Tag Archives: United States of America

10.06.14
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Would you eat this book-inspired ice cream?

Did you know that July is the national ice cream month in the United States of America (USA)? In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July to be the National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month to be the National Ice Cream Day. People of the United States are encouraged to celebrate these events with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Who knew that US Americans take ice cream seriously?

To celebrate the ice cream month, Quirk Books has come up with 6 awesome book-inspired ice cream flavours. Here are my top 3 picks:

This flavour is inspired by the Harry Potter series

Berry Potter and the Container of Secrets: Muggles rejoice! Inside this container you’ll find a magical blend of butter beer, Bertie Bott’s Strawberry Flavour Beans and chocolate frogs. No need to employ the Dark Arts.

This flavour is inspired by Anthony Burgess’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’

A Clockwork Orange Creamsicle: A concoction made with milk-plus direct from Korova so disturbingly delicious you won’t have to force it down!

This flavour is inspired by Charles Dickens’s ‘Oliver Twist’

Oliver Twist: Indulge in this mix of rich dark chocolate and simple vanilla flavours with a smattering of English Toffee.  Eat sparingly, for a combination like this begs you to ask “Please, sir, I want some more.”

There are plenty of quirky suggestions by readers of the article! My favourites are:

  • Maltesers Falcon
  • Banana Karenina
  • Star-chip troopers
  • All the President’s Mint
  • Last of the Mochahicans
  • The Grape Gatsby

Malaysia is a tropical country so we eat ice cream (almost) all year round. Too bad these amazing flavours are imaginary. They could be bestsellers in terms of ice cream scoops and book sales.

Do you have any witty idea for a book-inspired ice cream flavour? Tell us in the comment box below.

09.29.14
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Sophie Kinsella’s Girl Night Out on 20th October

Random House and Redbook are proud to host a Girls Night Out with Sophie Kinsella. This event is held in conjunction with the release of her new novel, ‘Shopaholic to the Stars’. The book will be released in September (in the United Kingdom) and October 2014 (in the United States of America).

Two different book covers for 'Shopaholic to the Stars'. The left one is the UK release while the right one is the US release.

Two different book covers for ‘Shopaholic to the Stars’: the UK release (left) & the US release (right).

Here are details of the special event:

Date: 20th of October 2014
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm (USA Eastern Daylight Time)
Venue: The Red Door Spa
200 Park Avenue South
Union Square
New York, NY 10003
Ticket price: US$60
What’s in store: meet-and-greet, autographed copy of ‘Shopaholic to the Stars’, appetizers, Skinnygirl wine and so much more

Get  your ticket(s) at this link before they are sold out!

For latest updates on #ShopaholicNightOut, check Random House’s official Twitter.

09.24.14
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Harlequin Reader Party on 25th October 2014

Harlequin is throwing an exclusive Romance reader party in Seattle, Washington USA in October. This is an opportunity for fans of romance novels to meet, chat & have lunch with 12 amazing authors. Here are some details:

Date: 25th of October 2014
Time: 10 am – 3:30 pm
Venue: Hilton Seattle Airport & Convention Center – Click here for a map of the hotel
Tickets: US$11 for limited access or US$55 for full VIP access (includes lunch, free books & much more!)
Attending authors: 

Those who are interested to attend are strongly encouraged to get your tickets a.s.a.p. There are only 8 VIP tickets allocated to each author’s table. These tables are sold out: Susan Mallery, Lauren Dane, BJ Daniels, Susan Wiggs & Susan Andersen.

Harlequin Reader Party on 25th of October 2014 in Seattle

For more details on the event, visit the link, Facebook page and/or Twitter.

09.17.14
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Banned Books Week: 21st – 27th September 2014

Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read in the United States of America. It was launched in 1982 as a result of increased number of challenged books in schools, bookstores and libraries. American Library Association (ALA) estimates that more than 11,300 books have been challenged and/or banned since 1982. The top three reasons cited for such actions are:

  1. the material is considered to be “sexually explicit”
  2. the material contains “offensive language”
  3. the materials is “unsuited to any age group”

ALA has compiled frequently challenged books according to year. Top 10 challenged books in 2013 are as follows:

No. Title Author Reasons for challenge
1 Captain Underpants (series) Dav Pilkey Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence
2 The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
3 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
4 Fifty Shades of Grey E.L. James Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
5 The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6 A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl Tanya Lee Stone Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
7 Looking for Alaska John Green Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
8 The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9 Bless Me Ultima Rudolfo Anaya Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
10 Bone (series) Jeff Smith Political viewpoint, racism, violence

Banned Books Week 2014 will be celebrated from 21st till 27th September. This year’s focus will be on graphic novels because they are frequently subjected to censorship despite their serious literary content and popularity as a genre. Find out more info at this website.

Book community from librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists to teachers and readers will celebrate the week by hosting a variety of activities. Check out ALA, Banned Book Week and Read Write Think to find out more about the activities.

American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) celebrates Banned Books Week with a special banner

My friends & I will have our first book club discussion on 27th of September. Our book of choice is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, which still finds itself on the banned books list. You could read more about this ban here.

Are you going to celebrate Banned Books Week? How are you celebrating it? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts/ideas with us in the comment box below!

08.28.14
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John Green’s Paper Towns is coming to big screen next year!

Fans of John Green‘s work, get excited! Paper Towns will be adapted into a movie!!! If you have not read the book, here is a synopsis:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life — dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge — he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues — and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

‘Paper Towns’ by John Green

The screenplay for ‘Paper Towns’ will be written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Their previous works include ‘(500) Days of Summer’, ‘The Spectacular Now’ and ‘The Fault in Our Stars’. Nat Wolff has been cast as Quentin Jacobsen. Those who have watched ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ movie might have noticed Nat’s short-but-brilliant performance as Isaac.

The movie is set to be released in USA tentatively on 31st of July 2015. For more details of the movie development, visit this Internet Movie Database (IMDb) page.

If you have not read the book, why not buy/borrow/rent it before the movie release? Book lovers in KL & Selangor, make your way to our store if you’d like to rent a copy.

08.12.14
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Archie Andrews dies after 73 years in the comics

Archie Andrews, the cool redhead with freckles is among the most recognised comic book characters in the world. It seems, however, that popularity doesn’t equal to immortality even in fiction. Last month, Archie comics killed off the legendary character in ‘Life with Archie’ series. Archie made his last appearance in issue #36: he literally took a bullet for his friend Kevin Keller and died heroically.

‘Life with Archie’ issue #36 – the death of Archie Andrews

The death of Archie Andrews has provoked many discussions amongst comic fans. Associated One fan viewed that “this demise is a fitting and tonally perfect tribute to a character who has always put his friends first”. Some analysed the significance of the storyline while others thought the death element was a gimmick to boost sales.

Archie fans, don’t be too upset. Archie’s series do not stop due to his death. ‘Life With Archie’ is just one of 16 publications about Archie and the fictional town of Riverdale.

SS Readers Corner has several Archie publications that feature Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica. Make your way to our store to get your fix of Archie’s adventures.

Our collection of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica comics

Our collection of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica comics

08.09.14
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Happy Book Lovers Day!

Ninth of August is the book lovers day in USA. It is a day when book lovers are encouraged to relax with a good book.

We think that it should be a global celebration. So let’s celebrate with “virtual” pizza party! Click on this post to find out your preferred pizza & tell us your choice of pizza and the book you are reading/planning to read in the comment box below.

If you plan to buy a gift for a book lover, visit yesterday’s post for inspiration.

Happy Book Lovers Day!

Happy Book Lovers Day!