Quirky City Sim ‘Buildings Have Feelings Too!’ Drops New Trailer, Screens, and More!

Posted on 03/14/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum
I love when there are games that seem to take a well known concept and mechanic but seek innovative ways to present it be it through plot, graphical style, and adding an extra element. Buildings Have Feelings Too looks like a regular city management game, but the twists of plot, graphic style AND added element put in high on my radar.  Below find the press release.

Being made of bricks and mortar doesn’t mean you don’t have your own things to worry about.

Manchester, UK – Mar 14, 2019 — Think you know city building games? Think again! Merge Games and indie developer Blackstaff Games introduced the ultra-quirky city-sim, Buildings Have Feelings Too! in 2018 and are proud to be back with new information and a brand new ‘second debut’ trailer!

Selected as one of Microsoft’s highlighted indie titles for GDC 2019 and making its way to Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in Summer 2019, Buildings Have Feelings Too! brings the city to life and turns its inhabitants into currency. Grow your city to a bustling metropolitan centre with an array of shops, offices, entertainment and amenities, but take care to keep your city thriving or risk losing your buildings being demolished forever. How will you react to the tides of change when your buildings have feelings too?

Imagine a city where buildings can walk and talk to one other. Each one has its own aspirations, hope and fears. Most of the time they’re just trying to get along with each other and make it through the day. Buildings Have Feelings Too! is a city management game with character. Players must grow their city while making sure the individual buildings thrive, or risk them being demolished forever.

As time progresses, new industries can be researched and new architectural marvels built. In turn, world events might cause buildings to fail and businesses to go bankrupt! Players must discover new ways to attend to their city’s needs. This could involve refurbishing a building or simply grabbing it by the hand and moving it to a nicer part of the neighbourhood.

As players progress they are able to grow their city, allowing for multiple neighbourhoods. Specialist areas, such as busy finance hubs or bustling theatre districts, become available. Additional layered attributes such as electricity supply, noise pollution and transport add more complexity and challenges for players.

Features

  • Discover and equip a wide range of businesses from the Victorian era right through to the modern day.
  • Befriend a range of Buildings, each with their own aspirations, hopes and fears, as they come to grips with the changing world around them.
  • Customise and rearrange your city’s layout by moving buildings and find the perfect combination for your city to grow.
  • Expand across multiple neighbourhoods of your city, discovering new landmark characters and districts.

Add Buildings Have Feelings Too! onto your Steam Wish List – https://store.steampowered.com/app/945740/Buildings_Have_Feelings_Too/

Follow along on;

About Blackstaff Games

Blackstaff Games is a boutique studio of collaborative designers working across animation, interactive and games. We work to create and enhance content with relatable characters, vibrant worlds and engaging experiences. We believe this allows ideas to shine, through direct interaction with our audience in a profound way.

We do this by promoting collaboration, craftsmanship and the power of the idea into everything we do.

About Merge Games

Merge is an independent video game publisher and distributor based in Manchester, UK. The company publishes and distributes interactive software worldwide for personal computers and video games consoles. Merge also specialises in publishing collectable games for retail and worldwide digital distribution for independent developers. More information about Merge products can be found at www.mergegames.com.

Posted in Video Games | Comments Off on Quirky City Sim ‘Buildings Have Feelings Too!’ Drops New Trailer, Screens, and More!

The Coolest Book Ever Made of the Strangest Film Never Made!

Posted on 03/14/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Esoteric, strange, inconceivable, surreal and undoubtedly awkward yet lovable. All ways someone could describe the talents of both the Marx Brothers and Salvador Dali. Who could imagine that the mime of the family Harpo and the man who painted The Persistence of Memory would become close friends; or that friendship would lead to a movie script that would never come to see the light of action and motion?

That is until said script was adapted into a graphic work by biographer and novelist Josh Frank with dialogue assistance by comedy “genius” of Tom goes to The Mayor and Tim&Eric, Tim Heideker and dazzling and stunning artwork from Manuela Pertega which reflects all the words of the first sentence.

The work was then turned into an absolutely amazing tone designed, compiled and published by the makers of all things wonderful, Quirk Books. It is titled Giraffes on Horseback Salad, the actual title of the screenplay it brings to life.

