About This Blog
Michael Merschel: Michael Merschel is The Dallas Morning News books editor. February 2010
Recent Posts
Closing the book: My first Sherlock Holmes mystery Tobias Wolff tonight at Highland Park Literary Festival "Best American" editors: Russo, Hitchens, Gaiman, more Mary DeMuth's new memoir, free class at Legacy Books Ozzy Osbourne Dallas signing: Time change, details Austin Salinger tribute to feature unpublished work Kirkus has a new life, with new owner from the NBA Study up for the Percy Jackson film with a Zeus graphic novel Recent Comments
Categories
GuideLive.com
Entertainment Blogs |
February 18, 2010
That's not entirely accurate since I read a big book o' 37 Sherlock Holmes mysteries, which also included two novels. Somehow I'd gone though high school and college without ever reading a Holmes mystery, and admittedly, it was Robert Downey Jr.'s turn as the famous Baker Street detective piqued that my interest in the books. But it was definitely worth the wait. ![]() ![]() The entry "Closing the book: My first Sherlock Holmes mystery " is tagged: Sherlock Holmes
Tobias Wolff will be speaking tonight as part of the Highland Park Literary Festival. The free event takes place 7 p.m. at Highland Park High School. Can't make it? Organizers have posted some audio from a prior reading. You can also catch him in the 1 p.m. segment of Think on KERA-FM (90.1). ![]() ![]() The entry "Tobias Wolff tonight at Highland Park Literary Festival" is tagged: Highland Park Literary Festival , Tobias Wolff February 17, 2010
EW.com has a list of guest editors for this year's "Best American" collections. Among them: The Best American Short Stories 2010: Richard Russo The Best American Essays 2010: Christopher Hitchens The Best American Comics: Neil Gaiman The Best American Nonrequired Reading: Dave Eggers (guest introducer: David Sedaris) The whole list is here. (Spotted on the Twitter feed of Cristina Henriquez) ![]() ![]() The entry ""Best American" editors: Russo, Hitchens, Gaiman, more" is tagged: Best American
Rockwall writer Mary DeMuth, will be offering an "instructive free evening ... teaching the elements of writing a memoir" and signing her new book, Thin Places 7 p.m. Thursday at Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway, Plano. Her publisher, Zondervan, says that Thin Places "is about her journey to find hope and healing from the traumatic events of her childhood. According to DeMuth, thin places are 'snatches of time, moments really, when we sense God intersecting our world in tangible, unmistakable ways.' DeMuth shares her own story of being raised in a broken home and the loss of her biological father when she was ten. She was stripped of her innocence growing up in an unstable environment but learns to overcome through faith and writing." Sam Hodges has full details over on the Religion blog. ![]() ![]() The entry "Mary DeMuth's new memoir, free class at Legacy Books" is tagged: Mary DeMuth February 16, 2010
Barnes & Noble says:
· No personalization · Photos allowed from the line · Wristbands will be available on a first come, first serve basis · Wristbands will be available starting at 9:00 AM 2/27 · Wristbands will be organized in letter groups of 50. · I Am Ozzy must be purchased from Barnes & Noble to receive a wristband (bring receipt if purchased prior to 2/27) · No more than 4 people in a group per wristband (only the person with the wristband will interact with Ozzy) · Limit 4 books per person to be signed · Line up for signing starts at 1:00 PM 2/27. I'm told that previous events have drawn more than 3,000 people. The Orange County Register did a lengthy interview and has video of what the scene was like there. Dallas, you have been warned.
