One more for the pile

Cheap by Ellen Ruppel Schell has generated a lot of interest lately and it's the subject of a wide ranging discussion by a group of noted litbloggers.

I think I'll make some room for this based on what I've read.

David

Winston Smith and the Hamfishted Overlord

It's everywhere now, but Amazon has removed copies of George Orwell books from functioning Kindles out there due to a copyright spat.

'In George Orwell’s “1984,” government censors erase all traces of news articles embarrassing to Big Brother by sending them down an incineration chute called the “memory hole.”On Friday, it was “1984” and another Orwell book, “Animal Farm,” that were dropped down the memory hole — by Amazon.com.In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique,Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them.

The NYT further reports that some versions of Harry Potter books and works by Ayn Rand were also removed as well as notes that a student took while using 1984 for a school assignment.

"Justin Gawronski, a 17-year-old from the Detroit area, was reading “1984” on his Kindle for a summer assignment and lost all his notes and annotations when the file vanished. “They didn’t just take a book back, they stole my work,” he said."

On the upside, editions of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World now come with a Jeff Bezos laugh track.

Thanks to Alex for the link.

David

Bella and Edward Recommend?

Wuthering Heights was one of my favourite books when I was a teen. Because of the drama and the ghosts and the immortal love, of course. Although I loved Jane Eyre more. There is something about Rochester that is less pathetic than the over-emotional, broody Heathcliff. And I loved Jane for her pluck, while Cathy could be a real jerk. This is what I thought at the time, really. I haven't read either book in years.

But Bella and Edward have. And apparently it is their favourite book! I can't remember if the characters mention in in Twilight or not. But I have here a new edition of WH with a seal of approval stating "Bella and Edward's Favourite Book", so who am I to argue? Actually, most of this is tounge-in-cheek because if I had read twilight as a teen and NOT read WH, I would have loved to read it after. It's still the same text. I would love to see all of the people who love Bella and Edward reading Wuthering Heights and swooning over the typhonic Heathcliff and possibly snarking about selfish Cathy.

I want to say that Cathy's husband's name is Linwood? I always felt badly for him and his complete ignorance of the great passion happening around him. Poor kid.

I mention my love for Jane Eyre and I have to admit that each time I read this book I stopped right after Jane and Rochester get together; I had no interest in his wife-abuse plot. At the time it seemed incongruent. I truly mean to re-read this book and read it right through, to see how I think of it now.

So, if Bella and Edward are introducing a new generation of gothic-drama, unreachable-men loving ladies to Wuthering Heights than I am all for it.

(Although the new cover line makes me laugh--Love Never Dies...--because I remember the ending to WH as not being that satisfying romantically. Something about Cathy maliciously haunting Heathcliff and driving him insane because they could never truly love each other?)

Mandy

The best crime novelist everyone has heard of

I'm not one to begrudge Martin Levin a bit of hyperbole, but to call Rennie Airth "the best detective fiction novelist you've never heard of" is quite misleading.
If Airth hasn't achieved the numbers of say Ian Rankin or P.D James, it's got more to do with not crossing over to a television series than anything else.
River of Darkness was shortlisted for an Edgar Award, won international crime awards and Airth is extraordinarily well respected among crime fiction booksellers and readers.
Some of the cool kids are onto him in a pretty big way.
Levin is largely correct otherwise. River of Darkness is as good as he says, and the new book, Dead of Winter is close to it.
When River of Darkness appeared in 1999, I was still mucking about in the rare book trade a bit and my slick business partner didn't shut up for weeks about how good the book was. We bought a few signed first editions (very small print run) and it was like knowing who was going to win the World Series in May.
I'd like to think Chris would be in full throat over Levin's odd assertion of Airth being unknown ten years later.
Alas,

David

The Big Weekend

So this weekend sports the release of the 6th Harry Potter movie, Half-Blood Prince. And I'm pretty excited for it.

I love the books so much more, of course, because by the sixth book there is just too much to cover and I think the fourth and fifth movies did a good job with it, but they in no way replace actually reading the books. Which I think is true of all books to movies (Actually, can anyone name a movie that was better than the book? Maybe the Ten Commandments? harhar).

