Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Remember when I was raving about The Time Traveler's Wife movie trailer and how I would love if books had trailers? Well, the geniuses at Quirk Classics read my mind. Check out this hilarious trailer for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

When I first heard about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I knew I would buy it. I'm a huge fan of all things gothic and grotesque (examples: Dracula, True Blood, Night of the Living Dead) and I'm an even bigger fan of Jane Austen. I've read all of her works, and I must say, Seth Grahame-Smith does her writing justice in this ingenious farce of the classic story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

You're probably wondering just how zombies get written into such a tale. The Bennet sisters, led by their father, are highly skilled in martial arts and zombie killing, having trained in Asia. The reason for their training? The plague upon England (and all the world) of the undead. If one of the zombies bites a human, they become ill and die. Once buried, they rise again to eat upon the flesh of the living.

When Darcy first insults Elizabeth Bennett, her reaction is decidedly different than the one know so well. "As Mr. Darcy walked off, Elizabeth felt her blood turn cold. She had never in her life been so insulted. The warrior code demanded she avenge her honor. Elizabeth reached down to her ankle, taking care not to draw attention. There, her hand met the dagger concealed beneath her dress. She meant to follow this proud Mr. Darcy outside and open his throat." Thankfully, Elizabeth is distracted by a zombie attack at the ball, and Grahame-Smith continues to weave his tale of love and death.

Definitely worth the read - and look for the next Austen spoof coming soon: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters coming out September 15! This trailer is even better!

[Photo: www.eeriebooks.com /www.uncrate.com]

Home to Italy by Peter Pezzelli

Of course I have a soft spot for all things Italian -- so when I saw this on the library shelf I immediately picked it up. Peter Pezzelli's Home to Italy is like a male centered Under the Tuscan Sun. In the great tradition of "starting over," our protagonist, Peppi, is returning to his hometown of Villa San Giuseppe, after the death of his wife, Anna. Peppi has been in America for over thirty years, but he owns a mill in his hometown and his plan is to fix it up and retire there. He is also counting on his best friend Luca to still be there, and Peppi immediately finds him on the town square Sunday morning, when all of the cyclists gather for a weekly ride. The cycling aspect of the novel is interesting to both readers who know very little, and readers who are avid cyclists themselves. Pezzelli also demonstrates his great knowledge of the Italian way of life, and transports readers to this wonderful country.
Peppi quickly acclimates to the slow and quaint life he knew as a boy. Although he still has some serious grieving to do, he learns to find joy in simple things, like growing tomatoes and fixing windows. The best part of the novel is the evidence that your life doesn't always end when you think it does . . . and that no matter how old you are, it's never too late to start the circle over again.

[Photo: www.fantasticfiction.co.uk]

Awesome Audiobooks - Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg

Those of you who live in the D.C. metro area can relate to bad commutes. Mine improved exponentially when I started listening to audio books on my way to work. One of my favorites was Fannie Flagg's Standing in the Rainbow. Flagg is the genius behind Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, better known to the masses as the movie version, Fried Green Tomatoes.
Flagg reads the novel herself and does a superb job. All of the characters have different voices and you are immediately transported to the town of Elmwood Springs, Missouri, starting in 1946 and going right through to the millennium. Before Flagg became a bestselling novelist, she was a morning radio host, and then an actress and a regular on popular television shows. You may remember her as Nurse Wilkins in Grease. Obviously she's got the credentials to make an excellent audio reader, especially for her own novel, because her love for it really comes through.
The story revolves around Neighbor Dorothy, a local radio personality who broadcasts right from her living room, her pharmacist husband, Doc, and their two children, Bobby and Anna Lee. Along with this dynamic family, the novel hosts a realm of characters you can't help but love. The more you listen, the more you become involved and really don't want the story to end. Add in Flagg's amazing take on modern American history, and you have the recipe for some of the most enjoyable hours you'll ever spend.

