Over the weekend someone brought their video camera to the movies to film the new trailer for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the Hollywood version). Holy smokes. The music in the trailer is Academy Award-winning Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and Karen O (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) covering Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song.
We come from the land of the ice and snow…
Books, On Screen | Tim | 
May 31, 2011 9:37 am | 
Comments (3)
Gary Schteyngart is the first American to win the Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction. For his efforts, a pig will be named Super Sad True Love Story. He will also “be presented with a jeroboam of Bollinger Special Cuvee, a case of Bollinger La Grand Annee and a set of the Everyman Wodehouse collection.” You can listen to Shteyngart read from the books here.
Neal Pollack explains why self-publishing is the way to go for writer’s like him – “midcareer, midlist, middle-aged, more or less middlebrow, and somewhat Internet savvy”
Digital pirates: 1 in 3 e-book owners has downloaded a book illegally. Allegedly.
Amazon lists the top 20 most well-read cities in the US. Atlanta is #20. Surprisingly, New York City did not make the cut. I suspect that this is because they still have vibrant bookstores and don’t have to rely on Amazon.
Herman Melville’s passport application
Former New York Magazine editor Kurt Anderson’s list of “Words We Don’t Say”
11th graders in Oakland create a wiki-style reading guide for Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother. High school appears to be much cooler now.
Books | Tim | May 27, 2011 8:55 am | Comments (0)
I was seated on a plane last week in row with two large guys – big as in tall and in really good shape. I had the window seat and little room to move. Usually this is a recipe for a disaster of a flight. The two older gentlemen, who didn’t know each other, pulled out their Kindles and struck up a conversation about books. (Idea for NYT trend piece: older people are taking to Kindles in a way that they never did for iPods based on my limited anecdotal evidence.) These guys turned out to be remarkably well read.
I enjoyed listening to their discussion while pretending to read my book (dead tree variety). It turned out that both guys were Marines and were officers in Vietnam. The guy sitting next to me could not believe that the other guy had not read Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes yet. Guy next to me called it the best book about the Vietnam – or any war – ever written and cited all the critical acclaim the novel has received. Other guy and I were sold. While guy next to me spelled out the author’s name, the other guy typed furiously and downloaded the book to read on the plane. I continued to read my suddenly less interesting book, and had to wait until I returned home to hop in the car a few days later to scoop it up. You win this round Kindle.
Books | Tim | May 25, 2011 8:37 am | Comments (6)
NBC could do worse than set up Gary Shteyngart and Paul Giamatti with a new sitcom in the fall. Exhibit A: the book trailer for the paperback edition of Super Sad True Love Story.
Books, Comedy | Tim | May 24, 2011 8:16 am | Comments (0)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley was definitely one of the most enlightening reads of my life. If you were as enthralled with this book as I was, you will want to check out this article in The New Yorker. The article features the latest Malcolm X biography, Manning Marable’s Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. The author died just days before its publication.
Books | Anne | May 23, 2011 8:24 am | Comments (0)
Indie publisher Akashic has a huge hit on their hands. The kids book that i snot for kids – Go the F— to Sleep sits atop Amazon’s bestseller list – and it won’t be out until June.
Bookspy presents a two part top 10 list of Why Books Make us Mad – Part 1 and Part 2
The Rapture will not occur tomorrow says the author of the Left Behind series – who then goes on to say all kinds of crazy ass other stuff.
Jane Ciabattari examines the future of the book review by comparing the relative influence of Amazon reviewers and professional critics. In a fascinating response, Moby Lives compares how an actual professional critic is treated by a newspaper and BN.com.
At The Millions: “Who would have predicted, when an unassuming history of post-punk called Our Band Could Be Your Life was published in 2001, that we’d be celebrating its tenth anniversary with concert blowouts and Paris Review Daily interviews? Most anyone who read it, that’s who.”
Where are they now? The cast of the original Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The Guardian showcases the illustrations of Oliver Jeffers – a favorite of our family.
Check out the New York Times’ collection of the book covers that didn’t make it
Take the Guardian’s Children’s Books blog’s quiz to see what books match your personality – I mean give it to your kids.
