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Michael Merschel: Michael Merschel is The Dallas Morning News books editor. March 2010
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Author Carla Buckley to appear at Borders Sherlock Holmes: The American Years "Top 40 Bad Books:" James Bond, Dan Brown, Cormac McCarthy, Gatsby? Publishers Weekly likes book by Missy Buchanan of Rockwall Ozzy Osbourne in Dallas: the video Karl Rove to sign autobiography March 15 in Plano Publisher halts "The Last Train from Hiroshima" amid new questions Laura Bush memoir "Spoken From the Heart" coming May 4 Recent Comments
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March 3, 2010
![]() ![]() The entry "Author Carla Buckley to appear at Borders" is tagged: Carla Buckley
I'm about halfway through Sherlock Holmes: The American Years. It features 10 original stories about Sherlock Holmes' years in the U.S. So far, my favorite story is "My Silk Umbrella." It's an account by Mark Twain of his meeting with Holmes. I don't know much about Mark Twain the man, though, I read his novels and stories in grade school. About the man himself, I knew he had a quick wit and was eminently quotable. ![]() ![]() The entry "Sherlock Holmes: The American Years" is tagged: Sherlock Holmes
Ah, the joys of the meaningless best/worst list. So trivial. So irresistible.
Among those slapped with the label: Colson Whitehead's Sag Harbor, ("fails to live up to high expectations," says Walter R. Jacobs of the Eyal Amiran of the University of California, Irvine declares that "Ian Fleming's novels consist entirely of clichés, coordinating conjunctions, and appositives." But The Da Vinci Code gets this mixed observation from Bonnie Wheeler of "This formulaic knock-off of fascistic conspiracy theories is a trite study for a film script--and no wonder the movie was also bad. I love the chapters that are only a couple of lines long. ... Yet for many of my students, it is the book that brought them into the English major. For others, it is the only book they've ever enjoyed reading. IS it possible that even a Bad Book can do Good?" These types of observations are perhaps the critical and intellectual equivalent of standing up in an Austin bar and singing "Boomer Sooner." But hold my beer -- I'm diving in. ![]() ![]() The entry " "Top 40 Bad Books:" James Bond, Dan Brown, Cormac McCarthy, Gatsby?" is tagged: American Book Review , bad books March 1, 2010
Buchanan says this about her book: "Many times people want to know how a Boomer like me got involved in writing for seniors. In a nutshell, my books and columns were born out of real life experiences with my own elderly parents. Though my folks are no longer living, I still visit a number of older adult friends each week at several different senior residence centers in the Dallas area. They are my inspiriation. In a culture that values youth, it is important that the spiritual needs of our older adults be addressed."
![]() ![]() The entry "Publishers Weekly likes book by Missy Buchanan of Rockwall" is tagged: missy buchanan , rockwall , talking with god in old age
The store reported no problems from the crowd at 2,000. To answer the question posed by the enthusiastic gentleman in the video: Sarah Palin signed for 1,000, although I believe the crowd was actually larger than that, and her time limit was strictly capped. ![]() ![]() The entry "Ozzy Osbourne in Dallas: the video" is tagged: Ozzy Osbourne
Karl Rove, who will be speaking with the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth about his pending autobiography, Courage and Consequences, My Life as a Conservative in the Fight, has added a Plano event to his itinerary. He'll be at Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway, 4 p.m. March 15 for a three-hour event. Full details on how to get your book signed are after the jump. ![]() ![]() The entry "Karl Rove to sign autobiography March 15 in Plano" is tagged: Karl Rove
![]() ![]() The entry "Publisher halts "The Last Train from Hiroshima" amid new questions" is tagged: Last Train From Hiroshima
NEW YORK (AP) -- Former first lady Laura Bush's memoir is coming out in early May. ![]() ![]() The entry "Laura Bush memoir "Spoken From the Heart" coming May 4" is tagged: Laura Bush
