BookADay

Upcoming Reading

2009-02-08T17:38:00.002-06:00

I'll be competing in the Windy City Story Slam this Friday night at 10pm at Weeds. Come out and watch me read from my short story "Wanting It."

This is also your chance to boo me off the stage. I'd prefer, however, that you cheer and vote for me as the winner.

New Story Published!

2009-01-27T21:23:00.002-06:00

Good news! My short story "Carrot's Choice" will be published this spring in the Story Week Reader. More details to come.

Five New Books

2009-01-24T10:30:00.004-06:00

One of my greatest joys is to have a few hours to tool around the library. I've mentioned in the past how much I love the library, especially the Harold Washington branch. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to spend three delightful hours among the stacks.

I came home last night and camped out in front of the fireplace with the stack of books beside me. I started them and I'm excited.

I'll be at the Windy City Story Slam tonight at the Metro. It starts at 7.

New Directions

2009-01-23T20:37:00.004-06:00

When I created this blog back in 2004, I needed an outlet to write about the books I read. I went through so many so fast I was afraid I wouldn't remember them. And, to quote from my first post, books are like friends. You don't want to forget your friends. So I used this space to catalog what I had read.

I got lucky and found that I wasn't alone in my love of books. Other writers came to contribute their thoughts. Novelists began sending me their works. Groups asked me to judge their book contests. It was a dream.

We ran for a couple of years. And it was a good run. Then, I got a job in media and was asked to stop blogging. So I did.

But, I continued reading. And I began writing fiction again, an art I have enjoyed for many moons.

This brings me to now. I'm in a different job, still in the media, but one that allows me the freedom to present my thoughts. So, I'm in the process of restarting things here.

What I envision you'll see here: my thoughts on reading, writing, Chicago's literary scene (what I see of it, as I'm no expert), the library and any other trouble I can cause.

Fellow writers, I'm happy to read your work if you're kind enough to send it. E-mail me: bkl (at) brandikleinertlarsen (dot) com and we can discuss it. I prefer fiction, short and long, but will read most anything you put in my hands.

You can always see what I'm reading through the book covers in the right rail, courtesy of GoodReads. Feel free to check out my writing at my main site.

Enjoy.

New Year, New Posts

2009-01-18T23:38:00.001-06:00

Changes coming soon.

Non-fiction: YOU: On a Diet

2007-01-07T00:27:00.000-06:00

Book: YOU: On a Diet
Authors: Dr. Mike Roisen and Dr. Mehmet Oz
Publisher: Free Press
Pages: 384
Version: Hardcover
Release: October, 2006

I was familiar with the other You titles (YOU: The Owner's Manual and YOU: The Smart Patient) because I had checked them out of the library. They immediately became books I wanted to own (and write in).

The series is written by doctors who believe that if we know about our biology, we can retrain ourselves to avoid some of the largest health problems in our society: heart disease/attacks, diabetes, obesity, etc. So, they go to great lengths to make the content easy to digest (bad pun intended) and fun to read.

I think they go a little overboard in this respect. There are all of these "Youreka" tips that let you know when they've hit upon the gold nugget idea. While the tips are helpful, the shout-out is annoying. The drawings are clear, but cutesy in a charming way. For example, it's kind of fun to imagine little elves with spackle running around in your arteries trying to deal with the bad kind of cholesterol.

The authors also do a good job painting word pictures. According to them, the omentum, which is your body's parking lot for fat, looks like a pair of stockings hanging off of the stomach. As you gain more fat, the omentum continues to grow, pushing aside your other organs (and your waist line) while grabbing up all of the glucose, which your brain and other parts need to function. This is why the beer belly is especially unhealthy.

The book is just comprehensive enough to allow me to explain what the omentum is and does without being so comprehensive that I felt overwhelmed. It is logically laid out, leading you through the biology of food vs. your body to the emotional aspects behind why we eat (and why diets fail). Then, it explains what you can do to change your eating and exercise habits.

The exercise is a good addition. The premise is that, no excuses, you walk for thirty minutes a day, every day. You can break it up into three ten-minute segments, but you must do it. Once you conquer that, you can go on to additional strength and cardiovascular exercise that is supposed to help work and tone your muscles.

Part of the program is that you dump your cabinets of everything bad for you. We did this. I was surprised to see how many foods have high fructose corn syrup (a big no-no because your body uses it quickly and then sends messages to the brain that you need to eat again, even if you're not hungry).

The book also includes information on how to eat, instructions for the first two weeks, and a shopping list and menu with recipes. The shopping list is a bit difficult. What grocery store carries 100% whole wheat pizza dough? Also, there are some items that weren't listed (ground turkey is needed for one of the recipes, but you're never told to buy it).

The promise is that once you learn how to eat, you will retrain your body to want exercise and good foods and leave cravings behind you like yesterday's socks. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but the book was well-written, the doctors were likable, and the plan felt so doable and authoritative, that I'm willing to give it a try.

If it does work, I'll buy this book for everyone I know. If it doesn't, it was a good read anyway.

Greedy Reader.

2006-06-03T00:02:00.000-05:00

I have been greedy.

I read and read and read and read.

I do not write.

I need to write.

Firm declarative sentences perhaps equal a decision?

BookADay will be right back.

Reading at Work

2006-05-17T07:14:00.000-05:00

I both love and hate this idea. Author readings, a ubiquitous part of book publicity campaigns, are now happening outside the bookstore. They're happening inside the office.

Of course, it's happening at Starbucks.

The NY Times has the whole story. Thanks to Media Bistro.

CIA Operative: Reading

2006-04-24T07:50:00.000-05:00

The NY Times is reporting that George C. Minden passed away earlier this month.

He was responsible for the CIA-financed initiative to give books to Communists living in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

"The material ranged from dictionaries, medical texts and novels by Joyce and Nabokov to art museum catalogs and Parisian fashion magazines."

Comments were kept on individual recipients' reading taste, not for some scary government reason, but to "better serve them in the future." Minden believed that the initiative "sprinkled reality into an unnatural and ultimately irrational" system.

New book review up as well.

Recently Finished:
Stiff
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Foods That Make You Lose Weight (for work)

Pulitzer Prizes

2006-04-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the new Pulitzer Prize Winners for 2006. Read their books!

FICTION
March by Geraldine Brooks

HISTORY
Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky

BIOGRAPHY
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

POETRY
Late Wife by Claudia Emerson

GENERAL NON-FICTION
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins

First Books

2006-04-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of first books. While authors are rarely at their best, their methods are more transparent; their style is easier to dissect. Many of these works are beautiful and stunning. They inspire me as a reader and they inspire me to write.

Apparently, I'm not alone in my love of first books. NPR has the story. Click today's header to read.

The Blooker Prize

2006-04-03T06:58:00.000-05:00

Brand new award for bloggers that turned their work into books. Julie Powell takes away the big prize.

"Blooks are the new books, a hybrid literary form at the cutting edge of both literature and technology," said Bob Young, founder of self-publishing site Lulu which organized and sponsored the prize. (from BBC News.)

New book review by Shane is live as well.

File: Logistics

2006-03-31T00:53:00.000-06:00

As you can see, brand new look and feel.

New review in the library as well.

From The Stacks

2006-03-08T23:02:00.001-06:00

A lot has happened since my last post.

I need to admit full disclosure: I went to work for a publishing company, which technically, makes me one of them. I am an editor, but I'm working with already-published-books, deploying them onto a popular website. (The company owns all the content rights.) This will not affect my judgment, the reviews, or my desire to post about book publishing.

And, I've been reading. A lot (see below). It's the time of year when I hunker down and read all the books that have been sent to me before my deadline passes, which is early next week. So, that's why there's been an interruption in the news and views of BookADay and I will soon return regularly.

I got tagged by Karen and it's a fun one about books, so I thought I'd post it here. Feel free to post your own.

Meme instructions (I modified slightly): Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you might read, cross out the ones you won’t, put astericks by the ones on your book shelf, and place parentheses around the ones you’ve never even heard of.

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
*The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
*The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
*The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald
*To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
*The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
(His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman)
*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J. K. Rowling
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story - George Orwell
*Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
*1984 - George Orwell
*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J. K. Rowling
*One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
*Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
*Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
*Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Neuromancer - William Gibson
(Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson)
(The Secret History - Donna Tartt)
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
*Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
*Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
(Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell)
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
Atonement - Ian McEwan
(The Shadow Of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
*The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
*Dune - Frank Herbert

So, play nice until next time. Also, I'm currently searching for nice quotes. Anyone have any?

Currently Reading:
The Litigators, Pg. 16

2006 Books Completed (in no particular order):
1. Spook: Science Tackles The Afterlife, 288 pages
2. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, 272 pages
3. The iTetralogy, 365 pages
4. The March of the Frozen Martyrs, 404 pages
5. Noble Vision, 338 pages
6. Abrasoka, 197 pages
7. Athena's Forum, 329 pages
8. The Champion Maker, 270 pages
9. Cryptid: the Lost Legacy of Lewis & Clark, 299 pages
10. DiVerse, 123 pages
11. Letters to Allie, 178 pages
12. Liars Dice, 364 pages
13. A Castle in Romagna, 103 pages
14. Nocturne, 379 pages
15. Rocks That Float, 282 pages
16. The March of the Frozen Martyrs, 391 pages
18. The Time Keeper, 235 pages
19. Gardening Made Easy
20. Organize Your Closet
21. Beyond Business Casual, 192 pages
22. Real Style, 192 pages
23. What Should I Wear? Dressing For All Occasions
24. Before You Put That On, 384 pages
25. How to Gain The Professional Edge: Achieve the Personal & Professional
Image You Want, 155 pages
26. Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers, 288 pages

No links on that one, it's a lot of coding.