And…
Books | Tim | May 20, 2011 9:54 am | Comments (1)
Books, On Screen | Tim | May 19, 2011 8:24 am | Comments (0)
The first part of Barnacle Love by Anthony De Sa is told by main character, Manuel Rebelo, a Portuguese man trying to escape his small fishing village for the new world of Canada. His father died when he was young, leaving a looming presence around the house. Although Manuel strongly resembles the blond hair, blue eyed father, his life in the fishing village is very unhappy. His mother is abusive and overbearing, he is abused by a priest, and he continuously dreams of living up to an unrealistic vision of his father.
His journey to the new world begins in the 1950’s. After almost drowning and then being betrayed by his rescuers, Manuel finds himself in St. John, Newfoundland. He is almost deported, but manages to find his way to the Portuguese community in Toronto. In a roundabout way, we find him married to his Portuguese wife (his second choice) with two children.
All of a sudden, we jump into the 1970’s and are told of Manuel’s descent into alcoholism and bitterness by his six year old son, Antonio.
Barnacle Love is supposed to enlighten us to the difficulties of the immigrant experience – specifically though Manuel’s journey to Canada. I didn’t really get it. Not poorly written, Mr. De Sa’s writing is clear and his descriptions are vivid; however, both narrators skip around a lot. We learn about their lives in flashbacks and short stories that didn’t flow for me. For some readers this style may work but the choppy narration didn’t suck me into the story enough to make me care.
This is Mr. De Sa’s first novel and it has been nominated for a few Canadian awards, so although it didn’t work for me, many people have enjoyed it. I will be interested to check out his next novel. I enjoy traveling around the world via books and maybe Mr. De Sa’s next attempt will work for me.
Books, Fiction, Review | Anne | May 18, 2011 9:00 am | Comments (0)
This is the parking garage for the Kansas City Central Library. I have seen pictures of it but needed to check it out in person. Too cool.
Books | Tim | May 17, 2011 10:40 am | Comments (4)
Like many people, when the doctor hands me a consent form, I just sign it, not giving it much thought. After reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Kathryn Skoot, I think I may actually read the next one.
Many of us have heard about this book, it appeared on everyone’s “Best of 2010″ lists. Born in 1920, Henrietta Lacks grew up in poverty, working in the tabacco fields of Virginia. After marrying her first cousin and moving to Baltimore, her doctors discovered in 1951 that she had cervical cancer. Before the days of consent forms, her doctor asked if he could take a sample of her cells. According to her doctor, Henrietta and her husband said yes, and when her doctor placed her cancerous cells in a petri dish he shockingly discovered that they multiplied. They kept multiplying – they never stopped unless they were frozen
….as long as they had food and warmth, Henrietta’s cancer cells seemed unstoppable. Soon, George (the doctor) told a few of his closes colleagues that he though his lab might have grown the first imortal human cells. To which they replied, Can I have some? And George said yes.
Henrietta died from her cancer. She left behind the immortal HeLa cells that would change medical history. Less important to everyone at the time, were a husband and small children who were also left behind. Henrietta’s family never broke free of the poverty into which they were born. Since their parents were first cousins and their father had given their mother syphilis, the children began life at a disadvantage with medical issues. When their mother died and their father remarried, they were subjected to the worst kind of abuse by family members and close “friends”.
Not until 20 years after Henrietta’s death did her family discover that something had happened with their mother’s cells. But even then, not one medical professional took the time to explain to her uneducated family what cells were, and what this meant for medicine.
When Ms. Skoot began her research, she was met with reluctance from Henrietta’s famiy. You can’t blame them, though. Many people had come around over the years asking about Henrietta’s life, adding more confusion to what they believed was the truth about their mother. Fortunately, Ms Skoot had the patience and dedication to tell this story. She also took the time to introduce family members to medical professionals who were able to explain the HeLa cells in a clear and simple manner. (I was also grateful to these people, not being clear on the subject myself.)
