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 It has been a few years since we last heard from the incomparably talented Sarah Addison Allen. I absolutely adore her tales of magical realism and can’t wait to dive into First Frost! Sarah has a way of making you fall in love, head-over-heels in love, with stories and books. Her novels seem to capture that feeling you felt when you first connected with a book in a way that was truly magical. Perhaps it’s because she writes fairytales for adults, because she can distill specific emotions into just the right words at just the right time. I am really looking forward to First Frost and was delighted to see that it is a continuation from her debut novel, Garden Spells.

Featuring characters from her beloved novel, Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen’s new novel picks up ten years after that eventful summer when Claire Waverly’s wild half-sister Sydney returned to Bascom and Claire met her now-husband Tyler. Things have settled down and Claire finds she has slipped back into a place of tightly sequestered sameness. It’s comfortable. She likes it. But when her father Russell shows up he brings with him information that Claire doesn’t want to hear and that will challenge everything she thought she knew about herself. Filled with Sarah Addison Allen’s characteristic magic and warmth, this novel will reveal how the people who come into your life may not be the ones you expect, but they’re there for a reason. And they don’t change your one true voice, they make it louder.

FIRST FROST by Sarah Addison Allen

Release Date: January 20, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Every so often I will be posting about books that haven’t come out yet but that I am eagerly anticipating. One example is The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag. This book looks absolutetly delightful! So mark your calendars for December and get ready for a magical tale.

In the bestselling tradition of Alice Hoffman, critically-acclaimed author Menna van Praag makes her exciting Ballantine debut with this whimsical tale of buried secrets, hidden passions, and the undeniable power of love.

Etta Sparks’s cozy dress shop, tucked away at the end of a winding Cambridge road, is a magical place – anyone who steps inside the little blue door to glimpse the glorious silks and jewel-hued velvets can see they are someplace special. But only Etta knows the dresses she sells are actually magic – a few stitches from her needle and each gown imbues the wearer with the confidence to achieve whatever they set their mind too. The only two people the dresses don’t seem to work on are Etta, still nursing a heart broken 40 years ago, and her granddaughter Cora, who dedicated her life to science after her brilliant inventor parents died in a mysterious fire and doesn’t have time for things like magic or love. Determined to help Cora find happiness, Etta sews her magic stitch onto the shirt of Walter, the shy young man who works at the bookstore next door and has been in love with Cora for years. When she does, Etta sets in motion a surprising series of events, uncovering a lifetime of secrets that will change her granddaughter’s mind about love—and maybe even bring back something Etta thought she had lost forever.

THE DRESS SHOP OF DREAMS by Menna Van Praag

Release Date: December 2014

Publisher: Ballantine Books

For fans of The Happiness Project and The Year of Living Biblically comes a pointed look at our fascination with celebrities, as one woman strives to remake herself in the image of her favorite stars.

What woman hasn’t seen pictures of Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, or Beyoncé and wished she had their clothes, their abs, their seemingly flawless lives? For Rachel Bertsche, these celebrities are the epitome of perfection—self-assured and effortlessly cool. Yet lately, between juggling her career, her marriage, and her dream of becoming a mother, Bertsche feels anything but put together.

In Jennifer, Gwyneth & Me, Bertsche embarks on a quest to emulate her Hollywood role models—while sticking to a budget—to see if they really hold the keys to happiness. While trying to unlock the stars’ secrets, from Sarah Jessica Parker’s wardrobe to Julia Roberts’s sense of calm to—maybe one day—Jessica Alba’s chic pregnancy, Bertsche learns valuable lessons. A toned body doesn’t come easy or cheap, avoiding social media can do wonders for your peace of mind, and confidence is the key accessory for pulling off any outfit. But can she immerse herself in the A-list lifestyle and still stay true to herself? And will her pursuit of perfection really lead to happiness?