[Photo: www.barnesandnoble.com]

A Revised Review on The A-List Series

I've continued reading the A-List series by Zoey Dean and I have to admit that the last two I've read, Back in Black and Some Like It Hot have made me rethink my review. These are the fifth and sixth books in the series, and it seems as though Dean has gotten something kind of Francine Pascal-like ghostwriter (see: Sweet Valley High). Which would have been fine if she had started the series that way, atleast readers would know what to expect. Instead, almost the entire first half of each book is spent catching the reader up on the previous happenings in the series. When Dean (or Dean-like writer) finally gets to the plot, I almost don't care. Keyword: almost. I am one of those readers who like to know what happens to characters, and I particularly like the protagonist, Anna. Unfortunately, Anna is starting to take the back seat to her Beverly Hills companions Sam, Cammie and Dee. Dean tries to make these characters more likeable, but they still come up short.

In Back in Black, the A-List heads to Las Vegas, skipping their senior trip to Washington, D.C. The most scandalous event is the crew going to a hypnotist. Snore. Some Like It Hot centers around the senior prom, and Sam making a film about the B-List at Beverly Hills High. Laughably, the most annoying thing about this book was that I couldn't get that awful 80's song by the same name out of my head.
Listen to it here at Amazon if you dare.

Dean has also omitted several characters introduced in the first four without an explanation, which is also annoying. And makes me believe there is definitely a ghost writer who didn't even read the first four thoroughly! I'm going to read the rest of the series, since at this point I only have four more left . . . I'll let you know if the A-List series makes an upward climb back into my favor or not!

[Photos: amazon.com & fantasticfiction.uk]

Golf Without Tears by P.G. Wodehouse

P.G. Wodehouse's Golf Without Tears was first published in 1924 - with a "Dedication to the immortal memory of John Henrie and Pat Rogie, who at Edinburgh, in the year 1593 A.D. were imprisoned for "playing of the gowf on the links of Leith every Sabbath the time of the sermonses."

This charming, and still very relevant book contains ten hilarious stories about golf and love. Each story is narrated by the "Oldest Member" of the golf club, and involves him explaining a story to a younger member that will help him get the girl he loves. One of my favorite stories was Sundered Hearts -- the story of Mortimer Sturgis, who falls in love with a young lady he believes to be the golf champion, and finds out after they marry that she is instead the croquet champion, and has never picked up a club in her life. Wodehouse writes with such wit that the reader agrees that this is an awful stroke of luck for Mortimer.

Wodehouse's "stories for golfers and lovers" prove that both are eternal, as each one of the stories could likely be told in 2009. This book is a must for any golfers out there - or the people who love them!

[Photo: www.wodehouse.ru]

Seaside by Scarlett Thomas

I picked up Seaside by Scarlett Thomas at the library before my vacation since I would be at that location . . . although I don't normally read murder mystery books, this one was intringuing because a twin was murdered but they didn't know which one.

Seaside is part of a Lily Pascale series, the novel's heroine and private investigator. The other books in the Lily Pascale series are Dead Clever and In Your Face, Seaside is actually the most recent of the trio.

Lily is living in the English seaside town of Torquay when she is approached with the strange case of the Laura and Alex Carter. Because they share DNA, the police are unable to determine which twin is actually dead. It doesn't help that the twin who's still alive is pretending to be both Laura and Alex.

The gloomy atmosphere of this town in winter adds an intriguing backdrop to the case. This is the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy day when you have nothing else to do, which is exactly what I did our first day of vacation! I guarantee you won't be able to put it down.

[Photo: www.amazon.com]

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

So I haven't been posting much because I was on vacation! (Reading tons of course, but also playing golf, taking an art class, and soaking up the rays).

I read Flipped by Wendeline Van Draanen one morning and I absolutely adored it. This young adult novel focuses around two narrators: Bryce and Julianna (Juli), who switch narration each chapter, hence the title, Flipped. We meet our narrators in the second grade, when Bryce moves across the street from Juli. Juli is psyched to finally have a neighbor the same age as her, but Bryce wants nothing to do with this girl who "didn't just barge into my life. She barged and shoved and wedged her way into my life."

