On The Shelf
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
The Atlantic Online has an interview with Paul Theroux. It discusses his new book The Stranger at the Palazzo d'Oro as well as "the liberation" of writing and traveling.
Here's a follow-up to an article mentioned earlier in the blog regarding British authors and an auction that would have the highest bidders name appear in their next books.
This man's library sounds like a dream. Signed first editions of The Lord of the Rings? It'll be interesting to see how much they'll sell for.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
What makes a best-seller? What does a novel need in order to get people talking about it? This article doesn't answer those questions, but it does tell us that publishers throw a lot of support behind books they think are going to be the next big thing. From the sounds of it, they aren't always right.
Here's a neat little story. And it just goes to show that you never know what you'll find in a book you take home from a library's free bin.
This time it seems to be Scholastic that is pulling a comic book from its school book fair lists because of questionable material. It would certainly seem, though, that the reasons are very valid. Smoking, offensive designs, and heavy violence being the cause of the comic book being pulled.
Monday, March 29, 2004
Here's something for all local Harry Potter fans: "The Witching Hour: A Harry Potter Symposium will run Oct. 6-11, 2005, at historic sites and hotels in Salem". According to the article, registration will begin next month on the convention's website, www.witchinghour.org
Here's an article on Margaret Atwood and her novel Oryx and Crake.
This is just a little tidbit on the film version of The Da Vinci Code.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
“Essentially I created the hoax in order to attract potential readers, and to try marketing my book even before it was published, from a rather original starting point.” This is in regards to a man named Allistair Mitchell and a dragon in a garage.
The Times Literary Supplement via Powells.com has a review up for Colm Toibin's new novel, The Master.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
This might be an interesting way to get people to try books they've never read before--their local library sends them the first chapter of books through their email.
A small US publisher is being asked by Harper Collins to change the name of a book it is about to release. Harper Collins is worried that readers will confused their book Stupid White Men by Michael Moore with the small press' book How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office.
Friday, March 26, 2004
Did you know that Ian McEwan, author of Atonement, includes a chocolate biscuit in his morning routine? In this article he attempts to answer the question "How does a novel begin?"
"I write in a notebook, or on a keyboard, every day, seven days a week. Sometimes I might lapse and not write for a day or two but I write when I get an idea. Ideas can come from anywhere - a thought I might have while driving, a picture I see, a phrase of dialogue I might hear. I know things for a good novel will be in there somewhere but I am not sure when I am writing them." This is from Mass author David Daniel. Daniel writes mystery novels and his latest is entitled Goofy Foot.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
From the Guardian Unlimited: Philip Davis's top 10 Victorian literature. Philip Davis is a professor and author of numerous books. His list is interesting and varied. And it is so refreshing to see Christina Rossetti's name on that list.
Powells.com interviews Karen Armstrong.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan are collaborating on a book about the Red Sox. Apparently King hasn't really retired from writing. Which, no doubt, many will be quite happy about.
There was an article perhaps a month ago in this blog about a book lending program in the Mexico subways. It looks like it's been a success.
Jane Austen's only surviving play will be on display in the home that her brother had owned. "The 52 handwritten pages of Sir Charles Grandison reveal the author's only surviving play of any length. It is a light-hearted dramatisation of scenes from The History of Sir Charles Grandison by Samuel Richardson, one of Austen's favourite novelists."
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
This is the type of story that would lead someone to write a very interesting book: Woman buys book in thrift store for $1 and goes on a journey, albeit a smaller scale one, to find the family of the woman who originally owned the book.
This article from USA Today states that self-publishing may just turn out to be a great way to "spur {the} book industry to modernize."
A man in Oregon was caught selling books stolen from a university library on ebay.
Bloomsbury, the British publishing house responsible for Harry Potter, found their profits up 62% after the release of Rowling's latest installment in the Potter series. The publishing house is now gearing up for a large campaign to promote Susanna Clarke's debut novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
There is perhaps one passage in this article that best sums it up: "Some manufacturers have begun to pay writers of fiction to place products in their novels. The age of the novel as an advertising hoarding is upon us." Let's just hope this doesn't become a popular trend.
