Home › Monthly archive

February 2010

Anne Rice Short Story Gets Vooked

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 23:00 — Anonymous

The Wall Street Journal reports that an ebook company named Vook is releasing a digital version of Anne Rice's 1984 vampire short story, "The Master of Rampling Gate." Here is a trailer of Vook's version of the short story. Take a look:

Permalink | Recent Headlines | Our News Feeds



...
Source -

reading challenges

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 17:13 — Anonymous

I am challenged when it comes to reading instructions. While trying to include a review at Dorte’s 2010 global reading challenge, I managed to post a link to this blog, rather than to this review of Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s Last Rituals. Sorry, Mr. Linky. I think I have disqualified myself from the challenge.

...
Source -

reading challenges

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 17:13 — Anonymous

I am challenged when it comes to reading instructions. While trying to include a review at Dorte’s 2010 global reading challenge, I managed to post a link to this blog, rather than to this review of Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s Last Rituals. Sorry, Mr. Linky. I think I have disqualified myself from the challenge.

...
Source -

- “The Lost Symbol”

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 16:05 — Anonymous

By Dan Brown (New York: Doubleday, 2009, 509 pages)
Another fast paced Robert Langdon novel by Dan Brown. This time the focus is on Washington DC and Freemasonry. Professor Langdon produces under pressure and threat once more to solve every clue and symbol put before him. The life of a close friend, Peter Solomon, is in jeopardy and Robert works overtime in a pursuit all over the District to find the need clues that would save him.
The perpetrator is ruthless and someone with a major grudge against Peter who is wealthy and a major leader in the Masonic lodge. The participants in this scenario include major players from the Intelligence community, politics, the police, religious leaders, and prominent masons. Peter’s sister who is a major scientist on the brink of a major break through is also involved and in danger.
Of course there are several twists and turns in the story that keep you on your toes and begging for more. At one point Langdon is even killed? The evil terrorist/bad guy in the book is chilling to the bone to say the least and his origins are surprising. The inter workings of several government agencies also lend an interesting backdr...

Source -

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xo7Gw-lreOI/S4qD2S5DHSI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/W1TSOx3Dxiw/s1600-h/smash.jpg"><img style="float:left;

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 14:53 — Anonymous

This month I’ve had an essay entitled Losing the Space Race published in Gastronomica. It features my mother, purple mini-skirts and the Smash robots and has made me very happy. Just call me Nigel Slater …And yes, I am also very happy to have been longlisted for the Sunday Times/EFG Short Story Award.Of course I am! If I’ve failed to thank anybody for their good wishes, please accept a public apology – I did get an awful lot of emails and calls and I might have slipped on responding – it’s not intentional, and I’m really grateful to everybody who congratulated me. but ask me again how I feel on 7 March when the shortlist is made public, then I might be a bit less chipper, or maybe, even more so!Mini book reviews:Betrayal by Karin Alvtegen published by Canongate - yet another book that’s feeding my current addiction to Nordic writers. Sadly, it’s not been a vintage 2010 for me and the Nordic crime scene. I struggled more than a little with The Quiet Gi...

Source -

Author Sapphire's hope is to 'change the world'

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 06:00 — Anonymous

Author-poet Sapphire knew that her novel "Push" was 'something
special" when she started writing it in 1993 as part of her
master's project at Brooklyn College. But its success as an
award-winning boo

...
Source -

Sapphire, in her own words

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 06:00 — Anonymous

On what she thought of the movie "Precious: Based on the Novel
Push by Sapphire":

...
Source -

Sapphire at UMSL

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 06:00 — Anonymous

What • The author of "Push" discusses her work, including the
inspiration for the movie "Precious."

...
Source -

Alice: Gaunt, goth in new 'Wonderland'

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 06:00 — Anonymous

Alice looks gaunt and goth in her latest print incarnation.

...
Source -

Best-sellers : Publishers Weekly list though Feb. 20

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 06:00 — Anonymous

HARDCOVER FICTION

...
Source -

ACFW March 2010 New Releases

Sat, 02/27/2010 - 22:29 — Anonymous

March is just around the corner and ACFW authors have books coming out from both February and March. Take a look. There's something to meet just about every one's reading preferences.1. A Distant Melody, Wings of Glory, Book One by Sarah Sundin An historical from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Allie is promised to a man she doesn't love, but a B-17 pilot captures her heart--will she honor her family's wishes or take a chance on love?2. A Woman Called Sage by Diann Mills An historical from Zondervan. A woman bounty hunter fights bitterness and revenge to find the killers of her husband.3. Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett Women's fiction from Tyndale. A moving story about women helping women and lives changed across continents, inspired by a non-profit organization of the same name.4. Beguiled by Deanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand A suspense/mystery/thriller from Bethany House. A dog-walker and a journalist pursue a thief (and each other) in atmospheric Charleston.5. Cowboy Protector ...

Source -

at the scene of the crime

Sat, 02/27/2010 - 16:24 — Anonymous

J. Sydney Jones, author of a historical mystery series set in Vienna that has raked in enough starred reviews to create his own constellation, has recently started a blog devoted to the role that a sense of place plays in mysteries. So far he has interviewed Leighton Gage about Brazil, Matt Rees and his take on Palestine, Rebecca Cantrell on Berlin, Vicki Delany and her series set in British Columbia, Philip Kerr and his Bernie Gunther series set in Berlin (what a hotbed of intrigue), Cara Black’s Paris …
And

Source -

at the scene of the crime

Sat, 02/27/2010 - 16:24 — Anonymous

J. Sydney Jones, author of a historical mystery series set in Vienna that has raked in enough starred reviews to create his own constellation, has recently started a blog devoted to the role that a sense of place plays in mysteries. So far he has interviewed Leighton Gage about Brazil, Matt Rees and his take on Palestine, Rebecca Cantrell on Berlin, Vicki Delany and her series set in British Columbia, Philip Kerr and his Bernie Gunther series set in Berlin (what a hotbed of intrigue), Cara Black’s Paris …
And

Source -

The Winner of The Pastor's Wife is . . . .

Sat, 02/27/2010 - 15:34 — Anonymous

SADE!!!!I contacted her and as soon as she sends me her mailing address, I'll get the book off to her.Sade, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

...
Source -

There's something about 'Alice'

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 18:14 — Anonymous

By age 19, Emily Montaglione had read “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’’ more than 70 times.

...
Source -

A preview to the Pilot's Sunday books page

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 17:03 — Anonymous

Here’s a snapshot of some of the reviews scheduled to run on Sunday’s book page...along with info on an upcoming book festival.

"Talking about Detective Fiction" by P.D. James. Alfred A. Knopf, 200 pp.,$22.

'WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW’ –

P.D. JAMES IS ALL ABOUT THAT

By Bill Ruehlmann

By the Book

...
Source -

Spring Snow

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 12:50 — Anonymous

~written by Yukio Mishima~translated by Michael GallagherI don't remember exactly how I first came across Yukio Mishima's The Sea of Fertility tetralogy, but I think it may have been when I was looking into the Japanese works that Michael Gallagher had translated. I've recently developed an immense interest in Japanese literature and Mishima is widely considered to be an important author and so I felt his books would probably make a decent starting point; The Sea of Fertility is often mentioned as his masterpiece and I was able to find a complete set in good condition at one of my favorite used bookstores, so I decided to start there. It was only after I started reading the first book in the sequence, Spring Snow, that I realized I actually knew who Mishima was--just not by name. At one point, a cousin was either reading one of Mishima's books or one of his biographies and happened to mention Mishima's death in 1970 by seppuku; this apparently stuck with me to some extent.Kiyoaki Matsugae is the only son of a samurai family that has recently risen in economic if not social status. His father is now the Marquis and his grandfather, now dead, continues to be revered. Kiyoaki himself is somewhat a dis...

Source -

Spring Snow

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 12:50 — Anonymous

~written by Yukio Mishima~translated by Michael GallagherI don't remember exactly how I first came across Yukio Mishima's The Sea of Fertility tetralogy, but I think it may have been when I was looking into the Japanese works that Michael Gallagher had translated. I've recently developed an immense interest in Japanese literature and Mishima is widely considered to be an important author and so I felt his books would probably make a decent starting point; The Sea of Fertility is often mentioned as his masterpiece and I was able to find a complete set in good condition at one of my favorite used bookstores, so I decided to start there. It was only after I started reading the first book in the sequence, Spring Snow, that I realized I actually knew who Mishima was--just not by name. At one point, a cousin was either reading one of Mishima's books or one of his biographies and happened to mention Mishima's death in 1970 by seppuku; this apparently stuck with me to some extent.Kiyoaki Matsugae is the only son of a samurai family that has recently risen in economic if not social status. His father is now the Marquis and his grandfather, now dead, continues to be revered. Kiyoaki himself is somewhat a disa...