Total Approximate Pages Read: 5,537

A Tribute to Wendy Wasserstein

2006-01-30T13:30:00.000-06:00

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein has died.

There are a number of beautiful obituaries for her on the web right now and I'm sure they'll continue as the day goes on, but the one I find the most comforting is from The Miami Herald.

I loved Wendy Wasserstein's work. I loved them for their wit, for their ridiculous humor, for their unabashed blatant political statements. I even loved them for the things I hated: the similar characters and dialogue, the whining, the pseudo-man bashing. Maybe it was because I could see their flaws and respect her work anyway. Maybe it was because I, too, am a Jewish girl with overprotective parents. Maybe it was because her characters saw what they wanted and went after it-- a character trait I admire. Whatever it was, her work inspired me to continue writing.

Sometimes it's about timing. She caught me at the exact right moment with The Heidi Chronicles, a pick from my 10th grade English class. Her plays led the life I wanted (well, except for the dead-end romances with schmucks), told with the sense of humor I stole as my own.

I followed her career as my own began, even forgiving her missteps (An American Daughter, which disappointed me when I saw it on Broadway) because every interview I read of hers was a delight. She was a woman I admired; a woman I wanted to befriend.

I never did, but I thought about writing to her a lot. To tell her that her words danced across my mind, reverberated, making me feel dizzy and real. To tell her that her feminism was my blueprint; that her work and her life meant something to me even though I later discarded her brand of identity for my own. That her books sit on my office's inspiration shelf and that even now I thumb through them on bad days reminding myself why I write.

Her death makes today one of those bad days. Yet, even though she is no longer with us, she still inspires me and reminds me why I write. This time, it is to her.

Ms. Wasserstein, you'll be sorely missed. Thank you for all you've done for me.

How Do You Read?

2006-01-23T07:42:00.000-06:00

Pop Quiz: How do you read? What are your preferences? Hard cover, paperback, ebook? Do you ever read books onscreen (via PDA, cell phone, ereader, monitor)? Would you?

My preferences: paperback (easier to haul around in my purse). I'm trying to get into the ereader thing. I started Silas Marner on my PDA/cell phone.

Two new book reviews up in the Book Review section. I also moved all the 2005 reviews over to the Book Review Archive.

Currently Reading:
The iTetralogy, Pg. 255.
Scion brochure.
Silas Marner, Pg. 2.

My eRead Over The Ocean

2006-01-17T13:51:00.000-06:00

Our friends over at Britain's Observer report on a story about the next big advance in publishing: the ebook.

Yeah, I know, sort of old news. But the article is a great read, especially because it wanders through all points of view.

Most exaggerated quote from the article:

Weisberg, a passionate bibliophile who delights in trawling secondhand bookshops for modern first editions, concedes that a book is a lovely thing and believes that hardback books will become more like illuminated manuscripts after Gutenberg. 'You will keep in your home only ones you find attractive, or have a sentimental connection to. Owning printed books will eventually become synonymous with collecting them.'

Of course, I think that's a bunch of bunk. And I'm a big fan of ebooks.

A quote that makes more sense from the same article:

"When the e-reader emerges as a mass-market item, the shift will be very rapid indeed. It will soon be a dual-format market."

Yeah, much better.

In other news, three new reviews coming this week (hopefully). One's in the can, one's in my head, and one's still being read.

Currently reading:
The iTetralogy, Pg. 168.
The New Yorker, current issue, Pg. 27. (Yeah, I know it's not a book, but it's what I'm reading.)

New Year, New Me

2006-01-08T17:25:00.000-06:00

And, we're back.

First, a thank you to all of the very, very patient BookADay readers.

I've looked at BookADay in 2005.
Here it is, by the numbers:

10 reviews posted, about one per month, except when on sabbatical
48 posts, 2 more than in 2004

That's not good enough.

When I originally started this my goal was to share what I was reading. I had always been that friend people asked what was good to read. But, I've been a miserable friend, the kind who doesn't return your phone calls because she's off hiking the Alps or something. Part of that is because I began reading a lot of books for a contest that I was judging at the time, so I got away from the core, replacing it with news and other tidbits. Part of it was because I was too busy/lazy to update on a regular schedule. Part of it was because I was trying to find my voice on deciding what I would and wouldn't publish. (Regular readers know about my good review/bad review debate.)

Speaking of reviews, I'd like to announce the BookADay Awards for Excellence in 2005.

BookADay Reviewer of the Year
Shane Wilson.
Shane's diligence and prolific review writing has kept BookADay going this year, almost single-handedly. I'm incredibly grateful to his fervor, anger, and well written book reviews.

This year there's only one category. Next year, I'll ask you to read the awards wearing a tux with tails, and I'll write them in a flowing dress with plenty of bling. Seriously, congrats and thank you to Shane.

It's a new year and I've think I have it figured out. Which could mean I don't have it figured out at all. Anything's possible.

Due to wonderful advances in technology (way to go Palm Treo and Blogger Mobile), I can now post from just about anywhere. I'm going back to the core--less news more books. Which means more reviews and more regularly scheduled posts. And, if I'm going to be off traveling, there will be guest contributors to keep this going. Because I owe it to you, and truthfully, to me as well.

New features for 2006:
-Search capabilities of reviews. People have asked for this and I'm going to figure out how to make this happen. If there's a developer in the house,
-More indy book reviews. I'm currently working through a stack that will be up in the next few weeks.
-Possible new design.
-Interviews.
-Much more fun and exciting innovations I can't tell you about because I haven't thought up yet.

Thanks again to everyone who reads BookADay. There's a new review by Reviewer of the Year Shane Wilson up in the BookADay Book Review section.

And now...your regularly scheduled post ending.

Currently reading:
The i Tetralogy, Pg. 68
Tori Amos: Piece by Piece, Pg. 18

2006 Books Completed:
1. Spook: Science Tackles The Afterlife
2. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Total Pages Read: 583

What? Still On Leave?

2006-01-05T12:58:00.000-06:00

It's the New Year, for crying out loud.

Yes, yes, I've heard your cries and I apologize.
Putting together a nice big post, including a year wrap up.
New reviews as well.

Coming January 9.

BookADay on temporary leave.

2005-11-25T23:20:00.000-06:00

I'm currently headed to Mexico on business. Unsure of Internet access. Taking lots of reading with me.

Sorry for the short hiatus. Expect to return to the States the 10th of December.

Book Texting

2005-11-16T15:03:00.000-06:00

Dot Mobile, a cell phone company out of London, is texting students the Cliff's Notes of literature, complete with text message slang. Article via:
Slashdot: Literature Teeters on the Edge of a 'Gr8 Fall'.

Both Yahoo! and Slashdot seem to think this is an awful idea, but I see it as another step in the right direction. I don't like the text slang, but with mobile devices becoming the next thing in communication, it makes sense for phone companies to begin competition outside of ringtones and wireless. Why not books? Books as PDF are taking off--I know quite a few people who read them on the Palms. I hope Dot Mobile sees the greater value of these summaries and eventually pairs them with the full books.

$8000=Entire Penguin Collection

2005-11-15T11:47:00.000-06:00

Over the summer, Penguin released its Classic Library Complete Collection available through Amazon. For slightly less than $8K, you can own almost every book in Penguin's catalogue. It's a good thing the shipping is free because it weighs 700 lbs. Wow.

The New York Times: 1,082 Penguin Books story has the tale of one family who bought.

Can you imagine if all publishers released their collection this way? Granted, Penguin's collection lends itself the most easily to this, but wouldn't it be cool for bibliophiles to own the collections of their favorite publishers in one bulk purchase.

In case you're curious of what to get me for the holidays, it's on my wishlist.

Thanks to Shane for the update.

Review of Reviews

2005-11-11T10:12:00.000-06:00

Priya Jain writes forSalon.com Books "Years of magical thinking" a nice review that, in addition to reviewing the memoir, reviews the author's history and the other reviewers.

More Eleventh Hour Votes For Limits On The Patriot Act

2005-11-11T09:24:00.000-06:00

New bill up in the Senate (S.1389) gives greater reader privacy than the House version. The Senate legislation restricts bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the Patriot Act to the records of suspected terrorists or those in contact with them. If you agree, contact your senator with your support.

Two Links:
Rising Support Cited for Limits On Patriot Act

Campaign For Reader Privacy

Delicious Library

2005-11-06T13:55:00.000-06:00

Woah, what a cool program. For $40, it allows you to catalogue your entire book, music, and DVD library. I'm currently trying the demo version to see how it handles my personal book library (at the last move over 800). I'll report back on how well it does.

The Theory on Bad Reviews

2005-11-04T12:45:00.000-06:00

We're at the point that I need to address something that I've been trying to avoid: the subject of bad reviews. Authors and publishing companies send us their books. I feel it's both a great honor and a great responsibility. These are works that people have labored over. The majority are small publishing houses that don't have a lot marketing dollars, including money to send review copies. That means that these same small houses don't receive a lot of reviews for their books. That means they don't generate a buzz, which means the books are harder to sell.

Now, sometimes, these small houses are one-man-bands. The self-published author. This is generally a person who has invested his or her own money into making the book a reality. Sometimes, albeit rarely, self-publishing works. There's a great book out there that, for whatever reason, mainstream publishing companies aren't picking up. These people have even fewer shots of getting reviews for their books, and even less of a chance of distribution and sold copies. These are the books I want to champion.

