Shelf Awareness for Monday, May 7, 2007


Workman Publishing:  Atlas Obscura: Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders by Cara Giaimo and Joshua Foer

Berkley Books: The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland

Simon & Schuster: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: Nightweaver by RM Gray

News

Notes: Podpublishing; B&N College Accepted at Indiana

Today's New York Times offers another example of the loud effect of podcasting on audiobook publishing. In this case, Mignon Fogarty, host of a podcast called Grammar Girl, whipped up an audio version of her forthcoming Holt book that Audio Renaissance was able to put on Audible.com just before her appearance on Oprah. The $4.95, hour-long title quickly became No. 1 on iTunes's home page--and she was able to take advantage of the publicity hit despite not having a book yet.

Audible.com's Beth Anderson noted that more and more audios are helping sell the print version they're based on and that "it helps to have a steady stream of product from major authors so we have something to sell between their big books."

Holt president and publisher John Sterling commented: "Traditionally we would see the audiobook as the tail on the dog, and here the tail is wagging the dog."

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In June 2009, Barnes & Noble will open a store in Houston, Tex., in the River Oaks Shopping Center at West Gray and Shepherd Drive.

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Effective July 1, Barnes & Noble College becomes big bookseller on campus at Indiana University, taking over management of all 16 bookstores at the university's seven campuses, according to the South Bend Tribune. B&N will pay a $5.5 million "signing bonus" and another $2 million bonus after eight years; it guarantees $850,000 a year to the school during the 10-year deal. B&N will reimburse IU for bookstore inventory, equipment and capital improvements. B&N will also spend $1.4 million for a new Varsity Shop on the South Bend campus.

The change met opposition--some 6,000 people signed an anti-outsourcing petition.

Under the deal, current full-time bookstore employees will be offered jobs at the same level of pay and benefits they receive from the university, the paper said.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Marketing Strategy?

Saying price wars had left it with little choice, Waterstone's owner HMV defended the company's decision to offer Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at half price and to give buyers a free copy of Wizardology: A Guide to Wizards of the World, the Guardian reported. The company hopes to capitalize "on strong shopper numbers during the expected Harry Potter rush in July, when most stores will open at midnight."

Like other U.K. bookstore chains, Waterstone's has been struggling and could use some retail magic.

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Visible Voice bookstore, Cleveland, Ohio, is "a warm, pristine space with an intensely personal selection of books about rock music, cinema, art, modern poetry, liberal politics, new journalists and contemporary fiction that runs heavily toward the Beat canon and angry young writers," according to a Cleveland Plain Dealer profile of the bookshop and its owner, Dave Ferrante.

Modeled after San Francisco's City Lights bookstore, Visible Voice is a bricks-and-mortar realization of Ferrante's literary passion, but he hasn't given up his day job as president of Kaplan Trucking, the family business. "Some people go on vacation in Florida," said Ferrante. "I go to a bookstore in Tremont."

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Lacey, Wash., is looking for a good bookstore. The Olympian reported that many residents of this city with "plenty of new homes and a booming retail sector" are wondering why it has not attracted a full-service bookstore. The city is currently served by a Paperback Exchange used bookstore.

Jerry Litt, Lacey's community development director, said he had been fielding requests for a bookstore from residents for more than a decade. Although none of the major bookstore chains had expressed interest, Litt said, “I personally feel they would do great here.”

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The Indianapolis Star interviewed Elizabeth Houghton Barden, owner of Big Hat Books and wife of novelist Dan Barden. Saying she "wants to grow old in this narrow, crowded bookstore," Barden spoke of her transition two years ago to a bookseller's life in the Midwest after "working for fashion designer Giorgio Armani, slumming with pop culture guru Andy Warhol and working for NBC and Universal Studios in New York City in the 1980s." How does she compete with big box bookstores? "We're more fun," said Barden.

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The Daily Pilot profiles Lido Village Books, Newport Beach, Calif., owned by Dan Schmenk, who was an employee and retired English teacher when it closed suddenly in 2001--and who brought it back to life. The store depends "on our ability to know books and . . . we continue to really select the books ourselves," Schmenk told the paper. "We handpick everything."

Lido Village Books has "an expansive nautical selection, with an emphasis on sailing adventures."
 


Disruption Books: Our Differences Make Us Stronger: How We Heal Together by La June Montgomery Tabron, illustrated by Temika Grooms


BEA NYC: City of Books

BookExpo America is in New York City! Whether you're a native or just visiting, New York is a tough city to tackle in just a few days. So, from now until BEA Frommer's and Shelf Awareness are offering tips on how to make the most of the long weekend in the Big Apple. Today Pauline Frommer, creator of Pauline Frommer's Travel Guides, describes several of the more distinctive bookshops in the city.

 
Books of Wonder (18 W. 18th St., between Fifth and Sixth Aves.; 212-989-3270; booksofwonder.com) is everything a children's bookstore should be: brightly lit, cozy but not cramped, only really crowded during story-telling hours (see website for schedule) and jammed with multiple editions of all those books we loved as kids that we want to introduce to our own children. The oldest and largest children's bookstore in the city, this should also be your first stop if you're seeking out a rare edition of a kid's book or if you want to purchase art from one of the classics.