Source -

Alice and the Beats

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 10:54 — Anonymous

Plenty of highlights in the 4th March PBA Galleries
Sale, with fine books available in all areas of literature – Children and Beat.

Among the highlights:

Carroll,
Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. One of only 25 copies with 11
original etchings by the late Argentinean artist, Alicia Scavino. Estimate
[...]

...
Source -

Caroline Kennedy - She Walks in Beauty

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 06:39 — Anonymous

Start: 04/13/2011 7:00 pm

Start: 04/13/2011 7:00 pm

Autho

...
Source -

Under Heaven / Guy Gavriel Kay

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 01:11 — Anonymous

Canada's master of literary historical fantasy returns with an absolutely magisterial effort that may well be his finest novel. In Xinan (analogue for Tang Dynasty China), the son of an honored general finds himself at the fulcrum of events that will shape the course of the entire empire's future. Written with Kay's signature sense of awe towards the grandeur of civilization and the forces that shape it and the lives of those with roles, large or small, to play in the drama of history, this is an unforgettable and essential epic from one of the field's titans. (*****)

...
Source -

The God Engines / John Scalzi

Fri, 02/26/2010 - 01:10 — Anonymous

Scalzi's Nebula-nominated novella, published as a stand-alone hardcover, is a major change of pace, a space opera/fantasy/horror hybrid about a spacefaring human civilization learning a thing or two about the deities they revere. A bit pretentious and heavy on expository dialogue, but its premise is striking, and its final third contains some of Scalzi's darkest and most visceral storytelling. Not a complete success, but what it does right, it does very right. (***1/2)

...
Source -

Sarah Vowell - Unfamiliar Fishes

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 23:41 — Anonymous

Start: 04/01/2011 1:00 pm

Start: 04/01/2011 1:00 pm

Autho

...
Source -

Michael Caine - The Elephant to Hollywood

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 23:06 — Anonymous

Start: Wed, 11/17/2010 - 7:00pm
Tickets $40 (includes a signed copy of the book)Reserve Tickets Onlineor Call (415) 927-0960, ext. 1

...
Source -

Billy Collins - Horoscopes for the Dead: Poems

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 20:41 — Anonymous

Start: 04/08/2011 7:00 pm

Start: 04/08/2011 7:00 pm

Autho

...
Source -

Super Record

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 15:07 — Anonymous

 

A superb price of $1m (£650,000) was achieved for a 1938
copy of ‘Action Comics No.1’, smashing the previous record for a comic book of $317,200
in 2009. The comic, originally sold for 10c back in the day, features the superhero
Superman. But does this really account for why it made a million!?

 

Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the US [...]

...
Source -

Reagan's blend of stagecraft and statecraft

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 10:30 — Anonymous

The presidential election of 1980 inaugurated the conservative revolution. It also demonstrated the dazzling skill of Ronald Reagan in blending stagecraft with statecraft. Craig Shirley chronicles the 1980 campaign in "Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America." Reagan wasn't alone, however, in understanding the role of stagecraft in politics. Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy also were exemplars - but, in Shirley's view, the latest charismatic occupant of the White House, President Barack Obama, has much to learn from his predecessors. Shirley is president of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, a conservative marketing firm. GUEST BLOGGER: Craig Shirley Almost 30 years ago to the day, Ronald Reagan stunned the political world by crushing his main opponent for the 1980 GOP presidential nomination, Amb. George H.W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary, winning 50 percent of the vote to Bush's 23 percent. Just that morning, newspapers across

...
Source -

Reagan's blend of stagecraft and statecraft

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 10:30 — Anonymous

The presidential election of 1980 inaugurated the conservative revolution. It also demonstrated the dazzling skill of Ronald Reagan in blending stagecraft with statecraft. Craig Shirley chronicles the 1980 campaign in "Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America." Reagan wasn't alone, however, in understanding the role of stagecraft in politics. Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy also were exemplars - but, in Shirley's view, the latest charismatic occupant of the White House, President Barack Obama, has much to learn from his predecessors. Shirley is president of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, a conservative marketing firm. GUEST BLOGGER: Craig Shirley Almost 30 years ago to the day, Ronald Reagan stunned the political world by crushing his main opponent for the 1980 GOP presidential nomination, Amb. George H.W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary, winning 50 percent of the vote to Bush's 23 percent. Just that morning, newspapers across

...
Source -

Geneen Roth - Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 21:39 — Anonymous

Start: 04/11/2011 7:00 pm

Start: 04/11/2011 7:00 pm

Autho

...
Source -

Book Passage Gift Card

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 20:02 — Anonymous
...
Source -

To our readers

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 17:27 — Anonymous

As many of you may have noticed, Short Stack has contained considerable coverage of political books in recent months. We at Book World believe strongly in the importance of book-length political writing to inform and educate the public on serious issues of the day. Political books cover an astonishing array of subjects that are part of the American conversation -- these are books not only about the political process: elections, the presidency, partisanship and the like but also about subjects that influence our political debate: national security, globalization, race, health care, justice, education, the environment, women's rights, and much more. The Book World blog has been evolving to provide you with news and analysis of the political book scene. We will soon make this evolution official with a new name and new features that will make the blog into a place where you can discover and debate the latest must-read

...
Source -

To our readers

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 17:27 — Anonymous

As many of you may have noticed, Short Stack has contained considerable coverage of political books in recent months. We at Book World believe strongly in the importance of book-length political writing to inform and educate the public on serious issues of the day. Political books cover an astonishing array of subjects that are part of the American conversation -- these are books not only about the political process: elections, the presidency, partisanship and the like but also about subjects that influence our political debate: national security, globalization, race, health care, justice, education, the environment, women's rights, and much more. The Book World blog has been evolving to provide you with news and analysis of the political book scene. We will soon make this evolution official with a new name and new features that will make the blog into a place where you can discover and debate the latest must-read

...
Source -

Eulogy for Robert B. Parker by his son, David

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 17:11 — Anonymous

This piece was read aloud at Robert B. Parker's memorial service earlier this month. I met my father in 1959 though I don't remember our first moments together. Over the years, I thought I'd come to know him quite well, but I never really understood--until these last weeks--that he was really three different men. The man known as Ace was the first: a charming, loutish, self-aggrandizing, cuddly, hard-drinking, sweet-talking, self-styled hooligan who used to tell us he'd one day become famous. We didn't believe him. It so happened he was right, because his second incarnation turned out to be Robert B. Parker, the venerated author who had restored a disreputable but quintessentially American genre--the detective novel--to its preeminent place in American fiction. He gave it relevance, he gave it probity and he gave it heat. For this, Robert B. Parker was beloved by millions and belonged really to the world.

...
Source -

Eulogy for Robert B. Parker by his son, David

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 17:11 — Anonymous

This piece was read aloud at Robert B. Parker's memorial service earlier this month. I met my father in 1959 though I don't remember our first moments together. Over the years, I thought I'd come to know him quite well, but I never really understood--until these last weeks--that he was really three different men. The man known as Ace was the first: a charming, loutish, self-aggrandizing, cuddly, hard-drinking, sweet-talking, self-styled hooligan who used to tell us he'd one day become famous. We didn't believe him. It so happened he was right, because his second incarnation turned out to be Robert B. Parker, the venerated author who had restored a disreputable but quintessentially American genre--the detective novel--to its preeminent place in American fiction. He gave it relevance, he gave it probity and he gave it heat. For this, Robert B. Parker was beloved by millions and belonged really to the world.

...
Source -

Christopher McDougall - Born to Run ADDED EVENT!