I should have seen this coming. First, there was the fan fiction based on "Pong" that I showed you last year. Then there was "Dante's Inferno," the video game. Followed by what I thought was a post-in-jest a friend sent me about plans to develop the arcade classic "Missile Command" into a movie. (My proposed screenplay: CITIZEN: Watch out for that missile! FX: BOOM! ROLL CREDITS ) But now, things are getting serious. The Wall Street Journal (tip: Shelf Awareness) reports that Random House is putting writers to work on storylines for video games. Around 15 employees are involved in the new venture. Several, including Mr. Clayton, have been involved in adapting videogames into books, and were responsible for building the "Star Wars" book franchise in partnership with Lucasfilm Ltd. I think the key to their success will be whether they can get the price down to, say, a quarter. But the question of the day is: Do we consider this to be the clearest sign yet of our pending cultural Apocalypse? Or does it just mean that publishers are running out of ideas for books about well-meaning lawyers who stumble onto corporate malfeasance? Or should we celebrate because somewhere, a writer is being employed to turn video games into something literary? ![]() ![]() The entry "Video games as literature? Random House thinks so" is tagged: video games February 26, 2010
Cnn.com reports: Angelina as Kay Scarpetta angers Cornwell book fans. Long story short: Cornwell is excited, but some fans are not. My mom is a big Scarpetta fan. She's excited. But I've read a few Scarpetta books, and I see her as more of a Glenn Close character. The story says the role was originally offered to Jodie Foster, whom I think would be a perfect fit. What do you think? ![]() ![]() The entry "Angelina Jolie to play Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta " is tagged: Angelina Jolie , Kay Scarpetta , Patricia Cornwell February 25, 2010
I've been meaning to write about two of my favorite books from last year: Pops, the Louis Armstrong bio by Terry Teachout, and The Cello Suites: J.S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece, by Eric Silbin. The brewing iPad hype gives me an excuse.
Teachout's portrayal, gleaned in part from previously inaccessible records, hardly tarnishes the legend, though. As Armstrong told a doctor late in life after being warned that he might drop dead if he went through with a planned series of concerts: "Doc, that's all right, I don't care. My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to bloooow that hooorn." Teachout adds welcome depth to our understanding of that lovely soul and the music that expressed it. It's a rich story, one that is infused with Siblin's sense of obsession (the pop music critic at one point takes cello lessons to understand Bach better) but never overtaken by it. A serious music scholar might be bored by his journey. I was enthralled. The two books had one one other thing in common, which is where Steve Jobs comes in. ![]() ![]() The entry "Louis Armstrong, Pablo Casals and Steve Jobs: Or, fanfare for the iPad, with trumpet and cello" is tagged: e-readers , Eric Siblin , iPad , J.S. Bach , Louis Armstong , Steve Jobs , Terry Teachout February 24, 2010
NEW YORK (AP) -- Sherman Alexie and Barbara Kingsolver are among this year's finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award. ![]() ![]() The entry "PEN/Faulkner nominees announced" has no entry tags. February 22, 2010
Last month, we ran a short review of Last Train From Hiroshima, by Charles Pellegrino. The book had been generally acclaimed, although this reviewer (Jeffrey Burke of Bloomberg News) noted: "The extent of the details his subjects recall sometimes strains plausibility. Yet it's hard to see how the writer could possibly overstate such horrors." Unfortunately, one of the subjects apparently did some overstating. A New York Times report (carried in the print edition of the Dallas Morning News) says that author Charles Pellegrino "now concedes that he was probably duped" by one Joseph Fuoco, who is described as a last-minute substitute on one of the two observation planes that escorted the Enola Gay. "I'm stunned," Mr. Pellegrino said. "I liked and admired the guy. He had loads and loads of papers, and photographs of everything."
I am trying to reach out now to [veterans'] families and get the rest of the story, and will begin at once to rewrite the few chapters that have Joseph Fuoco in them, replacing them with the story of the man who actually sat in the seat claimed by Joe Fuoco. [UPDATE: Macmillan has issued a press release about the book; it's posted after the jump.] ![]() ![]() The entry "Hiroshima author apparently a hoax victim; book to be rewritten " is tagged: Charles Pellegrino , Hiroshima , James Cameron 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 |
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I've not read many non-canonical works
40 bad books? A mindless, pretentious e
It's too bad no "memorabilia" will be s
I'm thinking they are not pulling peopl
I think that Jolie will be pretty good
No No No! Anyone but her, Jodie Foster
Michael,
A month or so ago, I
Make that more experience than Palin an
yes but Ozzy has more foreign policy ex
Oh, dear. As an author who ghosts memoi