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le BEAU mot: Currently Reading, Books about Books
Readers are a unique species. They are a strange mixture of recluse and social butterfly. At times, they spend hours in seeming solitude, accompanied only by a sheaf of glued together pages. But simply ask about the reader’s latest literary adventure and you will unlock a torrent of thoughts and ideas that is often difficult, if not impossible, to stop. Beware gathering a group of this curious species together and introduce the topic of say, contemporary literature, or (heaven forbid) ebooks. The ensuing flood of conversation will be almost overwhelming.
At some point, some reader somewhere had the brilliant idea to set down all of these thoughts (or as many could fit into a 100,000 word manuscript) down onto paper for other readers to, well, read. And thus was born a new art form: the book about books. Reading these books is often like going to your favorite “secret” spot and discovering the remnants of dozens of people just like you who love this spot as well: initials carved into trees, tiny treasures buried in the ground, pictures tumbling in the wind. It can be disturbing—a sanctuary invaded—or it can be an epiphany: you are not alone.
These books often remind me that reading is not just a solitary activity. Each book you read ties you to a dozen, one hundred, a thousand, a million people who have all read the same words. These books celebrate the love of reading, through personal accounts of readers, recommendations for new books (that currency of the reading community), or new tidbits of information you never knew about classic or famous books.
A book that does the latter in rare form is Once Again to Zelda, which tells the stories behind the dedications for many well known books including The Brothers Karamazov, Valley of the Dolls, Atlas Shrugged, The Bell Jar, and The Great Gatsby to name a few. Most people probably don’t give much thought to a dedication, often skipping over it entirely to get to the “good parts”. But as the book’s author, Marlene Wagman-Geller tells us, the dedication may be the most revealing part. And in her book, she plays “dedication detective” to uncover the personal stories behind what is often the most enigmatic page of a book.
In the category of book recommendations, every year brings out a new tome purporting to tell you exactly what books you should read to be cultured, become a writer, be as smart as a professor, and a dozen other claims. But perhaps the most prolific is the Book Lust series by librarian Nancy Pearl. The original book was organize in a fun, somewhat haphazard way partially by genre and partly by categories such as First Novels, countries, and authors named Alice. The series has expanded to include a journal, Book Crush for kids and teens, and Book Lust to Go for travel reading.
But perhaps my favorite recent release in the books about books category is Bound to Last, a collection edited by Sean Manning. The book is partially in answer to the ever-present ebook debate; celebrating the physical act of reading as much as the mental. The collection contains stories from thirty authors writing about their “most cherished book”. For Anthony Swofford, it was the copy of Albert Camus’ The Stranger that traveled with him during his tour of duty in the Persian Gulf, which led to his bestselling memoir, Jarhead. For Joyce Maynard, it was her father’s bible that he read every day. And for Shahriar Mandanipour, it was the copy of Das Kapital that was a crime to possess. Each of these books as a physical object have meaning to their owners beyond the words printed on the page; they are totems of memory.
These books and others are important reminders that books will never “die” as long as there are writers willing to put their words on paper and publishers willing to bring those words to stores. Because whether they enjoy print or digital, readers are not an endangered species.
BEAUcoup Books Lover- National Book Awards Announced
The winners of the National Book Awards were announced on Wednesday, November 17 at the National Book Foundation’s 61st National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. This year, there were 1,115 books submitted for the National Book Awards, but these 4 rose above the rest.
The winner of the fiction category is Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon, the author of three previous novels and a Fellow of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and the Bunting (now Radcliffe) Institute at Harvard. Her award-winning book follows five characters, scarred but desperate to survive in the dirty business of cheap horse racing. Horseman Tommy Handle has a scheme in the works to save his dying stable where he plans to race four new horses at long odds and reap the profits before anyone else notices. But of course, in the small incestuous community of horse racing, everyone notices. What no one accounted for, however, is Tommy’s girlfriend, who has just enough heart to turn things around.