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 16:27 — Anonymous

Start: 04/09/2011 4:00 pm

Start: 04/09/2011 4:00 pm

Autho

...
Source -

Dangers of over-zealous intellectual property cops

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 10:30 — Anonymous

Worries about the poaching of intellectual property certainly didn't start with illegal downloads of Lady Gaga. Tensions between producers of art and ideas and those who wish to steal them have existed through history. At the same time, attempts to crack down on intellectual piracy have had their own unintended consequences, as Adrian Johns shows in "Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates," published last month by University of Chicago Press. Johns is a professor of history at the University of Chicago and chair of the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science. GUEST BLOGGER: Adrian Johns Recent reports indicating that a British law firm tried to reap a windfall by threatening alleged digital downloaders with lawsuits have embarrassed the content owners themselves. The British Phonographic Industry has had to distance itself publicly from the venture, which seems to have intimidated large numbers of innocents. Quite right,

...
Source -

Dangers of over-zealous intellectual property cops

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 10:30 — Anonymous

Worries about the poaching of intellectual property certainly didn't start with illegal downloads of Lady Gaga. Tensions between producers of art and ideas and those who wish to steal them have existed through history. At the same time, attempts to crack down on intellectual piracy have had their own unintended consequences, as Adrian Johns shows in "Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates," published last month by University of Chicago Press. Johns is a professor of history at the University of Chicago and chair of the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science. GUEST BLOGGER: Adrian Johns Recent reports indicating that a British law firm tried to reap a windfall by threatening alleged digital downloaders with lawsuits have embarrassed the content owners themselves. The British Phonographic Industry has had to distance itself publicly from the venture, which seems to have intimidated large numbers of innocents. Quite right,

...
Source -

Poet's Choice by Linda Pastan

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 03:04 — Anonymous

Though my poems are often a reflection of my so called "real life" (the woods outside my window, my family, what I read about in the newspapers), they are usually more disguised, less specific in their details, than this poem. Maybe that's because I lead such a quiet life that I have to invent, or at least embroider. But the snow that buried the Washington area this February was only "quiet" in the literal sense. Without heat, light, water, phone or stove, I felt like a character in "Castaway" or like a mountain climber stranded on the slopes. I think I could have done without the lights, the stove, the phone, even without my computer, but when the temperature in our house sank to 39 degrees, I became seriously unhappy. I often write poems in my head to distract myself during hard times. Some years ago, after a car crash,

...
Source -

Poet's Choice by Linda Pastan

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 03:04 — Anonymous

Though my poems are often a reflection of my so called "real life" (the woods outside my window, my family, what I read about in the newspapers), they are usually more disguised, less specific in their details, than this poem. Maybe that's because I lead such a quiet life that I have to invent, or at least embroider. But the snow that buried the Washington area this February was only "quiet" in the literal sense. Without heat, light, water, phone or stove, I felt like a character in "Castaway" or like a mountain climber stranded on the slopes. I think I could have done without the lights, the stove, the phone, even without my computer, but when the temperature in our house sank to 39 degrees, I became seriously unhappy. I often write poems in my head to distract myself during hard times. Some years ago, after a car crash,

...
Source -

Barnes and Noble Reports Declining Profits and Margins

Wed, 02/24/2010 - 02:00 — Anonymous

Barnes and Noble, the U.S.' largest bookstore chain, reported a decline in its third quarter profit and projected a fourth quarter which missed analysts' estimates.

Net income dropped to $80.4 million, or $1.40 a share, in the quarter ended Jan. 30 from $81.2 million, or $1.43, a year earlier, the New York-based company said today in a statement. The fourth-quarter loss will be 85 cents to $1.15 a share, the company said. Five analysts estimated a loss of 61 cents, on average, in a Bloomberg survey.

Gross margin, the percentage of sales left after the cost of goods sold, narrowed 370 basis points to 28.3 percent in the quarter. The Barnes & Noble College bookstores bought in September accounted for 270 basis points of the drop because textbooks are less profitable, Chief Financial Officer Joseph Lombardi said on a conference call. A higher percentage of online sales, including digital books and the Nook e-reading device, also ate into margins, he said.

"The main negative was their guidance for the fourth quarter and the gross margin overhang for Barnes & Noble College as well as the Nook," said Michael Souers, an equity analyst with Standard & ...

Source -

Cooks with Books: Jonathan Waxman - Italian, My Way

Tue, 02/23/2010 - 22:29 — Anonymous

Start: 04/20/2011 5:30 pm

Start: 04/20/2011 5:30 pm

Autho

...
Source -

Anne Lamott - Imperfect Birds

Tue, 02/23/2010 - 18:55 — Anonymous

Start: 04/21/2011 7:00 pm

Start: 04/21/2011 7:00 pm

Autho

...
Source -

Jean Shinoda Bolen in conversation with Isabel Allende

Tue, 02/23/2010 - 18:36 — Anonymous

Start: 04/22/2011 6:00 pm

Start: 04/22/2011 6:00 pm

Autho

...
Source -

for those in new york

Tue, 02/23/2010 - 16:10 — Anonymous

For those in New York: I'm going to be interviewing Bob Stein on Thursday as part of The Public School New York. This is part of The Public School's series on The Page + The Screen, which looks interesting all around. It's at 7:30 pm at 177 Livingston, a brand new space in downtown Brooklyn being operated by Triple Canopy, Light Industry, and The Public School New York. This should be a wide-ranging conversation about publishing & discourse past, present, and future. It's free.

Also: the Institute is putting together a series of occasional get-togethers for independent publishers in New York who are working or interested in working in online spaces and who are interested in talking to others doing the same. Email me (dan at futureofthebook dot org) for more details if you're interested.

And finally, if you are in New York, it's well worth setting aside some time to catch the Tino Sehgal show now up at the Guggenheim. We should have mentioned this earlier, but a handful of Institute-affiliated people are involved in this.

...
Source -

Featured Advertiser

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 23:55 — Anonymous

...
Source -

Author admits he was duped by a source while researching book on the Hiroshima bombing

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 23:55 — Anonymous

By Steven Levingston Author Charles Pellegrino confirmed Monday that he was duped by a source while researching his book on the bombing of Hiroshima and will remove the impostor entirely from the pages of future editions. "The Last Train From Hiroshima," published last month by Henry Holt to favorable reviews, contained reminiscences of Joseph Fuoco, who claimed to have been a last minute substitute aboard Necessary Evil, one of the photography planes that escorted the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Fuoco, who died in 2008, presented evidence to Pellegrino that he replaced Flight Engineer James R. Corliss aboard the plane. "My concern now is to correct this, to have James Corliss in his rightful place in history," Pellegrino said in an interview Monday. Pellegrino said he trusted Fuoco, who was referred to him by a friend, partly because Fuoco was a firefighter who had served in

...
Source -

Featured Advertiser

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 23:55 — Anonymous

...
Source -

Author admits he was duped by a source while researching book on the Hiroshima bombing

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 23:55 — Anonymous

By Steven Levingston Author Charles Pellegrino confirmed Monday that he was duped by a source while researching his book on the bombing of Hiroshima and will remove the impostor entirely from the pages of future editions. "The Last Train From Hiroshima," published last month by Henry Holt to favorable reviews, contained reminiscences of Joseph Fuoco, who claimed to have been a last minute substitute aboard Necessary Evil, one of the photography planes that escorted the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Fuoco, who died in 2008, presented evidence to Pellegrino that he replaced Flight Engineer James R. Corliss aboard the plane. "My concern now is to correct this, to have James Corliss in his rightful place in history," Pellegrino said in an interview Monday. Pellegrino said he trusted Fuoco, who was referred to him by a friend, partly because Fuoco was a firefighter who had served in

...
Source -

Reader's Digest Emerges From Bankruptcy

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 20:00 — Anonymous

Reader's Digest Association Inc. has emerged from bankruptcy, after the successful implementation of its prepackaged plan of reorganization. The company now has 75% less debt. ABC reports:

Reader's Digest, which filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in August, comes out of bankruptcy with $525 million in exit financing and a new board of directors that includes Fredric Reynolds, former chief financial officer of CBS Corp (CBS.N).

The company, best known for its namesake magazine, had been laboring under almost $2.3 billion in debt before filing for bankruptcy. But under its reorganization, the company was able to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and restructure other loans to save money.

Holders of Reader's Digest pre-petition senior secured debt will receive almost all of the new common stock. Private equity firm Ripplewood, which bought the company in 2007 for $1.6 billion, has no ownership stake going forward.

Over time, Reader's Digest has moved away from being known solely for its cornerstone magazine, expanding into some 78 branded websites, and selling as many as 40 million books, music and video products around the world each year. I...

Source -

New Yorker's Remnick to write Obama biography

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 17:12 — Anonymous

Knopf announced Monday that it will publish a biography of Barack Obama by New Yorker editor David Remnick that charts the president's evolution from a confused, biracial young man to an icon of hope. "The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama" will be released April 6. Remnick is the author of "Lenin's Tomb," the Pulitzer Prize-winning tale of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and of "King of the World," the story of Muhammad Ali during the civil-rights movement. The Obama biography relies on hundreds of interviews with a range of the president's associates, including family, friends and rivals. Remnick talked to controversial figures such as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Bobby Rush and Bill Ayers. President Obama also sat down for interviews with the author. --Steven Levingston

...
Source -

New Yorker's Remnick to write Obama biography

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 17:12 — Anonymous

Knopf announced Monday that it will publish a biography of Barack Obama by New Yorker editor David Remnick that charts the president's evolution from a confused, biracial young man to an icon of hope. "The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama" will be released April 6. Remnick is the author of "Lenin's Tomb," the Pulitzer Prize-winning tale of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and of "King of the World," the story of Muhammad Ali during the civil-rights movement. The Obama biography relies on hundreds of interviews with a range of the president's associates, including family, friends and rivals. Remnick talked to controversial figures such as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Bobby Rush and Bill Ayers. President Obama also sat down for interviews with the author. --Steven Levingston

...
Source -

Temple of Books

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 14:18 — Anonymous

This year, the Shedd-Porter Memorial
Library - one of New Hampshire’s landmarks -  is celebrating its centennial.

