By Cindy Orr
The readers’ advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television.
New This Week
Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food seems to have the central message that much of what we eat isn’t really food at all. Great idea to publish that just when millions of people have vowed to go on a diet. Look to the right, or click here to see the other big books scheduled to hit the shelves this week. If you’re not in the mood for nonfiction, try the one of the new titles by Sara Paretsky, Geraldine Brooks, W. E. B. Griffin or James Grippando.
Benazir Bhutto’s Book Rushed To Print
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated last week at a rally in Pakistan. Harper Collins announced that her new book, originally scheduled for Spring, was completed only about a week before her death. The book, called Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West, will be rushed into print as soon as possible, according to Publishers Weekly. Since there now seems to be a controversy about what exactly caused her death, we can assume there will be other books forthcoming as well.
Buy Copies of The Hobbit
This might be a good time to make sure you have enough copies of The Hobbit in stock, as Peter Jackson, the director of the megahit movie Lord of the Rings, has finally signed on to do the movie of Tolkien’s prequel.
Good News, Bad News for Rove
The bad news for Karl Rove is that he didn’t get the $3 million he wanted for the book he will be writing. The good news: he did get at least half that from Simon & Schuster’s Threshold Editions imprint. Rove’s book will be a “candid, careful” look at his years as advisor to George W. Bush, and Mary Matalin, the Threshold Editor-in-Chief, and herself a big name political consulatant said, “Karl was always in a league of his own in the world of electoral politics and he now will literally create a unique genre for historians, policy makers, political junkies and serious readers.” Hmm. I’ll take suggestions for what to call this new genre…but then maybe I’m not a serious reader.
Roker’s Pick
Al Roker of the Today Show has chosen The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley for his next Al’s Book Club for Kids pick. In the first book of the series–The Fairy-Tale Detectives–two sisters are sent to live with their grandmother after their parents mysteriously disappear. It turns out that the girls are related to the famous Brothers Grimm and they find out that Grimm’s fairy tales are actually case files for real detective cases. Al’s Club was originally intended to be a summer reading club, but it was so popular that it has been extended. Nothing wrong with a winter reading club…or spring…or fall. Good for you, Al!
Hardcover ARCs?
Atria has printed hardcover advanced reading copies for Jennifer Weiner’s upcoming book Certain Girls. While this seems like a strange move in a time when many publishers are switching to electronic galleys, it is apparently actually cheaper to print hardcover ARCs rather than paperbacks. Though ARCs and galleys are not meant to be sold or used by libraries, Certain Girls is already selling on abebooks.com for $20-$25, and over $50 in Germany.
Author Interviews
Peter S. Beagle - It’s like George Burns used to say: “I can’t die–I’m booked!â€?
Sue Grafton – “What are you going to do with X?” “It’s got to be xenophobe or xenophobia. My true hope is that between now and the time I get to X, there will be a new crime that starts with x. I’m encouraging people: Break the law in some x kind of way.”
Ha Jin - “What fictional character would you like to date, and why?” “Lolita. Just curious to see what she is like as a middle-aged woman now.”
Khaled Hosseini on his first trip back to Afghanistan since 1976.
Ian McEwan discusses with Clive James the difference between writing novels and screenplays.
List of the Week
Bookfinder lists the Top Ten US Out of Print Books of 2007 - including Madonna’s Sex. I know where all those copies are…they fell apart long ago.
Happy New Year to all. We have some changes planned for the RAO blog, and we’ll tell you a bit more about that later this week.