There is more then just a crazy and wild film concept brought to life in the only true way it could be in current days though. There is on the forefront a comic book that invokes its original creators (Dali and Marx) spirit while at the same time in so many ways also seems to reflect from (intentionally or not) the work of comic book surrealism master Steve Ditko, the visual insanity developed by co-writer Tim Heideker, his partner Eric Wareheim and the team at Abso Lutely Productions and the timing, pace and may layered story telling of modern movie masters of the obscure and incomprehensible yet mesmerizing and approachable such as Terry Gilliam and David Lynch; yet there is also a documented history of the very vastly researched history that brought this entire project into existence.

In over 30 pages of text with lavish illustrations before we get to the feature presentation there is truly detailed explanation of the original project, its creation and failure to come to fruition along with notes of what it could have been and how it became the tome that now exists. Following the nearly impossible to properly explain, but must be experienced tale are notes and sketches by Dali himself. Equally there’s a dedicated website that also directs you the forthcoming music album accompaniment to the entire novel, so that when you read and re-read it becomes a living breathing cinema-scope, orchestral jazz infused psychedelic romp as only Salvador Dali and the Marx Brothers could’ve created had they been allowed.


Luckily artists of their own excellent talents have allowed us all to at least have the chance to slightly consider what might have been while appreciating what is.

Giraffes on Horseback Salad comes out March 19, 2019 from Quirk Books and will available at all the places you buy books

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NEW from Nina Revoyr!

Posted on 03/12/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

A STUDENT OF HISTORY and THE NECESSARY HUNGER

BOTH AVAILABLE NOW from Akashic Books wherever books are sold!
A STUDENT OF HISTORY
By Nina Revoyr
A contemporary Los Angeles story of uncrossable social lines, allegiance and betrayal, immeasurable power, and the ways the present is continuously shaped by the past.
“Masterfully and intimately suspenseful . . . Shrewdly delineated scenes, loaded conversations, and a delirious surge of desire caustically expose [Los Angeles’s] toxic ruling-class legacy of prejudice and entitlement, while stoking questions of privilege, trust, and betrayal. Wealth and power, Revoyr confirms in this taut, commanding, and delectable novel, are not shields against folly, crime, or sorrow.”
—Booklist, STARRED review

Rick Nagano is a graduate student in the history department at USC, struggling to make rent on his South Los Angeles apartment near the neighborhood where his family once lived. When he lands a job as a research assistant for the elderly Mrs. W—, the heir to an oil fortune, he sees it at first simply as a source of extra cash. But as he grows closer to the iconoclastic, charming, and feisty Mrs. W—, he gets drawn into a world of privilege and wealth far different from his racially mixed, blue-collar beginnings. One evening, at an event, he meets Fiona Morgan—the elegant scion of an old steel family—who takes an interest in his studies. Irresistibly drawn to Fiona, he agrees to help her with a project of questionable merit in the hopes he’ll win her favor.

A Student of History explores both the beginnings of Los Angeles and the present-day dynamics of race and class. It offers a window into the usually hidden world of high society, and the influence of historic families on current events. Like Great Expectations and The Great Gatsby, it features, in Rick Nagano, a young man of modest means who is navigating a world where he doesn’t belong.
THE NECESSARY HUNGER
By Nina Revoyr
Akashic Books reissues Nina Revoyr’s inspired and groundbreaking 1997 debut novel about women’s basketball, class, racial identity, and friendship.
“The Necessary Hunger is the kind of irresistible read you start on the subway at six p.m. on the way home from work and keep plowing through until you’ve turned the last page.” —Time Magazine

The Necessary Hunger follows two basketball stars—Nancy Takahiro and Raina Webber—and several of their friends through their last year of high school. For some of them, their senior year will be full of glory, and the anticipation of college. For others, however, stranded in an inner-city Los Angeles neighborhood that promises little in the way of opportunity, it will mark not only the end of their time in school but also the end of their hope.

The Necessary Hunger is about families, friendship, racial identity, and young people who are nearing adulthood in a dangerous and challenging world. It is about sports as a means of salvation, about the nature of competition, and ultimately about the various kinds of love.