 

The granite building, which resembles a
Greek temple, first opened its doors in 25 August 1910. It has since remained
standing while other buildings around it burned down or were swept away in the 2005
floods.

 

Librarian, Barbara Davis, has been
arranging numerous events [...]

...
Source -

“Enthusiasm for the mysterious emissaries of pulp”: an interview with David Britton (the Savoy interviews, part 2a)

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 13:36 — Anonymous

The author of Lord Horror.

Interview by Simon Sellars.

This, the second of our three-interview series with Savoy luminaries, covers the company’s musical and spoken-word output. Part 1, with Michael Butterworth, discussed Savoy’s publishing arm, and part 3, with John Coulthart, will cover Savoy’s visual/comics/graphics output. To coincide with this series, we also ran a Savoy/Ballardian Microfiction competition.
This interview is in two parts. In the first, David Britton discusses PJ Proby, Ballard, Fenella Fielding, Ian Brady, Michael Moorcock, New Worlds magazine, Heathcote Williams and his own upbringing. In the second, he discusses New Order, Joy Division, punk, Manchester music, Kingsize Taylor, The Cramps, Zappa, Beefheart and Springsteen. Interspersed throughout both parts are sound clips from Savoy releases [NOTE: sound clips don't work in Google Reader].

..:: Don’t...

Source -

“Enthusiasm for the mysterious emissaries of pulp”: an interview with David Britton (the Savoy interviews, part 2a)

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 13:36 — Anonymous

The author of Lord Horror.

Interview by Simon Sellars.

This, the second of our three-interview series with Savoy luminaries, covers the company’s musical and spoken-word output. Part 1, with Michael Butterworth, discussed Savoy’s publishing arm, and part 3, with John Coulthart, will cover Savoy’s visual/comics/graphics output. To coincide with this series, we also ran a Savoy/Ballardian Microfiction competition.
This interview is in two parts. In the first, David Britton discusses PJ Proby, Ballard, Fenella Fielding, Ian Brady, Michael Moorcock, New Worlds magazine, Heathcote Williams and his own upbringing. In the second, he discusses New Order, Joy Division, punk, Manchester music, Kingsize Taylor, The Cramps, Zappa, Beefheart and Springsteen. Interspersed throughout both parts are sound clips from Savoy releases [NOTE: sound clips don't work in Google Reader].

..:: Don’t ...

Source -

“Enthusiasm for the mysterious emissaries of pulp”: an interview with David Britton (the Savoy interviews, part 2b)

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 13:35 — Anonymous

Back-cover sleeve for “Blue Monday”, by Lord Horror with the Savoy Hitler Youth Band.

Interview by Simon Sellars.

This is the second of a three-interview series about Savoy Books. It discusses Savoy’s musical and spoken-word output, and the interview is in two parts. In the first, David talked about PJ Proby, Ballard, Fenella Fielding, Ian Brady, Michael Moorcock, New Worlds magazine, Heathcote Williams and his own upbringing. Here, he discusses New Order, Joy Division, punk, Manchester music, Kingsize Taylor, The Cramps, Zappa, Beefheart and Springsteen. Interspersed throughout both parts are sound clips from Savoy releases [NOTE: sound clips don't work in Google Reader].

New Order’s “Blue Monday”/Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch”, performed by Lord Horror with the Savoy-Hitler Youth Band. Courtesy Savoy Records (1986).

SS: Why is “Blue Monday” such a touchstone for Savoy? You first recorded it as “Lord Horror with the Savoy Hitler Youth...

Source -

“Enthusiasm for the mysterious emissaries of pulp”: an interview with David Britton (the Savoy interviews, part 2b)

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 13:35 — Anonymous

Back-cover sleeve for “Blue Monday”, by Lord Horror with the Savoy Hitler Youth Band.

Interview by Simon Sellars.

This is the second of a three-interview series about Savoy Books. It discusses Savoy’s musical and spoken-word output, and the interview is in two parts. In the first, David talked about PJ Proby, Ballard, Fenella Fielding, Ian Brady, Michael Moorcock, New Worlds magazine, Heathcote Williams and his own upbringing. Here, he discusses New Order, Joy Division, punk, Manchester music, Kingsize Taylor, The Cramps, Zappa, Beefheart and Springsteen. Interspersed throughout both parts are sound clips from Savoy releases [NOTE: sound clips don't work in Google Reader].

New Order’s “Blue Monday”/Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch”, performed by Lord Horror with the Savoy-Hitler Youth Band. Courtesy Savoy Records (1986).

SS: Why is “Blue Monday” such a touchstone for Savoy? You first recorded it as “Lord Horror with the Savoy Hitler Youth...

Source -

Triumph of a Library

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 12:22 — Anonymous

 

Back in the 1940s, when playwright Somerset
Maugham visited a small town in India, he was surprised by the vast collection
of books covering a range of world classic and other literature. Particularly,
when he found his own works amongst the titles. The playwright wrote in the
visitors’ book that he was both ‘pleased’ and ‘flattered.’

 

The Trivandrum Public Library, [...]

...
Source -

Bonham’s Book

Mon, 02/22/2010 - 11:19 — Anonymous

This is what you can expect to find on
offer tomorrow at Bonhams Oxford book sale:

 

A fascinating archive of prints and books
from the Marxist art historian F.D. Klingender that survived his widow’s recent
death. In this extensive collection, you’ll find manuscripts and photographs of
the Klingenders in Germany; copies of published works by Klingender in books,
journals and [...]

...
Source -

Win Free Copy of the book, "The Pastor's Wife"

Sun, 02/21/2010 - 21:38 — Anonymous

Last week I reviewed a new book from Abingdon Press called The Pastor's Wife, by Jennifer AlLee. Today I am back with an interview with Jennifer and the opportunity to win your own copy of this great book!!To read my CFBA review you can go to the posting dated February 17, 2010. And then come back here to read an interview with Jennifer and sign up to win a free copy of The Pastor's Wife.I really enjoyed reading this book so much, and know you will too!I am very pleased to welcome author Jennifer AlLee to A Writer's Journey for an interview. After you have read the interview, be sure to leave a comment, telling about a pastor's wife you know. If you don't know a pastor's wife, tell about a woman you look up to. You don't need to mention names if you prefer not.On Saturday, February 27, 2010, a name will be chosen from among those leaving a comment to be the winner of The Pastor's Wife. So be sure to not miss leaving that comment and a mention about a pastor's wife you know at the bottom of the interview!Jennifer, welcome to A Writer's Journey.Q: Give us a little preview of The Pastor’s Wife.A: Maura Sullivan never thought she’d see Granger, Ohio, again. But when circumstances force her to return, she must face all the disappointments she trie...

Source -

45-Mar-Apr-2010

Sun, 02/21/2010 - 20:18 — Anonymous

Our March/April 2010 issue is now available.
Contents:

  • Ward Just
  • Tracy Chevalier
  • Best Books on the Cold War
  • Best of the Best Books of 2009
  • Comprehensive New Books Guide

Buy it now!

...
Source -

Best-sellers • The New York Times list through Feb. 6

Sun, 02/21/2010 - 06:00 — Anonymous

HARDBACKS FICTION

...
Source -

Everyday Life in Traditional Japan

Sat, 02/20/2010 - 20:40 — Anonymous

~by Charles J. DunnI know very little about Japanese history beyond what I learned about World War II in high school. Well, that's not entirely true. In regards to the "traditional" Japan of samurai epics, I've actually managed to pick up quite a bit from some of my favorite manga and anime (I'm particularly thinking of Blade of the Immortal and Samurai Champloo here). Perhaps not the most academic of sources, but I mange to hold my own pretty well among my history major friends--just don't ask me for specific dates. However, I knew there was a lot that I was missing and so I turned to the LibraryThing community to ask for book recommendations about day to day life in Japan during the Edo/Tokugawa period. It didn't take long for someone to suggest Charles J. Dunn's Everyday Life in Traditional Japan which was pretty much exactly what I was looking for.During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868), the Emperor became more of a figurehead while the majority of the power lay with the Shogun who was basically a military dictator. At ...

Source -

Everyday Life in Traditional Japan

Sat, 02/20/2010 - 20:40 — Anonymous

~by Charles J. DunnI know very little about Japanese history beyond what I learned about World War II in high school. Well, that's not entirely true. In regards to the "traditional" Japan of samurai epics, I've actually managed to pick up quite a bit from some of my favorite manga and anime (I'm particularly thinking of Blade of the Immortal and Samurai Champloo here). Perhaps not the most academic of sources, but I mange to hold my own pretty well among my history major friends--just don't ask me for specific dates. However, I knew there was a lot that I was missing and so I turned to the LibraryThing community to ask for book recommendations about day to day life in Japan during the Edo/Tokugawa period. It didn't take long for someone to suggest Charles J. Dunn's Everyday Life in Traditional Japan which was pretty much exactly what I was looking for.During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868), the Emperor became more of a figurehead while the majority of the power lay with the Shogun who was basically a military dictator. At ...

