John le Carre's "The Constant Gardener" is Books to Movies Pick at New Port Richey Library

According to WMNF's website, John le Carre's The Constant Gardener is October's Books to Movies feature at the New Port Richey Public Library. Read the book, then see the movie. Light refreshments will be served. The screening will take place Monday, October 17, at 5:00 p.m. Call 727-841-4547 ext. 288 for details.

Tampa Review Prize Poet Lance Larsen in Tampa September 29

From the Tampa's Downtown Happenings newsletter:

Lance Larsen, winner of the Tampa Review Prize for Poetry and director of graduate studies at Brigham Young University in Utah, will celebrate publication of his book and help launch the newest issue of Tampa Review, which features a selection of his poems, at a reading and reception this month at the University of Tampa.

For the rest of the article and the details, click here.

Banned Books Week At Inkwood Books

September 24 -- October 1 is Banned Books Week at Inkwood Books in Tampa.

MicklerSmith in St. Pete Only Sells Books About Florida

The St. Pete Times reports that a new bookstore called MicklerSmith opened in June in St. Pete and only sells books about Florida.

The TBB Online Book Club's Selection for October is...

...The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. (Wondering what the TBB Online Book Club is all about? Click here for details.)

The Tampa Book Buzz Online Book Club

I'm starting something new here at TBB. I've started an online book club at Target's Bookmarked website. Club members will choose one book each month to read and discuss. Throughout the month, I will post news and information about the book and the author. Then on the last day of the month, I will write about the book. Anyone who's read the book is welcome to post comments about what they thought of that month's book.

The advantages of being an "official member" through the Target Bookmarked website are: (1) only TBB Online Book Club members can choose which books to read; (2) you'll receive occasional emails to let you know the current month's selection and to remind you of the last-day-of-the-month posting; and (3) if I ever win any of the book club prizes I'm registered for at the Bookmarked site, only club members will share the winnings.

If you'd like to join the Tampa Book Buzz Online Book Club, please email me (tampafilmfan@aol.com) so I can send you an invitation email from the Bookmarked site. Happy reading!

Local Author Kelley St. John Has New Book Coming Out

Congratulations to local author Kelley St. John, whose book Good Girls Don't is coming out this December. I haven't read her book yet, but the description sounds intriguing. Visit www.kelleystjohn.com to learn more about St. John's new book, her seminars and appearances, and to register for a vacation giveaway.

The Joy of Audiobooks

This week at my Real Job (much less fun than blogging, but it pays the bills) I had to clean out a departing coworker's office and get things ready for a new employee. This boring task was enlivened by playing Finders Keepers. I figured any personal possessions left behind were abandoned on purpose. So in addition to a jump-out-and-startle-you Halloween decoration left strategically in the middle of the desk to scare the new person, I took home Skipping Christmas by John Grisham on CD. Unabridged, of course -- if it were abridged, I would have left it for the new person myself.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through it and I was already familiar with the basic plot based on previews of the movie version Christmas with the Kranks. It's an amusing story of a couple who, because their daughter is in Peru with the Peace Corps, decide to forgo the rituals, stress and expenses of Christmas and take a cruise instead. Of course, everyone in their social circle, neighborhood and practically their whole town is shocked and angered by their decision.

I am having the most fun listening to it in my car. Part of the reason is because I'm enjoying the story, but part of the reason is because I've discovered how to read more in my severely time-challenged life. I drive 30 minutes to work each way, every day, which means I have five hours every week when I could be listening to a book instead of singing along to the radio or getting depressed listening to the news. Five hours! As soon as I finish blogging today, I'm going to the library's website and checking out their audiobook selection. (Unabridged, of course. Abridged doesn't count.)

"Sunshine in the Dark:Florida in the Movies" by Susan Fernandez and Robert Ingalls

I trekked out to USF in the pouring rain Wednesday night to hear USF professors Susan Fernandez and Robert Ingalls talk about their new book Sunshine in the Dark:Florida in the Movies. It was well worth the trip.