The Kipling Society will be able to read a recently discovered 6,000 word story written by Rudyard Kipling. The story "adds a new adventure to the saga of Stalky & Co, one of the most popular books for young people."
Monday, March 22, 2004
A bunch of authors in the UK are putting characters on the auction block. Or rather, they are allowing the public a chance to have their name used as a character in an upcoming novel by giving the money raised for the chance to charity.
Here's more on that Dan Brown event, which is set to take place in May.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Here's a review of a book about collecting books.
The Waterboro Library's blog announces an event at which Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, will be speaking. It is to take place on May 18 at 7 p.m in Concord, N.H. There is a fee to attend.
Saturday, March 20, 2004
If you happen to find yourself in Phoenix you may want to visit the Irish Cultural Center to see their exact copy of a page from the Book of Kells. "The facsimile in Phoenix shows the stains the original incurred from being in the water for three months. 'Every detail, even the holes in the pages are there, and hairs from the calves,' Lee said." (Lee being the man who lent the copy to the Center.)
Bookreporter.com's new On the Edge of Your Seat author is
Rick Riordan. His new book is titled Southtown.
Friday, March 19, 2004
Poet Derek Walcott and his partner were shopping around Paris when a theif made off with his partner's purse. The event made it impossible for Walcott to attend the poetry festival he was there for.
You've heard of "chick lit", but know get ready for "lad lit".
According to this article, a house Jack Kerouac stayed in while writing, or perhaps finishing, On the Road has become a place of pilgrimage for would-be writers and fans.
This article from The Boston Globe tells the story of Clifford the Big Red Dog and his creator, Norman Bridwell.
One publisher firmly believes that, no matter what comes on t.v. or what advances other forms of media make, literature is still valuable and necessary.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
USA Today mentions John Rutherford's Princes of Ireland.
Men who write "real" literature turn to writing comics? And here I thought Neil Gaiman had been doing it all along.
Digital copies of the first printed book are now available online. The British Library has background on Gutenberg's Bible to go along with the text copies.
It seems almost unbelievable that one man could steal 911 books from various libraries. The books were valued at an estimated $268,500 and the man involved in the theft could end up serving a 5 year prison term. Read the article here.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
B.F. Skinner's daughter, Deborah, is suing the publishing house of journalist Lauren Slater. Slater's book, Opening Skinner's Box, makes strong claims about Skinner's childhood and her mental health that weren't verified by Skinner herself. She claims the book is libelous and is seeking restitution.
The French children's book author and illustrator who brought a suit against Disney alleging that they had copied his idea for their film Finding Nemo lost his case.
The Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop is closing after twenty-nine years.
J.K. Rowling won the WH Smith Award. This award is normally reserved for adult fiction, but was given to Rowling to acknowledge that the Harry Potter series appeals to adults as well.
The Boston Globe reviews Dean Koontz's latest, Odd Thomas, here.
Was just reading Neil Gaiman's journal and he pointed out this little tidbit regarding author John Ford and his spitting on a reviewer who didn't exactly think his collection of short stories was the best thing to hit the shelves.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
It looks like Grolier, an independent poetry bookstore in Cambridge, couldn't be saved. An article posted here a month or so back had stated hopes that it may somehow stay afloat, but it looks like that won't be happening. The woman responsible for Grolier, Louisa Solano, is waiting to hear whether or not her store's location will be given a "blue marker" which will denote it as a historical landmark.
"'This could be the beginning of a new cult,' says Elizabeth Grice, a books reporter at London's Daily Telegraph. 'Eight-year-olds are going to love it.'" This is referring to the book (and perhaps soon to be an animated Disney film) One For Sorrow; Two For Joy, which was mentioned earlier in the week in this blog. Apparently some think that the story just may be as big as Harry Potter.
Locus Online has a list of forthcoming books for you to browse through. It runs from March to December of this year.