Every script from every play ever written (well, almost) is available at the Drama Bookshop (250 W. 40th St., between Seventh and Eighth Aves.; 212-944-0595; dramabookshop.com), an off-Times Square stalwart that has served the theater community of New York for more than 40 years. Other offerings run the gamut from fawning biographies to complicated treatises on stage lighting to picture books of Broadway musicals. The Bookshop's bright, airy space has a small theater attached; even if you don't want to buy, you can attend a reading for free (see website for schedule).

Oscar Wilde Bookstore (15 Christopher St., near Sixth Ave.; 212-255-8097; oscarwildebooks.com), which bills itself as the world's oldest gay and lesbian bookstore, is still going strong after nearly 40 years in business. It remains the friendly, clued-in place it's always been, carrying the most up-to-the-minute gay and lesbian literature, as well as a fine selection of rare and out-of-print books.

Stuffy and crowded, the Strand (828 Broadway, at 12th St.; 212-473-1452; strandbooks.com) is New York's premier bookstore, a place that rivals the legendary Library at Alexandria in its scope and variety. Its motto is "Eight Miles of Books," and it certainly feels like it has that many when you visit; it has a range of used, review, remainder and "other" copies. Those looking for rare books should look no further: the Strand has the largest collection in the city, with dozens traded in each day.

For more New York City travel tips, check out the official BEA travel guide, Pauline Frommer's New York City (Wiley). Listen to Pauline and other Frommer's writers share their travel stories and tips online.



NYU Advanced Publishing Institute: Early bird pricing through Oct. 13


G.L.O.W. - Galley Love of the Week
Be the first to have an advance copy!
The Queen of Fives
by Alex Hay
GLOW: Graydon House: The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay

Quinn le Blanc, "the Queen of Fives," is the latest in a dynasty of London con artists. In August 1898, she resolves to pose as a debutante and marry a duke for his fortune. According to the dynasty's century-old Rulebook, reeling in a mark takes just five days. But Quinn hasn't reckoned with the duke's equally shrewd stepmother and sister. Like his Caledonia Novel Award-winning debut, The Housekeepers, Alex Hay's second book is a stylish, cheeky historical romp featuring strong female characters. Graydon House senior editor Melanie Fried says his work bears the "twisty intrigue of a mystery" but is "elevated [by] wickedly clever high-concept premises and explorations of class, social status, gender, and power." The Queen of Fives is a treat for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Sarah Penner, and Downton Abbey. --Rebecca Foster

(Graydon House/HarperCollins, $28.99 hardcover, 9781525809859, January 21, 2025)

CLICK TO ENTER


#ShelfGLOW
Shelf vetted, publisher supported

Media and Movies

Media Heat: Maniacs, Clowns and Schmucks

This morning on the Early Show, David Talbot reveals Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years (Free Press, $28, 9780743269186/0743269187).

Also on the Early Show: Roger Gould, author of Shrink Yourself: Break Free from Emotional Eating Forever (Wiley, $24.95, 9780470044858/0470044853).

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This morning on the Today Show, Keith Ablow, author of Living the Truth: Transform Your Life Through the Power of Insight and Honesty (Little, Brown, $25.99, 9780316017817/0316017817).

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This morning on Fox & Friends, Joshua Piven, author of The Escape Artists: True Stories of People Who Turned Their Obsessions into Professions (McGraw-Hill, $14.95; 9780071479264/0071479260) is joined by "Escape Artist" Karen DeSanto, a professional clown.

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Today the Martha Stewart Show serves up Patricia Wells, author of Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate (Morrow Cookbooks, $34.95, 9780060752446/0060752440).

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Today on the View: Nora Ephron, author of I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman (Knopf, $19.95, 9780307264558/0307264556).

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Today the Rachael Ray Show welcomes Robin McGraw, wife of Dr. Phil and author of Inside My Heart: Choosing to Live with Passion and Purpose (Thomas Nelson, $24.99, 9780785218364/078521836X).

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Today the Diane Rehm Show hears from Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb about Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound (PublicAffairs, $26.95, 9781586483975/ 1586483978).

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Squawking today on CNBC's Squawk Box: Kevin Kerr, author of A Maniac Commodity Trader's Guide to Making a Fortune (Wiley, $26.95, 9780471771906/0471771902).

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Today on NPR's All Things Considered: Laurie David, producer of the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth and author of Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You! (Fulcrum, $9.95, 9781555916213/155591621X).

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Today on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight: Joseph Califano, Jr., author of High Society: How Substance Abuse Ravages America and What to Do About It (PublicAffairs, $26.95, 9781586483357/1586483358). 

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Tonight on Larry King Live: Jackie Mason, co-author with Raoul Felder of Schmucks!: Our Favorite Fakes, Frauds, Lowlifes, Liars, the Armed and Dangerous, and Good Guys Gone Bad (Collins, $25.95, 9780061126123/0061126128).