My interest in publishing has always been wide. The publishing companies are working hard to keep their doors open. The authors often don't make enough on a book to quit their day jobs. Not a lot of people are getting rich. Yet, it's an industry that is flooded with books. It's overwhelming to readers. I originally created this blog for people interested in both reading and the business of books. I've posted the occasional negative review about a book from a large house. My reasoning: there is so much press about the books from big houses that another commentary is just that: another voice in the mix.

But, to this point, I haven't posted a bad review of a book from a small press. I have read some books that were lacking, and written a few negative reviews. But, after doing some Internet searches on the books in question and finding no information, I decided not to post the reviews. The reason? Why should the only mention of a book be negative? Perhaps nobody is buying it in the first place, why bother to post reviews of something not being read? I don't want to hurt a small house that is struggling just to meet its overhead. Yet, at the same time, the publisher has sent their book to me, a reviewer, to critique. Perhaps authors are wondering what happened to their books? (For the record, the process is like this: books come in, are logged and then put in line to be read, critiqued, then at the end of each calendar year, given to the reviewers or donated to the local library.) Why is this blog, one that strives to devote itself to the small press, lacking in book reviews about the small press?

The answer is two fold: 1) some of the books sent to me from small presses have received negative reviews that I chose not to post; 2)I give reviewers the freedom to choose the book they want to discuss.

But, I have a responsibility to readers. If someone sends a book, they do it in good faith. If the book was good, I'd post it in a heartbeat. If the book deserves a negative review, it also should be posted. The first negative review is being posted today. Give me your feedback. Based on that, I'll decide whether or not to post others.

By the way, if you're a publisher who wants your book reviewed, or a reviewer looking for a home for your reviews, address queries to me: Brandi Larsen-- bookaday at gmail.com.

Google Print

2005-11-03T08:48:00.000-06:00

The debate continues.

Opposed, in today's Washington Times.

For, from Google.

What Goodle is doing to reading, by Gregory Crane from Humanities.

What's your take?

People Reading on The Train

2005-11-03T07:20:00.000-06:00

Red Eye.
The New Yorker.
Devil in a White City.
Harry Potter.
That Was Yesterday. I'll keep notes this morning.

New reviews will be posted on Friday.

Update, 9am.
This morning's train readings:
Red Eye.
Chicago Sun-Times.
A T-Mobile Sidekick.
Jewels of the Sun.
The Mercy Ruler (a library book!)
Jarhead.
Cornwell.
The Time Traveler's Wife.

The Quill Awards Are Going On Right Now

2005-10-22T18:06:00.000-05:00

Best Debut Author: Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian
Best Humor: Jon Stewart, America (The Book)
Best Business: Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, Freakonomics
Best Children's Chapter Books, Middle Grade: J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Best Cooking: Rachel Ray, Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Get Real Meals
Best Children's Illustrated Book: Shel Silverstein, Runny Babbit
Best Religion/Spirituality: Deepak Chopra, Peace Is The Way

The full list is at their website: www.quillsliteracy.org. (Shame for posting prior to the full televised cermony.)

Yes, I'm back. I'm sorry for the long delay.

New Book Review Friday

2005-09-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

New Book Review Friday!

Nice article.

2005-09-06T07:18:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of Jeanette Winterson's work. She just redid her website (well, I imagine her people just redid the website). In any case, she wrote a nice journal entry in this month's newsletter about books and their ability to rejuveniate.

If you haven't read any of her books, start with Written on The Body.

The Book Vending Machine is Here!

2005-08-22T06:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, not here. Paris. But still, the concept has been actualized. Even more gratifying than Amazon and ebay put together: The Book Vending Machine. You have to read the full article.

I think this is the coolest thing ever.

New Book Review in the BookADay Book Reviews section.

2005-08-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

Bound to happen.

2005-08-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

Google's Print Library has been halted due to copyright infringement.

Boo to Blog Spam

2005-08-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Please do not spam this place with great dating sites. There's a whole Internet full of porn. Leave it out there, kids. Grr.

Ebooks

2005-08-10T06:14:00.000-05:00

E-books are making their way to campus.

E-books only account for a tiny share of the market ($3.2 million in an entire quarter, $10.6 million less than the newest Harry Potter book sold in the first 24 hours). But, they're trying to grow.

They're offering 30% off normal textbook prices, which is a lot to cash-strapped college students, who on average spend $800 a year on books. This could be great news, but it's really more of the same. There's a catch: The books are only available for download to a single computer and expire after five months.

Personally, I think that's a big catch. With students having multiple devices (palm, several computers, phones with e-book readers), they should be able to read how they like. The expiration date is ridiculous.

This kind of business model begs for some angry inventive student to begin file sharing or hack into the system as a whole, leaving the e-book industry to whine like the MPAA. I propose a better idea: borrow the I-tunes model. The whole point of the Internet is flexibility. Let students download their textbooks by chapter at a less expensive price point. Allow a certain number of copies to their own devices. Put it in a format that's clean, but a pain to copy. Place it in a nice looking easy-to-use interface. Hyperlink to other things that could be of help, like Wikipedia. Ditch the idea of expiration dates.

This builds a loyal audience who will come back to you. It grows the e-book market. And, it's fair.

The Review Apology

2005-08-08T07:11:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post printed an apology to John Irving in Sunday's editor's note. His latest novel had been reviewed by Marianne Wiggins, who panned it, calling its writing style "lazy". She had a social relationship with Irving, which she did not disclose to the paper.

BookADay, who does not have connections to John Irving, plans to review Until I Find You.

This situation begs the question: how close it too close? Irving was a friend of Wiggins' ex-husband. Could it be that she didn't like the book, no matter to her relationship with him? Probably. Was she wrong in not telling The Washington Post. Definitely. Writers bump into reviewers all the time. Some reviewers, present company included, also write. I believe you always need to be honest about who you know and if it's really questionable, don't review it. That said, I also believe that you can read your best friend's book and if it's a bomb, you need to call it a bomb. Your thoughts?

New Book Review Up and Two Tidbits

2005-08-05T06:58:00.000-05:00

It's in the BookADay Book Reviews section.

Two tidbits:

An ironic view on what America really needs to read right now. A juror on the Michael Jackson trial is writing a book called Guilty as Sin and Free as a Bird.

I've been reading indie book seller Robert Gray's blog, Fresh Eyes. The posting on 7.22 describes a dream job: Professor of Books.

The New Patriot Act

2005-07-22T05:41:00.000-05:00

Slightly better for reader privacy than the old one. The Judiciary Committee approved unanimously the new Patriot Act, set to expire in 2009.

What it means for readers:

Prior written approval of the Director or Deputy Director of the FBI for any application for a FISA Court order to compel production of:
-library circulation records,
-library patron lists,
-book sales records,
-and book customer lists containing personally identifiable information.

The Justice Department must publicly reveal each year the number of orders issued to bookstores and libraries.

Basically, this means they can still do what they want, but now they have to do some paperwork and now they're traceable. It seems more fair.

The full article from The Campaign For Reader Privacy.

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince Book Review.

2005-07-18T07:05:00.000-05:00

So, I read it over the weekend. (Yes, I'm one of those.) I like to think that I read it so I could report about it here, but that's only part of it, really. Okay, intro aside, here is the review:

Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Pages: 672
Year Published: 2005.
Grade That Means Nothing Coming From Me: C-.

Summary:
Another year of Harry's life, his sixteenth. The war is in full swing, with Voldemort's Dark Eaters gaining strength and killing both wizards and muggles on a daily basis. Security has tightened at Hogwarts. As 6th years, Harry, Hermoine and Ron are now studying harder than ever, each of them passing the appropriate tests to get them into the classes they want. Dumbledore is teaching Harry private lessons to help him fight Voldemort, giving him history lessons on Voldemort's past. Harry excels in potions after receiving a used potion book that has notations from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. In between studies, love is in the air at Hogwarts, with some of the favorites getting together. The war continues to get closer and closer to Hogwarts, with parents getting worried after students keep getting cursed, even on school grounds. Harry believes Snape, the new teacher of Defense of the Dark Arts, is working with Draco Malfoy as Dark Eaters. Dumbledore asks Harry to accompany him on a mission to weaken Voldemort. When they return, they find that the Death Eaters have taken over the castle. A grisly fight and tragic real-tears death follow.

My take:
Disappointment. Rowling struggles throughout this one to maintain her audience. It seems as though she is not sure whom she is talking to. The characters and action are no longer age appropriate for the 12 and under crowd, due to the amount of swearing (the characters all seem to be swearing, even though very few are actually written out), snogging (their word for some serious horizontal lip-locking) and violence. Yet, Rowling writes in a voice that is condescending to both children and adults. She wrestles with the voice of the book, even going as far as having the characters say in their dialogue what is important to remember.

In addition, she spends the first 135 pages of the book in a massive recap of what has already happened, as if she cannot fathom her readers could possible remember. She liberally sprinkles reminders from her other books throughout the rest of the text, which are so gratuitous that it feels like she's either being paid by the word or doing heavy self-promotion. I almost expect Harry to begin reading a Harry Potter book.

She also reuses the plot from Book 2. Harry once again finds himself with an object that gives him directions from an unknown hand. You would think that he would be wary of picking up another object, but he just plunges in, even though Hermoine keeps saying how much she disagrees with it.

Character perception is another problem. Even though Harry has been right for everything up until now, even though everyone refers to him as The Chosen One, even though he has no reasons to lie and is acknowledged as seeing things, nobody believes him. This is ridiculous. Rowling is forced to make very smart characters inconceivable unperceptive in order to make her plot work. Overall, it's disappointing.

