Books/Mags/Blogs

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

What is a poor writer to do these days? At every turn, someone is complaining about being unfairly depicted. Heck, just last week, we received an email from a writer who received a threatening letter because her character just happened to have the same name as a living, breathing human. It makes us wonder just what the purpose of having a quirky, slightly insane family is. Now far be it for us to come off as cynical, but we might suggest that when a book portrays one (or many ones) in an unflattering light, granting public interviews isn’t necessarily the

This just in (again): the New York Times has discovered that authors are writing about 9/11 and their reactions to said tragedy. We realize that it’s a lot to ask, but it would be great if such a major newspaper looked back at its previous coverage of this issue and found a different way to tackle reviews of related books. Especially since offering a high-level overview of books tackling this subject matter doesn’t really offer the opportunity for depth and analysis. Though, more time and space would surely eliminate statements of the obvious (yes, it is a cranky day, thank

Someone wise once told us that character growth is important. If characters don’t learn from their actions, then they’re boring. The trend of sequels to successful chicklit novels highlights this truism: the Shopaholic remains in eternal debt and Bridget Jones… Well, Bridget hasn’t exactly returned to the novel, but she’s returned. Actually, she’s right back where she started: a newspaper column. Whose idea was that? It turns out that she’s still single, still dithering between the same men, and just barely more settled in her life. And, if we may be honest, Bridget wasn’t exactly a spring chicken. This has

Carl Jung is dead. That everyone can agree on that point is a major milestone. Jung’s biographer and Jung’s heirs have been warring over a new look at the man. Traditionally, biographies are written, reviewed, and consigned to shelves after being read by those who find themselves interested. Additional readings may happen if another biographer uses the book as source material. Though other publishers of the Jung biography have opted against inserting “corrections” into the book, the German publisher, a division of Random House, has weighed one potential lawsuit against another and decided to try to compromise. Which leads us

If one needs a good sense of our priorities, consider this: we read MediaBistro’s interview with editors Megan Lynch and Sean McDonald…and our big takeaway was that we really need to get the new George Saunders novella. Don’t blame the editors — they were as interesting and candid as possible — but we have a one-track mind some days. However, this isn’t about our needs, it’s about yours, and you want to know how Lynch and McDonald (of Riverhead, part of the Penguin family, which reminds us that we really want to see that movie about penguins) approach editing and