Maddy Carson is a mass of contradictions. She loves her job as Script Supervisor on a hit TV show, but hates “Hollywood.” Super-organized and down-to-earth, Maddy is clearly one of the best at her job, and her strict dating rule – “No Actors!” – helps her keep focused on her career. However, a budding relationship with Craig, one of the executives at her company, may even propel her into the big leagues. Could Wolf County, her beloved hometown in the mountains, be saved from a financial crisis by creating a reality show featuring the eccentrics in the small ski village? Maddy is determined to try, even when she learns that Craig’s agenda doesn’t exactly line up with her altruistic goal.

Meanwhile, Maddy still has a full-time job to manage, her family to deal with, and a gorgeous new actor, Adam Devin, determined to wear down her resistance. Eventually Maddy must learn to break all her self-imposed rules and simply follow her heart.

Scared Scriptless offers an engagingly relatable heroine, laugh-out-loud humor, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how television is made.

Ellen Sussman, nationally bestselling author of French Lessons, delivers a feast for the senses in A Wedding in Provence—a moving novel of love, forgiveness, and trust, set among the beaches and vineyards of southern France.

When Olivia and Brody drive up to their friend’s idyllic inn—nestled in a valley in the Mediterranean town of Cassis—they know they’ve chosen the perfect spot for their wedding. The ceremony will be held in the lush garden, and the reception will be a small party of only their closest family and friends. But when Olivia’s and Brody’s guests check in, their peaceful wedding weekend is quickly thrown off balance.

The first to arrive is Nell, Olivia’s oldest daughter from her first marriage. Impulsive and reckless, she invites a complete stranger to be her guest at the wedding—an enigmatic man who is both alluring and a bit dangerous. The next is Carly, Olivia’s youngest daughter, the responsible and pragmatic one. Away from her demanding job and a strained relationship, she feels an urgent need to cut loose—and for once do something brash and unpredictable. Then there is Jake, Brody’s playboy best man, and Fanny, Brody’s mother, who is coping with the fallout of her own marriage. And in the middle of it all is Olivia, navigating the dramas, joys, and pitfalls of planning a wedding and starting a new life.

A delicious, escapist, and utterly enchanting novel, A Wedding in Provence captures the complex and enduring bonds of family, and our boundless faith in love.

In her eagerly awaited new novel, beloved New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One and Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.

I just love this poster by Emily McDowell. It perfectly captures the beautiful words of Louisa May Alcott.

“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” ~ Garrison Keillor

We are so excited to start sharing with you our list of the best books of 2012!

Starting next week and running through the entire month of December we will have the ultimate book guide for everyone on your list. From fiction to non-fiction, mysteries, romance and children’s books, no one will be left out. We will also be sharing great gift ideas for book lovers.

Stay tuned and Happy Holidays!

via

Did you know you can read the same books Rory Gilmore did on the hit tv show GILMORE GIRLS? Flavorwire has a list of the reading habits of your favorite fictional characters.

Do you ever notice when fictional characters mention books they are reading? Does it help create a more vivid character? 

Now I’ve seen it all! Check out the story here.

via Gizmodo

I am completely obsessed with a new blog that I stumbled upon the other day. The Burning House asks readers to submit a photograph of what they would grab if their house was on fire.

If your house was burning, what would you take with you? It’s a conflict between what’s practical, valuable and sentimental. What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. Think of it as an interview condensed into one question.

What I love about this project are the similarities that you notice while scrolling through the images. More than half of the collections feature books! Books that made an impact, books they return to again and again. Dickens and Austen and Wharton. One woman chose Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine because she said it was the book she returned to again and again, to comfort and console her, to inspire and uplift. This project just proves the power and hold books have on us.

Did You Read?

Unusual Book Designs

Katniss Barbie Doll (looks like Angelina?)

Pop-Up Pulp

The 10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2011

10 Odd Stories Behind Famous Authors’ Nom de Plumes

A Postcard from David Foster Wallace to Don DeLillo

via Etsy

In honor of National Library Week, a Dewey Decimal Vintage Card Catalogue Necklace.

Found this gem on Brainpickings.