Source -

Woods opens door on private life wider than expected, says author of forthcoming biography

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 22:05 — Anonymous

By Steven Levingston Tiger Woods gets high marks for cracking the door open ever so slightly on his highly guarded private life during his TV mea culpa Friday, said the author of a forthcoming book on the golf legend. Steve Helling, a People magazine staffer who has covered Woods for years, is writing "Tiger," which will be published in May by Da Capo Press. Helling will chart the golfer's spectacular rise to icon status and attempt to explain the personal flaws that caused his downfall. The publisher promises a "never-before-seen portrait" of Woods that reveals him as a "singularly complex and conflicted man." A second publisher announced Friday that it, too, will keep Woods' woes in the public eye. Atria Books said it will publish "Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season" by Robert Lusetich in June. The book will attempt to dig into Woods' character and

...
Source -

Woods opens door on private life wider than expected, says author of forthcoming biography

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 22:05 — Anonymous

By Steven Levingston Tiger Woods gets high marks for cracking the door open ever so slightly on his highly guarded private life during his TV mea culpa Friday, said the author of a forthcoming book on the golf legend. Steve Helling, a People magazine staffer who has covered Woods for years, is writing "Tiger," which will be published in May by Da Capo Press. Helling will chart the golfer's spectacular rise to icon status and attempt to explain the personal flaws that caused his downfall. The publisher promises a "never-before-seen portrait" of Woods that reveals him as a "singularly complex and conflicted man." A second publisher announced Friday that it, too, will keep Woods' woes in the public eye. Atria Books said it will publish "Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season" by Robert Lusetich in June. The book will attempt to dig into Woods' character and

...
Source -

Books: Still a Load of Crap

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 19:02 — Anonymous

I've finally chosen the topic for my descent into
everything-sucks-now-because-everybody's-younger-than-me old
fartisanship: the death of
email.
Email was a perfectly good way to communicate. It instilled good
writing habits. It motivated people to keep you up to date without
wasting your time. It could contain either subject-line-only tweets
or charming 2,000-word rambles from friends who just wanted to
talk. You could reply in one second or six months, and for the most
part people were cool with that.
And now, within the space of a year or three, email has been
declared dead. Now there's something wrong with you if you still
send people email.
So it's a little hard to get
worked up over the gathering wave of book-decline hysteria. The institutions
of publishing have, like the institutions of other print media,
already shown themselves to be completely unserious about loosening
the restrictions that make them uncompetitive. Retail prices have
not come down in any degree that reflects changing reality.
Publishers have no...

Source -

<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xo7Gw-lreOI/S37MVaL-M-I/AAAAAAAAAaA/69pnfFOiHWU/s1600-h/peace+statue+2.JPG"><img style="float:left;

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 17:35 — Anonymous

Mini book reviews and other literary thingsI had the most amazing time at West Sussex Writers’ Club! If the assembled members enjoyed themselves even half as much as I did, then a good evening was had by all. Now I’m looking forward to judging their romantic novel opening competition.I do have something I wish I could talk about, but I can’t yet, so I won’t. Prepare to be amazed at my reticence when I finally can though!Books I’ve read this week:Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill, published by Soho CrimeA thoroughly entertaining crime caper, with deft dialogue and fascinating insights into the revolutionary cycles of Laos, a country of which I know nothing but with which am now enamoured. It’s sharper and more cynical than Alexander McCall Smith’s Botswana crime novels, but similarly affectionate in many respects. Dr Siri is the only coroner in Laos, a (reluctant) shaman of sorts and a rather disreputable old man, which makes him an excellent central character for a crime novel. I found the beginning of the book a little over-larded with back-story (it’s the fourth in a series) bu...

Source -

Writing for Young Readers Conference

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 17:04 — Anonymous

I'm in the midst of a move and have been a bit too busy to post here, but hopefully this information will make up for that absence. If you're familiar with BYU's Writing for Young Readers conference---especially if you've been looking for information on the 2010 conference and have been unable to find it---you need to know this info I just got from organizer Carol Lynch Williams:We're letting you know that you can now register for The 2010 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference!This year's conference will be held June 14-June 18, 2010, and promises to be an exciting week. Our new venue in Sandy, UT, is large and full of light. And we're working with the wonderful bookstoreThe King's English! As usual, we have an amazing, award-winning faculty, too.Our faculty includes:Rick Walton and Cheri Earl--who will team-teach the Beginning Class www.rickwalton.comBonny Becker--who will teach a Picture Book class www.bonnybecker.comKristyn Crow--who will teach a Picture Book class www.kristyncrow.comMike Kn...

Source -

Writing for Young Readers Conference

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 17:04 — Anonymous

I'm in the midst of a move and have been a bit too busy to post here, but hopefully this information will make up for that absence. If you're familiar with BYU's Writing for Young Readers conference---especially if you've been looking for information on the 2010 conference and have been unable to find it---you need to know this info I just got from organizer Carol Lynch Williams:We're letting you know that you can now register for The 2010 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference!This year's conference will be held June 14-June 18, 2010, and promises to be an exciting week. Our new venue in Sandy, UT, is large and full of light. And we're working with the wonderful bookstoreThe King's English! As usual, we have an amazing, award-winning faculty, too.Our faculty includes:Rick Walton and Cheri Earl--who will team-teach the Beginning Class www.rickwalton.comBonny Becker--who will teach a Picture Book class www.bonnybecker.comKristyn Crow--who will teach a Picture Book class www.kristyncrow.comMike Kn...

Source -

Writing for Young Readers Conference

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 17:04 — Anonymous

I'm in the midst of a move and have been a bit too busy to post here, but hopefully this information will make up for that absence. If you're familiar with BYU's Writing for Young Readers conference---especially if you've been looking for information on the 2010 conference and have been unable to find it---you need to know this info I just got from organizer Carol Lynch Williams:We're letting you know that you can now register for The 2010 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference!This year's conference will be held June 14-June 18, 2010, and promises to be an exciting week. Our new venue in Sandy, UT, is large and full of light. And we're working with the wonderful bookstoreThe King's English! As usual, we have an amazing, award-winning faculty, too.Our faculty includes:Rick Walton and Cheri Earl--who will team-teach the Beginning Class www.rickwalton.comBonny Becker--who will teach a Picture Book class www.bonnybecker.comKristyn Crow--who will teach a Picture Book class www.kristyncrow.comMike Kn...

Source -

Writing for Young Readers Conference

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 17:04 — Anonymous

I'm in the midst of a move and have been a bit too busy to post here, but hopefully this information will make up for that absence. If you're familiar with BYU's Writing for Young Readers conference---especially if you've been looking for information on the 2010 conference and have been unable to find it---you need to know this info I just got from organizer Carol Lynch Williams:We're letting you know that you can now register for The 2010 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference!This year's conference will be held June 14-June 18, 2010, and promises to be an exciting week. Our new venue in Sandy, UT, is large and full of light. And we're working with the wonderful bookstoreThe King's English! As usual, we have an amazing, award-winning faculty, too.Our faculty includes:Rick Walton and Cheri Earl--who will team-teach the Beginning Class www.rickwalton.comBonny Becker--who will teach a Picture Book class www.bonnybecker.comKristyn Crow--who will teach a Picture Book class www.kristyncrow.comMike Kn...

Source -

Writing for Young Readers Conference

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 17:04 — Anonymous

I'm in the midst of a move and have been a bit too busy to post here, but hopefully this information will make up for that absence. If you're familiar with BYU's Writing for Young Readers conference---especially if you've been looking for information on the 2010 conference and have been unable to find it---you need to know this info I just got from organizer Carol Lynch Williams:We're letting you know that you can now register for The 2010 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference!This year's conference will be held June 14-June 18, 2010, and promises to be an exciting week. Our new venue in Sandy, UT, is large and full of light. And we're working with the wonderful bookstoreThe King's English! As usual, we have an amazing, award-winning faculty, too.Our faculty includes:Rick Walton and Cheri Earl--who will team-teach the Beginning Class www.rickwalton.comBonny Becker--who will teach a Picture Book class www.bonnybecker.comKristyn Crow--who will teach a Picture Book class www.kristyncrow.comMike Kn...

