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Nightlight
The Harvard Lampoon
Vintage Books
$13.95, trade paperback, 154 pages
Release date: Nov. 3, 2009
It seems everyone on the planet has some level of familiarity with Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. Devoted fans eagerly awaited the next installment of the lengthy books. When the last book in Meyer’s series appeared in August 2008, the books’ fans switched their anticipation to movies based on the books.
Thanks to a parody from The Harvard Lampoon, Twilight devotees now have something new to read, although Nightlight’s humor may be better appreciated by Twilight’s detractors.
You may have heard the FTC issued guidelines for bloggers to disclose when they receive payments or free products to prevent unfair and/or deceptive practices. The guidelines take effect Dec. 1. Both the blogger and the company who sends him a free product could be subject to fines if the FTC decides the transaction leads to unfairness or deception.
While the likelihood of small blogs like Small Pond being noticed by the FTC are, um, small, I’m adding a statement to my “about me” page stating that all book reviews headlined “Review: [book title]” are a result of receiving a complimentary advance review copy (ARC) from the publisher.
Some bloggers I know are refusing all free stuff. That’s very noble. And i agree with the FTC’s guidelines in principle. Unfortunately, to post reviews before or on book release dates, I need to read the books before I can buy them. ARCs are necessary.
I don’t believe the content of my reviews have been affected by not having to pay for the book. Or by receiving vampire teeth or other PR goodies with the book. So I’m going to continue requesting ARCs.
Just wanted to put that out there.
Eek. Life and my innate laziness kept me away from the blog for far too long. The monthly posting of sites I find interesting hasn’t been updated in what seems like forever.
So, without further delay, here’s part 1 of what I’ve been doing online lately. Warning – no theme or rhyme/reason here.
NaNoWriMo is getting close. Essentially, it’s a challenge for yourself, a contest where the only prize is finishing. You write a novel in November. Start on 11/1 and finish on 11/30. Novel is defined as 50,000 words. I did this last year and won. Okay, I wrote over 60,000 words so I met the requirements for winning, but I didn’t finish the story and haven’t touched it since. Maybe one day. Not sure what I’m writing this year, but I’ll be blogging about it as a distraction from actually doing it. Why not join me?
Primitive
Mark Nykanen
Bell Bridge Books
$16.95, trade paperback, 384 pages
Release date: Oct. 1, 2009
Mark Nykanen’s Primitive remains a taut thriller despite glimpses of an earlier didactic draft about methane gas, global warming and environmental activism. A less talented author may have been seduced by the opportunity to educate readers and advance a cause, but Nykanen remembers the first duty of an author of fiction is to tell a good story.
The story centers on a model nearing the end of her career. Sonya is kidnapped by a group of environmental activists — or terrorists, depending on your viewpoint — called Terra Firma. The Abolanders, as they call themselves, take her to a secret village in the Pacific Northwest near the U.S.-Canada border. They release podcasts of Sonya in captivity, promising to release a secret U.S. government report on methane gas. Read the rest of this entry »
Ice Land
Betsy Tobin
Plume
$15.00, paperback, 354 pages
Release date: August 25, 2009
Fulfilling the wishes of the Fates, the Norse goddess Freya becomes enchanted by a necklace crafted by four dwarves. The price they set for the necklace is high: Freya must spend a night with each of them. From this myth grows Betsy Tobin’s Ice Land.
Tobin weaves Freya’s quest for the necklace with that of a young Icelandic girl’s for love. Fulla lives with her grandfather in an Iceland at the turn of the first millennium. It is time for her betrothal, and, as in all good love stories, Fulla finds herself drawn to a man from a family who opposes her own. Read the rest of this entry »