From the Guardian Unlimited: "William Shakespeare's will is now available to the public to read online, nearly 400 years after the playwright put quill to paper." It looks like, in order to view the will, there may be a charge, but it could prove very interesting for any Shakespeare fanatic (or college student).
A "lost hoarde" of Arthur Conan Doyle's works and personal items have "turned up in the London office of a law firm". Among the found materials is a sketch for the first Sherlock Holmes story.
Monday, March 15, 2004
There will soon be a 25 volume encyclopedia set dedicated to Charles Schulz's Peanuts gang. The compilation will include the earliest incarnations of Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the rest.
A supermarket manager in England signed a 1 million dollar deal with Disney for his story, One for Sorrow.
Did you ever think that you would check out your library books by scanning your fingerprints? Well, it's a reality in one library.
Sunday, March 14, 2004
How would you feel if you did a google search on your name and it came up with an obituary? Well, Brian Cathcart did just that to the same results. ---They shared the same name, the same age, the same privileged Northern Ireland background. One grew up to be a successful author; the other an idealistic drifter who died horrifically after being set on fire. Here, Brian Cathcart recounts the life, and loss, of his namesake.--- Read the article here.
There's a review of John Dunning's new novel, The Bookman's Promise, up at The Miami Herald's online site.
"So this novel is my way of writing about some of those issues of holding on too long, of getting stuck without even knowing it, of shutting off the present and the future." This from Ben Sherwood and how his new book, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud helped him cope with a loved one's death.
Saturday, March 13, 2004
This article borders on being rather snobbish at times, but it debates the effects that t.v. and celebrity personalities have on reading and the publishing industry.
Bookreporter.com has an interview with George Pelecanos posted. It's in regards to his new novel, Hard Revolution.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, shelves the fiction piece he was working on in favor of another memoir.
Disney is planning on bringing Judy Blume to the screen. The first novel set to be adapted is Deenie--a book that, a month or so ago, was brought before a school committee by a parent who thought it unsuitable. (That story can be found in the blog's archives.)
Two authors in Manchester, England are using BookCrossing's method of leaving books behind to promote their debut book. They just left 200 copies in different pubs and restaurants.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
USAToday reports on 10 years of best sellers and "how the landscape has changed".
Have you ever wondered about the world of Print on Demand publishing? And if you ever tried to buy a John Curry book and were told it was going to take weeks to get one in, well, you have print on demand to thank.
The New York Times Book Review has a new editor.
Actor Viggo Mortensen made the news for his small publishing company Perceval Press.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
This from the Guardian Unlimited: Archbishop praises author accused of blasphemy. The author in question is Philip Pullman.
McSweeney's has asked people to write an essay about their favorite songs, and it includes a handful already. The section was prompted by the release of Nick Hornby's Songbook.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
"When things go right in my life, I read. When things go wrong, I read more." Which is why Sara Nelson wrote So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading. This is a really lovely article--not only about the author and the book, but also about how reading can ensnare you and how the books we choose define who we are.
If you like the authors onboard, this could be a dream come true vacation. And here's even more information on what they call Get Caught Reading at Sea.
E.L. Konigsburg's new young adult novel sounds....interesting.
Locus Online points out that people can often take offense--justly--at some very silly things that critics/reviewers say.Here's a review of Andrew Sean Greer's novel The Confessions of Max Tivoli and here's a
response (in a weblog written by Patrick Nielsen Hayden) that has a bone or two to pick with the reviewers choice of words and his stance on the sci-fi genre.
Monday, March 08, 2004
This article from BBC NEWS points out that, though Disney is filming C.S. Lewis' story The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe in New Zealand, the inspiration for the novel itself may be found in Belfast.
Have you ever realized how many one word titles there are? Apparently there are plenty, but it's a trend that is fading out.
Powells.com interviewed Gregory Maguire author of Wicked.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
According to Chris Roberts, Jack and Jill may have gone up the hill for more than water. "Roberts has re-examined the origins of 24 popular nursery rhymes for a new book, Heavy Words Thrown Lightly."
Tintin is turning 75 and one reporter attempts to explain the character's appeal.
