Grammy shortlist for Best Spoken Word album

Who knew the Grammys have an award for Best Spoken Word Album? (I found out through a recent post on EarlyWord : The Publisher Librarian Connection)

I'm not too surprised to see that Tina Fey's Bossypants is on the list, as the print version spent weeks on the US Bestseller Lists.

Tina Fey seems to be one those actresses that polarises people, you either love or loathe her. I'm on the fence as I haven't actually seen much that she is in, but I think I might give her audio book a listen on the way to work.

What will the world look like by 2050?

While I'm not sure I'll still be here by 2050, I am certain that it's going to be a very different place than the world I live in now.

One book that landed on my desk last week is The world in 2050 : four forces shaping civilization's northern future by Laurence C. Smith.

Why I picked it up: I'm interested in "what might the future be like?" books and this one was recommended as readable and thought-provoking.

Who I'd recommend it to : anyone who has read Guns, Germs, and Steel or Collapse by Jared Diamond.

Did she do it?

I've just started Alice la Plante's debut novel, Turn of Mind, about Dr Jennifer White, a retired orthopedic surgeon who is struggling with early onset dementia. When her best friend Amanda O'Toole is found murdered, with four of her fingers surgically removed, Jennifer is a key suspect.

Why I picked it up : "Is the perfect murder the one you can't forget or the one you can't remember?" - the promotional tagline caught my eye.

Who I'd recommend it to : To anyone who has read Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

It won the The Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2011.

Being funny can win you a prize!

The 2011 winners of the The Roald Dahl Funny Prize have been announced.

Cats Ahoy! by Peter Bentley and Jim Field won the The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under category.

The brilliant world of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon won the The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen category.

I love the fact that there is a prize for books that tickle your funny bone. What a great celebration of laughing out loud with a good book!

Waiting in anticipation ...

Almost 25 years ago, Chris van Allsburg delighted us with The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, full of black and white pencil drawings of interesting and improbable scenarios. It's been an ongoing mystery, who is/was Harris Burdick, and what's the meaning behind the fourteen images and their crytic captions?

Although the mystery is unlikley be solved with the upcoming book, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, I still can't wait to devour the short stories, which are based on the 14 original images, by outstanding authors such as Stephen King, Kate DiCamillo, Louis Sachar, Linda Sue Park, Alexie Sherman, Lois Lowry and M.T. Anderson.

If you've not yet discovered Chris van Allsburg, then head to your library to get your hands on a copy today.