At first, I didn’t want to read a book about medical discoveries. I just wasn’t interested in reading a science book. The Immortal Life is science at its best for someone like me who wants a good story and a history lesson. While educating me about the miracle of the HeLa cells, Ms. Skoot uncovers the life of Henrietta, her family and the medical scene several decades ago. Ms. Skoot unveils the history of Johns Hopkins Medical Center and the truth behind the rumors of the day when black people feared the employees of Johns Hopkins, believing that they snatched black people off the streets for medical research.
During Ms. Skoot’s unexhaustible search for the woman behind the cells, she developed a relationship with the family that is invaluable to the entire story. Henrietta’s daughter only wanted her mother to receive the credit she deserved. Other family members wanted some sort of compensation. The question that was continuously asked by family members was “if our mother so important to science, why can’t we get health insurance?” There was never an answer to this question.
Ms. Skoot has set up a foundation to benefit the the descendents of Henrietta with their medical insurance and education .
Henrietta Lacks’ cells were responsible for so many cures and research that we now take for granted. I’m happy Ms. Skoot is able to share the real story behind these cells. It’s important for all of us to be aware of the pain and heartache of their origins.
Books, Non-Fiction, Review | Anne | May 16, 2011 8:46 am | Comments (2)
Today, in Huckleberry Finn bowdlerizing news, oh wait, this is real. And cool.
Al Gore, underachiever, steps up to the plate with an e-book that early reviewers claim lives up to the promise of the medium to revolutionize what books can be.
Sometime BGB contributor Russ Marshalek lists 10 Devastatingly Sad Books at Flavorpill.
New must read blog for educators: Sh*t My Students Write. (Dr J, we expect you to become a frequent contributor.)
Don’t have time to read the Harry Potter series but want to know the basic plots so you can discuss with your kids? Check out the Harry Potter books as one page comics. Don’t tell your kids.
Attention Scrabble nerds: two new official words that start with Q (and don’t have a “u” ).
The 2011 best translated books award winners have been announced.
What your choice of book tote bag says about you.
The nerdiest NYT correction of all time?
How to write an acerbic book review. We never do this.
The Well Read Man Project: Man sets out to read 50 greatest books over the course of a year and blog about it. Good luck, sir.
Books | Tim | May 13, 2011 8:06 am | Comments (4)
Remember when the conservative movement was anchored on an ironclad intellectual underpinning? Me neither, but I read about it somewhere. I was thinking about that when I stumbled across this review of Atlas Shrugged by William F. Buckley:
Out of a lifetime of reading, I can recall no other book in which a tone of overriding arrogance was so implacably sustained. Its shrillness is without reprieve. Its dogmatism is without appeal.
I really have a strong dislike for the book myself (if that hasn’t become apparent). I especially enjoyed the footage of Buckley on The Charlie Rose Show describing his reading experience: “I had to flog myself to read it…”
Books | Tim | May 12, 2011 9:24 am | Comments (0)
Ben Spivey’s Flowing in the Gossamer Fold is fiction that comes form a from a dark place. I don’t know whether to describe it as a prose poem or a fever dream. I read it in one sitting on an unseasonably cold rainy night here in Atlanta. And then I went back and skimmed a few sections, postponing sleep as long as possible.
It begins with our narrator, Malcolm, prepping to go on stage to provide a motivational speech to a college crowd. He thinks back to te morning’s events, which included a striking visual, that left no doubts that his wife had left him for good. He begins his speech:
I told them my life was not going in the direction I desired, not in so many words. I’ve had better days, I’ve seen better mornings, the sky has been brighter, God has existed. I paused. Shook my head. Regained my composure. The red velvet curtain looked purple under the bluish spot light. No one reacted. No one was affected by anything. To the onlooker, I too was unaffected, as a proper speaker should appear. Selling myself to the crowd. With a big smile I said: like some of you in crowd, some of you know what I mean.
And then Malcolm becomes completely unglued. The rest of the novella/poem/fever dream unfolds as Malcolm seemingly moves in and out of “clarity.” The reader follows along as Malcolm views his past, his time with his wife, and the indeterminate length of Malcolm’s “after” through a gossamer haze. The narrative keeps the reader constantly off-balance. Reality and time both become fluid constructs. Yet Spivey’s sharp prose holds the reader captive until the end. It’s a gripping read. Check it out.