That being said, it does end well. It seems that Rowling gets out of unnecessary exposition land somewhere around page 510, making the last hundred and fifty or so pages an enjoyable read, with the pace, tone, characters, and voice consistent with what we expect of Harry Potter book.

I will grudgingly read Book 7 because I care about the Potter crew. But it would be great if it would cut to the chase.

I Caved.

2005-07-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

I preordered Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I read that they expect over 60% of America's kids to read this book. I wonder what the percentage is for adults. I also wonder if we can forward this reading momentum on to other books.

(I almost wish that J.K. Rowling would have Harry read some great works of literature.)

Sigh.

And This Is Why Vanity Press=Bad

2005-07-08T08:19:00.000-05:00

Never, ever, ever, ever pay someone to publish your work. Publishers pay you. That's how it works. And I'm personally against agents who charge a reading fee.

Here's another account of writer fraud.

A couple of links to people who can help:
Predators and Editors.
Writer Beware.
Authors Lawyer.

London.

2005-07-07T09:18:00.000-05:00

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of London.

Find Your Next Book

2005-06-21T06:36:00.000-05:00

This site asks you to take a little quiz. It then tells you what books you'd like based upon your answers. I put in an obscure book that I love and it suggested a list of great books (many that I'd already read), so it was pretty on target.

Story Code

Thanks to Jason for sharing this with me.

Victory!

2005-06-16T08:06:00.000-05:00

The Campaign for Reader Privacy worked! The Freedom to Read Ammendment was passed in the House yesterday! Congrats to Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for sponsoring this bill!

This is all over the news today. Thanks to all the BookADay readers who campaigned, wrote their representatives to make this happen.

Here's the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 16, 2005

In a vote that sends a clear message to the Bush Administration that Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act needs to be amended to protect Americans' right to privacy, the House yesterday passed Rep. Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) Freedom to Read Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) Appropriations Bill by a vote of 238-187. The Sanders amendment cuts Justice Department funds for bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. On Tuesday, the Bush Administration had warned that it would veto the House Appropriations Bill if it included any amendments that would weaken the PATRIOT Act, as reported by the Washington Post.

Today's vote represents a significant victory for Sanders and the many free-speech groups and civil-liberties advocates, including the Campaign for Reader Privacy, who believe that Section 215 is a dangerous erosion of constitutional rights.

"This victory clearly shows that you can fight city hall and win, and demonstrates the enormous power of booksellers to influence public policy," said American Booksellers Association COO Oren Teicher. "We'd like to congratulate and thank Rep. Sanders, as well as booksellers and all those who participated in the Campaign for Reader Privacy. As was said at ABA's Celebration of Bookselling 10 days ago, America's readers have never had a better friend or stronger supporter than we have in Bernie."

"With this vote, Congress has begun the process of rolling back aspects of post-9/11 legislation that unnecessarily encroach on some of our most basic freedoms," said Larry Siems, director of the Freedom to Write Program at PEN American Center. "Even before 9/11, federal authorities had the power to search personal records of anyone suspected of involvement in terrorism. This is the first step toward restoring checks that prevent the government from seeing the reading records of everyone else."

While the victory was significant, Teicher stressed that today's vote does not mean the fight to amend Section 215 is over. "The battle will continue as Congress looks to reauthorize 215 and the other sunsetting provisions of the PATRIOT Act at the end of this year," he said. "We need to redouble our efforts, and we urge booksellers to continue to collect signatures on reader privacy petitions and to contact their congressional representatives to ask them to support an amendment to Section 215 to protect readers' First Amendment rights."

The debate prior to the vote was an intense one, with those in favor of the amendment emphasizing that civil liberties do not have to be sacrificed for the sake of security and those opposed to the amendment warning that it would give terrorists a safe haven in bookstores and libraries. "This amendment seeks to build a sanctuary for terrorists," declared Tom Feeney (R-FL), "that's all it does."

However, Butch Otter (R-ID) retorted that, like any former prosecutor who worked for the government, "my colleague seems frustrated by the Constitution."

And Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) cautioned, "It's time to remember where wecome from as a nation...a nation that stands up for civil liberties!"

In conclusion, Sanders stressed that, not only are the American Library Association and American Booksellers Association in favor of amending Section 215, but that "seven states in America have gone on record expressing serious concerns" regarding the provision. Furthermore, he continued, hundreds of thousands of citizens have informed their representatives that they are concerned about Section 215, as well.

Campaign For Reader Privacy

2005-06-03T07:46:00.000-05:00

I try to seprate reading and politics, but this is something that mixes both and must be addressed.

The US Patriot Act is a dangerous one. In addition to breaking a host of other civil liberties, this act allows federal agents to gain access to anyone's book habits. Through libraries, booksellers, publishers, everything. This in the name of international terrorism, a labeling so broad that it's been applied to anyone the government has been watching, even the good guys.

Yes, there are terrorists out there. Yes, they might be reading. But to enact a law that grants universal access to our records is heavyhanded, unjust, and reminiscent of the Red Scare and other witch hunts.

America was a free country, with the ability to educate ourselves in whatever method we choose. For many of us, we choose reading.

There's a Campaign for Reader Privacy: www.readerprivacy,org. The first step is to sign the petition. The second step is to get out there and use your voice.

Ben Franklin Awards

2005-06-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

Winners of the Ben Franklin Awards were announced last night in New York. I'll soon follow with a full list of winners, my congratulations to Dave Shields, author of The Race, and winner of the Best New Voice Fiction Category. It's a great book and well-worth the read.

Also, congrats to all who entered.

Google Print is Freaking People Out Again

2005-06-01T08:06:00.000-05:00

I'd like to start off with a disclaimer: I think Google Print's latest endeavor, Google Print for Libraries, is a cool idea.

But, I'm not an academic publisher.

According to DM News, they're freaked out. Read the whole article here.

Here's Google's side of the story.

Bestsellers

2005-05-31T08:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of bestsellers from a great Chicago independent bookstore, after-words books. No web address, but they're at 23 E. Illinois. 312.464.1110. You can buy books from them online here:http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry?vci=27313.

Top 5 New Books Sold
1. DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson (Vintage, trade paperback, $14.95)
2. HAUNTED by Chuck Palahniuk(Doubleday, hardback, $24.95)
3. THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR OF 1893: A PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD. Text by Stanley Appelbaum (Dover Publications, trade paperback, $12.95)
4. HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams (Ballantine, mass market, $7.99)
5. NFT: NOT FOR TOURISTS GUIDE TO CHICAGO 2005 edited by Jane Pirone (Not For Tourists, Inc., trade paperback, $16.95).

Another New Book Review.

2005-05-03T19:18:00.000-05:00

Writers' Take Charge

2005-04-28T06:59:00.000-05:00

This is a great article by Johnny Temple about writing for indie verses major publishing houses.

Small Press Center

2005-04-27T07:31:00.000-05:00

First annual writer's conference from the Small Press Center starts this weekend.

Still time to sign up.

Award Finalists and A Big Uh Oh

2005-04-26T07:07:00.000-05:00

PMA, The Independent Book Publishers Association has just announced the finalists for the 2005 Ben Franklin Awards. Congratulations to all who entered, but especially to the following authors and small publishing houses:

Best New Voice (Fiction)
The Race. Dave Shields. Three Story Press
The Shadow of Justice. Milton Hirsh. American Bar Association
Singularity. Bill DeSmedt. Per Aspera Press

The winner will be announced June 1 in New York.

__________

In other news, Mariah Carey has announced her decision to join the ranks of children's book authors. Her series will be about a bi-racial orphan and called Automatic Princess. The project has yet to begin, but she says, "It's still something I really want to do, and I'm going to do, and I'm going to start getting that into production soon." Source: RTE Guide.

It Has Begun.

2005-04-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

The Writers and Readers Group has finally started. There's still an opportunity to get involved...e-mail us if you're interested.

Now on to your regularly scheduled blog....

New review posted in the Reviews section. Older reviews are in the Archives.

______________

Best Seller Lists

NY Times
Hardcover Fiction:
1. True Believer. Nicholas Sparks.
2. The Mermaid Chair. Sue Monk Kidd.
3. Revenge of the Sith. Matthew Stover.
4. No Place Like Home. Mary Higgins Clark.
5. The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. My Life So Far. Jane Fonda.
2. Blink. Malcolm Gladwell.
3. The World is Flat. Thomas L. Friedman.
4. On Bull----. Harry G. Frankfurt.
5. Freakonomics. Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.

Booksense
Trade Paperback Fiction:

1. The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini.
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Mark Haddon.
3. The Secret Life of Bees. Sue Monk Kidd.
4. The Shadow of the Wind. Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
5. The Time Traveler's Wife. Audrey Niffenegger.

Trade Paperback Nonfiction:

1. The Tipping Point. Malcolm Gladwell.
2. Bad Cat. Jim Edgar.
3. The Devil in the White City. Erik Larson.
4. Reading Lolita in Tehran. Azar Nafisi.
5. Truth & Beauty. Ann Patchett.

Writers and Readers Group Starting

2005-03-16T20:50:00.000-06:00

Gaining interest in a writers and readers group.

If you're writer of fiction (short or long), or interesting nonfiction, and want a solid group of peers to critique your work, this is the place. Test your work on willing readers and celebrate your victories with all of us.

If you're a reader, this is the place to read new work and help shape what will be in print tomorrow.

Flexible meeting dates, currently looking at every other Wednesday (evening).