I came at the Harry Potter books late because I tend to shy away from books with such intense popularity. Not for any reason other than I have a SLEW of things to be read and I hate to see amazing books overlooked because they were printed the same year of Harry Potter. Or Twilight (the first book I think is great, but I read it before the craziness).

But Harry Potter continues to be among my favourite books for kids and teens. And I particularly love books 4 through 7. They are dark and smart and uncompromising; I mean, JoRO kills off HEDWIG! "Grow up, Harry, life is change". Awesome.

I have heard that new generations of kids around 10 years old are being introduced to Harry for the first time. Their parents have decided to introduce each book every year. And for a good reason! Even if a 10 year old is a fantastic reader, much of the emotional depth of the later books will be lost on them. But, I believe that every kid this age should have read the first two books in the series. I believe that the Harry Potter books have done an amazing job of keeping kids reading. Seriously, if there is a kid out there who hasn't read the first book, pass it along to them and stand back.

Mandy

Hmmmmm

HBO has tapped Jeffrey Eugenides for a miniseries based on his Pulitzer Prize winning novel.
Middlesex was a great book, and although it's doing fine years after it was published, a huge audience for it is a wonderful thing.

David

This is your captain speaking....

we'll be landing shortly but I for one would like to raise a glass.

that's when I reach for my revolver

Service droids hopped up on Twilight mania are overrunning the town of Forks, Washington.

"The logging town has been transformed, says Mike Gurling of the Forks Chamber of Commerce. "Two years ago we did not have a cash register or credit card terminal. Now our sales of anything that says 'Forks' have increased dramatically." A literary symposium was held last month in Forks high school, including - unusually for a symposium - "an actual, real Prom". Chris Cook, editor of the local paper and author of guide book Twilight Territory, says the school's principal was mobbed at a Seattle airport when a teenage fan spotted his Forks Spartan jacket and started yelling, "He's from Forks, he's from Forks!" The fervour is such, Cook says, that a local evangelist, Hallelujah Bill, has started preaching to fans about the dangers of becoming cult followers of the books."

Oh well, this is for you Hallelujah Bill.

David

or, how I didn't meet your mother

James Wolcott wonders how all this digitization of books and movies will affect the time honoured checking out of others with an eye to romance or judgment.

"Books not only furnish a room, to paraphrase the title of an Anthony Powell novel (sic!)

but also accessorize our outfits. They help brand our identities. At the rate technology is progressing, however, we may eventually be traipsing around culturally nude in an urban rain forest, androids seamlessly integrated with our devices. As we divest ourselves of once familiar physical objects—digitize and dematerialize—we approach a Star Trek future in which everything can be accessed from the fourth dimension with a few clicks or terse audibles. Reading will forfeit the tactile dimension where memories insinuate themselves, reminding us of where and when D. H. Lawrence entered our lives that meaningful summer. “Darling, remember when we downloaded Sons and Lovers in Napa Valley?” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it."

Hell, I'll admit to being a shameless watcher of others on buses, in parks etc., and yes a Mary Gaitskill spotting goes a long way to making my day. Alas, I've developed a numbing immunity to James Patterson. It'll be a hell of a lot harder to approach a potential paramour without seeing that book jacket that one is so familiar with, trying suavely to sidle up to the gentle reader and make use of your shared love for their book to break the ice and perhaps build a life (or an evening) together, but that's just one more reason to dread the digital revolution.

Posted by David

Some free advice

Malcolm Gladwell doesn't care for Chris Anderson's new book, and I'm pretty sure that Hal Neidzviecki doesn't either although he does call 'Free' "an extremely entertaining business book."
There just isn't much in the plus column after that.
Anderson has his backers here and he's going to do fine.

The whole dustup with the plagiarism accusations has rendered the point moot for me,
especially as there's a new book from Joe Meno that's entirely made up.

I love his other stuff and it has a stamp of approval from the coolest kid in the class.

David

If ever I would leave you

It might be in the summer after all.
Hey Guardian, I love you unconditionally and everything, but fifty best summer reads ever and not a single David Lodge?

I don't know if it's list worthy but on a sunny summer day today, I'm chewing on this and liking it fine.

David

Even the teaser is mediocre

The cover of Dan Brown's new novel looks...you know the hell with it,
I promise you every single book from these guys is better than anything Dan Brown will ever write.
By a lot.
And full marks to Murder by the Book for doing it for all the right reasons, too.