Our reissue of The Necessary Hunger includes a new introduction by Lynell George, and a new afterword by Nina Revoyr.
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🌌 ✨ Popular teen webcomic OPHIUCHUS to debut in print this August from Image Comics

Posted on 03/11/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum
PORTLAND, OR 03/11/2019 — Image Comics is pleased to announce that the popular webcomic, Ophiuchus by Alexis Leriger de la Plante and Natasha Tara Petrović will be collected in its entirety and debut in print from Image Comics this August.

Perfect for fans of Sloane Leong’s Prism Stalker, the day-glo drenched, cybernetic Young Adult/Teen adventure of Ophiuchus follows the story of a lone sentry to an ancient inactive warp gate. But when a strange being breaks through and infects her with a sentient virus, she’s approached by two machines who implore her to follow them to the center of the universe and put an end to the malevolent rot before it spreads to the surrounding worlds.

“Ophiuchus is a strange, personal project—it was based on a dream I had about trying to return home to a dead world, and confronting the ghost that was left of it,” said Leriger de la Plante. “We really went into it hoping to eventually turn it into a book one way or another, but we never quite expected the reception we got, and we almost lost our minds when Image decided to print it. We always felt the comic would be best in print, and that really went into every aspect of making it, so we’re extremely excited for it to reach a new audience in its intended format. The comic holds a lot of our love, so if you’re interested in loss, revenge, skeletons and robots, this is a comic for you.”

Ophiuchus trade paperback (ISBN: 978-1-5343-1406-1) is a complete, standalone graphic novel and will be available in comic shops on Wednesday, August 21 and available in bookstores on Tuesday, August 27. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Indigo.

Ophiuchus will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including the official Image Comics iOS app, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play.
ABOUT ALEXIS LERIGER DE LA PLANTE
Alexis Leriger de la Plante is an illustrator and comics artist based in Victoria, BC, Canada. She graduated with a Masters in History from the University of Victoria in 2016, and currently works on various personal projects, including multiple comics, and enjoys tea, winter, and all things robotic. Visit: https://www.alilart.com.
ABOUT NATASHA TARA PETROVIĆ
Natasha Tara Petrović is an Illustrator and Sequential Artist currently living Baltimore, MD. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a degree in Illustration. She likes to draw cute things and creepy things, and it’s all usually very colorful. She has asymmetrical hair and is as spooky as 1,000 Dead Draculas. Visit: 1000DeadDraculas.com.
ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
Posted in Comics | Comments Off on 🌌 ✨ Popular teen webcomic OPHIUCHUS to debut in print this August from Image Comics

STRAVAGANZA MANGA SERIES TO BE RELEASED BY UDON ENTERTAINMENT

Posted on 03/11/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

A new quest begins! UDON Entertainment is thrilled to announce the release of Akihito Tomi’s epic manga adventure, STRAVAGANZA, scheduled for English language release in August 2019.

A mysterious warrior travels the kingdom of Auroria, battling monstrous creatures and seeking adventure. Few know this warrior’s true identity as the young and inexperienced masked monarch, Queen Vivian! STRAVAGANZA VOLUME 1 chronicles a world where humans are not at the top of the food chain, and the Queen in the Iron Mask must learn to use both her sword and her throne to protect her people from the dangers looming beyond the city walls.

UDON Entertainment will publish STRAVAGANZA in 3 oversized volumes, with each omnibus containing two of the original Japanese volumes. This original manga story will kick off with STRAVAGANZA VOLUME 1 and is recommended for mature readers only. Deadly creatures, fantastic foes, a Queen in an Iron Mask, welcome to Auroria!