Source -

Writing for Young Readers Conference

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 17:04 — Anonymous

I'm in the midst of a move and have been a bit too busy to post here, but hopefully this information will make up for that absence. If you're familiar with BYU's Writing for Young Readers conference---especially if you've been looking for information on the 2010 conference and have been unable to find it---you need to know this info I just got from organizer Carol Lynch Williams:We're letting you know that you can now register for The 2010 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference!This year's conference will be held June 14-June 18, 2010, and promises to be an exciting week. Our new venue in Sandy, UT, is large and full of light. And we're working with the wonderful bookstoreThe King's English! As usual, we have an amazing, award-winning faculty, too.Our faculty includes:Rick Walton and Cheri Earl--who will team-teach the Beginning Class www.rickwalton.comBonny Becker--who will teach a Picture Book class www.bonnybecker.comKristyn Crow--who will teach a Picture Book class www.kristyncrow.comMike Kn...

Source -

Socialist books in the White House library? A blog provides photo evidence but only part of the story

Thu, 02/18/2010 - 21:11 — Anonymous

By Stephen Lowman In this era of blog wildfires, one fast-moving flame can be quenched before it scorches the facts: First Lady Michelle Obama did not stock the White House library with socialist books. The controversy erupted after a conservative radio host and blogger from North Dakota took the White House tour on Wednesday and spotted two suspicious volumes on the shelves. Rob Port, 29, who hosts a political call-in show in his home state, was surprised to come across "The American Socialist Movement, 1897-1912" and "The Socialist Party of America." He snapped a photo and posted it on sayanythingblog.com. Under the headline: "Photo Evidence: Michelle Obama Keeps Socialist Books in the White House Library," Port wrote that the White House tour guide said the library was stocked with books picked out by Michelle Obama. "Being a bit of a bibliophile," he wrote on the blog, "I started to peruse

...
Source -

Socialist books in the White House library? A blog provides photo evidence but only part of the story

Thu, 02/18/2010 - 21:11 — Anonymous

By Stephen Lowman In this era of blog wildfires, one fast-moving flame can be quenched before it scorches the facts: First Lady Michelle Obama did not stock the White House library with socialist books. The controversy erupted after a conservative radio host and blogger from North Dakota took the White House tour on Wednesday and spotted two suspicious volumes on the shelves. Rob Port, 29, who hosts a political call-in show in his home state, was surprised to come across "The American Socialist Movement, 1897-1912" and "The Socialist Party of America." He snapped a photo and posted it on sayanythingblog.com. Under the headline: "Photo Evidence: Michelle Obama Keeps Socialist Books in the White House Library," Port wrote that the White House tour guide said the library was stocked with books picked out by Michelle Obama. "Being a bit of a bibliophile," he wrote on the blog, "I started to peruse

...
Source -

Study Abroad in Paris: Fall 2010

Thu, 02/18/2010 - 20:09 — Anonymous

Application Deadline: April 23, 2010
Application (.pdf) click to download
Download the full brochure click to download

For Fall Quarter 2010 (October 2 to December 4), the Department of Comparative Literature will organize an interdisciplinary program of study in Paris. This program offers students a unique opportunity to earn 15 UW credits while living and studying in [...]

...
Source -

James Patterson Pens Comic Books

Thu, 02/18/2010 - 19:00 — Anonymous

We're not sure when author James Patterson sleeps. Well, he's about to be even busier as he tackles the world of comics.

"Comics could reach a much larger audience than they do right now," says Patterson, who often works with co-authors and whose thrillers are frequently at or near the top of USA Today's Best-Selling Books list. "With all of the quality work and talent that's out there, this industry could be so much bigger."

First up for release will be a five-part comic series based on the writer's best-selling young-adult novel Witch & Wizard. The new series, subtitled Shadowland, will be written by Dara Naraghi, with Patterson heavily involved in the story direction. (He is not involved with the artwork.)
The Wizard series launch will be followed in June by a four-issue comic adaptation of Patterson's 2009 book The Murder of King Tut. Alexander Irvine will do the heavy lifting in terms of writing duties.

Patterson says he is excited at the prospect of translating King Tut -- a "non-fiction thriller" that investigates the mysterious death of the Egyptian pharaoh -- into a comic-book format. "We saw the potential there and worked with IDW to exp...

Source -

How the conservative media harm democracy

Thu, 02/18/2010 - 10:30 — Anonymous

Stalemate. Partisanship. The absence of any middle ground. If politicians actually try to govern, these are the challenges that often block effective action. In their book, "Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment," recently released in paperback by Oxford University Press, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Cappella look at one side of the equation: the rabble rousers on the right. They find that an integrated conservative media machine has created a cocoon-like environment around people who hold similar views and has severely limited genuine debate of issues. Kathleen Hall Jamieson is the Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Joseph N. Cappella holds the Gerald R. Miller Chair at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. GUEST BLOGGERS: Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Cappella In our book, we draw on survey research and content analysis to argue that

...
Source -

How the conservative media harm democracy

Thu, 02/18/2010 - 10:30 — Anonymous

Stalemate. Partisanship. The absence of any middle ground. If politicians actually try to govern, these are the challenges that often block effective action. In their book, "Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment," recently released in paperback by Oxford University Press, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Cappella look at one side of the equation: the rabble rousers on the right. They find that an integrated conservative media machine has created a cocoon-like environment around people who hold similar views and has severely limited genuine debate of issues. Kathleen Hall Jamieson is the Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Joseph N. Cappella holds the Gerald R. Miller Chair at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. GUEST BLOGGERS: Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Cappella In our book, we draw on survey research and content analysis to argue that

...
Source -

Tori Spelling Writing Children's Book

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 20:00 — Anonymous

Tori Spelling is writing a children's book. The book called Presenting ... Tallulah will be published by Simon & Schuster's Aladdin imprint. It will be illusrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton.

Spelling, whose acting credits include TV show Beverly Hills 90210, has already written an autobiography sTORI Telling and follow-up book Mommywood about being a Hollywood mother of young children. Her third adult book, tentatively titled Uncharted terriTORI, is due to go on sale in June.

***

"I love reading to my kids. It's our special time together. That and my passion for story telling inspired me to write a children's book of my own to read to them and children everywhere," said Spelling, 36, in a statement.

Tori is now filming season four of her reality television series
Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.

Permalink | Recent Headlines | Our News Feeds

Source -

CFBA Blog Tour - The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer AlLee

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 14:44 — Anonymous

The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer AlLee, is the second debut novel I've read this month, both from Abingdon. Fiction publishing is a new venture for this publisher, and they are doing so with a huge bang. I am anxiously waiting to read more of their new line as they come out.The Pastor's Wife is a romance, but not a typical one. Boy has already met and married girl, but that was six years earlier. As newlyweds they were immediately thrust into husband Nick's call to pastor a church in a small Ohio town. Wife, Maura, had no idea what was expected of a pastor's wife. As a new Christian, she hadn't grown up in the church to even observe a pastor's wife as a role model. Yikes, adjusting to married life is difficult enough, but toss a new pastorate position for the husband who wants to give his new job as much energy as he can, and you have a cauldron of boiling conflict.The story begins six years after Maura ran for the hills, or rather to California to escape and try to "find herself." But, there was one tiny fly in that bubbling pot. The divorce had never been finalized. Enter a matchmaker who, through her will, makes it necessary for...

Source -

The secret behind the hot sales of "The Road to Serfdom" by free-market economist F. A. Hayek

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 10:30 — Anonymous

By Bruce Caldwell Friedrich Hayek, Nobel-prize winning economist and well-known proponent of free markets, is having a big month. He was last seen rap-debating with John Maynard Keynes in the viral video above, (in which Hayek is portrayed as the sober voice of reason while Keynes overindulges at a party at the Fed). His 1944 book, "The Road to Serfdom," provided the theme for John Stossel's Fox Business News program on Valentine's Day. Hayek, who died in 1992, is also reemerging as a bestselling author. A new edition of Hayek's seminal book, "The Road to Serfdom," was published in March 2007 by the University of Chicago Press as part of a series called "The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek," for which I serve as editor. For over a year-and-a-half, the book sold respectably, at a clip of about 600 copies a month. But then, in November 2008, sales

...
Source -

Stan Lee to Write Comic Book Series About Himself

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 13:00 — Anonymous

Stan Lee has written many comic books about super heroes. Now he has going to write a series that includes himself. Reuters reports that Stan Lee's upcoming comic book series, Super Seven, is about seven aliens who are stranded on Earth. Stan Lee acts as a friend and mentor to the stranded aliens.

"Nothing is more exciting to me, as a writer, than creating a new type of story or introducing a new theme. Although I've briefly appeared in other comics, 'Super Seven' is the first time that I'll actually be a continuing character in a far-out, original superhero series," Lee said in a statement.

Lee and his then collaborator Jack Kirby appeared as themselves on the cover of a 1963 "Fantastic Four" comic book, and Lee has appeared in cameo roles in many of the movies based on the characters he helped to create for Marvel Comics.

