Books into Movies

Lately, there have been a slew of books being made into movies. Toping our hold lists right now are such titles as The lightning thief / Rick Riordan. ; Push : a novel / by Sapphire. ; The time traveler's wife : a novel / by Audrey Niffenegger. ; and Diary of a wimpy kid : Greg Heffley's journal / by Jeff Kinney.

Once books are made into movies, we often see a huge jump in popularity. Be ahead of the curve and check out these books, all soon to be upcoming movies.

Beastly / Alex Flinn. A modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form.

Eat, pray, love : one woman's search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia / Elizabeth

Italy, or, "Say it like you eat it," or, 36 tales about the pursuit of pleasure -- India, or, "Congratulations to meet you," or, 36 tales about the pursuit of devotion -- Indonesia, or, "Even in my underpants, I feel different," or, 36 tales about the pursuit of balance.

Youth in revolt : the journals of Nick Twisp / C. D. Payne. Cynical and sex-obsessed teen Nick Twisp documents in his journal his ongoing struggles to make sense out of high school, his divorced parents, and an enduring love for an intelligent girl before his frustrations escalate to an open revolt.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day. A day to celebrate that special someone? A Hallmark Holiday? Singles' Awareness Day? If you ask me, it's none of those things.

Valentine's Day is all about the candy.

And what better way to commemorate the day than with a sweet treat like Steve Almond's Candyfreak, a book the profiles the makers of candies like Valomilks and Goo Goo Clusters? Or how about Hilary Lifton's memoir Candy and Me, which connects every chapter of the author's life to a candy memory? (There's even a chapter on conversation hearts.) Or if you're feeling adventurous, why not check out Brittles, Barks, & Bonbons : Delicious Recipes for Quick and Easy Candy and try to make some yummy snacks? Just remember to wash the sugar and chocolate from your hands before handling the library books!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Hunger Games 3

Scholastic recently announced the title of the final book in the wildly popular Hunger Games trilogy, which will be Mockingjay. If you're a fan of dystopian sci-fi and you haven't read this provocative series, you're missing out. In the novels, a mockingjay is a genetic mutant, originally created to spy for the government but now a symbol of the burgeoning rebellion. Speaking for myself, I can't wait!

Mockingjay releases August 24th, but PCPL has already ordered it, so you can put yourself on the list today! While you're waiting, here are some other whiz-bang dystopic novels to assuage your appetite for futures gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (children's)
For the crime of being born a third child in a world where people are only allowed two, Luke must stay hidden. If discovered, he will die. But when Luke learns about other third children, he realizes there's a whole world beyond the walls of his house. This is the first novel in the Shadow Children series.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (teen)
Like most teenagers, Tally can't wait until her sixteenth birthday. That's when she'll get the surgery that all teenagers in her world get, the one that turns them pretty and sets them off on a whirlwind adventure of parties and fun. But the question she hasn't asked herself is, what will she give up in return for becoming pretty?

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
This nonfiction book asks the intriguing question, what if we all disappeared today, but left the rest of the earth intact? What would happen as our nuclear power plants fail, as our subways flood, and as plants and wildlife take our cities back? It's not exactly a dystopia, but it is marvelously thought-provoking.

Are you a dystopia fan? Share your favorite examples of the genre in the comments!

Pretty in Plaid

Are you a child of the 80s? Were your collars turned up on your Izod, did you listen to Wham without irony, and did you enjoy Pop Rocks? This memoir is for you. Jen Lancaster's Pretty in Plaid is a testament to the awful clothes we seemed to enjoy back then. And her sassiness makes her high school/college days a hoot to read.