The big winner in nonfiction is Just Kids by Patti Smith. Patti Smith is a jack of all trades whose albums of rock and poetry have been hailed as “one of the top 100 albums of all time,” whose drawings have appeared in the Robert Miller Gallery for over 30 years, and whose books have now won a National Book Award. She appears in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and holds the title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres from the French Minister of Culture. In Just Kids, Smith lyrically shares her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe during the late sixties and seventies in the infamous Chelsea Hotel. This woman is a force to be reckoned with.
The poetry award goes to Terrance Hayes for Lighthead. Hayes holds about a billion awards, and his previous poetry collection, Wind in a Box, was named one of the Best 100 Books of 2006 by Publishers Weekly. This new collection examines the light-headedness of mind while struggling against time and gravity. His poems combine dream and reality into something both dark and uplifting that leaves the reader illuminated but in recovery for days.
And finally, the winner in young people’s literature is Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine. Erskine is a relatively new author after working as a lawyer for 15 years, but her debut novel, Quaking, was one of YALSA’s Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. In Mockingbird, Erskine beautifully lets readers into the world of an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s. In Caitlin’s search for closure after her brother’s death, she learns that nothing is black and white, but life is a messy and beautiful world full of colors.
Congratulations to all the winners! Check out more information about The National Book Awards and read excerpts of the winning books on the website.
BEAUcoup Books Lover- Bush a Plagiarist?
As most of you probably know, George Bush released his memoir Decision Points on November 9, and has already awakened controversy. I highly doubt anyone expected any work of genius, or even a remotely literary piece, but there is still excitement to be had over reading about the last few years of turmoil from the man himself. This is exactly how the book was marketed, in fact: “For the first time, we learn President Bush’s perspective and insights.” Yet, it seems that the book does not include any of Bush’s own perspectives, but instead includes the well-done research of his assistant and a conglomeration of other people’s already published insights. The Huffington Post’s article lists a number of excerpts paired with their pre-published counterparts. One of the more entertaining and impossible to deny excerpts goes like this:
“Bush writes: “Tommy told the national security team that he was working to apply the same concept of a light footprint to Iraq… ‘If we have multiple, highly skilled Special Operations forces identifying targets for precision-guided munitions, we will need fewer conventional grounds forces,’ he said. ‘That’s an important lesson learned from Afghanistan.’ I had a lot of concerns. … I asked the team to keep working on the plan. ‘We should remain optimistic that diplomacy and international pressure will succeed in disarming the regime,’ I said at the end of the meeting. ‘But we cannot allow weapons of mass destruction to fall into the hands of terrorists. I will not allow that to happen.’”
Franks, in his memoir American Soldier, writes: “‘For example, if we have multiple, highly skilled Special Operations forces identifying targets for precision-guided munitions, we will need fewer conventional ground forces. That’s an important lesson learned from Afghanistan.’ President Bush’s questions continued throughout the briefing…. Before the VTC ended, President Bush addressed us all. ‘We should remain optimistic that diplomacy and international pressure will succeed in disarming the regime.’ … The President paused. ‘Protecting the security of the United States is my responsibility,’ he continued. ‘But we cannot allow weapons of mass destruction to fall into the hands of terrorists.’ He shook his head. ‘I will not allow that to happen.'”
Really? I don’t know about you, but I find this insulting. Does Bush have so little faith in the American people that he thought no one would notice? Or perhaps he really is that lazy, and assumed the books would be sold and money be made before anyone would realize it. The powers behind the book have stated that the seeming plagiarism is a result of accuracy. I think, however, if this were turned in to a college professor, Bush wouldn’t pass the class. But there is a bright side! The book can now be turned into a word search.
BEAUcoup Books Lover- Publishing Industry Blogs
Hello world!
