Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Easy-bake evolution
 The New York Times is currently featuring an article about a publishing boom in the children's cookbook genre. According to the author, the market for books aimed at youthful cooks is increasingly customized by age (teach your toddler to make lettuce wraps, etc.), and will soon include several books from celebrity chefs. I love the idea of child-oriented cookbooks, but I have to wonder if parents will be willing to let their children experiment in the kitchen as food prices go up and the desire to eat organic, locally-grown food increases. It's one thing to let your kid burn some toast, but it's quite another to watch them experiment with a six-dollar cube of organic butter.... Labels: Cookbooks, Kids' books
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Venus Capriccio
 According to this article, the four-volume-long shojo manga Venus Capriccio has been licensed by CMX. I've really enjoyed the scanlated chapters of this romantic comedy series*, so I was chagrined to see CMX describe the project as "unscheduled". (Frequently, "unscheduled" means the story will languish in licensing purgatory for months--sometimes years--before showing up in bookstores. I'm already emotionally attached to half-a-dozen apparently defunct series; I'm not up for another.) I always encourage people to buy licensed manga... but if CMX really sits on their hands, I can't help but hope the current scanlators continue it. *The piano-student romance storyline is cute, if a little tired, and author Mai Nishikata's artwork is gorgeously clean and sharp. Labels: manga
Cheap'n'easy literary cred
 Offering a hipster take on the " books by the foot" concept, Urban Outfitters is currently selling an assortment of 20th century classic novels, all obviously chosen for their awesome vintage cover art. If you've always dreamt of having a well-stocked bookshelf, but don't actually, like, read, this is the perfect solution: for well under $200, you can own copies of everything from Go Ask Alice and The Neverending Story to Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. Labels: Shopping
Monday, May 12, 2008
Picture books for baby techies
 Slate is currently featuring a slideshow about the frequently out-of-date portrayal of technology in kids' books. The slideshow introduced me to Sylvia van Ommen's Jellybeans, which kicks off with the two main characters arranging (via text) to meet in the park for jellybeans, cocoa, and deep philosophical discussion:  Doesn't it look cute? I'm a little grossed out by the jellybeans/cocoa combo (that would definitely be an either/or choice for me), but the texting and deep philosophical conversation sound perfectly wholesome. Labels: Technology
Hollywood matchmaking
 There's been action on the Bronte movie adaptation front: according to Variety, Natalie Portman will NOT be playing the heroine in the upcoming Wuthering Heights movie, and according to BuzzSugar, Ellen Page WILL be playing Jane Eyre. To which I reply: meh. I have always found Natalie Portman to be an irritatingly over-hyped actress, but I've always found Wuthering Heights to be an irritatingly over-hyped book, so they seemed like a great fit. (It's not like I was planning to actually watch the movie... I just appreciated the symmetry of actor and subject.) I'm more attached to Jane Eyre, and am therefore concerned about the Page casting. I've never actually watched one of her movies*, but one wonders how an American hipster darling is going to handle period clothes and a British accent. *I remember seeing the Juno trailer and wondering who decided the world needed a knocked-up teen girl version of Seth Cohen. Wasn't the original one overplayed enough? Labels: Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Movie Adaptations
Friday, May 09, 2008
Mind-bending
I was recently poking through the Art.com website, and I ran across this:  This framed print of an 1894 illustration featuring Mr. Collins proposing to Elizabeth Bennet (from Austen's Pride and Prejudice) costs $199.99. Now, I love me some Austen memorabilia, but the idea of spending two hundred dollars for this particular print makes me a little dizzy. Setting aside the price (which is very difficult for me to do), I can't imagine where I would put it--I like kitsch, but what room in my house is crying out to be graced by an image of Mr. Collins...? Labels: Art, Jane Austen
Mother's Day gifts for the procrastinator (Part II)
 Sadly, some of us don't have $50 to spend on our mothers (even if said mothers are worth every penny). If you're shopping for Mom on a limited budget, we suggest hitting up your local Goodwill or Salvation Army for some delicious genre fiction. (Tip: Try to find paperbacks that don't smell like 1,000-year-old cigarettes.) You can usually find a solid stack of mystery or romance titles--you want at least five--for under $10. Tie the books up with some pretty ribbon* and give your mother the gift of a few afternoons' worth of mindless entertainment. *This present works as-is, but if you're aiming for the coveted "She's the good child" position, we recommend combining it with a batch of cupcakes. Labels: Gifts, Mother's Day
