Around the Book World

  • The New York Times Book Review has gotten themselves a new designer. Finally! Steven Heller has stepped aside to let Nicholas Blechman, who now works for the Week in Review section, take over. What do you suggest they do?
  • Publisher Houghton-Mifflin has announced a comic contest to celebrate the launch of their newest book in the Best American series. Harvey Pekar edited the inaugural volume The Best American Comics 2006. Booksellers of all stripes are invited to draw a comic of Pekar with the chance to win a few prizes. This promises to be very entertaining.
  • Robert Birnbaum speaks with Edward Jones, author of The Known World and the recent short story collection All Aunt Hagar’s Children. I’m determined to read Jones one of these days. Has anyone else read him and have an opinion?
  • Dan Wicket of The Emerging Writer’s Network and Steve Gillis of 826Michigan have launched a new publisher Dzanc Books, devoted to publishing “two excellent books of literary fiction per year, as well as work in partnership with literary journals to advance their readership at every level”.
  • Stay tuned for the next round of the LBC Read This! postings. We’re voting this weekend on these three books: Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage, Sideshow: Stories by Sidney Thompson, and Manbug by George Ilsley.
  • Bob Woodward’s new book State of Denial, set to go on sale next Tuesday, has already generated a fair amount of news. The New York Times has a long report about the contents of the book, which alleges among other things that Bush ignored warnings about more troops being needed in Iraq. Newsday and the Washington Post,not to be outdone, also have their own articles. How many books have to come out saying the same thing before something changes? The information exists. Rumsfeld and Bush and their whole cabal clearly have some explaining to do. I would think that even the most diehard Republicans would start asking questions now. Maybe I am just naive? (On a side note, you can come hear Woodward speak at the First Parish Church on October 17th. See here for more details.)

1 thought on “Around the Book World”

  1. Juan Giner

    Thanks for your link!

    I would like to know the opinions of your readers, a book industry audience, about The New York Times Book Review.

    My point was about the awful design direction, but I am sure than your comments about the content and the general direction of the Book Review could add a lot of ideas for a very much needed renewal, but you are the experts…

    Like

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