To continue on in the same vein of Margot’s earlier post, I have decided to dedicate this entry to all the great publishing industry blogs that are paving the way for the rest of us. In an age where information is so easy to come by, and the attention span of the average internet surfer is getting shorter by the second, it takes a special eye for news and an ingenious voice to keep loyal followers. These blogs have all found the magic formula.
First is my personal favorite, Galleycat: the perfect way to combine procrastination and work into one. The articles are all extremely informative and full of industry insight, but all have the feel of an afternoon brain snack. Another blog not to miss is that of Nathan Bransford, who has worked in the industry as author and literary agent, and is now moving to the tech field. His blog is full of useful links, complete with publishing essentials for query letter writing and manuscript formatting, extensive lists of publisher, writer, and agent/editor blogs, book blogs, and literary journals. You can get lost in this site for hours. Follow The Reader is yet another blog to keep an eye on. There is no doubt that NetGalley is one of the leaders of innovation in the publishing industry, and this is reason enough to watch out for their blog.
For those of you writers out there looking to build your platform, there are a number of great writer blogs out there to glean some ideas from. For some reason I am drawn to the blogs of YA authors, specifically Adrienne Kress, Natalie Whipple and T.H. Mafi, who has a particularly entertaining entry about why it would be fun to date Dumbledore. Other genre authors blog too! Check out romance author Sara Freeze, thriller writers Alex Scarrow and Debi Alper, poet Kevin Wenger, David Isaak, who is part of MacMillan New Writers Group, and Emily Benet, the winner of the Author Blog awards in the Published Category.
There are many more out there to be discovered. What are some of your favorite author blogs?
What is Book Marketing?
Betsy Lerner, whose office is right next to Beaufort’s new office, has written a brilliant article on what it means to market a book. If you’re an author, drink this in, because it will help you immensely when you publish your next book. If you work with authors, forward this to everyone you know! It’s really applicable to anything you want to market, but especially books.
“People who have long given up on Santa, on lower taxes, on the likelihood of Lindsay Lohan’s rehabilitation, still believe that Oprah would like their book. Is this the Quixotic self-belief that compels a person to write in the first place? Or that leads him to be believe that his book should be a bestseller, and that everyone on the planet would like it, no matter that it’s about copper buttons in 18th Century France.”
http://publishingperspectives.com/2010/11/should-i-tweet/
But the article isn’t just funny and snarky, it’s also incredibly informative. I wish every agent, editor, and publicist took the time to share this information with their authors, because it’s not their fault they have misconceptions about the industry. Readers only ever hear about the one-in-a-million success stories–the first time novelist with the six figure advance, the self-published book discovered by mainstream publishing that takes up nearly permanent residence on the New York Times bestseller list. They don’t hear about the hundreds of thousands of books that don’t work, because nobody does. That’s why they don’t work.
Enough from me. Go read the article.
Margot
BEAUcoup Books Lover- November is National Novel Writing Month
Have you ever felt that gnawing inspiration to tackle your own version of the Great American Novel, only to sit down at the computer, caffeine stocked and chocolate strategically placed, only to find the blank page too daunting to ever begin? You are not alone. This lowly intern speaks from experience when I say the white page is overwhelming. Far too often has it gotten the best of me, and I am sad to admit how many times I have surrendered and clicked open Hulu instead.
The non-profit organization The Office of Letters and Light has come up with an ingenious way to battle procrastination with National Novel Writing Month. The premise is that participants begin writing November 1 with the goal of finishing a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Part of the beauty of the event is that no writer is in it alone. When you sign up, you register in a region and have the option of finding other participants to commiserate with. You can log on to the website and post discussions and comments, and update your own personal word count. Then, between November 25 and 30, you upload your completed novel to the website to be word-counted, and celebrate with the other success stories.
The idea is to value enthusiasm and determination over the perfected craft in order to get people writing. Plus, it’s proven that once the word is flowing, more and more great ideas come, and some worthwhile work may turn up. The novel doesn’t have to be good! It is still a novel. And the event will get you comfortable writing every day and used to putting time aside for it. The event couldn’t get any better.
