Shelf Awareness for Tuesday, September 4, 2007


Quarry Books: Yes, Boys Can!: Inspiring Stories of Men Who Changed the World - He Can H.E.A.L. by Richard V Reeves and Jonathan Juravich, illustrated by Chris King

Simon & Schuster: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

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

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers: The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

Overlook Press: Hotel Lucky Seven (Assassins) by Kotaro Isaka, translated by Brian Bergstrom

News

Notes: Barnes & Noble Will Do If I Did It

After initially just saying no to stocking If I Did It by O.J. Simpson in its stores, Barnes & Noble has reversed course and will offer the books, according to the AP. The company cited customer demand for the switch. From the beginning, B&N said it would sell the book on B&N.com, where it has been ordered in advance in large quantities.

"We've been monitoring the pre-orders and customer requests and have concluded that enough customers have expressed interest in buying the book to warrant stocking it in our stores," B&N spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating told the AP. "We do not intend to promote the book but we will stock it in our stores because our customers are asking for it."

Beaufort Books is publishing If I Did It on September 13. The rights are mainly controlled by the family of the late Ron Goldman.

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Lawrence, Kan., has a new bookstore/art gallery. Stephen Wootton recently opened Studio Books, which focuses on used books about film and the arts. According to the Lawrence Journal-World, "After spending almost 10 years working at a used bookstore in Iowa City, Wootton began his own business centered on Internet book dealing." Now he has combined the best of both worlds. "In some ways, the Internet harms the open book shop," he said. "In other ways, it makes it even easier to get your books sold because you’re expanding worldwide. 

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The Eugene, Ore., Register-Guard reported on the closing of the Book Store, which "began 32 years ago when the Wilson family decided to diversify its army surplus store." Dona Wilson, who has worked in the family business since she was five, said, "I'm really quite torn, I'm at a turning point in my life: Finding a real job out there, or exploring the possibility of opening my own store, if I can find a location that's affordable."

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The fashion and style section of Sunday's New York Times explored the subject of blog book tours, posting, er, writing, "In an age of budget-conscious publishers and readers who are as likely to discover books from a Google search as from browsing at a bookstore, the blog book tour makes sense. Although a few high-profile authors have had their books sent to bloggers--James Patterson recently promoted a young-adult book this way--most of the authors are lesser-known and less likely to be reviewed in the mainstream press."

Felicia Sullivan, senior online marketing manager of Collins, told the paper, "If I had to choose, I'd rather have an author promote themselves online. You can reach at least a few hundred people on a blog, and save time, money and the fear of being a loser when no one shows up to your reading."

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Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books, Coral Gables, Fla., and Will Peters, manager and buyer at Annie Bloom's Books, Portland, Ore., have joined the board of directors of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. Both will serve three-year terms and replace Zachary Marcus of Maverick Media Projects in Shushan, N.Y., and Amy Thomas of Pandora's Books in Berkeley, Calif.

Kaplan is immediate past president of the American Booksellers Association and has been honored by the Florida and Miami chapters of Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union for his human rights work.

Peters is a former president of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association and the former chair of PNBA's Free Speech Committee.
 


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Cooler Idea of the Day: Harper Teams Up with KitchenAid

HarperCollins is partnering with KitchenAid's Cook for the Cure in a promotion for Life on the Refrigerator: Notes Between a Mother and Daughter, a first novel by Alice Kuipers ($15.95, 9780061370496/0061370495), that will benefit local affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

At each of the author's appearances at bookstores around the country, starting with the Tattered Cover, Denver, Colo., tomorrow, attendees may buy raffle tickets to win a set of KitchenAid appliances. All of the ticket proceeds will be donated. The grand prize winner wins a KitchenAid Architect Series II Counter-Depth French Door refrigerator, valued at $2,800.

Life on the Refrigerator Door features, the publisher said, "a single mother and her increasingly independent teenage daughter and how they deal with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Told exclusively through notes to each other left on their refrigerator door, the mother and daughter must find common ground in order to brave the most difficult year of their lives."