![]() ![]() The entry "Ozzy Osbourne Dallas signing: Time change, details " is tagged: Ozzy Osbourne February 15, 2010
American Short Fiction, an Austin-based literary magazine, will be honoring the late J.D. Salinger with a lineup that includes literary stars and the author's own work. The event, 7 p.m. Feb. 26 in the Prothro Theater at the The press release says they'll be "reading excerpts from his book-length publications as well as selections from the Ransom Center's archive of the author's unpublished correspondence." A small display of Salinger manuscripts, letters, and inscribed books will go on display as well. They'll remain on view until March 12. Speaking of his letters, another stash is about to go on display in New York. According to The New York Times: The letters furnish what may be the most specific description yet of Mr. Salinger's writing habits in the years after 1965, when he stopped publishing. Even in the 1980s, he describes a highly disciplined writing regimen, starting each morning at 6, never later than 7, and not brooking interruption, "unless absolutely necessary or convenient." This in-his-own-words account may bolster the conviction and hope of some that he left additional works behind. ![]() ![]() The entry "Austin Salinger tribute to feature unpublished work" is tagged: J.D. Salinger February 11, 2010
I'm sure there is some cosmic connection to the fact that the NBA All-Star Game is being played in D-FW this weekend at the very moment that an NBA owner is riding to the rescue of Kirkus Reviews. As per the LA Times' Jacket Copy, Kirkus' hero is Herb Simon, owner of the Indiana Pacers and onetime savior of a bookstore in Montecito, Calif. The new enterprise is to be called Kirkus Media. The New York Times Media Decoder blog quotes him as saying, "With the growth of e-books and e-reading devices, no one can really see the future of publishing. But turmoil like this creates opportunities. At a time when even the definition of a book is changing, my love of books makes me want to be part of the solution for the book publishing industry." ![]() ![]() The entry "Kirkus has a new life, with new owner from the NBA" is tagged: Kirkus Reviews February 10, 2010
The story (from the back cover): "Here's where it all starts: the beginning of everything - the world, the gods, and even humanity. Mighty Kronos, the most terrifying of all the Titans, reigns as the unchallenged tyrant of the cosmos ... until his son, the god Zeus, stands up and takes on his own father in a battle intense enough to shatter the universe! Who will emerge triumphant?" The artwork: Vibrant, bold colors are appropriate for captivating the intended audience of 9- to 12-year-olds. The story is told through traditional boxed panels on each page, with a couple full-page inked illustrations sprinkled in at pivotal points in the story. To get inside O'Connor's head and to understand his drawing process, here's a step-by-step tutorial in which he illustrates Athena, the star of the upcoming second book. The extra: In a series of god profiles and "G(r)eek Notes" section at the end of the book, O'Connor takes the chance to remind readers of the ties between the Greek gods and Marvel Comics' X-Men. (I imagine young boys everywhere screaming in agreement.) And just to add a bit more to the educational aspect of the novel, there are seven fun discussion questions at the end of the story, including "Zeus's dad tries to eat him. Has your dad ever tried to eat you?" This educational read (it's recommended reading in the classroom!) has just the right amount of background, humor and action to introduce young minds to the Greek gods and get them hooked. ![]() ![]() The entry "Study up for the Percy Jackson film with a Zeus graphic novel" is tagged: comic books , comics , graphic novel , greek , greek gods , mythology , Percy Jackson , zeus
Speaking of bookish Super Bowl commercials, one that caught my eye was for a video game. Not that I have mastered anything electronic since the Atari era, but this one had the rather literary title of
As the New York Times describes it: "In the video game Dante is no longer a reedy, introspective poet but a knight who returns home from the Crusades to find that his beloved Beatrice has been brutally murdered. Her innocent soul has been taken captive by Lucifer, and Dante must chase the archfiend into hell, fending off wave after wave of advancing demons with a mighty scythe." All of which sets a mind to spinning about the prospects for other lit-themed video games. Luckily, the writers at NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me did most of the work for me already. Their list includes: Don Quixote Kong Their listeners have bolstered that list with some additional suggestions, including Animal Farmville, Infinite Joust and, my favorite, Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in Mario's Kart. There's not much a for a pun-loving editor to add. One Flew Over the Dragonquest? Legend of Zelda Fitzgerald? Of course, I did always enjoy that Shakespeare game, Tempest ... (Inferno image courtesy Electronic Arts; Tempest screenshot courtesy klov.com.)