Yes, November has already started, but it’s not too late to sign up! Visit http://www.nanowrimo.org/ to get started now, or to find out more about the organization that supports writers everywhere.
Good luck to all of the participants!
BEAUcoup Books Lover- A Visit to the Movie Theater
Word on the street is that the baby bible What to Expect When You’re Expecting is on its way to the big screen, with Lionsgate giving it the Love Actually treatment, ensuring success by including as many big stars as can stand each other. I am a huge romantic comedy lover myself, but I can’t quite understand the thought process on this one. Love Actually is a minor masterpiece. It was the first of its kind with a genuinely touching theme coming to us after a time of crisis. Of course it found success. I will also note that it is one of the few romantic comedies I can think of that men are equally fond of watching as their women counterparts. But sadly, Valentine’s Day, the 2010 take on the same idea, left much to be desired, and He’s Just Not That Into You, while entertaining, couldn’t capture our hearts in quite the same way. And What to Expect When You’re Expecting is a much more specific niche. Yet…I will probably see it anyway. I suppose this is the movie industry’s game- the movie doesn’t have to be that good, as long as the consumers realize that fact only after they have paid to see it. With a connection to such a successful book, their base of viewers is already guaranteed.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting is just one of many in a long trend of book-to-movie attempts. Word has is that The Hunger Games, the young adult series barely 2 years old, is on its way to a major motion picture, and Water for Elephants, the summer bestseller, is already deep into filming at this point. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has two complete movie series to its name with both the original Swedish version and the upcoming flashy American version (featuring Daniel Craig!).
Don’t get me wrong, I realize that books have always been popular films, but I do think the movie industry is becoming increasingly dependent on the publishing industry. It is now a given that any book with a plot and appearing on the New York Times Bestseller List could very well be the next blockbuster. The ever-growing, glamorous, and wealthy film industry has come to depend on the struggling publishing industry. Ironic.
Tags:He's Just Not That Into You,Love Actually,The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,The Hunger Games,Valentine's Day,Water for Elephants,What to Expect When You're Expecting
le BEAU mot- E-books Aren’t in Kansas Anymore
Yesterday Barnes & Noble released their new e-reader, the Nook Color with a 7 inch color touch screen, WiFi, and an Android platform that will feature a growing number of “Nook extras” including games and video. There will also be social networking tools, music features, magazines, newspapers, a shop, pictures, lending, borrowing…is anyone else out of breath from reading that features list? Oh, and you can read books on it too. Did I mention that? While Amazon stresses the readability of its newest line of Kindles, Barnes & Noble seems to be pushing for a spot next to the iPad as the newest hot gadget.
So my question is…what happened to reading? While I consider myself a purist who truly enjoys the feel of a physical book in the hands (also may be known as old fashioned), I hoped that the increasing popularity of e-books might encourage formerly reluctant readers to pick up the habit. If you can pick up one of the classics or the latest as casually as choosing a song from your now ubiquitous iPod, it should lower the barrier for excuses. And for awhile, the excitement of trying something new did seem to spur new readers. While the time-worn purists refused to be sullied by the newest fad of digital consumption, hundreds, perhaps thousands of people were jumping in with gleeful abandon. And many found that they enjoyed reading. They enjoyed the experience of discovering characters, getting lost in a story, being transported to an entirely new place by the words of a skilled writer. And so while some may debate whether these digital units can truly be considered books, readers were experiencing the same joy that a hardcover or paperback would bring.
Now though, if Barnes & Noble’s new whiz-bang Nook Color is any indication, simply reading may no longer be enough. Now your “book” must also be able to communicate with friends, check email, show videos, and play games as well. And to me at least, it is ironic that the company who boasted their first e-reader as being backed by “the bookstore you grew up with” is the first to put out a product that is no longer focused solely on the reading experience, while the upstart young tech company that is Amazon continues to push what is essentially a portable personal library. Will this leap to embrace new technology help or hinder “the world’s largest bookstore”? Only time will tell.
