This is All I want to do these days...

was busy at Schuler Books, and a post-rush recovery was necessary.

At the moment, I am planning a reboot of the Schuler Blog to make it more exciting, more consistent and more Booktastic!

Thanks for your patience while we rework things – we’ll see you in a few weeks with a brand new blog!

(Note: Links will take you to the book’s page on Schuler Books and Music’s website)

Suzanne Collins’ the Hunger Games series is quite popular right now, especially with the movie adaptation coming out next March. There are three books in the series: the Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. This is an action-packed series about a society where citizens are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised fight-to-the-death competition. These books are great for both girls and boys, and the boxed set is also available.

But if your teen has already read the Hunger Games and loved them, here are a few titles they are sure to love:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting ($16.99)

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom….

~

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi ($17.99)

No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she’s finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she’d lost forever.

~

Divergent by Veronica Roth ($17.99) 

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

————————————————————-

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is still popular and if you’re buying for someone who enjoys love stories with a supernatural/paranormal twist, here are some great titles to give them!

The Pace by Shelena Shorts ($10.99)

Weston Wilson is not immortal, and he is of this world. But, aging is not part of his existence, and 18-year-old Sophie Slone is determined to find out why. In doing so, she may also uncover something about her own life expectancy that she may not want to know.

-The Broken Lake (The Pace Series, Book Two)
-The Iron Quill (The Pace Series, Book Three)

~

Hunted by DJ DeSmyter ($10.99) Local author!
*This title is not available through our website, but is available in our stores. Please call for availability*

Seventeen-year-old Lily Atwater has always kept to herself, living a lonely life with her workaholic dad. Not the most thrilling life, but it’s quiet and ordinary, two things she’s come to expect from living in Victor Hills, Michigan.

When kind and mysterious Alex takes refuge in her home, she is suddenly thrown into his world of werewolves, a world he wants to keep her safe from. But while the two of them grow closer, a relentless hunter continues his search, stalking the woods with hopes of catching the wolf that got away…

~

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ($9.99)

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. At least, not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and probing eyes, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust—she can’t decide whether she should fall into Patch’s arms or run and hide from him. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth more unsettling than any feeling Patch evokes. For Nora stands amid an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen—and choosing the wrong side will cost her life.

-Crescendo (Hush, Hush Book Two)
-Silence (Hush, Hush Book Three)

————————————————————-

To finish, here are some other fantastic titles that are worth checking out:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin ($16.99)

Mara wakes up from a coma with no memory of the accident that caused the deaths of her best friend, boyfriend, and boyfriend’s sister. The doctors tell her parents that starting over in a new state and a new school will be good for her and that she should let the memories come back on their own. But Mara’s new start is anything but comforting when she sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and her world starts to fall apart. She begins to see people’s deaths just before they happen—at least that’s what she thinks she’s seeing. On top of that, the most beautiful boy ever is pursuing her, but his intentions may not be so pure….

Part thriller, part paranormal, this hotly anticipated debut novel will have readers on the edge of their seats.

~

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore ($9.99)

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

-The Power of Six (sequel to I Am Number Four)

~

 Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus ($9.99)

Since her sister’s mysterious death, Persephone “Phe” Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts—the subject of her sister’s final diary entry.

After stepping on campus, Phe immediately realizes that there’s something different about this place—an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach—and somehow she’s connected to it all.

But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town might cost her her life.

~

If I Stay by Gayle Forman ($8.99)

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces – to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, Mia’s story will stay with you for a long, long time.

-Where She Went (sequel to If I Stay)

~

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher ($9.99)

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden’s daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . .

-Sapphique (Book Two)

————————————————————-

Hopefully you’ve found these suggestions helpful and everyone here at Schuler Books wishes you a wonderful holiday season!

Check it out for info and links:

Customers who purchase e-books through independent booksellers now have a mobile option with the launch of IndieBound Reader for Android, which was developed by Bluefire Productions. The app, currently offered for devices using the Android operating system, will soon be available for iOS devices as well. It can be downloaded from the Android Market or IndieBound.org.

“With the release of IndieBound Reader, independent bookstores are taking another major step forward as players on the digital stage,” said Matt Supko, technology director for the American Booksellers Association. “A year after the launch of Google eBooks, indies have become a vital and fast-growing part of the e-book market, thanks to their creativity, marketing savvy, and knack for matching the customer with the best book for them-print or digital. The IndieBound Reader app gives independent bookstores a home on the most popular mobile devices, making it easier than ever for customers to shop local when they shop digital.”

Sign up to win an iRiver Story HD eReader and a $50 Gift Card by sending your name and phone number to schulerbookscontest@gmail.com or by visiting your local Schuler Books.  The iRiver Story HD eReader is specifically configured to work well with Google eBooks, so you will have a seamless buying and reading experience when purchasing from schulerbooks.com.

The winner will be announced on December 19, just in time for Christmas!

And you can do it at your local, independent bookstore — Schuler Books is your one-stop shop for books, movies, music, unique gifts and more! And if you’re indecisive you can give a Schuler gift card and let your loved one decide what they want!