Writers: e-mail your writing preferences and a writing sample to bookaday@gmail.com. Readers: e-mail your reading preferences and why you want to be a part of this group to bookaday@gmail.com.

While this group will physically meet in Chicago, online participants are also welcome. E-mail and we'll work out the details.

If agreed upon by writers and readers, reviews of completed work can be posted in the Reviews section of BookADay.

Hey Faithful Readers...

2005-03-10T22:18:00.000-06:00

Bet you're curious about the lack of posts.

BookADay is currently living up to its name. I'm currently reading between 2-3 books a day, to wrap up a contest I'm working on.

The deadline is March 15. If I don't go blind from so much reading, I'll be back then.

In the meantime, amuse yourself with this:

The Online Books Page is full of books that have been put online for your reading enjoyment. How many can you read by March 15?

The 50 Page Test

2005-02-23T06:53:00.000-06:00

How do you read? This article by Steve Leveen advocates a stance many professional readers take--giving up on books. According to him, many poeple feel guilty about putting a book down if they're not enjoying it.

Do you give up on books?

Thanks to Maxwell for sending me this link.

Two Eulogies: Hunter S. Thompson and Arthur Miller

2005-02-21T09:09:00.000-06:00

Voices of two generations have passed away. Both Hunter S. Thompson and Arthur Miller have met with their fates.

Hunter S. Thompson killed himself and was found at 6pm Feb 20th. The NY Times wrote a nice article. I didn't always agree with or like his writing. I respect him for what he has done for journalism and for writing. Whether or not you agree with the man, he did a lot for all of us as writers. I cut my teeth in journalism and appreciated the path he laid out for all the journalists like myself who came after him.

Arthur Miller passed away last week. Reuters wrote a good eulogy. He gave voice to the alienation that many Jews, as well as immigrant and second generation Americans, felt. He did it in a way that was heartbreaking and stunning. All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, all works of literature that captured America and took character drama to a new level.

I'll miss them both.

I Read It On My Phone!

2005-02-21T07:10:00.000-06:00

Random House is finally acting like it works in this century, no longer pretending that the digital age doesn't exist. They're looking to make a deal with cell phone companies. Right now, it's still primitive--they're only really looking at Vocel's foreign language learning programs. (Vocel has succeeded by making deals with Verizon and Cingular to provide SAT information.) It's a start though.

Disappointingly, Random House still doesn't believe the cell phone format is conducive to reading books. More at Wireless News Factor.

Hey Bloggers, Are You Book Worthy?

2005-02-09T07:40:00.000-06:00

There's a new company called Blogbinders out there that lets you translate your blog into a bound book within a week. While I believe book publishing should involve more things (like editing, and overall reading arcs), I think this is a good and cheap way to keep track of your yearly blogging for generations to come. Thanks to Maxwell for this news item.

Follow Up On Their Backs Thank You

2005-02-08T07:20:00.000-06:00

The Association fo American Publishers is going to meet with PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) to talk about recent surveys about college textbooks.

In addition, the Russians are teaching book publishing within their business schools.

Jane Friedman is famous within book publishing for inventing the author tour. (The first one took place when she booked Julia Child in department store kitchen demonstrations, in addition to morning tv shows to promote a book.) Now, she's at the top of HarperCollins. Her new plan is to make the brand as identifable as the authors it produces. Novel concpt in publishing, and one that has been getting many whispers lately.

Feb. 13

2005-02-04T04:57:00.000-06:00

In case you're not doing anything Feb. 13, the Jerusalem book fair opens.

A Millisecond Ahead of My Time

2005-02-03T06:56:00.000-06:00

Remember how I posed a reading/writing group for our online readers on Tuesday?

I'm apparently not the only one who had this idea. Scholastic announced its online book club, Flashlight Readers for kids. It's a pretty cool site.

Their Backs Thank You

2005-02-02T07:10:00.000-06:00

I remember the not-so-distant past when I carried books from one class to another. At one point, I weighed my bookbag and it was over 30 pounds.

For the generations on students behind me who will pursue the hallowed halls of knowledge, the end may be in sight. Market analysts are predicting the end of the textbook. While I acknowledge that a lot of teachers and professors are finding other objects to supplement their teaching, I'm not sure I'm ready to call the textbook the new dinosaur. I can tell you, though, that the backs of students all across America will be grateful.

In other news, the much beloved Tom Brokaw signed up with Random House to write two more books. Details are sketchy at best.

Writing and Reading Group

2005-02-01T06:05:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking of starting up a writing and reading group. Writers could pitch ideas to readers and use them as a focus group., then write short stories or longer pieces that the reaaders would then give their feedback on. This works well for the writers because they get a single cohesive group that sees them through the process. It works well for the readers because they get to see a story from the gem of an idea to the finsihed piece and get to influence a writer.

What do you think? Are you interested? What side do you want to be on? I'm debating about whether a person can be both a writer and a reader... Your thoughts are appreciated.

The Numbers

2005-01-31T07:59:00.000-06:00

Earlier this month, Publisher's Weekly published the results of their bestseller analysis. Formatted by house, the top three are Random House with 75 bestsellers, Penguin with 49 bestsellers, and Simon & Schuster with 36 bestsellers.

This got me thinking about the non-heavy hitters. How far down does the list go? Where do independent publishers fit in the mix?

And We're Back

2005-01-30T13:26:00.000-06:00

On To Your Regularly Scheduled Daily BookADay mojo.

New reviews are up in the BookADay Book Review section.

If you have a story idea that you'd like to see in BookADay, let me know.

Luke Johnson wrote a nice essay for London's The Telegraph. In it, he talks about the virtue and hardship of being in book publishing. He's another one that is worried that the Internet is a biggest challenge to the book publishing industry. I disagree. I think the Internet will only enhance books that are out there. The industry's biggest challenge is to stop living in its dinosaur ways (and there is a movement for change happening right now). As we progress into the future , we will find new ways to sell and new ways to read, although I'll tell you, there will be some hardheads, myself included, that will always love the visceral feeling of turning a book's pages.

In other news, accoridng to the Houston Chronicle, the Book Awards are about to get more fabulous. People are going to vote online and the ceremony will be televised nationally. Think the People's Choice Awards with more reclusive people. Glitz and glammor aside, which sort of chills my bones, I think having an award ceremony that is voted on by the people is a good idea. It gets people more invested in books, possibly starting a national conversation about books in the same way your average reality show is talked about the next day at the office cooler.

It's Sunday, so it's time for the BestSeller List.
Book Sense: Bestsellers From Independent Booksellers
Trade Paperback: Fiction
Week of 1.27.05, Sales For Week Ending 1.23.05

1. Housseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Riverhead: 384 pgs. Times on List: 39. Last Position: 1.
2. Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Vintage: 240 pgs.
Times on List: 36. Last Position: 2. (Read our book review.)
3. Dunant, Sarah. The Birth of Venus. Random House: 416 pgs. Times on List: 8.
Last Position: 3.
4. Jones, Edward P. The Known World. Amistad: 432 pgs. Times on List:35. Last Position:6.
5. Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler's Wife. Harcourt/Harvest: 536 pgs.
Times on List: 35. Last Position: 4. (Read our book review.)
6. Eudenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex. Picador: 544 pgs. Times on List:71. Last Position:7.
7. Monk Kidd, Sue. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin: 320 pgs. Times on List: 103.
Last Position: 5.
8. Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. Mariner: 304. Times on List:26. Last Position:10.
9. Gregory, Philippa. The Other Boleyn Girl. Scribner: 672 pgs. Times on List:19.
Last Position:14.
10. Chevalier, Tracy. The Lady and the Unicorn. Plume: 256 pgs. Times on List:3.
Last Position:13.

Undergoing Technical Difficulties

2005-01-05T13:51:00.000-06:00

We'll be back shortly.

Happy New Year

2004-12-31T18:39:00.000-06:00

May it bring you peace, happiness, health and lots of reading.

Happy Holidays

2004-12-28T07:40:00.000-06:00

BookADay has a holiday present for you: the return of the comments.

Now's the time to e-mail your best books 2004 list to us (bookaday at gmail dot com).

Enjoy your reading.

Court Suspends Book Ban

2004-12-22T05:38:00.000-06:00

I love reporting stories about book bans being overturned.
Here's one from overseas.
The full hearing is expected next month. But, for now, the argument that a ban on books is a denial of basic human rights holds up in court.
BBC NEWS Court suspends Ahmadiyya book ban

Government Eases Rules on Writers in Sanctioned Nations

2004-12-16T18:11:00.000-06:00

I believe books can change the world.
The New York Times: Government Eases Rules on Writers in Sanctioned Nations

The Perfect Mix of Books and Technology

2004-12-16T07:37:00.000-06:00

LeapFrog teamed up with the government to provide talking books for Afghani women, over 80% who cannot read.

These books will inform the women on basic health information, such as preventing disease, first aid, diet, pregnancy and childcare.

USATODAY.com - Health agency provides talking books for Afghan women.

This is a great start.

Google and The Library

2004-12-15T09:06:00.000-06:00

Everyone's written about it, so you probably have already heard, but Google is planning to digitize and make searchable the library collections from Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan, Oxford and New York Public Library.

Here's the story from the Washington Post:

Google to Digitize Some Library Collections (washingtonpost.com)

The search giant is also planning on expanding into the publishing arena, with Google Print. Their goal is to put all kinds of books within Washington search queries, giving searchers the ability to read portions of (and, if the book has no copyright, all of) books online.