Fernandez spoke at length about their research and methodology. Watching almost 300 movies sounds like an easy task, but tracking these films down, researching them, taking meticulous notes on various aspects of them, and suffering through the terrible ones turned out to be a difficult, challenging four-year-long project.

When Evans said that they decided to write this book for general readers instead of for scholars, I cheered silently in my seat. Such an interesting topic deserves to be read by a wider audience. Evans and Fernandez looked at films that portrayed Florida, whether filmed here or not, excluding shorts, documentaries and made-for-TV movies. Some movies were included in the book because they contain scenes of characters dreaming of Florida (Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo's dying wish to go to Florida in Midnight Cowboy). They considered the plot, characters and the settings/environment.

They divided their book into several themes, including:

--crime (Rosewood, The Longest Yard, The Crew)
--tourism (The Cocoanuts)
--starting over/rebirth (City by the Sea, Midnight Cowboy)
--indigenous Florida people (Distant Drums, The Yearling)
--warriors and heroes (The Right Stuff)
--issues of gender, race, class and social status (Florida Enchantment, Monster)
--the working class and retirees (Juke Girl, The Crew)

Sunshine in the Dark:Florida in the Movies should be out around November or December. I will be anxiously waiting for it.

For more information, read this article in the USF Oracle.

Local Author Zane Lalani Has New Book About The Beatles

Averstream Press has announced the publication of Teenagers Guide to the Beatles by Tampa author Zane Lalani. Visit their website for more information.

Local Author Gwen Curby Goodwin Has Upcoming Book Signings

Local author Gwen Curby Godwin (who's from my home state of Georgia, so she must be wonderful) has some upcoming signings:

September 24th -- Brandon Barnes & Noble from 2-5 p.m.
November 5th -- Viva La Frida from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Her book is called Defiance of Destiny and you can read an excerpt of it at www.gwyncurbygodwin.com.

Local Author Skip Allen At Brandon Barnes & Noble September 24

Local author Skip Allen will be signing copies of his book Out of the Ashes at the Brandon Barnes & Noble on September 24th from 2-5 p.m.

Local Author J.C. De La Torre Donating A Portion Of Royalties To Hurricane Relief Efforts

The interesting coincidences continue...

This weekend I discovered the website for local authors J.C. and Rita De La Torre and added links for them here at TBB just a few minutes ago. And then I opened an email from eMediaWire to find this press release:

Sci-Fi Fantasy author J.C. De La Torre is donating a portion of his royalites from his new novel Ancient Rising for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Read the full press release here or visit his website to learn more.

USF Authors Of New Book About Florida In Film To Speak September 21

Susan Fernandez and Robert Ingalls, authors of the new book Sunshine in the Dark: Florida in the Movies, will talk about their book at USF on September 21. See this post for more info.

Update From Local Author Kimberly Llewellyn

A while back, I updated the sidebar calendar to include Kimberly Llewellyn's upcoming October 6th book discussion at the Safety Harbor Public Library, but I never got a chance to look for her website and email her to introduce myself and ask to be added to her mailing list. (I like to do that when I post about someone, but I'm WAY behind in my email, as anyone who's ever written me knows).

I'm apparently having a lucky streak, though, because Llewellyn somehow found my site this week and wrote to let me know about her current news and events. She and Tara Randel are speaking at the Friends of the Library Authors Lunch at the Tarpon Springs Public Library on Friday, October 7th. It costs $15 and includes a boxed lunch. Llewellyn and Randel are donating their time, so all proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Library group.

Llewellyn's newest book Tender Harvest is available from Avalon Books. She has just received a new two-book contract. Her next book Tulle Little, Tulle Late -- "Bridget Jones mixed with Sex and the City" -- will hit the shelves in August 2006.

Visit www.kimberlyllewellyn.com to find out more about Llewellyn's books, her "cool writing pals" and her publishing credits.

New Book On The University Of South Florida

The Oracle reports that Mark Greenberg's book on the history of USF is nearing completion. Greenberg is the director of the Florida Studies Center and the Special Collections Department of the USF Library and was asked to write this book by USF president Judy Genshaft. The University of South Florida:The First Fifty Years will be a "coffee-table pictorial history" with more than 300 photographs. Greenberg expects the book to be available in March of 2006.

