Coming Soon to a Library Near You

I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to post something like this again, as next week marks the official last week that I am responsible for ordering fiction at my library. We are moving to a centralized system, which actually may seem sad at first, but in reality, it just gives me a lot more time to do a lot of other cool things. I do think, however, that I will tend to know less about what is coming soon and more about what just came out.

But, in the meantime, here are some notable releases (to me) for the next few months. This is somewhat stream of consciousness, so please forgive if I drift on and off topic:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Street Date - July 16) um... 'nuff said

A Feast For Crows by George R. R. Martin (Street Date - July 26 according to Amazon) After eight bazillion years (give or take a few) Martin says it's done. It's half the book he meant to write, but the good news is, the other half will be released soon as well. Read all about it on Martin's site. This is the fourth book of the seemingly endless Song of Ice and Fire series that began with A Game of Thrones.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini (Street Date - August 23) This is the second book of the Inheritance series that began with Eragon. A classic story of a boy, his dragon, and their political/spiritual/philosophical/magical/made-for-tabletop quest. Paolini was home-schooled and wrote Eragon when he was 16. He has therefore become the homeschooling organizations' poster child. I listened to Eragon on audio, and really enjoyed it. So I'm looking forward to the follow up. Hell, the word "smote" appeared in the first book, which often signals something I will like.

Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way (Street Date - June 1) Okay, okay... technically this is already out. I'm slow to post. But it's worth mentioning, I think. Yes, this is THE Bruce Campbell, and this follow-up to his autobiography If Chins Could Kill promises more of Campbell's -- well -- unique sense of humor. This one is fiction, although it is described as "autobiographical fiction," and he does make references to real Hollywood players (Rene Zellweiger, for example). On the book jacket, explaining why he is writing fiction rather than more real stuff about himself, he says, "[My publisher says] I haven't 'done' enough since 2001 to warrant another memoir." I'm going to check it out. What the hell... it can't be as bad as Bubba Hotep, can it?

Thud! by Terry Pratchett (Street Date - October 1) Have you ever wondered why I love my husband? Why, it's because he introduced me to Discworld, of course! Hooray!

Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth by J.V. Hart (Street Date - September 1) There was a groovy little sample excerpt from this book in a recent Publisher's Weekly that caught my eye. I admit it, I'm a sucker for fairy tales told from a different perspective. (For another good option in this realm, read Gregory Macguire's stuff). Hart is a J.M. Barrie scholar of sorts, apparently. And really, this side of the story doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves. Just as in the aforementioned Macguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, we get to see the bad guy as a good guy who is just misunderstood. I LOVE that.

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks (Street Date - June 28 - my birthday) This book is going to get some mad press, trust me, and I am totally sucked in. Mind you, that doesn't mean it will be a good book. However, I just got my hands on an advanced copy and I am really Jonesing to read it. Our Collection Development Manager has already read it and she said it was "interesting." I don't even know how to explain what it's about. Here's the first line of the review from PW - "Twelve Hawks's much anticipated novel is powerful, mainstream fiction built on a foundation of cutting-edge technology laced with fantasy and the chilling specter of an all-too-possible social and political reality." I’m hearing things like “it’s like the Da Vinci Code, only WAY cooler.” Sign me up!

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (Street Date – July 19) Did you read Darkly Dreaming Dexter? No? Then go read it. Then read this. This is not art, per se. Just a fun twist on the Mystery genre. Dexter is a blood spatter specialist in Miami. His job is to help solve crimes using his incredible expertise in blood-spatter evidence. Oh, and he’s a serial killer. OH… but he only kills other serial killers. Fun!

Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner (Street Date – July 5) The review in Publisher's Weekly opens with "What would happen if Buffy the Vampire Slayer got married, moved to the suburbs and became a stay-at-home mom?" Why can I not get enough of smart-assed boogeyman vanquishers? What is the appeal? When I saw this review, I picked up another book I’ve been meaning to read called Ninja Soccer Moms. A+ for titles, ladies.

So there you have it. If you read any of these, and I hope you will, please tell me what you think!