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Books & Authors

Image of the Day: Atherton Sculpture

At Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, Wash., last week: Patrick Carman with fans of Atherton next to the revolving sculpture of the world he created in his new series, Atherton, the first title of which is The House of Power (Little, Brown). He had also visited the store to promote his first series, The Dark Hills Divide.

 


Book Sense: May We Recommend

From last week's Book Sense bestseller lists, available at BookSense.com, here are the recommended titles, which are also Book Sense Picks:

Hardcover

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (St. Martin's, $23.95, 9780312360191/0312360193). "Sandra Dallas' new novel, set in Colorado during WWII, tells the story of teenage Rennie Stroud and her family--and the impact of a new Japanese internment camp on their community. Dallas' characters and dramas ring true on every page. Tallgrass is memorable."--Anne Edkins, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, Calif.

The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life by Robert Goolrick (Algonquin, $22.95, 9781565124813/1565124812). "A powerful memoir from an extraordinary craftsman. Wielding chapters like wood chisels, paragraphs like a carpenter's plane, and words like a fine-grained sandpaper, the author lays bare a history of family secrets concealed under a well-polished veneer. Goolrick's writing evokes the elegance of Truman Capote and the earthiness of Rick Bragg."--Joe Drabyak, Chester County Book & Music Company, West Chester, Pa.

Paperback

Devils in the Sugar Shop by Timothy Schaffert (Unbridled, $14.95, 9781932961331/193296133X). "Tim Schaffert has done it again. This novel, set in the Old Market section of Omaha, features zany characters, ranging from a teacher of erotic writing workshops to a woman who sells 'marital aids' at neighborhood Sugar Parties. You'll be surprised to find out what goes on in the suburbs, especially on Sugar Party night. This is a delightful, funny book."--Andra Tracy, Out Word Bound, Indianapolis, Ind.

For Teen Readers

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce (Harcourt, $17, 9780152054335/0152054332). "A great story about choosing your own destiny in a world where tradition is the rule. A story of friendship, magic, and self-discovery."--Kendra Scott, Booksmart, Morgan Hill, Calif.

[Many thanks to Book Sense and the ABA!]



Book Review

Mandahla: Bad Luck and Trouble Reviewed

Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child (Delacorte Press, $26.00 Hardcover, 9780385340557, May 2007)




Bad Luck and Trouble opens with the classic Lee Child touch: hardware descriptions and pain. "The man was called Calvin Franz and the helicopter was a Bell 222. Franz had two broken legs, so he had to be loaded on board strapped to a stretcher . . . The Bell was a roomy aircraft, [with] plenty of room for Franz on the floor." He won't be taking up space much longer, as he discovers 3,000 feet above the California desert.

Several weeks after this aerial defenestration, Jack Reacher is in Portland, Ore., because the bus he had ridden two days previously had stopped there, and is typically short of money. Reacher's life has become a bit more complicated since 9/11--in addition to his folding toothbrush, he now carries a passport and has traded Western Union wire transfers for an ATM card. When he checks his bank balance, he's surprised--it shows a thousand dollars more than it should have. One thousand and thirty dollars, to be exact. Reacher being Reacher, he knows that $1030.00 means something more than a lucky windfall. In fact, 10-30 in radio code signals an MP needing urgent assistance; furthermore, the code had to have been sent by someone who knew about his compulsion to add and subtract. And so the game begins.

He follows a hunch to California, where he meets Frances Neagley, one of the former members of a special investigations team Reacher headed in the military. She wants him to put the old unit (which "had organized itself like a small-market baseball team enjoying an unlikely pennant run") back together to find out who killed Calvin Franz, one of the group's members. Slowly others from the unit are found and show up, although a few are ominously missing. Under the gun, sometimes literally, with no time to train, they can rely only on what they used to do, ways they used to work together ("You do not mess with the special investigations."). When asked by the remaining team what the plan is, Reacher says, "Same as ever. We investigate, we prepare, we execute. We find them, we take them down, and then we p*** on their ancestors' graves." And Reacher is the same as ever, even if he has added an ATM card to his personal effects (one wonders if toothpaste is next, or possibly deodorant).

Lee Child mines the terrorist angle cleverly, with a mystery man carrying multiple passports and slick government contractors, like New Age Defense Systems ("What kind of a name is that for a weapons manufacturer? Like they kill you with kindness? They play Pan pipe music until you save them the trouble and you slit your wrists?"). His sardonic humor--"There are always scandals. It's statistically difficult to quit the LAPD any other way."--is in full force, with Spenser-like brevity:
"Little Wing could take [Air Force One] out without breaking a sweat."
"Bring it on," O'Donnell said. "Easier than voting."
"You should read the Patriot Act. You could be arrested for even thinking that."
"Jails just aren't big enough," O'Donnell said.
This latest in a series that keeps getting better and better features less armature and fewer firepower details, but expands Reacher's character and history. Lee Child is an author from whom much is expected, and he delivers with Bad Luck and Trouble.--Marilyn Dahl


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