Juli is immediately taken with Bryce and his big blue eyes and dark eyelashes. Juli is the opposite of Bryce - fearless and strong willed, a free spirit who does whatever she feels like. Bryce is shy and keeps to himself, often going along with the crowd just so he doesn't stand out. In eight grade, things start to change for Bryce when his grandfather comes to live with his family. His grandfather is immediately taken by Juli, and helps Bryce to see another side to her when he compares Juli to paint finishes: "Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss . . . But every once in a while you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare."

Both Bryce and Juli learn some hard lessons about their own families throughout the novel, which ultimately leads both of them to understand each other better. While reading this book, you can't help but time travel back to when you were that age, and the smallest thing could seem like the whole entire world. Van Draanen takes all of the great romantic comedy cues from Austen and Shakespeare and transforms them to fit within this extremely enjoyable adolescent novel.

[Photo: www.barnesandnoble.com]

Tuesday: Great Books = Great Gifts Day

This book is a great gift for everyone. But especially for people who want to be a little more informed - and who have forgotten some of the stuff they learned in school so long ago. The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class, features seven categories for each day of the week: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts and music. Each day is only one page long, and gives you the background and details one needs to converse about the subject.

I'm interested in the Modern Culture one as well (literature, music, film, personalities, trends, sports and pop references), and they also have American History and Health versions.

And at around $16, this is an affordable gift that your recipient will enjoy the whole year!

Pick up the version you want at The Barefoot Bookworm's Amazon Store!

[Photo: http://www.coverbrowser.com/]

The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham

Many of you may only know the name Sophie Kinsella because of the recent movie version of Confessions of a Shopaholic, based on a series of Shopaholic books that include NYC, marriage, sister and baby. Kinsella has also penned a number of novels under the name Madeleine Wickham as well. Having read Cocktails for Three, I gravitated towards The Gatecrasher and it did not dissapoint. The protagonist, Fleur Daxeny, is a man-eater. She picks up rich widows at their funerals and gives them the promise of a new life . . . until she takes them for whatever they're worth and skedaddles. Wickham has succeeded where many authors fail - you want to think the worst of Fleur, but she charms the reader just as much as her wealthy men. She's daring, she's funny, she's glamorous . . . she knows exactly how to LIVE life.
Richard Favour seems like just another face on Fleur's totem pole until she goes to stay with him and his family for the summer and some very unexpected happenings occur. Fleur has a big decision to make - is it finally time to settle down and quit her gold-digging ways? Of course, it helps that Richard turns out to be worth much more than Fleur bargained for!

[Photo: www.z.about.com]

Spotted in Glamour Magazine . . .

"Not your Mother's Bronte" is the tagline of Glamour's blurb on reissues of the classics Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and The Scarlet Letter from artist Ruben Toledo. These Tim Burton-esque covers are a great bonus to titles you should definitely add to your library . . . and as Glamour justifies, "these gorgeous books can be had for only $11 - definitely cheaper than this season's It bag!"


















Pick up yours at The Barefoot Bookworm's Amazon Store!

[Photos:www.amazon.com]

Townhouse by Tish Cohen

Tish Cohen's Townhouse presents the story of Jack Madigan, a good-looking, son of a famous now-deceased rock star, agoraphobe. You read that right. Jack is unable to leave his house, even to fetch the daily paper. His Boston townhouse is crumbling around him, but his easy-going, vintage clothes loving son Harlan doesn't seemt to mind. Jack gets a wake-up call when the money from his father's royalties runs out and he has to sell his home. Hope is not all lost when he meets his adorable, but hapless, realtor, Dorrie. Jack manages to stall potential buyers at first . . . and find unexpected help for his condition in the form of an ice skating dynamo of a little girl, Lucinda, his neighbor that crawls through the hole between the townhouses. A hole that Jack often steals heat from! You can't help but root for Jack while reading this fresh, funny novel where even the townhouse itself is a character.

I'm going to check out Cohen's Little Black Lies and Inside Out Girl next!

