Baby Got Books

Mardi Gras Roundup

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone. I’m not in New Orleans this year for the big day. Instead I’ve put together this round-up of book news. Where are my priorities?

Speaking of New Orleans, there’s a new Hurricane Katrina book out that is so nice, the New York Times reviewed it twice. The book is Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum. I was alerted to the book when a friend send a link to this review and said, “Check out this Katrina book by Thurston Howell, III.” In Mr. Baum’s defense, New Orleans is still a place where men wear seersucker suits in the summer time and look snappy doing it. As for the pink hat, that’s just sweet. Especially with the tie. The second review ran in the Sunday Book Review.

The brackets for the 2009 Tournament of Books (.pdf) have been posted. Any interest in joining in a bragging rights only betting pool here?

I saw Christopher Moore read from his new book Fool last evening at Wordsmiths. Actually, he didn’t read from the book at all. He did about a half hour of hilarious semi-book-related stand-up, fielded questions from the audience, and then signed books. There were about a million people in the store.

Gay Talese is helping homeless dudes with their cardboard copy.

A new study purports to show that a second person narrative is more compelling to readers. Yes, it compels them to throw the book across the room.

Nominees for The Believer Book Award have been announced. I’m chagrined to admit that I have only heard of two of the nominees, Black Flies by Shannon Burke and The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt. I did reviewed Flies here and Invention over here. Also, let the record show that I nominated Invention for the award. So it’s doomed.

Rivka Galchen’s Atmospheric Disturbances has been nominated for the Young Lions Award, which is given to authors under 35. Click on the picture of Rivka Galchen on the side bar to see why she is a mortal lock for the award. According to me.

OK, let’s review. First there was news of the novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Then came word that there is an upcoming film mash-up, Pride and Predator. Now the New York Times reports that Jane Austen herself will be revealed to have faked her death to become a vampire who “lives quietly as a bookstore owner before finally driving a stake through the heart of everyone who has been making money off her for the last two centuries.” Awesome!

Picture swiped from The Guardian

Books | Tim | February 24, 2009 8:10 am

3 Comments

By Herman Glimscher, February 24, 2009 @ 8:56 am

You throw the book across the room. You watch it flatten on the wall and slide and tumble to the floor. You Google the author to find out where to send the hit squad. You are sooooooo right.
By Dan Baum, February 25, 2009 @ 8:37 am

Thank you so much for mentioning my book, “Nine Lives,” and my pretty pink hat. I appreciate it. For the record, “Nine Lives” is not a “Katrina book.” It’s the true intertwined life stories of nine New Orleanians, and it starts in 1965. Katrina doesn’t show up until past page 200.
But that’s a quibble. You’re a pal to mention the book at all. I hope you enjoy it.
By Tim, February 25, 2009 @ 9:47 am

Dan, I’m looking forward to reading the book. As a native New Orleanian, I am excited to hear that life before Katrina gets its due. I especially like your “New Orleans is a city-sized act of civil disobedience” line.