Author name: Booksquare

It has turned out to be one of those weeks — the sun is shining (far too much), the traffic is flowing (far too slowly), and there’s not a enough caffeine in the world to raise our heart rate above sluggish (far too depressing). We knew we’d hit rock bottom when we actually caught our mind in a grocery store parking lot, thinking, “Maybe it is the humidity.” Thankfully, we always have the media to rescue us. You’re never alone as long as Slate publishes odes to TV Guide. Who knew that the publication, before the Internets took over and

After much thought and whatnot, textbook publishers are finally making some books available electronically to students — at a 33% discount. Whoo hoo! Yes, you save a few bucks, but then get to deal with use restrictions and expiring content. Also, since Dante’s Inferno is probably available at Project Gutenberg for free, it’s not such a good deal. Gutenberg books don’t expire. This move protects publishers while offering some relief to students. It puts a $50 textbook in the thirty dollar range. Of course, since the book cannot be used after the class, it’s unclear whether the savings are worthwhile.

We had our first clue that SoCal is entering Awards Season (you will recall that we don’t celebrate the traditional seasonal structure here; we are an efficient community, and have streamlined the year in to two halves: Summer and Awards Season) when we tried to buy citronella oil in mid-July. No can do. If you’re going to have an outdoor event, it must be anticipated, planned, and shopped for no later than Memorial Day. Retailers cannot be held responsible for your lack of foresight. The second clue is more of a steady trickle of notices and announcements. For example, you

It was a good weekend at The Guardian, and while we’re working our way through their story on editors (this is one that requires deep thought), we turn our attention to the notion of books and libraries and people who are precious about such things. It reminds us of those who only eat pasta with red sauce, and not the spicy kind. In Marina Warner’s argument for the importance of physical books, there is a lot of discussion of word-pictures and the beauty of language and the relationship between the author and the reader. The power of all this is

We are bemused by the fact that The Traveler didn’t catch fire with audiences. Because the author “lives off the Grid” — apparently that statement always requires quotes, possibly even air quotes if said out loud; this leads us to believe most who write this phrase don’t know what it means — Doubleday tried creative marketing approaches. We think it’s a case of the publisher swimming in the shallow end rather than trying the big kids’ pool. We don’t want to see a book fail, but we do so enjoy Monday morning quarterbacking. In this case, it’s the anonymity of

GOOD MORNING: Army Archerd has bowed out from his long-running comfort read “Just for Variety” column. The retiring scribe will now focus his energies on books and memoirs. . .Though Archerd tended to focus on classic Hollywood, his name-dropping columns was refreshingly unique due to Archerd’s use of real words rather than the cryptic (to Hollywood outsiders) language developed by Variety. . .Liz Smith, a New York fixture for years, will now be writing a regular column for the industry broadsheet. No word on whether Liz will pack up her co-op and move West. Old-School Hollywood Gossip to End His