![]() ![]() The entry "Hellish development: Dante's Inferno goes digital" is tagged: bad puns , video games February 9, 2010
Thursday's lecture by Mark Dimunation, Chief of Rare Book and Special Collections Division at Library of Congress, has been canceled. Bad weather in Washington is to blame. The Bridwell Library plans to reschedule the event, which was to be focused on Thomas Jefferson's personal library. We'll offer details on that when they are sorted out. ![]() ![]() The entry "Jefferson lecture at SMU canceled" is tagged: Bridwell Library February 8, 2010
File this under "O" -- either for "offensive" or "Oh, come on now." But GalleyCat reports that there has been backlash to the Bud Light Super Bowl ad that showed a guy lured into a women's book club because they were serving Bud Light. Blogger Edward Champion opines that the ad has a "misogynistic message with an anti-reading subtext." To which I say, well, yeah. But is it exactly news that beer ads promote bad behavior? Is it an affront to women to portray them as interested in books, or is it more of an affront to portray men as sweaty, sex-obsessed illiterates? And why should that make me want to drink beer, anyway? And has anyone actually ever attended a book club where beer was served? I mean, wine in a box, maybe. And while we're at it, when it comes to offensive behavior at the Super Bowl, wasn't the repeated exposure of Pete Townshend's navel more traumatizing than anything revealed in that Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction from a few years back? But I digress. Here's the ad, which I will allow you to watch only if you promise that you won't actually buy any Bud Light -- which offends me just by the way it tastes: ![]() ![]() The entry "Was this beer ad an affront to book clubs? " is tagged: beer , book clubs , Super Bowl
The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference has posted its speakers for this year's event. Mary Karr, author of Lit (review here), will kick things off on Friday, July 23. Black Hawk Down author Mark Bowden will deliver the Saturday keynote. And award-winning Sports Illustrated writer Gary Smith will deliver the Sunday keynote. Other presenters are listed here. Among them: David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (review here); Scribner editor Colin Harrison; Hampton Sides, whose forthcoming book, Hellhound On His Trail, is about the pursuit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s killer; Bryan Burrough, author of The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes (story here); Mandalit del Barco of National Public Radio; S.C. "Sam" Gwynne of Texas Monthly; and many others (myself included, way down at the bottom of that list.) We'll post information about registration when it's available. Meanwhile, you can review coverage of past Mayborns here. ![]() ![]() The entry "Mayborn-bound: Mary Karr, Mark Bowden, Gary Smith" is tagged: Mayborn Literary Conference February 5, 2010
The publisher won a six-way battle for a new supernatural fantasy series called "The Diviners." Estimated price, according to Publishers Weekly: around $2 million. Bray grew up in Texas, graduating from Denton High School and the University of Texas, before moving to New York. Our interview with her, from the archives, is still here. PW says the new series will launch in 2012. ![]() ![]() The entry "Libba Bray "Diviners" deal reportedly worth millions" is tagged: Libba Bray February 3, 2010
More.com has compiled a list of the "Top 100 Books Every Woman Should Read," which will be put on the Web site in installments. The first three 20-book selections, "The Classics," "Noteworthy Novels" and "Nonfiction" are also up on the Web site. Do you agree with their selections? What would you have chosen that's not there? ![]() ![]() The entry "Women! Add these to your reading pile" is tagged: More magazine
Today brings the release of a trade paperback I've been looking forward to and didn't even know was on the way: Bill Willingham's Fables Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover. This DC Comics release brings the Fables and Jack of Fables storylines back together as their worlds are "introduced to a whole new set of characters: The Literals. The Literals are characters that embody, literally, different literary genres such as Mystery, Comedy and Romance. One of The Literals goes by the name The Storymaker, one who can vanquish the world of Fables with one stroke of his pen," so says the description on Amazon.com. Sounds deep. And a good excuse to pick up Jack's series, which is working on volume 7 now, if you haven't yet. I just got Fables Vol. 12 : The Dark Ages for Christmas and have now found my motivation to quickly finish it off. Below is a list of noteworthy (in my opinion) releases in stores today. For more, visit comiclist.com or get over to your local comic shop. ![]() ![]() The entry "Comics in stores today: Fables Vol. 13" has no entry tags. February 2, 2010