Starting Friday we are celebrating Black Friday Weekend and Small Business Saturday with a 3-day sale of 50% off selected Simon & Schuster titles at all of our locations! We’re featuring a great group of titles, including bestsellers like the new Stephen King (11/22/63 – a revisionist history of the JFK assassination), Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible and Walter Isaacson’s bio of Steve Jobs; as well as great gift ideas like the beautiful new edition of The Iliad or the wondrous picture book The Man in the Moon by William Joyce!

The 2011 National Book Award Winners Announced

The winners of the National Book Awards were announced last night, November 16, at the National Book Foundation’s 62nd National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

This year’s winners are:

Fiction

Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones (Bloomsbury USA) — A September 2011 Indie Next Great Read

Nonfiction

Stephen Greenblatt, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern (W.W. Norton & Company)

Poetry

Nikky Finney, Head Off & Split (TriQuarterly, an imprint of Northwestern University Press)

Young People’s Literature

Thanhha Lai, Inside Out and Back Again (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Need a little more darkness in your holidays? Then check out two new books about two very different men in black.

Love Darth Vader? Then you need to check out ‘Star Wars: The Complete Vader‘ by Ryder Windham and Peter Vilmur. Full of unreleased images and reproduced memorabilia, this book will tell you everything you need to know about this Dark Lord of the Sith, his story and the impact he’s had on society and culture.
Not a fan of evil? Shadowy vigilantes more up your (crime) alley? Pick up The Batman Files by Matthew Manning. In the style of many ‘Vault’ books of the past, this book treats Batman as though he is real, with excerpts from Bruce Wayne’s journals, blueprints for various gadgets, and even childhood drawings. A must for any Batman fan (and now that ‘Arkham City’ has been released, there are a lot more of them out there), this beautiful book is an awesome keepsake.

****

EDIT: 11 20 11 – HOLY RECALLS, BATMAN!

We’re sorry to have to report that the Batman Files book was recalled from everyone’s shelves. Hopefully we’ll get another printing in before Christmastime, but we’re not sure, yet.

However, as mentioned, there are all kinds of good Batman and DC books to check out in our stores. If you haven’t seen Noel, yet, you should totally grab a copy.

With the lights dim in parts of the store, we weren’t able to get good pics of everything — we had a great time with ghost stories from Ghost Writers anthology author Elizabeth Kostova, Elizabeth Schmuhl and Keith Taylor, and the florescent blacklight twister board looked AMAZING — but check out the ones we did get, and click on this link for a news clip from Channel 6 News!

End of the night group photo with the Shatner!

Winners of the kids' costume contest.

Adult costume contest winners.

Click thru for more great pictures!

Our cafe employees got into the spirit

The fella on the right won Best Zombie of the Night for not breaking character through the entire party

ZOMBIE!

Zombie Snookies! (The one on the right is our store manager Rhoda, and this is why I love her.)

Michigan picture book author Kelly Dipucchio read her book Zombie In Love

The awesome Kat Cooper of the Ginger and the Geek podcast!

They are the Crashers. When a plane goes down, the “Go Team” assembles from across the country to secure the wreckage, investigate the incident, and determine what happened, and what — or who — was to blame. It’s a tough job that can sometimes be hazardous and thankless, and requires a certain amount of emotional distance from the horrible event, itself.

But how do you do that when the Crashers, themselves, are in a crash?

When three of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigators are involved in an accident in Montana, on their way to a conference, the personal and professional stakes are raised. The investigator in charge is a pig-headed egotist, his assistant is well-meaning but untried, and some of their best people have been sidelined by the wreck, or are elsewhere. But, as bad as the wreck and its investigation are, the Crashers have no way of knowing just how bad things are going to get.

They don’t know that the plane was brought down by a sophisticated device that can disrupt all electrical activity on a plane.

They don’t know that the plane was targeted in order to stop one of the passengers from speaking out about the existence of that same device.

They don’t know that the man who brought the plane down is lurking nearby, ready to kill any survivor who knows too much, or any investigator who learns the horrible truth.

They have no clue that a deadly collusion between the defense department, the CIA, and a tech firm turned arms manufacturer is depending on that assassin to keep their secret, and willing to go to any length to ensure he succeeds.

Fortunately, the heroes of Dana Haynes’ previous book, Crashers, are on the case. But this investigation may prove to be more than even they can handle. Can they determine the cause of the crash when their every word is monitored, their chain of evidence is compromised, and every move they make is watched by a killer?

It’s going to be a long and bad trip between the incident and the report, and they may not all survive the flight in one piece…

Crashers was a slam-bang first novel, filled with international intrigue, memorable characters, clever dialogue, and more sharp twists and turns than an out of control roller coaster. More importantly, Haynes was able to do a high tech thriller that didn’t bog the reader down in so many details that the momentum was irrevocably lost in the expositional slog.

With Breaking Point, Haynes has succeeded in crafting a worthy follow-up to his debut novel: a fast-paced and nerve-wracking continuation of the crashers he introduced that makes you want another book as soon as possible. In fact, it was so good that I’m actually going to break one of my own review rules and use a cliche – Once I started reading I really could not put it down.

And if you like an intelligent thriller with compelling characters and non-stop action, I’m betting you won’t either.

Breaking Point is out November 8th. Crashers is out in paperback, now, and should be read first in order to get the full effect. It was reviewed here.

-Jim Tremlett, Eastwood