STRAVAGANZA VOLUME 1 will be released on August 13, 2019. 
STRAVAGANZA VOLUME 1
DETAILS: 368pg, 5.75 x 8.25”, Full Color, Paperback
MSRP: $19.99 USD
RELEASE DATE: August 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1772941036
DIAMOND ORDER CODE: JAN198667

 

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An Early Look at Book Expo Sessions and Book Con Guests

Posted on 03/09/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Book Expo America has started revealing some of the talk sessions for Expo. Now in terms of planing this doesn’t completely help once autographing and booth sessions come to light BUT they do preview some of the celebrity guests who also happen to make books that haven’t been announced. Including George Takei, Jenny Slate, John Hodgman, Pete Holmes as well as with the announced Buzz books a clue of some of the books being promoted in advance. I’ve highlighted a few sessions that catch my eye and even noticed there’s a small overlap. Along with the sessions I’ve linked to the featured book when I could for some pre-show information

05/29/2019, 12:10 PM – 12:45 PM
George Takei: From American Enemy to American Icon

In his new stunning graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, actor/author/activist George Takei revisits his haunting childhood in American concentration camps, as one of 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. In this discussion at BookExpo, Takei recounts the experiences and forces that shaped his own life and America itself. Join us for this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.

05/30/2019, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
The Word (Bubble) on Scholastic Graphix

From the fringes of the comic book store to the top of the bestseller list, graphic novels are here to stay. Learn about the graphic novels you should be saving space on your shelf for as well as resources and materials you can use to create your own comic community events. Attend the panel to receive a Scholastic Graphix gift bag!

PCS Note/Prediction: Gift bag shall have arcs from each panelist. Jon J. Muth’s Seventh-Voyage-Star-Diaries, Raina Telgemeier’s GUTS, Jennifer & Matt Holm’s Sunny Rolls the Dice and Kristin Gudsnuk’s Making Friends: Back to the Drawing Board.

05/30/2019, 3:30 PM – 4:05 PM
Laugh Out Loud with Jenny Slate, John Hodgman, and Pete Holmes

Jenny Slate, John Hodgman, and Pete Holmes are three of the most accomplished comedians of our time, yet their lives aren’t as glamorous as some may think. Being on the fringe of fame, battling anxiety self-doubt, or simply always looking for the next big career opportunity, these three comedians/authors are always battling to succeed. Join Slate (untitled), Hodgman (Medallion Status), and Holmes (Comedy Sex God) for a rousing discussion about their newest books which are the products of the secrets and struggles that create their success.

05/31/2019, 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Progress in LGBTQ+ Books and Authors in 2019: Grace Ellis, Mariko Tamaki, & Phil Stamper

LGBTQ+ books, characters, and authors continue to play a critical role in today’s publishing landscape. Please come to the Downtown Stage to join Lumberjanes co-creator and co-writer Grace Ellis (Moonstruck Vol 2), Eisner Award winner Mariko Tamaki (Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass), and debut author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us – February 2020) as they discuss how their latest works fit into today’s writing industry.

05/31/2019, 11:15 AM – 11:50 AM
DC Showcase

DC talks new middle grade (DC Zoom), YA (DC Ink), and mature readers (DC Black Label) imprints at BookExpo 2019! Join Meg Cabot (Black Canary: Ignite, DC Zoom), Kami Garcia (Teen: Titans: Raven, DC Ink), Kelly Sue DeConnick (Aquaman Vol. 1: Unspoken Water, DC), and Sean Murphy (Batman: White Knight, DC Black Label), at this exciting showcase!

05/31/2019, 12:50 PM – 1:30 PM
John Cena Presents: Elbow Grease vs. Motozilla

Global superstar and icon John Cena is a beloved entertainer and dedicated philanthropist who’s renowned for his humor, athleticism, and acting. While he’s increasingly known for his work in films such as Trainwreck, Ferdinand, and the Transformers spin-off, Bumblebee, he’s best known for being a 16-time WWE World Champion and five-time US Champion. But most importantly, he’s the #1 requested Make-A-Wish granter, as he has made more than 500 Make-A-Wish visits. Please join John and he discusses Elbow Grease vs. Motozilla, a high-octane story all about teamwork, which is the second picture book in the #1 New York Times Bestselling series Elbow Grease.