New Goodreads Giveaways!
Beaufort has posted two new giveaways on Goodreads, follow the links below to enter:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Giveaway ends November 30, 2010.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
by Ken McAdams
Giveaway ends November 30, 2010.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
BEAUcoup Books Lover- National Book Awards Finalists Announced
Hello world!
The big news in the book world this week is the announcement of the National Book Award Finalists. For those out there who aren’t buffs in the book business and aren’t familiar with the awards, they originated 60 years ago in an effort to recognize and encourage American literature, both established and new writers alike. They are still going strong, and have narrowed down their categories to heighten the impact of the awards. So, since 1996, winners have been chosen in the categories of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature.
On October 13, the organization gathered at Flannery O’Connor’s childhood home to listen to Pat Conroy announce the big news. Pat Conroy is a native Georgian best known for his titles The Great Santini (1976), The Prince of Tides (1986), and most recently, South of Broad (2009).
And the nominees are…
Fiction:
Peter Carey, Parrot and Olivier in America (Alfred A. Knopf)
Jaimy Gordon, Lord of Misrule (McPherson & Co.)
Nicole Krauss, Great House (W.W. Norton & Co.)
Lionel Shriver, So Much for That (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)
Karen Tei Yamashita, I Hotel (Coffee House Press)
Nonfiction:
Barbara Demick, Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
(Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group)
John W. Dower, Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, 9-11, Iraq
(W.W. Norton & Co/The New Press )
Patti Smith, Just Kids (Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)
Justin Spring, Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward
(Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Megan K. Stack, Every Man in This Village Is a Liar: An Education in War
(Doubleday)
Poetry:
Kathleen Graber, The Eternal City (Princeton University Press)
Terrance Hayes, Lighthead (Viking Penguin)
James Richardson, By the Numbers (Copper Canyon Press)
C.D. Wright, One with Others (Copper Canyon Press)
Monica Youn, Ignatz (Four Way Books)
Young People’s Literature:
Paolo Bacigalupi, Ship Breaker (Little, Brown & Co.)
Kathryn Erskine, Mockingbird
(Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
Laura McNeal, Dark Water (Alfred A. Knopf)
Walter Dean Myers, Lockdown
(Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)
Rita Williams-Garcia, One Crazy Summer
(Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)
Congratulations to all the nominees! And an extra special congratulations to the indie publisher Coffee House Press’s nominee, I Hotel. It’s always nice to find a surprise on the list. The awards will be announced at a ceremony in New York on November 17.
It looks like there are a few more books to add to the reading list…better get reading.
BEAUcoup Books Lover- Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa!
Hello world!
The big news of the week is the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature. And the award goes to… Mario Vargas Llosa, the acclaimed Peruvian author and political figure, for mapping the “structures of power and (for) his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt and defeat.” That’s a mouthful! In more simple terms, his books are poignant and masterful, and what better way to ensure that people read them than give him one of the most prestigious award possible.
Vargas Llosa is the first South American writer to win the award since Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1982. The two are apparently forever linked. They are former friends with closely related careers (Vargas Llosa even wrote a book about his friend titled García Márquez: Story of a Deicide), but reportedly had a feud that resulted in Vargas Llosa punching Garcia Marquez in the face and giving him a black eye. Even prolific authors as genius as these men can act like children sometimes! A comforting thought. But Garcia Marquez recently tweeted “cuentas iguales,” which is a poetic way of saying “now we’re even.” Perhaps the award has put them back on even terms…
Enough of the gossip and back to the real purpose of this post- Vargas Llosa has written over 30 novels, plays and essays. If you want to read one of Vargas Llosa’s masterpieces but only have time for one, I would recommend The Green House. The novel is about a brothel called “The Green House” and how it affects all the lives it touches in multiple times and places. It is a complex read, with multiple story lines going on at once, many characters, and a narrative without paragraph breaks. It is not told chronologically, so complete focus is necessary, but it serves to emphasize how brutality and corruption is continuous.