Circular Logic

2004-12-10T13:41:00.000-06:00

Here we go.

I don't normally do this. We're a book review and book publishing site. Rarely, do I take you to other book review sites. I'm doing that now.

Charles Taylor wrote a good review for Salon .

His review is about Nick Hornby's new book hornby">Nick Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree.

Here's where it gets interesting. Hornby's book is a collection of columns he wrote for the literary journal, The Believer. The column topics? Book reviews.

Thanks to Shane for pointing me to the circular logic. Read Shane's brand new book review in the BookADay Book Reviews section.

Circular Logic

2004-12-10T08:23:00.000-06:00

Here we go.

I don't normally do this. We're a book review and book publishing site. Rarely, do I take you to other book review sites. I'm doing that now.

Charles Taylor wrote a good review for Salon .

His review is about Nick Hornby's new book Nick Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree.

Here's where it gets interesting. Hornby's book is a collection of columns he wrote for the literary journal, The Believer. The column topics? Book reviews.

Thanks to Shane for pointing me to the circular logic. Read Shane's brand new book review in the BookADay Book Reviews section.

Why Don't We Just Dig A Big Hole And Bury 'Em?

2004-12-09T23:25:00.000-06:00

Alabama Representative Gerald Allen is trying to get all books that even refer to homosexuality banned. I'm not talking erotic fiction here. I'm talking about any book. The bill proposes that in order to save our children from "the homosexual agenda", all books with any mention of homosexuality would be removed from public libraries and schools (including universities).

On the Banned Books List: the works of William Shakespeare, those psychology or biology textbooks, Greek classics like The Iliad, or even The Bible, which under Allen's prospective rules, does mention homosexuality, so should therefore be banned. But, where to put all these books? Representative Allen has the answer.

"I guess we dig a big hole and dump them in and bury them," he said.

Well, at least he was smart enough to suggest a solution other than burning them.

Seriously, I don't care what side of the aisle you sit on. This ideology comes from ignorance, hatred and fear. In endangers our society, one built on the freedom of speech (which includes the freedom of speech you don't agree with). It endangers readers everywhere by not giving us the ability to educate ourselves and find the answers that are right for us.

If you have as many problems with these forms of bigotry as I do, drop Rep. Allen a little note:
Gerald Allen
Room 531
11 S. Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130

Or, call him: 205.556.5310.

While I doubt he'll hear you out, I have a hunch he has a nice big hole to store your letter... and his answering machine.

Just In Case There Wasn't Enough Controversy over Self Publishing: Now, Do-it-Yourself Books Are Even Easier

2004-12-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Globetechnology: Do-it-yourself books

When An Indi Publisher Isn't

2004-12-07T22:27:00.000-06:00

I received an email earlier this week from an author who is published with a house that has been getting a lot of bad press lately.

Publisher's Weekly has been writing a lot about Publish America for the last few weeks. (Here's an abbreviated story that summarizes PW's claims.) Message rings, blogs, boards and writers from all over the web are converging en masse on this publishing company.
Here's a couple:
Predators and Editors (these guys have been watching Publish America for quite some time)
Absolute Write
AuthorLink
Making Light
Point counterpoint:
Publish America, Yes or No?

Truth be told, PA's website does feel "me thinks thou dost protest too much". On a factsheet of 12, they spend half of it talking about how they're not a vanity or POD press. In addition, they mention they only edit for grammar and mechanics, not content. This seems to have the same business model of a vanity press--one where the authors are prickly about anyone touching the editorial direction of their work.

Also, they seem to capitalize on a culture of fear and loyalty-- fear that the authors will never be published, and, once they accept a book, reminding the authors how lucky they are to be published. But, it seems the authors can sense this and want more.

A Google search will lead you to a lot of criticism, including the Maryland (where PA is based) Attorney General's current investigation. Authors are even considering a class action lawsuit. Allegedly, Publish America attempts to silence its detractors, including Predators and Editors.

My three concerns:

1. The allegation that Publish America capitalizes on people's hopes and fears and dupes them into signing bad contracts (not to say than major publishing companies don't do this--I know many first time authors who have gotten themselves into quite a pickle).

2. The allegations that they don't edit or proofread. I can forgive bad plots and rudimentary writing. What I cannot forgive is sloppiness. A good editor is necessary for every book. A publishing house that does not edit and allows tangents to go unchecked is unacceptable and irresponsible.

3. Larger publishing houses, major bookstores and a big percentage of the media blacklists PA authors (and most self-published authors, as well) due to the low quality of the books.

This leads me back to the author who wrote me. I worry about him. The book seems promising and I would like to review it, in spite of the allegations surrounding the publishing company. But, I am concerned. The controversy around Publish America has caused part of me to doubt whether books from this company will be run-away ego trips, contributing to the further blacklisting of PA authors. The other part of me genuinely wants this author to be the exception rather than the rule with a fantastic book that the major players won't cover because of the imprint he chose, defeating the blacklisting. A third part is worried that because I'm writing this, PA won't return my calls even if I do request a review copy. A fourth part, and probably the part I'm leaning to the most (I know, I know, a lot of parts) , suggests I request the review copy and put it on my ever expanding list of to-reads, judging the book simply by what's in between its covers. I'm going to try and do that.

How about you? Would you read a self-published book? A book from a dubious publisher? A book from an imprint you hate? Let me know.

Indi Books: Call To Publishers

2004-12-06T07:41:00.000-06:00

I've been reading a lot of Indi books lately (for you Muggles, that's books published by a smaller independent publisher).

While it's sometime hit or miss, I've been enjoying them.

Over Thanksgiving, I finished The Race by Dave Shields (Three Story Press, 2004). Although not a book I would normally pick up, it was a compelling read. It's the story of one man's bicycle journey through the Tour de France. The main character, who is riding for the European team because he was kicked off the American team, overcomes a lot of obstacles to ride to his peak performance. Shields plays with time using flashbacks as the mind wanders through the mileage accumulated on the tour. This is book about the journey and it's done very well.

Reading this and other Indi books has gotten me to thinking, how does one start a publishing company? Is it as simple as hanging your metaphorical shingle over your desk, designing a logo, grabbing something worth publishing and going? Here's a call to Indi publishers--email me at bookaday @ gmail.com and let me know how you started. What were your triumphs and tragedies and what compelled you to start. Depending on the response, I'll either print the emails or do some interviews.

Also, if there's anyone out there that can fix my comments, please let me know. I've thrown up my hands in exhaustion.

Books of Grace

2004-11-24T05:15:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. In addition to the norms like family, friends, opportunity and health, here are the books that I'm thankful for.

Written on the Body. Jeanette Winterson. A story about love where gender is a mask and the players jump around in time.

Light in August. William Faulkner. Okay, let the debate begin, but I think this is Faulkner's greatest work.

Voyages of Dr. Doolittle. Hugh Lofitng. The best part is his ocean journey home.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

This Week's Bestsellers (And Other Books You Should Be Reading)

2004-11-14T10:41:00.000-06:00

First, a tip of the hat to the Sunday Book section from the NY Times. Laura Miller's essay about the National Book Awards finalists--and the whiners who weren't. She provides an interesting juxtaposition between an honor bestowed by writers and an honor expected by readers.

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Sean Rocha wrote a great column for Slate about the infamous Bestsellers list.

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Margo Baldwin, publisher of indi-press Chelsea Green Publishing, takes on the NY Times and its book categorization in this essay on Alternet.

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Without further ado, this week's Bestseller and Web Mentioned lists:

The Weekly Bestsellers List: The Tops Tens
Publishers Weekly
Hardcover Fiction
Week of 11.15.04.
1. Baldacci, David. The Hour Game. Warner: 448 pgs. Times on List:2. Last Position:1.
2. Evanovich, Janet. Metro Girl. HarperCollins: 304 pgs. Times on List:1. Last Position:na.
3. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday: 454 pgs. Times on List:85. Last Position:2.
4. Alborn, Mitch. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Hyperion: 198 pgs. Times on List:58. Last Position:4.
5. Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America: A Novel. Houghton Mifflin: 400 pgs. Times on List:7. Last Position:3.
6. Steele, Danielle. Echoes. Delacorte: 336 pgs. Times on List:2. Last Position:5.
7. Salavatore, R.A. The Two Swords. Wizards of the Coast: 352 pgs. Times on List:3. Last Position:6.
8. Shreve, Anita. Light on Snow. Little, Brown: 320 pgs. Times on List:2. Last Position:7.
9. King, Stephen. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower. Scriber/Grant: 864 pgs. Times on List:7. Last Position:8.
10. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code: Special Illustrated Edition. Doubleday: 480 pgs. Times on List:1. Last Position:na.

NY Times
Hardcover Fiction
Sales Week Ending 11.06.04
1. Evanovich, Janet. Metro Girl. HarperCollins: 304 pgs. Times on List:1. Last Position:na.
2. Baldacci, David. The Hour Game. Warner: 448 pgs. Times on List:2. Last Position:1.
3. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code: 454 pgs. Doubleday. Times on List:86. Last Position:4.
4. Steele, Danielle. Echoes: 336 pgs. Delacorte. Times on List:2. Last Position:2.
5. Alborn, Mitch. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Hyperion: 198 pgs. Times on List:59. Last Position:5.
6. Roberts, Nora. Northern Lights. Putnam: 562 pgs. Times on List: 4. Last Position:3.
7. Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America: A Novel. Houghton Mifflin: 400 pgs. Times on List:7. Last Position:6.
8. Flagg, Fannie. A Redbird Christmas. Random House: 240 pgs. Times on List: 1. Last Position: na.
9. Shreve, Anita. Light on Snow. Little, Brown: 320 pgs. Times on List:4. Last Position:8.
10. King, Stephen. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower. Scriber/Grant: 864 pgs. Times on List:7. Last Position:10.

