The ten commandments of book giving, one of which especially bears pointing out.
9. Support the midlist. Many good novelists, most poets and nearly all scholars sell only a few thousand copies of their books, if they're lucky. Blockbuster titles and brand-name authors will always be with us, but the books that matter in the long run, the books that will truly speak to our very innermost being, can easily be overlooked. Browse through the fiction shelves. Pause at the poetry section. Buy a few of these books, and you'll be a patron of the arts.
There's nothing wrong with opening the doors to something down the block a bit. Most brand name authors are exactly that-brands. The midlist stuff is more fun to give and definitely better to receive.
With that in mind, a few novels of note from '08
Mo Hayder-Ritual
Andrew Sean Greer-Story of a Marriage
Sebastian Barry-Secret Scripture
Andrew Pyper-Killing Circle
Good to a Fault-Marina Endicott
Steig Larsson-Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
ad infinitum
Posted by David
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
We'll know soon enough
In a very well done piece in the NY Times, Charles McGrath, a novelist of considerable note, muses about the viability of Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road. I've followed this a bit, and the whole tone of the accumulated opinion so far seems to rest on whether audiences turned onto Mad Men would take to it and drag enough others with them.
It was good to get a sense of how enthusiastic Kate Winslet seemed to be, but I sorely hope that a failed movie won't doom (re-doom?) a truly great novel.
I don't have a dog in this fight as such, but I wonder if such a novel can get an honest treatment from a medium that still has numbers, just maybe a game changer is afoot and quality scripts can routinely come from good novels.
It may help both mediums a bit.
Posted by David
It was good to get a sense of how enthusiastic Kate Winslet seemed to be, but I sorely hope that a failed movie won't doom (re-doom?) a truly great novel.
I don't have a dog in this fight as such, but I wonder if such a novel can get an honest treatment from a medium that still has numbers, just maybe a game changer is afoot and quality scripts can routinely come from good novels.
It may help both mediums a bit.
Posted by David
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The new year begins
well sort of.
It's only a scant few days until '09, so any proper bookseller is cheating a bit.
Random House is going long on this, with an initial print of 150 000 copies. That's a lot for a literary first novel when the economy is shaky, but then it's not like Random House has to pay a lot of salary anymore.
Not for nothing, but watch for the new Zoe Heller novel in March. The reviews in Britain have been very good and she's always been a favourite.
Perhaps a few missives over the next ten days, but just as likely not.
Until then a Merry Christmas to all, or at least a drink of choice at your side to get you through the stress test that is the modern holiday.
Posted by David
It's only a scant few days until '09, so any proper bookseller is cheating a bit.
Random House is going long on this, with an initial print of 150 000 copies. That's a lot for a literary first novel when the economy is shaky, but then it's not like Random House has to pay a lot of salary anymore.
Not for nothing, but watch for the new Zoe Heller novel in March. The reviews in Britain have been very good and she's always been a favourite.
Perhaps a few missives over the next ten days, but just as likely not.
Until then a Merry Christmas to all, or at least a drink of choice at your side to get you through the stress test that is the modern holiday.
Posted by David
Rise up and kill the popular kids
It looks like Britain has lost its appetite for celebrity biographies, but then maybe they just aren't reading anymore full stop.
Posted by David
Posted by David
Monday, December 08, 2008
and she wouldn't know a good book if it landed in her inedible clam dip, too
I'm both repelled and attracted to book clubs. From my little perch there are dozens and dozens of people whose company I would greatly enjoy while parsing over a good (or a not so good) novel.
The right setting a couple hours, a drink or two with a good group...?
What's not to like?
Weeeeellll...
'The last straw came when the group picked “The Da Vinci Code” and someone suggested the discussion would be enriched by delving into the author’s source material. “It was bad enough that they wanted to read ‘Da Vinci Code’ in the first place,” Ms. Bowie said, “but then they wanted to talk about it.”
Also, "a professional book-group facilitator who leads a dozen suburban New York groups and charges $250 to $300 a member annually for her services." (!)
I thought we were in a recession.
The right setting a couple hours, a drink or two with a good group...?
What's not to like?
Weeeeellll...