If that’s a little too dark, Vargas Llosa also tried his hand at humor and satire with novels like Captain Pantoja and the Special Service and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. I would recommend Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, which is partly based on Vargas Llosa’s relationship with his first wife. It is about Mario, an aspiring writer, who works at a radio station that broadcasts multiple radio soap operas every day, and his affair with “Aunt Julia,” a 32-year-old divorcee.
Some additional notable works of his include, The War of the End of the World, The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta, and A Fish in the Water. These are just a few out of many.
So now Vargas Llosa has joined the ranks of other Nobel Laureates like Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett, John Steinbeck, Albert Camus, Ernest Hemingway, and many others. So much to read, so little time. In fact, Beaufort Books has teamed with Moyer Bell to publish new editions of our very own Nobel Laureate, Pearl S. Buck. So get reading!
That’s all for now!
Goodreads Giveaway!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Becoming Odyssa
by Jennifer Pharr Davis
Giveaway ends November 15, 2010.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
BEAUcoup Books Lover- All Things Jane Austen
Hello World!
I have decided the subject of my second post to be my ultimate favorite: the originator of chic-lit, the forebearer of feminism, the pioneer of wit, the advocate of romance, the preeminent heroine herself, Jane Austen. I comforted myself a few nights ago with the delicious film version of Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, and many others, which promptly renewed my obsession with Ms. Austen, inspiring me to dig out my worn copy of Emma for yet another read. Side note- Ladies, if ever you want to convince that man in your life that Jane Austen is actually smart and funny, and not just for girls, force him to watch Sense and Sensibility. I swear, I have had great success turning anti-Austen ‘bros’ into guys who can at least respect her with this movie.
Generations have grown up with her work, women all over the world are in search for their Mr. Darcy, and there is no doubt the entertainment world has been forever influenced. I’m pretty sure that every one of her books has been turned into at least one movie, if not more than one. And now the publishing world has decided to cash in on Austen’s appeal with more and more books a la Austen.
One of the more popular books I enjoyed was The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. This was also turned into a movie, but as usual, the book was considerably more charming and interesting. The book follows a group of women, and one man, who decides to read all of Austen’s work together. Of course, each of them finds new meaning in her words, and Austen helps them all through life’s challenges. There is drama, romance, and some really fun discussions about Jane.
Another popular book turned movie is Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence. This book is a great look into Jane’s world as it chronicles her relationship with Tom LeFroy through letters to her sister Cassandra. Jane is just as witty and interesting in her personal letters as in her books for publication. Of course Jane knew a thing or to about romance, and this book proves it. It depresses me a little, though, that Jane didn’t have the happy ending like Elinor, Marianne, Anne, Catherine… every single one of her heroines.
Yet another realm of Austen literature is the 2009 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. Very…interesting. This book takes the plot and basic text of the original book and adds elements of zombies, turning the Bennett sisters into trained zombie hunters. The climax is even more exciting when Lady Catherine challenges Elizabeth to a fight to the death for Mr. Darcy, and of course Elizabeth defeats Catherine and her squad of ninjas. I can’t help but wonder what Ms. Austen would think of such a diversion from her book. Who knows… perhaps she would appreciate Elizabeth’s newfound bad-assness.
If zombies are not for you, but Pride and Prejudice is, try The Annotated Pride and Prejudice edited by David M. Shapard. If you’ve read the book a billion times over already, this is a good choice for the next round. It has over 2,300 annotations, including definitions, anecdotes, and interesting literary commentary.