[Photo: www.thestrand.ca]

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

We all grew up with this person . . . the one who refused to conform, who wore "weird" clothes and did "strange" things. Chances are though that your entire school never got caught up in a hero worship of that person like they do in Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl. Stargirl Caraway wears prairie skirts, plays the ukulele and sings on everyone's birthday, and carries her pet rat Cinnamon in her backpack.
The whole school falls in love with her after she joins the marching band for an impromptu performance at the football game . . . and she begins to inspire the students at Mica High to be "individuals." Stargirl decides she'll fall in love with Leo Borlock, our narrator, and it seems like he never had a chance not to feel the same way. Unfortunately, the fascination with Stargirl is just a fad and the students turn on her just as fast as they turned to her. Leo gets caught in the middle of the people he grew up with and his first love, trying his best to do the right thing.
A New York Times Bestseller and Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year, I agree with the Kirkus Review that Jerry Spinelli has created "a magical and heartbreaking tale."

Look for a copy at The Barefoot Bookworm's Amazon Store!

[Photo: www.chms.k12.vt.us]

Exciting News - The Barefoot Bookworm's Amazon Store

Hi everyone,

I hope you have all been enjoying The Barefoot Bookworm so far. I've just opened my own Amazon store - you'll be able to get all of the books that I've reviewed with just a couple of clicks! I always buy my books at Amazon - they have the best prices, and $25 free super saver shipping. Just click on the link below to visit my store. There will also always be a link for it at the top of the blog homepage.

Thank you again for your support! Happy reading!

Welcome to The Barefoot Bookworm's Amazon Store!

Tuesday is officially Great Books = Great Gifts Day

Books are my favorite gifts to receive (hint, hint), especially when you know that the giver put a lot of thought into what kind of book you would like.

Do you have a friend or family member going abroad soon? M. Sasek, who created beautiful travel books for children in the 1960's, has a whole line of reissues available at Amazon.com. They are about $13 dollars and really a fun gift for a new traveler. I know I would have loved to have This is Venice and This is Rome when we went to Italy!

Check out the author's website below for his interesting biography and to see all of the places he's covered. They even have U.S. cities, which would make great Christmas gifts for loved ones, especially if they have just moved to that city!







M. Sasek's website

[Photos: www.miroslavsasek.com]

Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore has developed a reputation for being outrageous, after all, this is the guy who wrote Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, a hilarious "other side of the story" novel narrated by a fictional best friend who is Jesus' opposite in every way.
Moore creates another whopper of a tale with Island of the Sequined Love Nun, featuring Tucker Case, a pilot who has just about the worst luck ever. His father dies suddenly, his mother marries his uncle, and Tucker, in a fit of grief over it, accidentally runs over and kills his one true love's father. His unlucky streak continues when he crashes his employer Mary Jean's (with a strong likeness to Mary Kay of the cosmetics fortune) plane when he takes a hooker for a flight after he's had a number of gin and tonics. This is all in the first few pages! Tucker thinks his luck has changed when he gets a sudden offer from a doctor with a missionary practice on a remote Micronesian island. So remote, in fact, that it didn't get included in the Micronesian government.
Tucker worries that the offer is too good to be true . . . you'll have to read to decide for yourself. You'll encounter a cargo cult who worships a now deceased pilot named Vincent, an old blind cannibal in serious denial, and the psychopathic wife of the doctor who changes personalities like underwear. Island of the Sequined Love Nun is a fast-paced, extremely funny, and extremely unbelievable story that you won't want to end!

[Photo: www.wikipedia.com]

Life's a Beach by Claire Cook

With a title like Life's a Beach, what else would one expect but a great beach read from author Claire Cook? The protagonist, Ginger Walsh, is 41, living in the small apartment over her parent's garage, making sea glass earrings and dating a glass blower named Noah who throws pebbles at her window instead of calling. To top it off, Ginger's adopted a cat whose name was already "Boyfriend."
Ginger's life gets turned upside down when her nephew Riley, son of her perfectionist, Blackberry addicted sister Geri, gets a role in a shark movie being filmed in their town of Marshbury, Connecticut. Then Ginger's parents decide to sell their house. Ginger meets a sexy electrician on set that makes her rethink how her life is going so far. Claire Cook has created a hilarious and touching story as Ginger finally comes-of-age at 41 years old.