'The last straw came when the group picked “The Da Vinci Code” and someone suggested the discussion would be enriched by delving into the author’s source material. “It was bad enough that they wanted to read ‘Da Vinci Code’ in the first place,” Ms. Bowie said, “but then they wanted to talk about it.”
Also, "a professional book-group facilitator who leads a dozen suburban New York groups and charges $250 to $300 a member annually for her services." (!)
I thought we were in a recession.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Finally, a use for Facebook
although, I never thought to check until now.
For all the predictable year end lists, my favourite has been the last couple days from here.
The Nerd knows her stuff- and to quote directly,
"Far be it from me to knock the biggest moneymaker since Harry Potter, but I guess I prefer my vampires a little less beautiful and a little more clever. Why should vampires, if they existed in the modern world, look like Gothic lotharios? Why couldn't they look like, for example, a hapless all-night convenience store clerk in California, hopelessly infatuated with a non-vampire Goth chick, who's swept away in turn by a surfer jerk (who is also a vampire)?"
For that matter why can't vampires look like a shifty PI doing a tightrope act between vampire clans in New York cleaning up messes that no one else can stomach?
Or why can't the undead and vaguely inhuman be the exclusive domain of Kelly Link?
The Nerd also gives some much deserved love to Andrew Sean Greer, who in addition to being a nice fellow, is a pitch perfect writer. In between Facebook posts, he wrote one of my favourite novels of the year.
Posted by David
For all the predictable year end lists, my favourite has been the last couple days from here.
The Nerd knows her stuff- and to quote directly,
"Far be it from me to knock the biggest moneymaker since Harry Potter, but I guess I prefer my vampires a little less beautiful and a little more clever. Why should vampires, if they existed in the modern world, look like Gothic lotharios? Why couldn't they look like, for example, a hapless all-night convenience store clerk in California, hopelessly infatuated with a non-vampire Goth chick, who's swept away in turn by a surfer jerk (who is also a vampire)?"
For that matter why can't vampires look like a shifty PI doing a tightrope act between vampire clans in New York cleaning up messes that no one else can stomach?
Or why can't the undead and vaguely inhuman be the exclusive domain of Kelly Link?
The Nerd also gives some much deserved love to Andrew Sean Greer, who in addition to being a nice fellow, is a pitch perfect writer. In between Facebook posts, he wrote one of my favourite novels of the year.
Posted by David
Thursday, December 04, 2008
standing on the shoulders of giants...
just means you get a little more nervous when said giant sneezes.
Random House is taking on water.
Forgive the inside baseball but at first glance, no more Doubleday or Bantam (as such) is sort of similar to saying okay- times are tough, but there's no room on the Ark for any animals that we can't domesticate.
It's a pretty big deal.
I actually feel a bit guilty reading non Random House stuff, but I've forgotten how good this guy is.
More on the book tomorrow.
Posted by David
Random House is taking on water.
Forgive the inside baseball but at first glance, no more Doubleday or Bantam (as such) is sort of similar to saying okay- times are tough, but there's no room on the Ark for any animals that we can't domesticate.
It's a pretty big deal.
I actually feel a bit guilty reading non Random House stuff, but I've forgotten how good this guy is.
More on the book tomorrow.
Posted by David
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
I'm tired of waking up tired
It's getting into the thick of the retail relay race, and as such I haven't been around much.
Mostly because the news makes me depressed.
Before I got started here ABE was a new window onto the world, specifically the whole modern first edition racket.
For a few years at least it was a fine racket indeed, and the Advanced Book Exchange was the place to be for buyers and sellers. It ended up in Amazon's hands yesterday, after the sale becoming public a few months back.
I've felt middle aged for awhile now, this just confirms it's not a passing thing.
Link via Bookninja
Posted by David
Mostly because the news makes me depressed.
Before I got started here ABE was a new window onto the world, specifically the whole modern first edition racket.
For a few years at least it was a fine racket indeed, and the Advanced Book Exchange was the place to be for buyers and sellers. It ended up in Amazon's hands yesterday, after the sale becoming public a few months back.
I've felt middle aged for awhile now, this just confirms it's not a passing thing.
Link via Bookninja
Posted by David
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