Book Sense: Bestsellers From Independent Bookstores
Hardcover Fiction
Week of 11.11.04, Sales For Week Ending 11.07.04
1. Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America: A Novel. Houghton Mifflin: 400 pgs. Times on List:7. Last Position:1.
2. McCall Smith, Alexander. The Sunday Philosophy Club. Pantheon: 256 pgs. Times on List:6. Last Position:2.
3. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday: 454 pgs. Times on List:85. Last Position:4.
4. Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Bloomsbury. Times on List:10. Last Position:45.
5. Baldacci, David. The Hour Game. Warner: 448 pgs. Times on List:2. Last Position:3.
6. Evanovich, Janet. Metro Girl. HarperCollins: 304 pgs. Times on List:1. Last Position:na.
7. Shreve, Anita. Light on Snow. Little, Brown: 320 pgs. Times on List:4. Last Position:6.
8. Alborn, Mitch. The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Hyperion: 198 pgs. Times on List:59. Last Position:7.
9. Moore, Christopher. The Stupidist Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Holiday Terror. William Morrow: 288 pgs. Times on List:2. Last Position:8.
10. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code: Special Illustrated Edition. Doubleday: 480 pgs. Times on List:1. Last Position:na.

Publishers Weekly
Trade Paperback
Week of 11.15.04.
1. Housseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Riverhead: 384 pgs. Times on List: 10. Last Position: 1.
2. Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Vintage: 240 pgs.
Times on List: 25. Last Position: 2.
3. Agatston, Arthur. South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide. Rodale: 160 pgs.
Times on List: 44. Last Position: 8.
4. Cussler, Clive. Sacred Stone (Oregon Files). Berkley: 404 pgs. Times on List: 5. Last Position: 6.
5. Bissinger, H.G. Friday Night Litghts: A Town, A Team, and a Dream. De Capo: 400 pgs. Times on List: 5. Last Position: 9.
6. Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. Random House: 384 pgs. Times on List: 43.
Last Position: 3.
7. Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler's Wife. Harcourt/Harvest: 536 pgs. Times on List: 24. Last Position: 7.
8. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks. The 9/11 Commission Report. Norton: 516 pgs. Times on List: 16. Last Position: 4.
9. Monk Kidd, Sue. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin: 320 pgs. Times on List: 92. Last Position: 5.
10. Sparks, Nicholas. The Wedding. Warner: 256 pgs. Times on List: 19. Last Position: 13.

Book Sense: Bestsellers From Independent Booksellers
Trade Paperback: Fiction
Week of 11.11.04, Sales For Week Ending 11.07.04
1. Housseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Riverhead: 384 pgs. Times on List: 28. Last Position: 1.
2. Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Vintage: 240 pgs.
Times on List: 25. Last Position: 2.
3. Jones, Edward P. The Known World. Amistad: 432 pgs. Times on List:24. Last Position:4.
4. Monk Kidd, Sue. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin: 320 pgs.. Times on List: 92. Last Position: 8.
5. Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler's Wife. Harcourt/Harvest: 536 pgs. Times on List: 24. Last Position: 3.
6. Eudenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex. Picador: 544 pgs. Times on List:60. Last Position:5.
7. Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. Mariner: 304. Times on List:15. Last Position:6.
8. McCall Smith, Alexander. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Anchor:240 pgs. Times on List:91. Last Position:7.
9. Tyler, Anne. The Amateur Marriage. Ballantine: 336 pgs. Times on List:2. Last Position:9.
10. Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Harvest: 336 pgs. Times on List:. Last Position:10.

Bookwatch: An Online Site Tallying Book Mentions in Blogs
Top Five
Week Ending 11.14.04.
1. Frank, Thomas. What's The Matter With Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America. Metropolitan Books: 320 pgs. 23 mentions.
2. Stewart, Jon and The Daily Show staff. The Daily Show Presents America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. Warner: 240 pgs. 20 mentions.
3. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday: 454 pgs. 16 mentions.
4. Lakoff, Dean and Hazen. Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--the Essential Guide for Progressives. Chelsea Green Publishing Company: 144 pgs. 10 mentions.
5. Anonymous. Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror. Brassey's, Inc: 309 pgs. 8 mentions.

All Consuming: A Second Online Site Tallying Book Mentions In Blogs
Top Five
Week Ending 11.14.04
1. Stewart, Jon and The Daily Show staff. The Daily Show Presents America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. Warner: 240 pgs. 24 mentions.
2. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Doubleday: 454 pgs. 18 mentions.
3. Frank, Thomas. What's The Matter With Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America. Metropolitan Books: 320 pgs. 15 mentions.
4. Lakoff, Dean and Hazen. Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--the Essential Guide for Progressives. Chelsea Green Publishing Company: 144 pgs. 9 mentions.
5. Roth, Philip. The Plot Against America: A Novel. Houghton Mifflin: 400 pgs. 8 mentions.

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Don't believe in bestseller or web mentioned lists? Email your picks on what to read to bookaday@gmail.com.

Ebooks and Book Bloggers

2004-11-12T07:04:00.000-06:00

The New York Public Library is breaking down the barriers to get more people reading. NY Public Library patrons can now check out ebooks-- instantly downloadable to your computer, PDA or Ipod. Hopefully, more libraries will follow this path.

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Publishers have started to look at blogs as an alternate means of publicity, as well as review hotspots. This is especially true of smaller publishers. So, let's get this "off the porch" as Karen Grigsby Bates says in her report. Keep reading. Tell your friends. Link to BookADay Book Review Blog. Champion the books you love. Write reviews. Read reviews. This is the place for more reviews to come. (Audio story from NPR.)

Currently Reading:
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Signet Classic: 2004 (or. pub: 1847). 137/322.

Back Online

2004-11-08T07:40:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the new and improved version of BookADay.

Sorry about the down time. We hope you'll find it as time well-spent. Enjoy our new look and new sections: Current Book Reviews and a Book Review archive. (Good idea for a book review blog, huh?)

You'll also notice some new contributors. Thanks to Maxwell, Matt Larsen and Shane Wilson for your great reviews.

You'll still be able to find your old favorites, such as current book publishing news, library information and the Currently Reading section.

If you have a review you would like to write, have a book that you would like reviewed or suggestions for what you'd like to see on BookADay, please query Brandi at bookaday@gmail.com.

It feels great to be back.

Currently Reading:
Wuthering Heights. Bronte, Emily. Signet Classic (reprint): 121/322.

Offline

2004-08-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

BookADay will be on a mini-hiatus until mid-September. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Back To Neverland?

2004-08-20T08:11:00.000-05:00

A British hospital is calling all writers to write the sequel for Peter Pan. A few prestigious children's' authors, including J.K. Rowling, have already snubbed their noses at the Great Ormond Street's commission for a sequel. While the hospital would own all copyrights, there is a large cash prize being offered. Publishers and literary agents are encouraged to nominate up to two authors. Nominated writers will send a synopsis and sample chapter by January 31. A winner will be chosen in spring for a Fall, 2005 publication date.

Kudos to Scholastic

2004-08-19T07:58:00.000-05:00

Right in time for school to start, educational publishing giant Scholastic gave away 40,000 copies of The Big Turtle to poor students in North Dakota. Here's to good press and encouraging new readers.

Coming Soon

2004-08-18T07:44:00.000-05:00

Sorry no updates. Hard at work on making BookADay better.

The long-awaited review section is coming soon. There will be three reviews posted this weekend. They will also be archived for future consumption.

Currently Reading
The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens. Ed. Charles Neider. Doubleday: 1957. 361/679. (Reading at Random.)

Market Forces. Richard Morgan. Del Rey: expected March, 2005. 31/441.

Copyright Victory

2004-08-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

Viet Nam is finally going to recognize copyright laws.

Money, Scandal and Sellers

2004-08-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

The reports are in. Just in case you're curious on who is making money in book publishing, this week:
Rupert Murdoch is.
Jon Stewart and Warner Books expect to.
Simon & Schuster is hoping Lewis Black does.
HQN, Harlequin's brand-new imprint "devoted to blockbuster romances" is with Diana Palmer's Renegade.

As reported in BookADay earlier this month, the Norma Khouri scandal has come to a head. Random House gave Khouri three weeks to clear her name and prove that her best-selling book, Forbidden Love is true. Her defense in an Australian newspaper wasn't enough for Random House, who dropped her from their list and apologized to buyers for purchasing a book they believed to be true. Simon & Schuster is expected to do the same. Khouri is reported to have been in contact with the major tv talk shows for a tell-all interview.

This Week's Bestsellers, According to the Wall Street Journal.

FICTION
1. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday)
2. Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf)
3. Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)
4. Visions in Death by J.D. Robb (Putnam)
5. The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (Dial Books)
6. Lost City by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos (Putnam)
7. R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton (Putnam)
8. Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
9. Kiss Me While I Sleep by Linda Howard (Ballantine)
10.Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Atria)
11. Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank (Berkley)
12. Immortal Highlander Karen Marie Moning (Delacorte)
13. Star by Pamela Anderson (Atria Books)
14. Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)
15. The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah by Stephen King, (Grant)

NONFICTION
1. American Soldier" by Tommy Franks, M. McConnell (ReganBooks)
2. The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston (Rodale Press)
3. My Life by Bill Clinton (Knopf)
4. The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan)
5. Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss (Gotham)
6. Bushworld by Maureen Dowd (Putnam)
7. Imperial Hubris by Anonymous (Brassey's, Inc.)
8. Good to Great by Jim Collins (HarperBusiness)
9. Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson (Random House)
10.Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (Little, Brown)
11.Woman Power by Laura Schlessinger (HarperCollins)
12.The South Beach Diet Cookbook by Arthur Agatston (Rodale Press)
13.Prophecy by Sylvia Browneby Lindsay Harrison (Dutton)
14.Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura Schlessinger (HarperCollins)
15.Automatic Millionaireby David Bach (Broadway Books)

This Week's Bestsellers, According to the New York Times.