Local Author And Food Critic Wins Second Place

The St. Pete Times reports that food critic Chris Sherman took second place in restaurant criticism (among papers with 150,000 -- 350,000 circulation) in the annual competition of the Association of Food Journalists. He is the author of The Buzz on Wine.

"Weekly Planet" Reviews "Hammerjack" By Local Author Marc Giller

Local author Marc Giller's book Hammerjack was reviewed last week by the Weekly Planet.

First Major Hurricane Katrina Book Deal

According to the Readers Read blog, writer David Brinkley has snagged the first major Hurricane Katrina book deal.

Interview (From Click Press) With Local Author J.C. De La Torre

Click Press has published an interview with Tampa author J.C. De La Torre about his new book Ancient Risings.

Local Author Donates Book Proceeds To Red Cross

Lutz author Erik Welker will donate the proceeds from the sale of his book Embracing the Eye of the Soul to the Red Cross through October 1. The book costs $14.95 and can be ordered online at www.remodelyourmind.com.

First Week Of October Is Buy A Friend A Book Week

Thanks to the Grumpy Old Bookman blog, I discovered Buy A Friend A Book Week. BAFAB Week is the idea of author/blogger/book reviewer Debra Hamel, who has declared the first weeks of January, April, July and October to be Buy A Friend A Book Week.

Here's how it works:

Just get yourself to a real-life or virtual book store during Buy a Friend a Book Week (the first weeks of January, April, July, and October) and, well, buy a friend a book (or e-book)! But here's the fun part: you can't buy your friend a book because it's their birthday or they just graduated or got engaged or had a baby or anything else. You have to give them a book for no good reason. In fact, this present out of the blue from you should shock the pants off of whomever you decide to give it to. And it'll make them happy. And that's the point: promote reading, promote friendships. Just make sure to let them know about Buy a Friend a Book Week.

(from the BAFAB Week website)

I love any ideas that promote reading or literacy or that give me a reason to give a friend a book for no good reason (although, technically, I now have a reason). Count me in!

Publishers Helping Hurricane Recovery

The Readers Read blog has summarized an article in The Book Standard that lists the various charitable contributions publishers are making to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Largo Man Has Story In New "Chicken Soup..." Book

The St. Pete Times reports that Largo author Ben Pigsley has a story in the new book Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul.

Local Author Wendy Boucher Profiled On Sticks of Fire Blog

One of my favorite local blogs, Sticks of Fire, has profiled one of my favorite local authors, Wendy Boucher. Wendy will be busy talking about and signing her new book Parvenue Throws A Party during October:

October 1 -- at Westshore Mall Waldenbooks
October 1 -- at International Plaza Waldenbooks
October 8 -- at Author Fest in Maitland
October 29 -- The St. Pete Times' Festival of Reading

Visit www.wendyboucher.com for details.

Local Author Alicia R. Warren At Book Signing September 24

Local author Alicia R. Warren will be discussing and signing copies of her new book The Chances We Take at WTMP's Talking Book Drum Circle at the Grand Cru Wine Cellar on September 24th.

Book Buzz:"Out of the Ashes" by Skip Allen

Out of the Ashes by Skip Allen (iUniverse, Inc., ISBN 0-595-31514-3)

(Note: if you are a member of al Qaida, please be a good little terrorist and do not read this review or this book. Thank you.)

Having been raised in a traditional, gender-segregated, stereotypical Southern household, I must admit that I usually dismiss military/political "Tom Clancy-ish" thrillers as "boring guy stuff." But Skip Allen's debut novel Out of the Ashes is anything but boring. It's thought-provoking and scary as hell.

It's five years after 9/11 and Osama bin Laden is dead, so his brother has taken charge of al Qaida. They've learned to work smarter, not harder. Saad bin Laden has updated their core religious philosophy to eliminate the emphasis on suicide, thereby ensuring that the pool of devoted al Qaida terrorists remains constant. The al Qaida network has increased global drug trafficking activities in order to raise funds and has spent those funds on increased WMD development. They've also recruited American terrorists, so ethnic profiling isn't such a sure thing anymore. They plan to unleash their biological weapon of mass destruction -- known as "the Phoenix" -- in various cities in America's Heartland while the nation celebrates its independence.