Mother's Day Gifts for the procrastinator (Part I)
 Many of us woke up this morning, glanced at our calendars, and realized: Sweet Georgia peaches, Mother's Day is this weekend. (Seriously, how did it sneak up on us like this?) So if you're in the market for a last-minute present, we're here to help. For mothers who live far away, may we suggest a short-term membership to a Netflix-style book rental website? Sites like Booksfree.com offer 3-month memberships for under $50. And while that isn't the world's cheapest Mother's Day option, it has one great advantage: it's an online purchase, so you don't have to ship it, which means your mother will never know that you bought it for her at the last minute! Labels: Gifts, Mother's Day
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Out and about
 If you're going to be in the Portland, OR area this evening, supernatural romance/horror writers Richelle Mead and Caitlin Kittredge are going to be at the Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing (the new Beaverton location) at 7:00 PM. Powell's events calendar gives the following introduction to the authors: "In Frostbite, the second volume in Richelle Mead's bestselling young adult Vampire Academy series, it's winter break at St. Vladimir's, and Rose is feeling anything but festive. With the deadly Strigoi closing in, Rose must learn that heroism rarely comes without a price. Welcome to Nocturne City, the town in Caitlin Kittredge's Night Life where werewolves, black magicians, and witches prowl the streets at night. Among them is Luna Wilder, a tough-as-nails police officer whose job is to keep the peace. As an Insoli werewolf, Luna travels without a pack and must rely on instinct alone." I've never read a Kittredge novel (the story sounds fun, but was she forced to name her werewolf heroine "Luna Wilder"?), but Ms. Mead's books are a very good time! Labels: Events, Richelle Mead
May Book Giveaway!
Thanks to the very generous people at Sourcebooks, Inc., five Wordcandy readers have a chance to win a copy of a Jane Austen continuation:  Good luck, dear readers. The contest ends next Wednesday, so get those responses in soon. Labels: contest, Jane Austen
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Behold: A low-budget vampire version of the Gossip Girl cast!
Holy moly. Are they serious?   What am I saying? This is the movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight: of course they're serious! And just because I find those poses hilarious, it doesn't mean the rest of the YA-reading-world won't find 'em 100% awesome. After all, nothing says "brooding Gothic hero" like a scowl and a set of beautifully waxed man-brows, right? Note: I'm going to stop talking about film adaptations any day now, promise. This multiple posts a day thing is going to my head... Labels: Movie Adaptations, Stephenie Meyer
The Invention of Hugo Cabret gets even more visual
 According to this, Brian Selznick's graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret is going to be made into a movie: "The adaptation is being ushered into production by GK Films, whose last project was The Departed. They've recruited in-demand screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator, Sweeney Todd) to write the screenplay. And the film will be directed by Chris Wedge (Ice Age, Robots), trying to make an Andrew Adamson-like break into live-action, having mastered CGI animation. The plan is to start filming this fall, presumably with an eye toward getting the movie out by Christmas of next year." [Source] I just realized I haven't seen a single one of the films mentioned in the above excerpt, so none of those references mean anything to me, but the author of the original post called it "'Hugo Cabret' Getting A-List Adaptation", so I'm assuming they're all big names, and therefore the final product is sure to be magnificent. ...okay, it might not be magnificent, but at least it's guaranteed to have a really, really big budget. Labels: Brian Selznick, Graphic Novels, Movie Adaptations
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
House of Many Ways
Behold, the cover art for the upcoming Diana Wynne Jones release:  Thank you, fine people at HarperCollins Children's Publishing! I see they're selling it as a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle (even though Ms. Jones's website says Howl will only be making a guest appearance), but I don't care: any Diana Wynne Jones book is cause for serious and prolonged celebration. It's due out on June 10th. Labels: Diana Wynne Jones, Sequels
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The New York Times is currently featuring an article about a publishing boom in the children's cookbook genre. According to the author, the market for books aimed at youthful cooks is increasingly customized by age (teach your toddler to make lettuce wraps, etc.), and will soon include several books from celebrity chefs. 
