The BS Becomes Trailer Trash

Yes, it’s true.

I’ve become addicted to trailers.

Book trailers, that is.

They’ve been around for awhile, but lately I’ve noticed more and more book trailers popping up. Book trailers are, in essence, the same thing as movie trailers except they’re for — duh — books.  They provide a brief introduction to a book, give you a feel for its story and style, tell you a little about the author, and all in less than a few minutes.  Some are fantastically elaborate and grand, others are deliciously cheap and basic.  And some, of course, are good, and some suck donkey wang.

I’ve come across three that really caught my attention.  They are for vastly different books, but all are presented in an unforgettable way. And I want to read all of them.

 

The first one has been out for some time, but I thought it was remarkably beautiful and highly effective through the use of a simple photo montage and elegant music.

 

The second is from one of my favorite people on the planet, Jen Lancaster.  Jen is the author of a book that wins The Book Snark Title of the Year contest: Bright Lights, Big Ass. This trailer is for Jen’s latest, Such A Pretty Fat (Or, Why Pie Is Not the Answer).

 

And now for something COMPLETELY different.  Get the kiddies outta the room and grab your favorite ping pong paddle.  At the end of the trailer, the look on the face of the chick sitting on the sofa is absolutely fantastic.  I’ve already ordered my copy of this book.

OUCH.

Where’s my donut pillow?

 

Image Source  A Little Northwest of Normal

September 19, 2008 | Filed Under Trailer Park | 3 Comments 

For the Love of Crosswords

I am a big crossword puzzle fan. Admittedly, I’m not terribly good at them, but I love trying. There’s something so fulfilling about completing a crossword puzzle, be it the ridiculous simplicity of TV Guide’s weekly offering, the one at the back of your kid’s Weekly Reader, or that grand behemoth of all crosswords, The New York Times. Typically I find USA Today’s crossword to be in my scope of possibility, though my dream — and I confess this sheepishly — is to finish the one in The New York Times…fairly. I always end up royally cheating and looking up the more baffling answers online.

In the BS’s fantasy, I complete the Times crossword, trumpets blare, and the next day am heralded a saint by that ancient prune with the pointy hat who lives in Rome.

Crossword puzzle books abound, and I am thankful for them.  Especially on a long plane ride when trying to trip the flight attendants stops being fun.  Or on a long car ride when trying to moon the senior citizens, or the busload of nuns, in the neighboring lane stops being fun.  Or….OK, I’ll stop.

After doing a bit of research, I’ve come up with what are arguably the most difficult clues in crossword puzzle history.  The puzzle, of course, appeared in The New York Times.  Daniel Girardi constructed the monster, and it was first printed in 1987.  Here’s a sampling of clues from this brain-basher:

  • Levantine coffee cup (4 letters)
  • Midianite ruler (3 letters)
  • Schoenberg’s “Moses und —–” (4 letters)
  • Japanese kombu ingredient (4 letters)
  • Honshu port (5 letters)
  • Kepi part (5 letters)
  • Lavabo (4 letters)

If you have the cajones to attack this puzzle, click here for all the fun.  The BS will stick to the Weekly Reader for the time being.

And since the holidays are fast approaching, you may want to think about The Snark Puzzle Book for any young booksnarks-in-training on your shopping list.

 

Image Source  Flickr

September 18, 2008 | Filed Under Random Acts of Snarkness | 381 Comments 

Candace Bushnell Takes on Carrie Bradshaw’s Early Years

Candace Bushnell, the author of Sex and the City, is slated to write two young adult novels for new HarperCollins imprint Balzer & Bray.  The novels will focus on the early years of Bushnell’s most famous heroine, Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw.  The first book will be titled The Carrie Diaries and will chronicle Bradshaw’s high school years.

This is intriguing to me, and though I probably won’t read the book (Sex and the City was never my thing), it would be interesting to see how Bushnell manages to switch the spotlight from very, very “adult” situations with Carrie to more high school-y issues with a younger version of her iconic character.  I suppose it could be argued that the two “scenes” aren’t terribly different anymore (young whippersnappers!), but what a delight for a writer (and his/her die-hard fans) to revisit such a beloved creation at another point in her life.

The Carrie Diaries is due on bookshelves in 2010.

Story Source Publishers Weekly  |  Image Source Factio

September 17, 2008 | Filed Under Newsies | 1 Comment 

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      WHAT IS A SNARK?




      The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

      But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.

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