Yet another is Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Vira Rigler. If you’re not opposed to the idea of time travel, then this book will be tons of fun. A woman wakes up in the body of a lady in Regency England, and not even her Jane Austen addiction has prepared her for all the troubles of the times. This book is bound to give your imagination some ideas when day-dreaming about being Jane’s best friend.
The last on my list for today is Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels by Deirdre Le Faye. This is a great addition to the Austen education for people already versed in her characters. With illustrations and maps, biographical information, summaries and contemporary opinions of Austen’s books, and meticulous descriptions of all things Regency England, this book helps to create an even more thorough vision of Austen’s novels.
Even with all of these additions to the Austen library, you can never go wrong with Austen herself. So break out your old copy of Pride and Prejudice, or find a new copy of one you haven’t gotten to (Northanger Abbey is totally underrated), and keep Austen alive.
That’s all for now!
BEAUcoup Books Lover- The First Post!
I’m happy to introduce myself, world! Gratefully, and with excitement, I am the new Beaufort Books intern. And like the others before me, I will be blogging for your enjoyment.
I feel that for you to really get to know me, you’ll have to get acquainted with some of the things swirling in my head at the moment. I tend to get obsessed with a book, or author, or movie, or TV show, or play, and tell everyone I can about them, until a new obsession finds its way into my hands. At the moment, there are a few sharing the spotlight.
First, I recently read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The book is exquisite. She writes as if she is painting a canvas in your head, so after just a few strokes, your mind is filled with a gigantic mural. Set in the 1920’s, the book is a historically accurate picture of a traveling circus moving through the Depression. The history, combined with the passion and drama, makes the book impossible to put down. I especially love the main character Jacob’s relationship with the animals of the circus, and the elephant Rosie in particular. Gruen gives Rosie such heart and personality that she is possibly my favorite character of the book. I won’t tell you any more because you have to read it for yourself. But please read it. Seriously.
Second, to continue the theme of animals in literature, I read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stern. Be prepared with a tissue when reading this book, especially if you have or ever have had a dog. The book is written from the perspective of Enzo, a wise terrier who takes his role as protector of the family seriously. The book flies by, but every moment is worth it. Stern manages to personify every thing that every person has ever wished to be true of their loyal family pet in Enzo, creating the sweetest character I have met in a long time.
Third, my new obsession is the production of Capsule 33, created and performed by Thaddeus Phillips at The Barrow Street Theatre in the West Village. (You should know now that I love theater almost as much as I love books, so theater opinions are bound to creep in.) The show was unique and completely ingenious. Thaddeus Phillips created a set that is one hundred percent self-sustaining for a show that discusses society’s lack of imagination and general laziness in conserving what the earth has to offer. The show is set in the Nagakin capsule tower in Tokyo that is scheduled to implode, but Milo Dikanovic and his rubber ducky Fumio refuse to leave. The show is profoundly human while stuck in an isolated, mechanical world. Between Phillips’s unbelievable performance and the set’s ability to twist and turn into anything imaginable, you are almost afraid to blink for fear of missing something. And you’ll leave with new tidbits of information after learning about Nikola Tesla, listening to philosophy and history, and being re-introduced to some of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches in a tangible new way.
That’s all for now, but stay tuned for more to come!
Beaufort in the Press
Today’s a big press day for Beaufort! First, here’s an article I wrote as a guest-blogger for Publishing Perspectives:
Market Crash: How to Publish a Bestseller in 33 Days
And here’s the accompanying conversation about whether ebooks have done away with the need for traditional lead times:
What Can Digital Publishers Learn from Traditional Publishing’s Long Lead Times?
And on a different note, one of Beaufort’s titles (Sherry Jones’s The Jewel of Medina) has been given a nod as one of
Twelve Books Guaranteed to Turn (Almost) Anyone into a Censor
Pick up a copy to celebrate Banned Books Week
Tags:Banned Books Week,Beaufort in the Press,Publishing Perspectives,Sherry Jones,The Jewel of Medina