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


Wiccan Winner: Bookstore Healer Claims Jackpot

Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett, who says he has one of the four winning tickets for Friday night's $330 million Mega Millions jackpot, attributes his luck in part to Mystickal Voyage, the New Age bookstore in Nottingham, Md., according to the AP. One winning ticket was sold in Maryland, lottery officials said, but they haven't confirmed who holds the ticket.

Bartlett--or should we say Bunky--was on his way to the store with his wife when he stopped at a liquor store and bought a ticket. "If it wasn't for this place, I wouldn't have won the lottery," Bunky said of Mystickal Voyage, where he sometimes teaches wicca and reiki healing.

The AP reported that Bunky, an accountant in his earthly life, had made a bargain with multiple wiccan gods: "You let me win the lottery, and I'll teach." He had a computer choose numbers at random.

If he takes the money as a lump sum, it could amount to about $32 million after taxes. Bunky said he plans to "live my life like I have been" and is not forgetting where he was headed that fateful evening--he wants to invest in Mystickal Voyage.


Media and Movies

Media Heat: Oprah Gives Giving Airtime

This morning on the Early Show: Roger Director, author of I Dream in Blue: Life, Death, and the New York Giants (Harper, $24.95, 9780061209130/0061209139).

Also on the Early Show: J. Randy Taraborrelli discusses his new biography, Diana Ross (Citadel, $26.95, 9780806528496/0806528494).

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This morning on the Today Show: Robert Draper, author of Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush (Free Press, $28, 9780743277280/0743277287). Sunday's New York Times had a front-page story about this book, which is based in part on six hourlong interviews with the president in which, the Times wrote, "Mr. Bush shared his inner life at the White House. He at times mused philosophically and introspectively, and at others spoke forcefully about his confidence in his own decisions."

The Washington Post noted that the author, a national correspondent for GQ, also interviewed Karl Rove, Vice President Dick Cheney, First Lady Laura Bush and "many senior White House and administration officials." The Post said that "Draper offers an intimate portrait of a White House racked by more internal dissent and infighting than is commonly portrayed and of a president who would, alternately, intensely review speeches line by line or act strangely disengaged from big issues."

Also on Today: Alan Weisman, author of The World Without Us (Thomas Dunne Books, $24.95, 9780312347291/0312347294). In a repeat, Weisman also appears on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight.

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This morning on Good Morning America: Stuart Taylor and K.C. Johnson, authors of Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case (Thomas Dunne Books, $26.95, 9780312369125/0312369123).

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Today on Oprah, Bill Clinton will discuss his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World (Knopf, $24.95, 9780307266743/0307266745). The former president and possible future First Lady is also appearing at noon at the Harlem Children's Zone, where he will speak on a panel moderated by Tavis Smiley that includes some of the people featured in Giving. Tonight he'll be on the Late Show with David Letterman.

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Today on Live With Regis and Kelly: Jerome Bettis, author of The Bus: My Life In and Out of a Helmet (Doubleday, $23.95, 9780385520614/0385520611).

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Today on the Diane Rehm Show: Michael Mandelbaum, author of Democracy's Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World's Most Popular Form of Government (Public Affairs, $27.95, 9781586485146/1586485148).

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Today on Jimmy Kimmel Live: Kirk Douglas, author of Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning (Wiley, $22.95, 9780470084694/0470084693).

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Today on Hannity & Colmes: Bjørn Lomborg, author of Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming (Knopf, $21, 9780307266927/0307266923).


Books & Authors

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

Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis (Morrow, $21.95, 9780060723934/0060723939). "If Chuck Palahniuk were kidnapped, Raymond Chandler resurrected, and their DNA spliced together, this novel would be the result. Crooked Little Vein is vintage Warren Ellis, and it's time more people know just what that means."--Justin Riley, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, Milwaukee, Wis.

Bright from the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3 by Jill Stamm and Paula Spencer (Gotham, $26, 9781592402854/1592402852). "Finally, a book that describes children's developmental stages in terms of what the parents can do to maximize their babies' developmental potential. Helpfully chronicled in layman's terms, this book is thoroughly fascinating."--Caitlin Doggart, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Chatham, Mass.