MTV's Splashpage says Stan Lee's Super Seven will also debut as an animated tv series this fall.

Photo: Stan Lee's Twitter

Source -

Francine Pascal Writing Racy Sweet Valley High Sequel

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 23:00 — Anonymous

Francine Pascal, the creator of the popular Sweet Valley High series has announced that she is writing a shocking sequel that will follow the beloved Wakefield twins, Elizabeth and Jessica, into their thirties.

The new book, Sweet Valley Confidential, takes place 12 years after the high school series, when the twins and their friends are in their late 20s and early 30s. It will, according to publisher St Martin's Press, see "the real world intrude after a perfect childhood". "I've had thousand of queries from fans over the years wondering what Jessica and Elizabeth would be like as adults. Well, Sweet Valley Confidential should give them all the answers," said Pascal, who was originally inspired to write the series by the experiences of her three daughters. "And I can guarantee they will be very surprised. Actually, more like shocked."
*****
St Martin's Press, which will publish the novel in early 2011, gave away little about the plot but fans are already speculating about which direction Pascal will take her characters. "Most everyone hopes Elizabeth and Todd are married, but we all have an idea Liz is having an affair if that's the case," said one read...

Source -

Hot Teenage Writer + Plagiarism = 2006 All Over Again

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 16:46 — Anonymous

There's another angel in Teenage Plagiarism Heaven today. Helene
Hegemann, author/curator of the German party-generation novel
Axolotl Roadkill, has been
busted lifting passages from several sources, including another
German party-generation novel.
Plagiarism checklist:
Underage plagiarist? Check. The
17-year-old Hegemann is the daughter of Carl Hegemann, a prominent
writer, academic and theater manager.
Author branding? Check. While not in the top
rank of beauties, Hegemann comes with
skanky club-kid charm to spare. Her tale of wild sex and copious
drug use among teenagers has predictably excited the old farts of
Germany's literary establishment, and she has been lauded for her
searing authenticity.
Passages stolen from less-fortunate author?
Check. The
primary target in this case has been the blogger Airen, who ...

Source -

7 Book Reviews on France

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 13:58 — Anonymous

One observer remarked that there was nothing wrong with France except for the French!  Love them or hate them, the French have their own Gallic charm and character  which at once renders them amongst the most interesting and infuriating of any people of the West! In short, they are intriguing and have a history which rivals that of any Old World country – to visit France is to take a journey not just of several thousand miles but back in time several thousand years.
Fodor’s France 2009
By Fodor’s Gold Guides
Fodor is the top selling guide book on France (and...

Source -

Erin Ikeler stuffs

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 05:27 — Anonymous

A handful of exceptionally odd and interesting work in Erin Ikeler’s Flickr stream. Can’t always tell what’s original collage and what’s a found object, which adds to the appeal.



...
Source -

More Books for Black History Month

Sun, 02/14/2010 - 06:00 — Anonymous

"Black and White" by Paul Volponi • Hard-hitting, modern fiction
about urban youths who turn to robbery. Volponi will be in St.
Louis at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Schlafly Branch of the St. Louis
Publ

...
Source -
Source -

Crash: Homage to JG Ballard

Fri, 02/12/2010 - 00:24 — Anonymous

Ed Ruscha. Fountain of Crystal, 2009. Acrylic on canvas. 30 1/8 x 36 1/8 inches (76.5 x 91.8 cm).
CRASH: HOMAGE TO JG BALLARD
Press Release
Gagosian Gallery
6-24 Britannia St London WC1X 9JD
t. 020.7841.9960 f. 020.7841.9961
Gallery hours: Tue – Sat: 10:00am– 6:00pm
Thursday, 11 February – Thursday, 1 April 2010
Opening reception: Thursday, February 11th from 6 to 8pm
I have used the car not only as a sexual image, but as a total metaphor for man’s life in today’s society.
JG Ballard
Gagosian Gallery London will present “Crash,” a major group exhibition opening on 11 February 2010, which takes its title from the famous novel by JG Ballard.
Ballard’s novels stand among the most visionary, provocative literature of the twentieth century, with his ominous predictions regarding the fate of Western culture and his insights into the dark psychopathology of the human race. This exhibition is a response to the enormous impact and enduring cultural significance of his work, following his death in spring 2009. Highlighting Ballard...

Source -

Crash: Homage to JG Ballard

Fri, 02/12/2010 - 00:24 — Anonymous

Ed Ruscha. Fountain of Crystal, 2009. Acrylic on canvas. 30 1/8 x 36 1/8 inches (76.5 x 91.8 cm).
CRASH: HOMAGE TO JG BALLARD
Press Release
Gagosian Gallery
6-24 Britannia St London WC1X 9JD
t. 020.7841.9960 f. 020.7841.9961
Gallery hours: Tue – Sat: 10:00am– 6:00pm
Thursday, 11 February – Thursday, 1 April 2010
Opening reception: Thursday, February 11th from 6 to 8pm
I have used the car not only as a sexual image, but as a total metaphor for man’s life in today’s society.
JG Ballard
Gagosian Gallery London will present “Crash,” a major group exhibition opening on 11 February 2010, which takes its title from the famous novel by JG Ballard.
Ballard’s novels stand among the most visionary, provocative literature of the twentieth century, with his ominous predictions regarding the fate of Western culture and his insights into the dark psychopathology of the human race. This exhibition is a response to the enormous impact and enduring cultural significance of his work, following his death in spring 2009. Highlighting Ballard...

Source -

Independent Bookstore Closures Increasing in U.K.

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 20:00 — Anonymous

A dismal new report reveals
that independent bookstores in the United Kingdom are closing at the rate of two per week. The Guardian reports:

With independents blaming increased competition from the internet, supermarkets, a declining British high street and the credit crunch for their troubles, figures from the Booksellers Association show that 102 independent stores closed in 2009, leaving just 1,289 left in the UK -- a decline of 27% since 1999. Last year also saw the 45-store book chain Borders fall into administration, while like-for-like sales at Waterstone's were down by 8.5% in the crucial Christmas trading period.

"The current economic climate is undeniably tough and the book retail sector is suffering across the board," said the Booksellers Association's head of membership services Meryl Halls. She called on readers to support independents, saying that those shops which "are fighting so hard to survive continue to deliver an outstanding service - knowing the books they recommend and sell, knowing their customers, focusing on things that the deep price cutters can't offer and running fantastic and value-adding events".

"These...

Source -

Updated LTUE schedule

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 16:55 — Anonymous

I now have a couple panels on Friday, so if you don't make it there today, there's still Friday and Saturday. I'm not even going to format this--I have to run out the door to BYU.Thursday1:00 PM- Defining Childrens Literature: What are a childrens book, a middle grade reader, a YA novel and an adult novel? (Stacy Whitman, Lisa Mangum, Mette Ivie Harrison, Dan Willis, Pat Castelli)4:00 PM- No More Dead Dogs (or moms): Why do mothers and dogs always die in children's literature? How do we pull at the heartstrings and give child characters independence without killing off dogs and moms? (Paul Genesse, Stacy Whitman, Clint Johnson, Julie Wright)FRIDAY, 12 February, 20109:00 AM- Paths to publishing: When is traditional best and when should you try an alternative (Stacy Whitman, John Brown, Dan Willis, Eric Swedin, Sandra Tayler)10:00 AM- Cover art for Childrens and YA books (Amanda Sorensen, Nathan Hale, Brian Beus, Stacy Whitman)SATURDAY, 13 February, 201010:00 AM- What Exactly Does an Editor Do, Anyway? (L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Stacy Whitman, Suzanne Vincent, Lisa Mangum, Tristi Pinkston)2:00 PM- Regional Publishers(Lisa Mangum, Stacy Whitman, Linda Brummett, Garry P. Mitchell, Tristi Pinkston, Dave Doering (M))5:00 PM- Edgy YA vs. not-so-edgy (Stacy Whitman, Laura Bingham, Mette...

Source -

Updated LTUE schedule

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 16:55 — Anonymous

I now have a couple panels on Friday, so if you don't make it there today, there's still Friday and Saturday. I'm not even going to format this--I have to run out the door to BYU.Thursday1:00 PM- Defining Childrens Literature: What are a childrens book, a middle grade reader, a YA novel and an adult novel? (Stacy Whitman, Lisa Mangum, Mette Ivie Harrison, Dan Willis, Pat Castelli)4:00 PM- No More Dead Dogs (or moms): Why do mothers and dogs always die in children's literature? How do we pull at the heartstrings and give child characters independence without killing off dogs and moms? (Paul Genesse, Stacy Whitman, Clint Johnson, Julie Wright)FRIDAY, 12 February, 20109:00 AM- Paths to publishing: When is traditional best and when should you try an alternative (Stacy Whitman, John Brown, Dan Willis, Eric Swedin, Sandra Tayler)10:00 AM- Cover art for Childrens and YA books (Amanda Sorensen, Nathan Hale, Brian Beus, Stacy Whitman)SATURDAY, 13 February, 201010:00 AM- What Exactly Does an Editor Do, Anyway? (L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Stacy Whitman, Suzanne Vincent, Lisa Mangum, Tristi Pinkston)2:00 PM- Regional Publishers(Lisa Mangum, Stacy Whitman, Linda Brummett, Garry P. Mitchell, Tristi Pinkston, Dave Doering (M))5:00 PM- Edgy YA vs. not-so-edgy (Stacy Whitman, Laura Bingham, Mett...