From their site:

"BUSTED FLUSH PRESS was created in 2005 by David Thompson, an employee of Houston's Murder By The Book, one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery bookstores. The intent of the press is to reprint fine thrillers and hard-boiled crime fiction. You can order these books from Murder By The Book or a wonderful mystery bookstore near you."

Everything from Busted Flush press is distributed by Consortium. By far my favourite place for crime fiction.


David

Not really book related, but...

The best thing happened to me today at work: a customer told a "NOT" joke! Truly! She had lost her wallet (which is the worst part of this best thing happening, I hope she finds it soon) but still remained in good humor; "Well this is a good thing...(wait for it) "NOT"!!"

People who know me better than they would like to will recognize the appeal of this situation on my small but excitable mind.

And I want to call out to Dave, who has been away for two days at the London Book Fair:

"Okaaay, JOKE'S OVER, come back to work"

or,

"I really could care less if you are away...(wait for it) NOT!"

See, Dave, the state of the blog since you've gone? Hurry back, or so help me more borg pictures.

Mandy

Drum Roll!

The winners of last week's newsletter-blog-crossover draw are:

Paulina, receives a copy of Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen!

Kiirstin, recieves a copy of The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa!

You can pick up your free books at the store, under your first name!

AND, because no one loses on this blog, Carolyn and Jessica will also recieve a free book, here's what I have to choose from:

If You Live Like Me, by Lori Weber

Liar, by Justine Larbalestier

The Jewels of Sofia Tate, by Doris Etienne

Leave a comment here, Carolyn and Jessica, as to which book you would like and I'll put it aside for you! Thanks to everyone who reads our blog and for sending in your comments.

I really enjoyed this little giveaway so check back in peridoically to see if I have another one! They will be spontaneous, so keep in touch!

Mandy

By the way...

I have a few Book Plates signed by Meg Rosoff. I would love to give these away to anyone who wants one. I have slipped one inside her books at the store if you want to pick one up. Or, if you already have one of this remarkable lady's books, just send along a comment or an e-mail and you will own your own signed book plate.

Previously:

"I have just finished reading How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff, for my Book Club (WWB's official in-store book club--its been a lot of fun, contact me to join) and it ranks as one of my favorite fiction picks in a while. New Yorker Daisy exiles herself to stay with estranged cousins, actually she's never met them, in the English countryside. Four precocious cousins and their mother live in a sprawling, charming old house, embedded in the lush natural landscape. Her Aunt Penn is busy in the city with some hazy government work and the 5 of them make due at home without any adult supervision, filling their days with farmwork, picnics and reading. Idyllic, until the war begins.
I was blown away by this story. I love that Rosoff had decided to set the events during an imagined war, one that feeds on confusion and seems to be a historical pastiche of conflicts during the last century. Rosoff is a master storyteller, an impeccable writer, and dammit, she made me weep (I won't tell you at which part but if you fnd me in the store, ask me and I will say as much as I can before excusing myself, hardly contained, for the washroom). But seriously, a novel like this proves the resonance of literature and its importance for the human heart"

I'm very excited for Wednesday when I get to announce the winners of our Mandy's Favourite Reads This Summer book giveaway! And don't forget to finish off your copy of House of Leaves and be back here in a few weeks to see how it all ends.

Previously:

Mandy's Favourite Reads This Summer

The Big Read : House of Leaves

Mandy

Bad Covers Monday?

Inspired by one of my fave blogs, i09, and their collecton of terrible SciFi covers, I want to show you one of the silliest covers I have come across: The Sorrows of Young Werther, Modern Library reprint edition. Regard above.

I love Modern Library. But. I really dislike full-on portrait covers. Mostly because the person on the front never reminds me of the character it is depicting. In the case of this book, I just feel embarassed for Young Werther for being so obvious in his sorrow. I'm surprised they didn't decide to add a little glimmer effect on the edge of his tear rivulet.

But seriously check out i09's gathering of awesome SciFi covers. They will "make your eye sockets bleed".

What is the worst cover you've ever seen? Maybe I should make this a regular feature: Monday Worst Cover Ever Day on the blog.

Mandy