[Photo: BarnesandNoble.com]

The Broker by John Grisham

I read this book after my husband spent all his free time reading it until he was finished and then raved about it. I have to agree that John Grisham scores again with his political thriller, The Broker. You will be unable to put this book down once you start. Joel Backman was once the most powerful broker in D.C., who has been spending life in prison after trying to sell security secrets to the highest bidder . . . of any other country except the U.S. He receives a last minute pardon from the outgoing president that leads him to a new identity in Bologna, Italy. Grisham has been spending a lot of time in Italy himself and the research shows. He recreates Bologna, home of the oldest university in Europe, with beautiful detail. I've been there and reading the book made me feel like I was right back in those crowded streets!
Joel Backman is not an idiot, obviously, if he was once one of the most influential men in our nation's capital. He soon figures out why he's in Italy . . . the CIA wants any other country but the U.S. to assassinate Backman. There's also two very mysterious Italian tutors, including one that is an impeccably dressed, gorgeous Italian brunette. As Backman tries out his new Italian identity, Marco, he soon realizes the error of his ways and tries his best to survive, but also clear his tainted name. Will he succeed?

[Photo: www.coverbrowser.com]

A Great Movie Trailer . . .

Made me really want to read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I have almost bought this book several times when I see at the store but for some reason held back. After I saw the trailer, I went to the library and put it on hold . . . I am number 88 in the holds queue! I wouldn't be surprised if other people really wanted to read it after seeing this great trailer!

The Time Traveler's Wife Trailer

How cool would it be if they made trailers for books instead of blurbs on the back? Maybe it will happen for the Amazon Kindle!

[Photo: www.dist113.org]
[Trailer: www.youtube.com]

Easier to Read "Classics"

They do exist! Maybe you are trying to avoid James Joyce's Ulysses or William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury (both written in stream of consciousness). Maybe you're not in the mood to translate Shakespeare into our modern language. There are plenty of other great options to sample . . .

My favorites:
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Heminway
Animal Farm by George Orwell

So if you're in the mood to feel worldly under the beach umbrella, check out the titles above. The best part is you'll be able to find them easily!

If you are feeling up to the challenge though, check out James Joyce's Dubliners, a series of short stories that are easier to swallow. If you are interested in Faulkner, start with The Unvanquished, a good introduction to the fictional Sartoris family and Faulkner's writing style. As for Shakespeare, you can never go wrong with A Midsummer Night's Dream or Othello. You can also look for Sparknotes No Fear Shakespeare, that gives you the original play side by side with a modern translation. But that's no fun, right?

Any other suggestions? Comment below!

The A-List Series by Zoey Dean

I first discovered Zoey Dean with How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, a delightful novel that the CW show Privileged was based on. I'm still mourning the loss of that show! Anyway, for those of you who have fond memories of the Sweet Valley High or Sunset Island series, you will certainly enjoy this modern version. The first in The A-List series is appropriately titled The A-List. The protagonist, Anna Percy, is an old money rich girl from NYC with impeccable looks, taste, charm and intelligence. She moves to L.A. to live with her father for a change of scenery . . . but also a lifestyle change. Anna is sick of living her mother's life by way of "this is how we do things big book, east coast wasp edition." She meets gorgeous Ben Birnbaum on the flight to L.A., and immediately gets thrown into the A-List world of Beverly Hills High after she attends the wedding of Jackson Sharpe, an actor akin to Brad Pitt in star status, whose daughter Sam just happens to be at the top of said A-List. And in love with Ben Birnbaum. Add in her best friends Cammie, a saucy knockout once scorned by Ben vowing revenge, and Dee, a new-age Kabbalah yogi who thinks she's pregnant by Ben, and you can see why these books are hard to put down. The best part is you finish them in no time laying by the pool . . . the worst part is you might not have the next one on hand. After reading the first four in the series, The A-List, Girls on Film, Blonde Ambition and Tall Cool One, I'm officially hooked. Dean has created a great series of beach reads that anyone who loves great soaps will absolutely adore.

[Photo: www.treebeardbooks.com]