Source -

Updated LTUE schedule

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 16:55 — Anonymous

I now have a couple panels on Friday, so if you don't make it there today, there's still Friday and Saturday. I'm not even going to format this--I have to run out the door to BYU.Thursday1:00 PM- Defining Childrens Literature: What are a childrens book, a middle grade reader, a YA novel and an adult novel? (Stacy Whitman, Lisa Mangum, Mette Ivie Harrison, Dan Willis, Pat Castelli)4:00 PM- No More Dead Dogs (or moms): Why do mothers and dogs always die in children's literature? How do we pull at the heartstrings and give child characters independence without killing off dogs and moms? (Paul Genesse, Stacy Whitman, Clint Johnson, Julie Wright)FRIDAY, 12 February, 20109:00 AM- Paths to publishing: When is traditional best and when should you try an alternative (Stacy Whitman, John Brown, Dan Willis, Eric Swedin, Sandra Tayler)10:00 AM- Cover art for Childrens and YA books (Amanda Sorensen, Nathan Hale, Brian Beus, Stacy Whitman)SATURDAY, 13 February, 201010:00 AM- What Exactly Does an Editor Do, Anyway? (L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Stacy Whitman, Suzanne Vincent, Lisa Mangum, Tristi Pinkston)2:00 PM- Regional Publishers(Lisa Mangum, Stacy Whitman, Linda Brummett, Garry P. Mitchell, Tristi Pinkston, Dave Doering (M))5:00 PM- Edgy YA vs. not-so-edgy (Stacy Whitman, Laura Bingham, Mett...

Source -

Updated LTUE schedule

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 16:55 — Anonymous

I now have a couple panels on Friday, so if you don't make it there today, there's still Friday and Saturday. I'm not even going to format this--I have to run out the door to BYU.Thursday1:00 PM- Defining Childrens Literature: What are a childrens book, a middle grade reader, a YA novel and an adult novel? (Stacy Whitman, Lisa Mangum, Mette Ivie Harrison, Dan Willis, Pat Castelli)4:00 PM- No More Dead Dogs (or moms): Why do mothers and dogs always die in children's literature? How do we pull at the heartstrings and give child characters independence without killing off dogs and moms? (Paul Genesse, Stacy Whitman, Clint Johnson, Julie Wright)FRIDAY, 12 February, 20109:00 AM- Paths to publishing: When is traditional best and when should you try an alternative (Stacy Whitman, John Brown, Dan Willis, Eric Swedin, Sandra Tayler)10:00 AM- Cover art for Childrens and YA books (Amanda Sorensen, Nathan Hale, Brian Beus, Stacy Whitman)SATURDAY, 13 February, 201010:00 AM- What Exactly Does an Editor Do, Anyway? (L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Stacy Whitman, Suzanne Vincent, Lisa Mangum, Tristi Pinkston)2:00 PM- Regional Publishers(Lisa Mangum, Stacy Whitman, Linda Brummett, Garry P. Mitchell, Tristi Pinkston, Dave Doering (M))5:00 PM- Edgy YA vs. not-so-edgy (Stacy Whitman, Laura Bingham, Met...

Source -

Updated LTUE schedule

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 16:55 — Anonymous

I now have a couple panels on Friday, so if you don't make it there today, there's still Friday and Saturday. I'm not even going to format this--I have to run out the door to BYU.Thursday1:00 PM- Defining Childrens Literature: What are a childrens book, a middle grade reader, a YA novel and an adult novel? (Stacy Whitman, Lisa Mangum, Mette Ivie Harrison, Dan Willis, Pat Castelli)4:00 PM- No More Dead Dogs (or moms): Why do mothers and dogs always die in children's literature? How do we pull at the heartstrings and give child characters independence without killing off dogs and moms? (Paul Genesse, Stacy Whitman, Clint Johnson, Julie Wright)FRIDAY, 12 February, 20109:00 AM- Paths to publishing: When is traditional best and when should you try an alternative (Stacy Whitman, John Brown, Dan Willis, Eric Swedin, Sandra Tayler)10:00 AM- Cover art for Childrens and YA books (Amanda Sorensen, Nathan Hale, Brian Beus, Stacy Whitman)SATURDAY, 13 February, 201010:00 AM- What Exactly Does an Editor Do, Anyway? (L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Stacy Whitman, Suzanne Vincent, Lisa Mangum, Tristi Pinkston)2:00 PM- Regional Publishers(Lisa Mangum, Stacy Whitman, Linda Brummett, Garry P. Mitchell, Tristi Pinkston, Dave Doering (M))5:00 PM- Edgy YA vs. not-so-edgy (Stacy Whitman, Laura Bingham, Mett...

Source -

Updated LTUE schedule

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 16:55 — Anonymous

I now have a couple panels on Friday, so if you don't make it there today, there's still Friday and Saturday. I'm not even going to format this--I have to run out the door to BYU.Thursday1:00 PM- Defining Childrens Literature: What are a childrens book, a middle grade reader, a YA novel and an adult novel? (Stacy Whitman, Lisa Mangum, Mette Ivie Harrison, Dan Willis, Pat Castelli)4:00 PM- No More Dead Dogs (or moms): Why do mothers and dogs always die in children's literature? How do we pull at the heartstrings and give child characters independence without killing off dogs and moms? (Paul Genesse, Stacy Whitman, Clint Johnson, Julie Wright)FRIDAY, 12 February, 20109:00 AM- Paths to publishing: When is traditional best and when should you try an alternative (Stacy Whitman, John Brown, Dan Willis, Eric Swedin, Sandra Tayler)10:00 AM- Cover art for Childrens and YA books (Amanda Sorensen, Nathan Hale, Brian Beus, Stacy Whitman)SATURDAY, 13 February, 201010:00 AM- What Exactly Does an Editor Do, Anyway? (L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Stacy Whitman, Suzanne Vincent, Lisa Mangum, Tristi Pinkston)2:00 PM- Regional Publishers(Lisa Mangum, Stacy Whitman, Linda Brummett, Garry P. Mitchell, Tristi Pinkston, Dave Doering (M))5:00 PM- Edgy YA vs. not-so-edgy (Stacy Whitman, Laura Bingham, Met...

Source -

CFBA Blog Tour - Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allen

Wed, 02/10/2010 - 17:20 — Anonymous

I am so glad I signed up to blog about Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allen because it is an outstanding debut novel that keeps the reader turning pages from page one.Leah Thornton has a very successful life to those looking on. An accomplished high school English teacher who married into a well-to-do family who gifted her and husband Carl with a gorgeous home (not of her taste) on their wedding day, she seems to have it all. But like most circumstances, people have no idea what goes on behind closed doors.Walking on Broken Glass documents Leah's story beginning with a drunken grocery shopping trip where she wrestles over which apple juice to purchase, to being confronted by her best friend, to her days in rehab where she finally faces the real Leah for the first time. Told in Leah's own words, Allen has a way with prose that keeps this non-formulaic (as Publisher's Weekly calls it) novel from ever becoming a yawner. In fact it kept me awake during the nocturnal hours I had my nose in it!I would have expected a story that spends most of its time within the walls of a recovery program to be fraught with a dark, depres...

Source -

CATS: The Nine Lives of Innovation

Wed, 02/10/2010 - 17:00 — Anonymous

CATS: The Nine Lives of Innovation
by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D.
Another “mini-book” (169 pages) hits the book store shelves … this one from Stephen C. Lundin, author of the bestseller FISH! which has been published in 34 languages. The author is a writer and filmmaker with a background in business, management, and education.
Lundin unveils the next big trend in business—innovation as a tool of personal success. I can’t think of a better time to focus on obtaining the many valuable benefits of such a powerful resource. Within these pages, readers will learn about innovation and how companies and people can innovate more. The author’s belief is that innovation and creativity can be learned, and there are certain things that can be done to enhance creativity. Learn how to tap into your power of innovation and then unleash it in every member of your organization. You’ll learn how to recognize and deal with the four basic challenges that must be overcome in order to enhance your innovation edge:

  1. Doubts, Fears, and Distractions (f...
Source -

More on Wikipedia

    More on Hublines

      Answers

      News