Books, Fiction, Review | Tim | May 11, 2011 11:27 am | Comments (2)
The latest bowdlerized edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the new “Patriot Edition” wherein every instance of the “n-word” is replaced with “Navy Seal.”
Comedy gold. (Via)
Books | Tim | May 10, 2011 10:21 am | Comments (1)
On the occasion of Tina Fey’s return to SNL, the show takes a look at great women writers throughout history:
Books, Comedy | Tim | May 9, 2011 8:25 am | Comments (0)
Wrong on several levels:
(Via – thanks Dr J)
You may as well check this one out, too, then.
Salman Rushdie weighs in on the new tension with Pakistan.
The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy and his sister Maile Meloy (one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists) both have children’s books coming soon.
That’s bad news, because “Children’s books are ‘sexist and enforce gender inequality’.”
ESPN writer Bill Simmons is launching a new web site for “sports and pop culture” called Grantland. Consulting editors include Chuck Klosterman, Malcolm Gladwell, and Dave Eggers. Might need to check that one out.
On Atlas Shrugged: The Movie – “The movie ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ adapted from Ayn Rand’s 1957 novel by the same name, is a triumph of cinematic irony. A work that lectures us endlessly on the moral superiority of heroic achievement is itself a model of mediocrity. In this, the film perfectly reflects both the novel and the mind behind it.” Zing!
Brer Rabbit: The Opera coming to Atlanta.
Head of the Minnesota GOP puts author Neil Gaiman on his “hate list” and calls him “a pencil-necked weasel” who stole $45,000 from the good people of his state – for accepting payment to speak at a library. Later, he apologized for the name calling. Because his mother made him. Read Gaiman’s account here and here.
Before you go, check out the subheads on this Tina Fey magazine cover. (Thanks, again, Dr J)
Books | Tim | May 6, 2011 9:24 am | Comments (0)
Books | Tim | May 5, 2011 10:27 am | Comments (0)
Last week, I posted a review of Oliver Broudy’s long form journalism piece, The Saint. Over the weekend the subject of that article, James Otis, left the following comment:
Oliver Broudy has made many errors as a magazine journalist with misquotations, incorrect facts, and outright lies in his latest and most libelous work, The Saint. This work clearly brings his integrity into question. Writers like Mr. Broudy should learn from the lessons of Jayson Blair who resigned from the NYtimes over plagiarism and fabrication being discovered within his stories.
The same comment has now also appeared on Goodreads and Amazon.
Books, Fiction | Tim | May 4, 2011 9:26 am | Comments (1)
Next by James Hynes has won the 2011 Believer Magazine book award. Michael Schaub of Bookslut calls it “the best novel I’ve ever read about terrorism in America.” It’s been on the bubble of my reading list for months. In light of recent world events I may need to check it out. Also worth checking out – the Believer’s reader’s survey of best novels of 2011.
In other award news, The Independent Booksellers Choice Awards have narrowed their field to 13 novels:
The Black History of the White House by Clarence Lusane (City Lights)
Contingency Plan by David K Wheeler (TS Poetry)
The Instructions by Adam Levin (McSweeney’s)
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall (W.W. Norton)
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (Grove/Atlantic)
Nox by Anne Carson (New Directions)
The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich (Two Dollar Radio)
Orion You Came and Took All My Marbles by Kira Henehan (Milkweed Editions)
The Report by Jessica Francis Kane (Graywolf)
The Singer’s Gun by Emily St. John Mandel (Unbridled)
Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead by Barbara Comyns (Dorothy)
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade Books)
Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr (Akashic)
Awards, Books | Tim | May 3, 2011 8:47 am | Comments (0)
Yesterday’s New York Times feature on the zydeco trail.
Timely! Try putting this spread on your Kindle.
Books | Tim | May 2, 2011 8:21 am | Comments (0)
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