Book Blog

Heather Brewer picks 5 favorite YA books

Jane Henderson — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:27:09 +0000

“YA is where it’s at,” says Heather Brewer, author of “The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.”

The 35-year-old resident of Maryland Heights just released the third book in the vampire series for young adults. She’ll be doing three events in the next…

New Kids on the Block donate 800 books

Jane Henderson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:22:56 +0000

New Kids on the Block

As part of the group’s Let’s Get This Foundation, the band New Kids on the Block collects new books for ages preschool to about third grade. In St. Louis last night (July 1) for a concert, it…

Dust off your wands, wizard bands here Friday

Jane Henderson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:10:58 +0000

There were enough wizard rock bands in 2007 for MTV to create a Top 10 list. Two of those wrock bands, the Remus Lupins and the Whomping Willows, will be in St. Louis Friday (July 3) celebrating the movie release…

Judge blocks ‘Catcher in the Rye’ sequel

Jane Henderson — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:11:25 +0000

A federal judge in New York has blocked publication in the U.S. of a book claiming to be a sequel to J.D. Salinger’s famous “The Catcher in the Rye.”

Here’s the word from the Associated Press:

“U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts issued…

Picoult fan wary of movie, but taking tissues anyway

Jane Henderson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:08:14 +0000

Women seem to love novels about families, even if (especially if?) someone dies. Myself, I try to avoid stories in which a kid is in mortal danger. But my colleague Amanda St. Amand has a different take. Here, she mulls over…

Library scofflaws: pay off fines with food

Jane Henderson — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:26:41 +0000

When I was a kid, I felt terribly embarrassed if I had a library fine - as if I’d stolen something or intentionally refused to take the book back to the library or bookmobile. Librarians had a reputation for being…

Meriwether Lewis’ shooting: suicide, murder - or other?

Jane Henderson — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:22:02 +0000

Can a person purposefully shoot himself, die - and yet not be considered a suicide?

That seems to be what’s suggested in “Meriwether Lewis” by two independent historians, Thomas C. Danisi of St. Louis and John C. Jackson of Washington state.

Retired history professor, author and…

‘Tom Sawyer’ on tap for two area Big Reads

Jane Henderson — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:08:58 +0000

Missouri’s favorite author may have died a century ago, but he’ll be honored by community book groups in the next few months.

Five Missouri groups will receive government money to participate in Big Read events, the NEA announced Tuesday (June 23). Two in…

Kurt and Brenda Warner to promote book here

Jane Henderson — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:09:33 +0000

Kurt and Brenda Warner will be in St. Louis July 6 to sign copies of their book, “First Things First.”

The book, which carries the same name as their nonprofit, Christian foundation, will be about their marriage, “the values they are…

Janet Riehl talks about self-publishing

Jane Henderson — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:10:31 +0000

Claire Applewhite, author of “The Wrong Side of Memphis,” recently posed some questions to Janet Grace Riehl. Riehl is the author of “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary,” a self-published book of story poems, many of which center on her family.

Riehl graduated from Alton…