05/31/2019, 2:20 PM – 3:00 PM
BookExpo Graphic Novel Spotlight

Join us for an essential preview of the most exciting graphic novels of Fall 2019: Stage Dreams, by Melanie Gillman  ; The Seventh Voyage, by Jon J Muth, Stargazing, by Jen Wang, and Rusty Brown, by Chris Ware. From kids to adult, science fiction to contemporary, these graphic novels span ages and categories – the most anticipated new work from some of the most inspiring creators in the field today. Moderated by Calvin Reid (Publishers Weekly).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is a recent image of added guests to Book Con, but here’s a quick list of folks PCS is very excited for and what they’re probably at the show promoting based on prior information and released news.

Alyssa Milano, child & adult star with her new Scholastic series that begins with HOPE.

Eoin Colfer of Artemis Fowl fame, promoting not just the new movie but the announced new book series.

Evangeline Lilly, major film star, with her book series The Squickerwonkers. According to the events page on that site at Book Con she’ll be on a panel with Milano, as well as R.J. Palacio who has a follow-up to Wonder titled White Bird coming soon.

of particular interest to this site as it covers music, movies and books is the appearance by Tegan & Sara in advance of their upcoming memoir, High School.

 

And there you have a small sneak into what the 2019 Book Expo America and Book Con shall entail.  Throw in Unbound and New York Rights both events seem not miss so if you’re in a position to be at BEA do so and if not, buy those Book Con Tickets now.

Posted in Book Expo America, Conventions, Events & Expos | Comments Off on An Early Look at Book Expo Sessions and Book Con Guests

Freebird Games hints at ‘Impostor Factory’ to celebrate the release of To the Moon and Finding Paradise comics collection

Posted on 03/08/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

To the Moon and Finding Paradise will be 50% off this weekend on Steam to celebrate both Impostor Factory’s announcement and the comic book release!

March 8, 2019, Toronto, Canada — Freebird Games has many carefully crafted stories on the horizon but there is one in particular that they’re incredibly excited to announce today. Impostor Factory is the next project from Freebird Games, adding another chapter to their award-winning library of narrative adventures, and marking an end of an era for the development team.

Impostor Factory teaser — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JRrRMUlJEA

Set to launch in 2020 for PC/Mac/Linux, Impostor Factory will be familiar to fans of To the Moonand Finding Paradise. But in a stark shift from the developer’s past story structure style, players will take part in a time-resetting thriller-mystery that involves a series of bloody murders.

Freebird Games is also releasing Paper Memories, a 50-page comic including stories from To the Moon, Finding Paradise, and the Sigmund Corp. doctors today on Steam! The comic book is illustrated by Puré and co-written by Kan Gao. Paper Memories also includes bonus tracks from To the Moon and Finding Paradise.

To celebrate both pieces of news, To the Moon and Finding Paradise will also be 50% off on Steam from Friday to Sunday! If you’ve yet to play either title, now is a great time to jump in.

Paper Memories, the Freebird Games comic book, can be found here on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1028420

Physical prints of the comic book are available for pre-order at: https://freebirdgames.bigcartel.com/

About Freebird Games:

Freebird Games is an indie game development studio founded by Kan (Reives) Gao as a personal outlet, to tell stories through the form of interactive narratives and music.

Posted in Comics, Video Games | Comments Off on Freebird Games hints at ‘Impostor Factory’ to celebrate the release of To the Moon and Finding Paradise comics collection

Your First Look at ROCKO’S MODERN AFTERLIFE #1 from BOOM! Studios

Posted on 03/08/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

O-Town Overrun by Mysterious Epidemic in April 2019

​

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 8, 2019) – BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at ROCKO’S MODERN AFTERLIFE #1, available in stores on April 3, 2019. In this exciting first issue in the limited comic book series from writer Anthony Burch (Borderlands 2) and artist Mattia Di Meo (Adventure Time/Regular Show), everyone’s favorite wallaby, Rocko, is trying to survive the zombie outbreak that’s taken over his home of O-Town!

Welcome to the future of O-town where everyone’s cell phone is glued to their hands, Heffer makes a living streaming video games online, and the latest app lets you avoid all contact with everyone else without even looking up from your gadget! But even in the midst of this  techno-utopia, there’s something not quite right with Rocko’s fellow citizens as the authorities call for a city-wide lockdown. While Rocko takes the two weeks as a time to chill and unplug from technology, the rest of the town seems to be going mad. When danger comes knocking at his door, the newly zen wallaby will have to choose whether to stay barricaded within his increasingly surrounded home or venture forth into a wasteland filled with mindless versions of his friends and neighbors.