Allen has developed some amazing and truly frightening ideas for the evolution of al Qaida. Having the American al Qaida recruits come from strict Christian households allows for some interesting parallels between Christian and Muslim fanactism. Terrorists can be recruited from anywhere, because unhappiness and emptiness are found in people from all walks of life in all parts of the world. Even though Allen described each character thoroughly, at times I found myself getting a little confused about who was whom during the latter part of the book, which jumps quickly from one scene (and one person) to another.

As part of the U.S. government's secret Phoenix Task Force, Army officer Matt Garret and government scientist Annie Stewart are sent to Costa Rica to work undercover and infiltrate the al Qaida Phoenix operative. Since he set them up as past lovers, Allen is able to incorporate a romantic plot without having to go through the tedious "falling in love" stage, which would have seemed out of place given the short time period covered in this book. To me, creating this back story was a great move on Allen's part, although I wish he had skipped the overuse of terms of endearment between Matt and Annie.

Out of Ashes is a fast-paced, good-versus-evil thriller that you won't be able to put down and that will give you a lot to think about once you've finished it. It's available from iUniverse, Inc., where you can also preview the first chapter online.

Book Groups In Clearwater

I don't usually post about local book groups because each library has several weekly groups and there's no way I could list of all of them. However, I came across some book groups in Clearwater that are a little out of the ordinary and worth mentioning:

At the Clearwater Main Library:

Leadership Book Review -- first Thursday of each month at noon. Leadership Pinellas presents members of the business community, local government and others who talk about books that have inspired personal and professional growth. Free. Call (727) 480-3515 for more information.

Circulo De Lectura -- fourth Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. Spanish language book discussion group meets in the first floor conference room to discuss best-selling Spanish books, themes and authors.


At the Clearwater East Library:

Mystery Readers Club -- September 27, October 25 and November 15 at 9:30 a.m. Members choose a mystery to discuss with the group. No reservations needed.
September 27 -- A Mystery New To You
October 25 -- Psychological Suspense
November 15 -- Mystery By A Foreign Author


At the Clearwater North Greenwood Library:

Read and Recreate Teen Book Club -- A joint program between the library and the Parks & Recreation Department, this club encourages teens to read three age-appropriate books and earn a free day pass to the Recreation Center. Pick up a book report log at the library and bring it back on designated days to receive your pass. Call (727) 462-6895 for more information.

R.E.A.D. (Reading Assistance Education Dogs) Dogs Literacy Program in Clearwater

The Clearwater Main Library is offering an interesting monthly literacy program called R.E.A.D. Dogs. R.E.A.D. stands for Reading Assistance Education Dogs. This is what their Schedule of Events on their website says about it:

Sign your child up to practice reading aloud to a lovable furry listener. Call (727) 562-4920 to schedule a time. The mission of the R.E.A.D. program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered Pet Partner therapy teams as literacy mentors. For more information, visit www.therapyanimals.org/home.php.

The dates are September 10, October 8 and November 12 from 10 a.m. to noon and have been added to the sidebar calendar.

Quote of the Day

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house. -- Henry Ward Beecher

Grammar Geek Alert:I Can't Spell

Who am I to point out grammatical errors? I've had "Louisiana" misspelled here on my own blog for a whole day now. Where's spell check when you need it?

Labor Day:A Day For Rest, Relaxation and Reading

In my favorite book -- A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith -- the lead character Francie is fascinated with the local library. She marvels at many things, but particularly the decorative bowl of flowers that changes with the seasons. Francie gets excited about the seasons changing based on what type of flower arrangement is in the bowl, no matter whether or not the weather reflects the new season yet.

Particular days of the year are my seasonal markers. To me, Labor Day means the end of summer. It's still hot outside, my schedule remains the same...and yet, there is the promise of cooler weather and shorter days. The end of summer means fall fashion colors of russet, gold and green; the excitement of a new school year; the new fall TV schedule; the approaching holidays; crisp mornings; and of course, long nights of curling up under a warm blanket with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate.

