We’ve been neglecting…
Where to start? With all of the recent book events going on there are a few items that we’ve fallen behind on…
The Morning News’ Tournament of Books rounds that we’ve missed:
- Julian Barnes’ Arthur & George was upset by One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson;
- Judge Colin Meloy of the Decemberists deemed The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford superior to English, August by Upamanyu Chatterjee;
- Monica Ali’s Alentejo Blue put the smack down on Colson Whitehead’s Apex Hides the Hurt (I’m intrigued by Apex though);
- and finally, Pynchon’s 1100 page Against the Day advanced over a 100+ page graphic novel, The Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan. Didn’t see that coming.
Round Two of the Tournament of Books begins today with Half of a Yellow Sun vs. The Emperor’s Children.
The longlist for the Orange Broadband Prize has been announced. The Orange Prize is awarded to outstanding fiction by female authors. The long list includes, among others: Half of a Yellow Sun, The Inheritance of Loss, and The Tenderness of Wolves. Check out the rest of the list.
In other writing competition, we remind you that BGB’s Herman Glimscher has entered his novel, Michael Drayton, Detective Guy in Gather.com Chapter’s Writing Competition. Read it and vote. Then share the love.
Smith Mag has two cool items that you should check out.
- There is a(nother) writing contest – write a six word memoir. If yours is selected, it may appear in a collection to be published in 2008 that will also include brief memoirs by Dave Eggers, Moby, Mario Batali, Jonathan Lethem, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen J. Dubner, et al. I’m still wrapping my head around it.
- Chapter 1 of A.D.: New Orleans after the Deluge, a graphic novel, is available for your reading pleasure.
Speaking of Monica Ali, she is not reading from Booker-nominated Brick Lane at the Decatur Library next week. Not reading. I thought that you should know before you do anything crazy like make plans to get a babysitter, to have dinner on the square, and to catch the reading. She will not be there. You can go and talk about the book though with some other people though. It clearly says “book discussion” – not author reading. Jeez, get some sleep.
March 20, 2007 7:00 am 
Subscribe
By Beth (The Toronto One), March 20, 2007 @ 8:38 am
A six word memoir. Wow. But if one can summarize a life for a tombstone (not that I plan to) perhaps this is doable. I’m checking it out – although the competition looks fierce.
By Herman Glimscher, March 20, 2007 @ 10:14 am
DJ–
Thanks for the plug. I also entered the six-word contest. Who wouldn’t want to be published with Mario Batali? After all, I’ve seen commercials for his show!
By DJ Cayenne, March 20, 2007 @ 10:38 am
Herm: Mario Batali seems an odd choice doesn’t it. I would have thought that Atlanta’s Alton Brown was the natural choice for inclusion in the tome.
I’ve been thinking about my entry. I just can’t seem to distill it down to six words.
By Herman Glimscher, March 20, 2007 @ 11:23 am
My entry was, “First, I was born in Warwick.” I’m not holding my breath on publication.
Alton Brown would be a much better choice. what we need is a petition.
By Russ, March 20, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
I still insist that Against The Day was the best book ft a Jean Grey-esque pug and mayonnaise fetishists, ever, hands down.
By DJ Cayenne, March 20, 2007 @ 1:39 pm
Russ -
I ordered against the day in advance of its publication day to ensure that it would have the maximum amount of time to sit on my shelf and taunt me. I’ll get to it sooner or later. Summer maybe.
By Dr J, March 21, 2007 @ 10:44 am
You forgot the Name of the Year Tournament. The Sports Guy called this “the best time-waster of the year” or somesuch. I heartily concur.
http://nameoftheyear.blogspot.com/2007/03/your-official-2007-noty-ballot.html