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. THE DA VINCI CODE, by Dan Brown
2. LOST CITY, by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos
3. R IS FOR RICOCHET, by Sue Grafton.
4. SKINNY DIP, by Carl Hiaasen
5. THE RULE OF FOUR, by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. MY LIFE, by Bill Clinton
2. EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES, by Lynne Truss
3. IMPERIAL HUBRIS, by Anonymous
4. DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM, by David Sedaris
5. SHADOW DIVERS, by Robert Kurson

CHILDREN'S CHAPTER
1. ERAGON, by Christopher Paolini
2. TEEN IDOL, by Meg Cabot
3. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, by J. K. Rowling
4. THE BAD BEGINNING, by Lemony Snicket
5. SUMMER OF THE SEA SERPENT, by Mary Pope Osborne. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca

PAPERBACK FICTION
1. THE NOTEBOOK, by Nicholas Sparks
2. THE WEDDING, by Nicholas Sparks
3. HELLO, DARKNESS, by Sandra Brown
4. ANGELS & DEMONS, by Dan Brown
5. BLEACHERS, by John Grisham

PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT.
2. READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, by Azar Nafisi
3. LIES (AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM), by Al Franken
4. DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY? by Michael Moore
5. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE, by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins

You Normally See This In Reverse

2004-08-13T08:20:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of movies made from books. The online arena is a touch different. Game Developer Cryptic Studios just worked out a deal with independent book publisher CDS Books. CDS will publish a series of books based on the game City of Heroes. CDS is most well-known for their book distribution and production services.

America's New Poet Laureate

2004-08-12T08:14:00.000-05:00

We have a new Poet Laureate. Ted Kooser's appointment will be announced later today. His latest book is Delights and Shadows, published earlier this summer.

Hollywood!

2004-08-10T21:12:00.000-05:00

Gabriel Garcia Marquez has signed over his rights to Love in the Time of Cholera to Hollywood production company Stone Village Pictures Stone Village Pictures. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law may play the book's main characters. Marquez may even write the screenplay. Marquez has previously criticized the United States for its policies and has not released any of his rights to adapt his books into screenplays, with the exception of a single Italian producer. He will be paid about $3 million for the rights.

If you're in Minneapolis, you're probably a reader. A new study by the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater has found it to be the most literate city in America. El Paso, Texas bottoms out the list at 74. Chicago, home to the BookADay headquarters, is number 58. Boo.

Reading Goes High Tech

2004-08-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

In case reading on your PDA wasn't good enough for you, you can now read books on your phone. Outside The Fortress Besieged, a novel by Qian Fuchang, will be the first book available through the text messaging portion of Chinese cell phones. Fuchang abbreviated his novel to 4200 characters, available in 60 chapters of 70 characters each. He received $21,733 USD for his work. Full story here.

The Inquisition All Over Again

2004-08-09T07:46:00.000-05:00

As a lover of books, I hate it when books are used as propaganda. (It's one of my chief issues with Ayn Rand.) It's happening in Europe.

Human rights groups sent out an alert warning Italians of Oriana Fallaci 's latest book. Fallaci has written two worldwide bestsellers and a number of other platforms for propaganda. Her latest book warns Europeans about the "Arab Invasion", comparing Muslims in Europe to the burning of Troy.

She is another author telling her scores of fans which group of people to allow, and which to throw out. Her book feeds on the fear of foreigners, a xenophobic attitude always an issue in portions of Italy. She is telling people that it's okay to be racist and calling for the exile of Arabs from Europe. The more books like this are published, the more mainstream the ideas of hatred become, until it is not only tolerable to persecute a group of people, it is the norm.

This is disgusting.

Cheers to the Phoenixville Public Library, in Pennsylvania. They thought up a program that had children reading books and watching the movies side by side. This way, children could see where things are based from and get the true experience. It is aimed to create a love of reading in the next generation.

Small blurb about our neighbors to the north. With the gigantic success of Bill Clinton's My Life, as people are still lining the streets to get autographed copies of his book, Canadian publishers are rolling out autobiography after autobiography for their fall catalogues. Long lists of Canadian dignitaries, actors and politicians join the ranks of authors this season. I'm thinking that the same will be true of our Fall List.

In more international news (today's entry is turning into the international issue), England is following the America's trend of multinational conglomerate media companies, replacing independent book publishers. Sigh.

Just Finished
Good as Gold. Joseph Heller. Dell Publishing. 447 pgs.

It's a Sad Day For Libraries

2004-08-07T00:33:00.000-05:00

In Ireland. They can't afford to buy books anymore.

In Kentucky, school libraries aren't complaining that there isn't any money to buy books. They're just asking their patrons to do it for them through Barnes and Noble.

Currently Reading
Good As Gold. Joseph Heller. Dell Publishing. 261/447.

What Are You Rereading?

2004-08-06T07:14:00.000-05:00

That's it. That ALA has finally done a study (while not scientific and based purely on member opinions).

People are rereading books. Faulkner makes the list. So does Rowling with Harry Potter. A Christmas Carol and the Great Gatsby are seasonal favorites.

The study reports that we reread books we encountered as a child. While I agree, I also think there's more too it. I reread books because I miss the characters or love the author's voice.
(On my list of favorite rereads are Written on the Body and The Adventures of Dr. Dolittle.)

What do you reread?

In more JK Rowling news, she's pregnant with her third child. While she says that it won't affect the publication of her yet-to-be-completed sixth novel, there is no publication date.

Currently Reading

Good as Gold. Joseph Heller. Dell Publishing. 233/447.

The Best Marketing Ever

2004-08-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

Before I get on my soapbox about how woeful the budget is that publishers apply to marketing new books, I'd like to give a standing ovation to author Matt Schutt.

Like many writers, he was having trouble getting published. So, he created his own marketing. He took his concern to Howard Stern. Stern made him an offer--a night with gorgeous women who would do anything with him, or a single minute on the show promoting his book. Schutt took the latter. Liberal Independent Publisher Flying Dutchman picked up his book, Encyclopedia Satanica.

I'd love to get my hands on a review copy.

Currently Reads
Good as Gold. Joseph Heller. Dell Publishing. 212/447.

Fake Out

2004-07-28T05:06:00.000-05:00

Big controversy on the other side of the globe. Author Norma Khouri is in a load of trouble. Her international bestseller Forbidden Love (sold in the US as Honor Lost: Love and Death in Modern Day Jordan), about a relationship across religious lines in Jordan, is reported to be fiction. She had sold the book as an autobiographical account, claiming that the main character was her friend.

While Khouri has been unavailable for comment, bookstores in other countries have been pulling the books from the shelves, some even offering money back to customers who have bought the book. Amazon.com is no longer selling it from its main site, only from the Marketplace. Barnes and Noble isn't selling her books online. In fact, if you do a search for her, she doesn't exist. Books a Million sides with the Paris bookstores--they have kept it on the shelves.

It's an ethical problem. They're starting to uncover lots of elements that point to the story being fiction. Australia, where she currently resides, is considering revoking her immigration status. (Note to self: don't piss off Australia. They're serious.) There are records pointing that she was in Chicago while some of the events in the book were taking place and has two children that are not mentioned in the book.

Yet, the book seems to stand on its own. According to Amazon.com, it received a glowing review from Publisher's Weekly. The Library Review loved it. So, what does that mean?

Obviously, the book being a fictional account rather than a nonfiction "eye on the scene" makes it less relevant in scholarly circles (where it has circulated quite heavily). But does it make the book less interesting to read? Did the reviewers like it out of sympathy? Or because they felt it was a story that needed to be told? Is it still a story that needs to be told?

I'm going to pop into my local bookstore this evening and see if I can drum myself up a copy. Stay tuned. Post your comments if you've read it.

Currently Reading:

Good as Gold. Joseph Heller. Dell Publishing (1976). 59/447.

Big Blue Marries The Teacher

2004-07-26T22:31:00.000-05:00

In the world of interesting mergers, IBM merged with Pearson Education. Before Apple took over, IBM used to be the king of education. I remember a Big Blue machine in my elementary school classroom. Who cared that it was slow and ran on a floppy? Technology in action. Pearson education is one of the largest educational publishers. Sounds like this merger is the first news in what will be a series of announcements that Big Blue is back in the game.

My husband just finished Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm paraphrasing, and may have the quote wrong, but he said that it was a fifteen tissue book. A sentiment I agree with--Niffenegger kept the surprises going until the very end. I've invited him to review it for BookADay.

Speaking of reviews, I'm about to add a new section, entitled Reviews. My plan is to keep a record of all the reviews posted so it is searchable. If you have a book you'd like to review, let me know. I'd be happy to hear and post the reviews of others.

Currently Reading:

Good as Gold. Joseph Heller. Dell Publishing (1976). 53/447.

Just Finished:

The Lovely Bones. Alice Sebold. Little, Brown and Company. 328 pages.