Paperback

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos (Plume, $14, 780452287891/0452287898). "A novel you will fall in love with after reading the first paragraph. A handsome stranger walks into Cornelia's life and changes it forever--but not in the ways you'd expect. Quirky characters, love, and family bonds speak to the reader on all levels. A big thumbs-up for reading groups!"--Flossie McNabb, Carpe Librum Booksellers, Knoxville, Tenn.

For Grades 5 to 9

The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer, illustrated by Rick Sardinha (Atheneum, $18.99, 9781416907350/1416907351). "This sequel to The Sea of Trolls lives up to its predecessor in both energy and imagination. Farmer mixes Viking, Celtic, and Saxon mythology into a hair-raising adventure. Perfect for fans of The Hobbit and Harry Potter."--Lisa Wright, Oblong Books and Music, Millerton, N.Y.

[Many thanks to Book Sense and the ABA!]


Awards: The Hugos

Winners of the 2007 Hugo Awards were announced on Saturday during Nippon 2007, the 65th World Science Fiction Convention, in Yokohama, Japan:
  • Best Novel: Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge (Tor)
  • Best Novella: A Billion Eves by Robert Reed (Asimov's, Oct./Nov. 2006)
  • Best Novelette: The Djinn's Wife by Ian McDonald (Asimov's, July 2006)
  • Best Short Story: "Impossible Dreams" by Tim Pratt (Asimov's, July 2006)
  • Best Related Non-Fiction Book: James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips (St. Martin's)
  • Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Pan's Labyrinth, screenplay and directed by Guillermo del Toro (Picturehouse)
  • Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who--"Girl in the Fireplace," written by Steven Moffat, directed by Euros Lyn (BBC Wales/BBC1)
  • Best Editor, Long Form: Patrick Nielsen Hayden
  • Best Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder
  • Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
  • Best Semiprozine: Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong and Liza Groen Trombi
  • Best Fanzine: Science-Fiction Five-Yearly edited by Lee Hoffman, Geri Sullivan and Randy Byers
  • Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
  • Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu
The winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines and administered on their behalf by the World Science Fiction Society: Naomi Novik


Book Brahmins: Debra Ginsberg

Debra Ginsberg is the author of the memoirs Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress, Raising Blaze and About My Sisters and the novel Blind Submission. Her next novel, The Grift, will be published by Shaye Areheart Books next year. She has contributed to NPR's All Things Considered and several magazines and has been reviewing books for the San Diego Union-Tribune for the last 10 years. She considers herself an "extreme" reader and brings that enthusiasm to Shelf Awareness, where she will be reviewing books. Welcome, Debra!

On your nightstand now:

It's an extremely tall stack at the moment, but these are at the top of it: Little Children by Tom Perrotta, Mary Modern by Camille Deangelis, When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney and The Artful Edit by Susan Bell.
 
Favorite book when you were a child:

There are so many. The very first book I remember reading is Alice in Wonderland, and I've read it countless times since, but Little Women was also a very important childhood book for me. Also, Watership Down, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I got started on my tropes early; I've had a book in hand since I was five years old.
 
Your top five authors:

William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway, the Brothers Grimm, Stephen King.
 
Book you've faked reading:

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
 
Book you are an evangelist for:

On Writing by Stephen King
 
Book you've bought for the cover:

The Washingtonienne by Jessica Cutler
 
Book that changed your life:

Sula by Toni Morrison. I was 19 and had never seen language used like that before. It just blew me away and forever changed the way I thought about writing.
 
Favorite line from a book:

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."--Anna Karenina, Tolstoy
 
Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
 
Five all-time favorite books:

The Sound and the Fury, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Like Water for Chocolate, Notes from Underground, Heart of Darkness



Ooops

Labyrinth Remains in Connecticut and New Jersey

Oops. We should have known that something to do with a store named Labyrinth wouldn't be so simple. As reported on Thursday here, the original Labyrinth Books store in New York City near Columbia University has changed its name to Book Culture. But the other two stores--in New Haven, Conn., near Yale, and the one that will open soon in Princeton, N.J.--continue as Labyrinth Books.

The change at the New York store reflects that dissolving of the partnership between Cliff Simms and Chris Doeblin, founders of Great Jones Books and Labyrinth Books. The New York store, which Doeblin owns, has split off from the corporation.

Our apologies for the confusion!


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