“Anthony and Mattia bring a fresh and hilarious take to everyone’s favorite neurotic wallaby. Rocko has to find the resolve to brave the undead and save his friends ” said Matthew Levine, Editor. “Come for the mindless zombie hordes and stay for the social satire as Rocko and the rest of O-town find out exactly who they are when society breaks down around them.”

ROCKO’S MODERN AFTERLIFE #1, featuring a main cover by Ian McGinty (Adventure Time, Invader Zim) and preorder variant cover by illustrator and artist Joey McCormick (Teen Titans Go To The Movies), is the latest release as part of the partnership between Nickelodeon and BOOM! Studios’ award-winning KaBOOM! imprint, home to comics for middle grade and younger readers, including licensed series such as Rocko’s Modern Life, Rugrats, Steven Universe, Peanuts, and Garfield, along with original series like Mega Princess by Kelly Thompson and Brianne Drouhard, Bodie Troll by Jay Fosgitt, Ruinworld by Derek Laufman, and The Deep by Tom Taylor and James Brouwer.

Print copies of ROCKO’S MODERN AFTERLIFE #1 will be available on April 3, 2019 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) on March 13, 2019  or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

For breaking news on ROCKO’S MODERN LIFE and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

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Buzz Books Announced for Book Expo 2019

Posted on 03/07/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

There’s a lot of information and news to cover here following recent announcements of Justice Sotomayor and John Cena’s apperances. First up the Buzz Books for Adult, Young Adult and Middle-Grade have been revealed.  Below is a list with additional links and information that I researched that were not provided in the press release.
ADULT
The Warehouse: A Novel by Rob Hart, Crown, Publication Date: August 20, 2019. A close future book about multi-conglomerate tech company slowly taking over America and people involved in it and working against it from a noted crime writer and co-writer of Scott Free by James Patterson.  Already optioned by Ron Howard for film.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, Putnam Books/Penguin Random House, Publication Date: January 2020. Debut book about a babysitter, her client and secrets. Optioned for media already as well.

Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener, Farrar, Straus and Giroux/McD, Publication Date: January 14, 2020. A memoir based on the writer’s time in the tech industry. Based on a short piece previously published. Currently optioned and being shopped by Universal.

The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott, Alfred A. Knopf, Publication Date: September 17, 2019. A highly researched account telling a based on a truth multi-voice fictional account of the story of the women in the CIA during the time of the creation of Dr.Zhivago.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, William Morrow, Publication Date: January 7, 2020. Described by the publisher as a Lolita in the #MeToo era, but honestly read the writer’s words in the EW acquisition interview to really understand the book better.

How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones, Simon & Schuster, Publication Date: October 8, 2019. A memoir from the award winning poet about growing black and gay and discovering life.

YOUNG ADULT

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett, Wednesday Books, Publication Date: September 17, 2019. A supernatural tale of coming of age young women and rebellion with magic. Being produced and directed into film by Elizabeth Banks.

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Publication Date: August 20, 2019. A hard title to describle without posting the entire blurb, so check it out on the book’s site.

The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake, Hyperion, Publication Date: October 1, 2019. Inspired loosely by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, a young lady’s story of discovery of not just herself but the shipwreck that first brought her family to where they are now and how it affects history (her own, and its own).

Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart, Delacorte Press, Publication Date: October 1, 2019. A tale of a girl returning to school a year after a horrific fire took her parents, her house and her face from her and how she figures out how to return to life.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon, Penguin Young Readers, Publication Date: September 10, 2019. A debut novel about a young Korean-American who fake dates his best friend for the freedom to do what he wants without parental guidance, only to discover he never understood. In production as a film from Paramount Pictures.

MIDDLE-AGE
Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi, Candlewick Press, Publication Date: October 1, 2019. A chapter book in which a little girls toy robots come to life. Illustrations by Corinna Luyken.

