[close] Julie James discusses romance novels, the economy, and her new book, Practice Makes Perfect

[close] Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children (August 2009) Dumped in the River Charon, hunted by an accursed river creature and betrayed by the wicked Matron Pluckrose, Tensy Farlow is in mortal danger. She has no parents. Worse still, she has no guardian angel. When she is thrown into the Home for Mislaid Children a gloomy orphanage where ravens attack, Watchers hover over her bed, and even the angels cannot be trusted it seems that all hope is lost. Yet could it be that a plucky, flame-haired orphan with a mysterious past is precisely what this dark world needs? http://www.jenstorer.com [close]

[close] The story of the young sociologist who studied a Chicago crack-dealing gang from the inside captured the world's attention when it was first described in Freakonomics. Gang Leader for a Day is the fascinating full story of how Sudhir Venkatesh managed to gain entrance into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment. When Venkatesh walked into an abandoned building in one of Chicago's most notorious housing projects, he was looking for people to take a multiple-choice survey on urban poverty. A first-year grad student hoping to impress his professors with his boldness, he never imagined that as a result of the assignment he would befriend a gang leader named JT and spend the better part of a decade inside the projects under JT's protection, documenting what he saw there. Over the next seven years, Venkatesh got to know the neighborhood dealers, crackheads, squatters, prostitutes, pimps, activists, cops, organizers, and officials. From his privileg [close]

[close] Growing up in a world of wealth and pastel-tinted entitlement, fifteen-year-old Carly has always relied on the constancy—and authenticity—of her sister, Anna. But when fourteen-year-old Anna turns plastic-perfect-pretty over the course of a single summer, everything starts to change. And there are boys involved, complicating things as boys always do. With warmth, insight, and an unparalleled gift for finding humor even in stormy situations, beloved author Lauren Myracle dives into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to help each other stay afloat. [close]

[close] Alison Goodman's Eon/Two Pearls of Wisdom promotional tour of the US and UK

[close] Animated trailer for the cartoon book EVIL PENGUINS

[close] Incarceron- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery.

[close] Promo trailer for C. M. Barons' novel, In the Midst Of, starring Lynda Hodgins and John McGee. Video shot in Batavia, NY at Calista Miakoda, released Aug. 22, 2009; produced by Penguin Multimedia. [close]

[close] A tale of love, loss and the struggle to survive in the world's most unforgiving place. An Antarctic novel by Robyn Mundy. www.allen&unwin.com

[close] Sonya Hartnett reads from her new novel 'Butterfly'