My heart hasn't been in my blogging lately; or in my reading or hobbies or work or much of anything else. I've been glued to the TV, stuck in an endless cycle of shock/horror/anger/sadness while watching reports of the hurricane damage. And yet, as Labor Day approached, I felt that familiar twinge of excitement and hope.

So as I pack away my white sandals (a good Southern girl wouldn't be caught dead in white shoes after Labor Day, don't you know), I'm dreaming about cooler weather, good books and happier times for all of us.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers- That perches in the soul- And sings the tunes without the words- And never stops- at all- . --Emily Dickinson

Update On The Oldsmar Public Library

The St. Pete Times recently reported on the struggle for a location for the new Oldsmar Public Library.

Louisiana Libraries

The Louisiana State Public Library has posted status updates on its various branches on its website. The library website also has a page of hurricane assistance links.

The Library Law Blog also has several useful links listed, so people can get updates and give and/or receive offers of assistance.

(Thanks to Librarian.net.)

Anne Rice and John Grisham Talk About Hurricane Katrina

The Writer's Blog has posted a link to the New York Times editorial by author Anne Rice titled "Do You Know What It Means To Lose New Orleans?"

The Writer's Blog has also reported that author John Grisham is donating $5 million to a fund he established to help rebuild Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

Grammar Geek Alert:Summer Movie Titles Boost The Popularity Of The Ampersand

The Orlando Sentinel writes about the "&" sign -- the ampersand -- and how it's used in marketing and in recent movie titles.

St. Pete Library Is Now Wireless

According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the St. Petersburg Main Library is now offering wireless internet service.

Digital Audio Books Available At Local Libraries

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that some local libraries now have digital audio books that you can download to a PC or CD.

Anyone Want To Join An Online Book Club?

Target has a webpage called Bookmarked that contains all sort of info: new and upcoming books at Target, their current bestsellers, book club ideas and more. I started a book group on this site called Tampa Book Buzz just so I could enter a drawing for some free books. But now that I've got an online book club established...

Would anyone be interested in a Tampa Book Buzz online book club? We could pick a book to read and a particular date to finish it, and then post our comments on this blog on that particular day. Just a thought. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll send you an invitation through Target's Bookmarked site so you can sign up.

Port Richey Library Expanding

The St. Pete Times reports that the Regency Park Branch Library in Port Richey closed its doors Friday in order for construction to begin on the new and improved library that will open in the fall of 2006. Meanwhile, a much smaller version of the library will open across the street on September 26.

Blogcritics' Interview With Kathryn Lively

The Blogcritics blog has posted an interview with Florida author Kathryn Lively, author of Pithed and Pray For Us Sinners.

Hey Authors: Why Do You Write?

Staci Backauskas, president of the book coaching and consulting firm Jai Creations, has written an article for Creative Tampa Bay about understanding the reasons you are a writer. She says that knowing those reasons -- whether you want to be rich or you write for fun -- will help you focus and achieve your goals.

Interview With Stetson Kennedy In The St. Pete Times

The St. Pete Times has interviewed Florida author and activist Stetson Kenndedy.

Is This The Beginning Of The End Of Textbooks?

The Book Standard reports that a high school in Arizona distributed Apple iBook laptops to students instead of textbooks. I guess the students will have to draw grafitti on their desks since they won't have books to scribble in and on. I always seemed to inherit the textbook whose previous owner liked to draw beards and mustaches on photos. Ah, the memories of high school...

Added To My "Must Read" List...

...Hitler's Soldiers in the Sunshine State by Robert Billinger. The St. Pete Times wrote about this book a couple of days ago. The author, a history professor at Wingate University in North Carolina, wrote about the German POWs who were detained throughout Florida. About 500 of them were housed at MacDill. I had no idea, but then again, I've never been a big history buff. (My sister and The Husband are both majoring in history at different schools and I'm hoping to absorb some knowledge just by hanging out with them.) This sounds like a book The Husband would like for his birthday.