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle by Norton Young Readers, Publication Date: September 10, 2019. A debut novel based on the writer’s personal life of growing up poor told in senstive tones for young readers who would sadly still relate in today’s age.

Pavi Sharma’s Guide to Going Home by Bridget Farr, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Publication Date: September 17, 2019.  From the book’s publication blurb: The Fosters meets The Great Gilly Hopkins in this moving novel, featuring foster kid Pavi Sharma as she sets off on an important mission to save a fellow foster kid from the home that still haunts her nightmares.

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch, Sourcebooks Young Readers, Publication Date: January 7, 2020. A new series from the writer of The Potion Diaries based in a tech world that may also be magical featuring a computer cat.

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi, Penguin Young Readers, Publication Date: August 27, 2019. In 1984 a young girl raised in the south on science fiction by her NASA engineer grandfather has to move to Harlem to live with her father and soon discovers Harlem is not much different than sci-fi.

And the amazing part about these BUZZ books is there are only a SAMPLING of what’s to come in 2019/2020 and to be promoted at Book Expo.

Posted in Book Expo America, Books | Comments Off on Buzz Books Announced for Book Expo 2019

Amazing Announcements for Book Expo & The Book Con

Posted on 03/06/2019 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Over the last couple days news and excitement for this year’s Book Expo America and The Book Con have gotten even bigger with two announcements for each show that add some serious star power to a show that shall only grow larger. Below find images promoting Sonia Sotomayor and a press release, as well as an image and link for professional wrestler and actor John Cena.

BookExpo The Business of Book Culture May 29-31 Javits Center | NYC
An Evening with Justice Sonia Sotomayor Event Details Thursday, May 30, 2019 6:15 PM - 7:15 PM BookExpo Main Stage, Javits Center Cost: Free. Must RSVP and have a valid BookExpo badge for Thursday RSVP Here >>

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR TO HEADLINE BOOKEXPO 2019

 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to Discuss Upcoming Book, Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, at Special Appearance on May 30

Norwalk, CT, March 6, 2019: Today, ReedPOP – the world’s leading producer of pop culture events – announced that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latinx person appointed to the Supreme Court, will headline a Thursday evening event at BookExpo, the nation’s leading publishing industry event. At this special appearance, entitled: “An Evening with Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” she will discuss Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, her new book that will be released this Fall.

This event will offer attendees the unique opportunity to hear from Justice Sotomayor as she discusses her life and the experiences that led her to write her new book for young readers. Illustrated by celebrated artist Rafael López (The Day You Begin, Book Fiesta!), Just Ask will be released in both English and Spanish editions by Penguin Young Readers on September 3, 2019.

Born in the Bronx to parents of Puerto Rican descent, and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a young child, Sonia Sotomayor went on to attend Princeton University as an undergraduate and then Yale Law School, from where she then rose through the ranks of the judicial system to land on the highest court in the nation, the Supreme Court of the United States. In this special event at BookExpo 2019, Sotomayor returns to her home city to discuss the lessons she learned growing up in the Bronx; how living with Type 1 diabetes gave her the fortitude and perseverance it took to thrive as a lawyer and judge; and why it is important we acknowledge and celebrate different abilities in kids, and people of all ages. Sotomayor is also the author of Turning Pages, My Beloved World and The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor.

“An Evening with Justice Sonia Sotomayor” will take place at the Javits Center on Thursday May 30, 2019 from 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM. This is a free event that all attendees must register for in advance. Attendees must also have a valid BookExpo badge for this day. For more information or to register for “An Evening with Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” please visit www.bookexpoamerica.com.

In recent years, BookExpo’s Thursday evening event has become a highlight of the show, with past featured guests including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders. Justice Sotomayor joins previously announced BookExpo guests including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Lupita Nyong’o, Rachel Maddow, Eoin Colfer, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush.

BookExpo continues evolve to create more value for BookExpo Attendees and Exhibitors. New features at BookExpo 2019 include a co-location with New York Rights Fair, ABA Editors’ Speed Dating, a stage dedicated to Independent Publishers and the debut of UnBound, a new “show within a show” dedicated to sidelines in an effort to address booksellers’ growing need to expand their non-book offerings.

 

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