also loved Cormier's I AM THE CHEESE as well as Salinger's Catcher in the Rye...

In high school -- I really enjoyed the classics -- I read a lot of Dickens. I also loved Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Steinbeck -- and Faulkner's Light In August.  I also first read Bread&Wine in high school -- an amazing book by Ignazio Silone.

Describe your ideal place to write.

Someplace that is not cluttered or messy.  A cluttered desk is a
cluttered mind!  My ideal place to write is in my office, at my desk on my MacBook Pro -- with total quiet for about the space of three hours.   That's usually the most I can do before my tendinitis starts raging.  Ah, the perils of being a writer...

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 -- Battle Without Honor of Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei (this is the song that plays at the beginning of the epic fight scene in Kill Bill when Uma dresses in that super groovy yellow jumpsuit and  takes on fifty sword wielding samurais in suits).

BEST OF REEL -- Obviously the show would be an ironic comedy about a girl who fancies herself a secret agent but who is in reality a shy writer type with an inordinate amount of curly hair.  On the Best Of reel -- it would show me in NYC --  with actor Roy Scheider (of JAWS fame) -- Roy had just knocked over an entire display of gum at a Korean Grocery.  I  bent down to help him pick it up.  Our eyes met - like two Samurais in the rain -- and then I said... 'This was no boating accident'.

BLOOPER REEL -- This would contain a montage over the theme song that shows me falling -- as I have a penchant for falling down steps, losing my balance in buses, tumbling onto people in subways, etc.  I believe my ability to fall is the magical ingredient that enables me to write romantic comedies.  If I were to gain poise, or better balance, my life as a screenwriter would end. (sort of like Samson and his hair)

Incidentally my first novel THE PARKER GREY SHOW was all about a girl who imagines her life to be a TV show... so I'm well versed in this arena.

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

Does a brown polyester McDonald's uniform fit the bill?  I remember putting the thing on in the bathroom.. it took me fifteen minutes to walk onto the floor because I was so mortified.    A fellow employee took pity and said --  'when the uniform starts to feel comfortable, that's when you know it's time to leave'

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

sharp cheddar cheese, sauteed spinach and thinly sliced red onions. and NO KETCHUP on it or you miss out on the melange of tastes and textures.

april is poetry month...

and dang if you burgerfolk aren't getting all poetic on us...we love your CLIQUE haikus! If you haven't written one yet, get your quill pointy and get scribblin...you've got until May 1 to enter. The winning poet wins all seven Clique novels!

30-SEC LIT CRIT: Austenland by Shannon Hale

[review written by the lovely leila roy, parachuting in from her amazing blog Bookshelves of Doom]

Dear Shannon Hale,

I admit it -- I wasn't so sure about this whole you-writing-a-grown-up-book thing.  Well, you win.  I'm convinced.  So, you've got my okay to go ahead and write whatever you want.  You want to branch out into sci-fi?  Mysteries?  Horror?  Totally cool with me.  You write it, I'll read it.

Sincerely,
Leila

Jane Hayes is a single thirty-something whose prospects of romance have been ruined by the Firth/Ehle Pride and Prejudice:

Sure, Jane had first read Pride and Prejudice when she was sixteen, read it a dozen times since, and read all the other Austen novels at least twice, except Northanger Abbey (of course).  But it wasn't until the BBC put a face on the story that those gentlemen in tight breeches had stepped out of her reader's imagination and into her nonfiction hopes.  Stripped of Austen's funny, insightful, biting narrator, the movie became a pure romance.  And Pride and Prejudice was the most stunning, bite-your-hand romance ever, the kind that stared straight into Jane's soul and made her shudder.

It was embarrassing.  She didn't really want to talk about it.  So let's move on.

So embarrassing, in fact, that she's taken to hiding her P&P DVD set in a houseplant.  Due to her lack of a green thumb, the plant doesn't provide a whole lot of cover, but it still makes her feel a little better about her obsession.

Jane's extremely wealthy (and elderly) great-aunt finds the set, discovers Jane's Secret Shame, dies, and leaves her a non-refundable three-week vacation at Pembrook Park -- a resort for rich Regency era addicts -- or as Jane comes to think of it, Austenland.

She tells herself that she's going to Pembrook to kick her Darcy habit -- but deep down, she's hoping for a real Austen romance.

Okay, I might be a little bit dense, but I didn't realize that I was reading what could be described as a romance novel until I was about halfway through.

And when I realized it, I didn't even mind.

It's just adorable.  Definitely my favorite modern take on Austen.

As for crossover appeal, I think that older teens who dig Austen, well-written chick lit and lighter grown-up reads will like it, but younger Hale fans might not identify much with the characters.  For those who want to try it anyway, it's pretty clean.

Hooray.  I want to go home and read it in the bathtub.  Or while eating pizza.  Or ice cream.  Or sitting out on the back deck in the sun, if the wind would calm down a bit.

Hooray, hooray, hooray. 

Oh, and don't miss Shannon Hale's letter to Colin Firth.