Saturday, March 06, 2004
The New York Times reviews Sarah Dunant's new novel The Birth of Venus. The review is intriguing in and of itself--certainly one of those that tease you with interesting little snipets from the novel.
"Books offer an escape from all that - you can take them at your own pace. I think there's something terribly beneficial about curling up with a good book." This from Irish writer Tony Hawks who, along with J.K. Rowling, took part in a web chat during World Book Day.
Author A.S. Byatt is favoring David Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas these days. And here's an interview with Mitchell from February.
Friday, March 05, 2004
But I´m getting a little nervous, wondering if I´m about to be trampled in the world´s first book riot. Especially since some of these people look like they didn´t sleep the previous night, thinking about the book sale. That little tidbit is from a rather humorous article about a library book sale.
Apparently, the UK book business is running into some trouble. According to this article from The Guardian publishers want to get rid of the cover price on books, allowing the retailer to set their own prices. Authors fear that this will seriously hurt "mid-list" writers, those that don't regularly see their names on best seller lists, by driving readers away based on cost issues. Some of the authors against such a move are J.K. Rowling and Philip Pullman. And here's an article by Pullman himself on the subject.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
There is a new award to be given out June 4th at the Book Expo. It's Audiobook of the Year. There are 26 categories and the winners will be chosen by a group of librarians, booksellers and reviewers.
According to this article, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Mel Gibson's movie The Passion have driven sales of religious texts through the roof. Again, if you have not read Brown's novel, you may want to steer clear of this article as it gives away a key plot element.
In the UK there is one profession more likely to read for pleasure. I was rather surprised. Find out which one here.
Ananova suggests that there may be an 8th Harry Potter novel. And here's another article about the same subject.
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Take a look at this picture of a Cat in the Hat snow sculpture.
This seems to completely defeat the purpose: "Who Says Authors Can't Do a Book Signing Over the Internet?" Which is exactly what Lois Center-Shabazz did. Only her fans, if that's what you can call them in this instance, didn't actually get a signature. They got spreadsheets. And, really, isn't the point of a signing not so much about getting the author's signature, but being able to meet them in person?
Book critics don’t know everything. This article focuses on Ann Packer's The Dive From Clausen’s Pier, but, really, that's the case with so many more novels as well.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Byron's letters and Darwin's also were filed on shelves marked "sheets" and "underpants." This is the kind of article I love stumbling on. The gist of it can be summed up in the title--Scottish library expected to buy literary treasures priced at $61m--but there is so much more there to delight over.
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have bought the rights to Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife. They will have it adapted into a screenplay, but the article does not mention whether or not they will act in the film once the screenplay is completed.
This is an interesting article. It's entitled In Defence of Romance, but it certainly isn't in defense of all romance. As far as its concerned the scope of romance includes only the Brontes and Austen (and maybe a few select others...like Tolstoy.) And, really, is this true?: "Imagine you are playing one of those word association games and someone says "romantic novelist". What image is most likely to pop up? Middle-aged, middle class, pink hat, string of pearls?"(...Pink hat? Really, I was thinking more of a teal hat.) It would be interesting to know how an author like Nora Roberts would respond to such an article.
Monday, March 01, 2004
Bookreporter.com has posted their latest interview with Daniel Silva about his new novel A Death in Vienna. They have chosen David Hewson as their new One to Watch author. Hewson's latest, A Season for the Dead, is the first in a series featuring Detective Nic Costa.
It's Dr.Seuss's 100th birthday and it's being celebrated with a new book, a fun new website, and more. The website has a brief biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel who was born in Springfield, MA in 1904. The site also includes a complete bibliography as well as activites and links. The new book The Boy on Fairfield Street "focuses on the first 22 years of the life of Ted Geisel."
It would seem that the hearing meant to determine whether or not a book should be banned from a school library turned into quite a religion vs. science debate. As was mentioned earlier in the blog, a mother wanted a book that explained the evolution of a horse removed from her son's school library, and this article details a hearing that was held in order for a decision to be made.