So OK, he's seen some danger. And he's written about a gazillion best-selling little books of philosophy and photographs: The Blue Day Book, The Meaning of Life, Tomorrow and others. But now he's really stepped in it: He's gotten into the dog vs. cat question. At a talk Friday night at Legacy Books in Plano, Greive noted that he's "pro-dog, not anti-cat. ... I love cats, despite their sociopathic tendencies." ![]() ![]() The entry "Dogs or cats? It's now a literary question." is tagged: Bradley Trevor Greive , Legacy Books
Jeff Abbott's Twitter feed has been busy today: in the latest, he announced a new series that will be published by Grand Central in 2011. If I'm not mistaken, this would be the one mentioned at the Texas Book Festival that stars a CIA agent who owns bars around the world, which will require some hard-nosed research on Mr. Abbott's part. Possibly followed by some intense rehab. ![]() ![]() The entry "Jeff Abbott's new book deal" is tagged: Jeff Abbott
As Amazon and Macmillian have been battling over the price of e-books (Publishers Weekly coverage here, latest Associated Press recap below), Austin author Jeff Abbott is throwing his support behind the writers. Which is kind of obvious, him being a writer and all. But he's doing more than talking. Abbot (his latest thriller, Trust Me, is reviewed here) has tweeted the names of five Macmillan authors he bought at his local bookstore. Those authors have been frozen out of Amazon, which has sent mixed signals on when they might be restored. The titles: Break Neck by Erica Spindler, Old Man's War by John Scalzi, The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld , City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley and [UPDATE:] Roma by Steven Saylor. He notes: "My Macmillan buying spree is not being anti-Amazon, it is being pro-writer. I am confident Amazon/Macmillan will sort this out." [UPDATE, 4 p.m.: GalleyCat has the latest on the battle, along with Scalzi's call for author support from earlier today.] My thought on the conflict: I tend to be for author rights and the ability of publishers to make a fair profit -- which is kind of obvious, me making my living off of writers and all. But check out the comments on this New York Times blog. The reading public is not exactly going to rally around a battle cry of, "Let's pay more for e-books!" ![]() ![]() The entry "Texas writer Jeff Abbott's "pro-writer" protest" is tagged: amazon.com , Jeff Abbott , macmillan
Shin Yi Pai, a poet and an exceptionally supportive early contributor to this very blog, will be reading 8 p.m. Saturday at Paperbacks Plus, 6115 La Vista. ![]() ![]() The entry "Poet Shin Yu Pai Saturday at Paperbacks Plus" is tagged: poetry readings February 1, 2010
Alan Cheuse is an author and regular contributor to the books pages here. I asked him for his thoughts about J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye is the great-great-grandson of Huckleberry Finn, and in its lifetime -- still in full bloom -- has given pleasure to almost as many readers. Sad to think that Salinger is gone. But some potentially good news in rumors of those manuscripts in bank vaults somewhere. Let's hope his estate, managed by his estranged children, as the word would have it, opens those vault doors soon. And finds more novels and stories than we might have hoped for while J.D.S. was still alive. For those interested in that alleged vault -- here's what The Associated Press had to say about it: ![]() ![]() The entry "More on Salinger: Alan Cheuse, and what's in the vault? " is tagged: J.D. Salinger |
THINGS TO DO
|
|
|
|
|
I think you're ready for these folks :
Forgot to add...if you enjoy the Jeremy
Our family watched most of the PBS Jere
There are no new Sherlock stories by Dr
Now you're ready for Beau Geste and its
Hi Jeremiah! I have not seen the movie
I agree completely I'm 18 yrs old and h
Can't be any worse than the knuckle dra
Michael, thanks loads for agreeing to c
Ooh, ooh, can I play?
The World