Mark Peter Hughes...between the buns

Not only can Mark Peter Hughes write an excellent YA novel, he can write an excellent title too: first,  I am the Wallpaper and now, Lemonade Mouth.  The latter, published last month, is a really lovely and rocking tale of a band formed in a Rhode Island high school. We at the burger urge you to consume this book! But first, read this:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?
I’m a fan of David Yoo, who wrote this great novel called Girls for Breakfast.  I also love Paul Micou, Barbara O'Connor, Kim Ablon Whitney, Lara Zeises, and Laurie Stolarz.  Plus, I’m often amazed by the work that teens email to me as part of my online writing contests (markpeterhughes.com).  There are so many terrific undiscovered writers out there!

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?
So many!  I loved The Great Brain series by John Dennis Fitzgerald, which is about a very smart boy living with his family in Utah in the late 1800s.  I remember enjoying How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, and anything by Judy Blume.  I read a lot by Enid Blighton, too (Five Go Off In A Caravan, anyone?).  The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is still one of my absolute favorite books ever.

Describe your ideal place to write.
In a neighborhood café with a cup of strong coffee and no Internet connection.  Alternatively, as long as we’re talking ideal, how about sitting in a comfortable wicker chair on a porch overlooking a magnificent coffee plantation in Costa Rica, a gentle warm breeze occasionally carrying up the musical sounds of the village below?  That was an experience I actually had one glorious afternoon.  Sure, I didn’t get a lot of writing done, but who cared?

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.
The theme song would be “Where Is My Mind” by the Pixies not only because it’s a good question and a great song, but also because the Pixies are among the coolest of all time.  The “blooper” episode would have to include the day I played the clarinet in the middle school band concert.  I was so bad at the instrument that I decided to just pretend to play—throughout the entire concert I moved my fingers but didn’t actually make any sound.  My whole family was there watching.  After the concert, my grandmother proudly announced how great I’d played, and that she had been able to hear my clarinet above any of the others.  Another blooper would have to be that day in college when I fell and slid about 30-feet down a wet, muddy hillside in white pants mere moments before a much-anticipated visit to an all-girls college in Rochester, NY.  The “best of” episode would have to include scenes from the summer I worked at the town beach in Barrington, Rhode Island.  A lot of sitting around listening to music on the sand.  Probably not great television, but a lot of fun to live through.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!
I worked at a Burger King one hot, humid summer, where my job involved standing over a vat of boiling fat while wearing a thick polyester shirt.  Another summer I worked at a factory that made chowder and stuffed clams.  I had to wear a hairnet and earplugs, and I stank of fish at the end of every day.  The odor was so strong that my sisters covered the car seat with plastic so that the smell wouldn’t soak into the fabric.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?
Make mine an open-faced free-range organic turkey burger with chunky blue cheese dressing, lettuce, and a single thick-sliced tomato.  Add a tall frosty glass of lemonade too, please.

Thank you, Bookburger!

the clique movie: "serious advanced scoop" and a BIG POETIC GIVEAWAY

You asked for more info: will The Clique books ever make it to the silver screen? We went right to source, author Lisi Harrison, and begged her to spill the beans on movie deals (and we threw in a couple of other questions just for fun). So here's what she told us--and remember...you heard it at the burger first!! [oh yeah and check below for a delish giveaway too].

The world needs to know: will the Clique books ever become a Clique movie? If so, details, please! Will there be auditions?

Well world, the time has finally come when i can answer "yes" to this
Age old question. The rights were just purchased and it looks like this
Is finally going to happen. I wish i had more details for you but i Pinky swore i would keep my big mouth shut until the official Announcement was made. So consider yourselves lucky. This is some Serious advanced scoop.

Now about those auditions...i think it's early for that. But i will let You know as soon as i hear anything.

We know that the characters are totally your original creations, but did you have anyone in mind while you invented them--either friends or celebs?

I really didn't have anyone specific in mind. Each character is a Collection of personality traits that belong to me, people i have met. And my imagination.

MTV: is it as cool a place to work as we all imagine it to be?

Mtv was a very cool place to work. But it was "work". If you've been picturing me dancing in a bikini on a yacht with rappers as we sail the blue caribbean seas you should probably stop. But i did do a lot of traveling and quite a bit of dancing. However, in between i spent a ton of time sitting in boring meetings, writing scripts and waking up very early in the morning to go on shoots.

What did you eat for breakfast this morning (since we already asked you
our infamous burger question!)?
I ate oatmeal with raspberries and bananas (then i snuck a handful of chocolate covered almonds from the pantry when no one was looking).

MEGA-GIVEAWAY from Bookburger and Hachette Book Group: Win an ENTIRE CLIQUE SET (volumes 1 to 7).

How? In the comment area following this post, write a haiku about The Clique books. It can be about your favorite character, a plot twist, or anything else having to do with these nasty but irresistible novels. (Just in case, here's a refresher course in what makes a haiku.) We will choose one winner...enter as many haikus as you like. [UPDATE: THIS CONTEST IS OVER! Sorry clique-lets! We still love you.]

[please folks...keep 'em clean. We'll delete them if they get raunchy.]