Redefining Irony

Timing is everything and you just have got to love this -- challenging a book about challenging books during Banned Books Week is just too much.

Parent criticizes book 'Fahrenheit 451'
By: Kassia Micek , Courier staff

A Caney Creek High School dad is fired up because the Conroe Independent School District uses the book "Fahrenheit 451" as classroom reading material.

Alton Verm, of Conroe, objects to the language and content in the book. His 15-year-old daughter Diana, a CCHS sophomore, came to him Sept. 21 with her reservations about reading the book because of its language.

"The book had a bunch of very bad language in it," Diana Verm said. "It shouldn't be in there because it's offending people. ... If they can't find a book that uses clean words, they shouldn't have a book at all."

Alton Verm filed a "Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials" Thursday with the district regarding "Fahrenheit 451," written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953. He wants the district to remove the book from the curriculum.

"It's just all kinds of filth," said Alton Verm, adding that he had not read "Fahrenheit 451." "The words don't need to be brought out in class. I want to get the book taken out of the class."

He looked through the book and found the following things wrong with the book: discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, "dirty talk," references to the Bible and using God's name in vain. He said the book's material goes against their religions beliefs. The Verms go to Grand Parkway Church in Porter.

"We went them to go after God," said Glen Jalowy Jr., Grand Parkway Church youth minister. "We encourage them that what you put in your mind and heart is what comes out."
Alton Verm said he doesn't understand how the district can punish students for using bad language, yet require them to read a book with bad language as part of a class.
Diana Verm and another classmate decided to read an alternative book. They leave the classroom when the class reads or discusses "Fahrenheit 451," she said. The two students were given "Ella Minnow Pea" by Mark Dunn because it shares common themes with "Fahrenheit 451," said Chris Hines, CISD assistant superintendent for secondary education.

"Fahrenheit 451" is a science fiction piece that poses a warning to society about the preservation and passing on of knowledge as well as asks the question about whether the government should do the thinking for the people, Hines stated in an e-mail to The Courier. Other themes include conformity vs. individuality, freedom of speech and the consequences of losing it, the importance of remembering and understanding history and technology as help to humans and as hindrances to humans, Hines stated in the e-mail.

"They're not reading books just to read them," Hines said in a telephone interview. "They're reading it for a purpose. ... We respect people's rights to express their concerns and we have a policy in place to handle that."

A selection process is used for materials other than textbooks, according to district policy. The materials must meet various standards, be appropriate for the subject, age and social and emotional development of the students and motivate students to examine their own attitudes and behavior, according to district policy.

While the district does not know of any other challenges to "Fahrenheit 451," there may have been students who have decided to read a different book. The district estimates about 1 percent of students request to read a different book than assigned, according to the e-mail. "Fahrenheit 451" has been used in CISD curriculum for at least 19 years and "likely prior to that," Hines said in the e-mail.

The district hasn't received challenges on any other books in the four years he's been with the district, Hines said.

A district student, employee or resident can challenge any educational material in CISD on the basis or appropriateness, according to CISD EFA (local) policy. An informal reconsideration is first attempted. Informal requests are not documented, so Hines said he did not know how many requests were handled informally.

The person can make a formal challenge, which Alton Verm did. A committee will be appointed to review the material, discuss the material and report findings about the request to the principal, parent and superintendent, Hines said. The process takes about two weeks.
The Montgomery, New Caney, Splendora and Willis school districts have similar policies.
NCISD banned "Draw Me a Star" by Eric Carle and "Absolute Power" by David Baldacci, but it has not received a book challenge in three years, Cindee Reynolds, NCISD superintendent/community relations executive assistant, stated in an e-mail to The Courier. Montgomery ISD received one request from a parent to review instructional material, but the district has not banned any books, Babette Eikenberg, Montgomery ISD human resources executive director, stated in an e-mail to The Courier.

Alton Verm's request to ban "Fahrenheit 451" came during the 25th annual Banned Books Week. He and Hines said the request to ban "Fahrenheit 451," a book about book burning, during Banned Books Weeks is a coincidence.

"Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read" is observed during the last week of September each year, according to the American Library Association Web site, www.ala.org. The week celebrates the freedom to choose or express one's opinion, even if it might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them, according to the Web site.

Jerilynn Williams, Montgomery County Memorial Library System director, said Banned Books Week keeps the public aware that it is imperative to have access to information in a democratic society. Banning books causes libraries to limit access to information by withholding a person's right to explore a wide variety of opinions to form their own opinions, Williams said.

"Not every book is appropriate for every person, but every person should have their work that they choose," Williams said. "The public library is for everyone."
The Montgomery County Memorial Library System has received 65 requests to challenge books since 2002, Williams said. The library has removed "Castro," for factual inaccuracies, and "Tomorrow Wendy," because it was not under the library's current guidelines, Williams said. The library also has a process for people to follow if they challenge a book, Williams said.

However, Williams said a public library is different than a school library.
"As a public library, we are the library for everyone," Williams said. "The school library is meant to be the library for that select group at that school."
To view a school district's policy on book selection or how to challenge a book, visit the individual district's Web site.
Kassia Micek can be reached at kmicek@hcnonline.com.


Houston Community Newspapers Online - Parent criticizes book 'Fahrenheit 451'

BOUCHERCON
The world mystery convention is meeting this weekend and the awards have been announced -- congratulations to all the nominees and award recipients!

9/30/06

The Anthony Awards were presented at a special ceremony this afternoon:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert B. Parker (not in attendance)

Best Mystery Novel: Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger (Atria)

Best First Mystery: Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein (Carroll & Graf)

Best Paperback Original: The James Deans by Reed Farrel Coleman (Plume)

Best Short Story: "Misdirection" by Barbara Seranella (Greatest Hits, Carroll & Graf)

Best Critical/Nonfiction: The Heirs of Anthony Boucher by Marv Lachman (Poisoned Pen Press)

Best Fan Publication: Crimespree Magazine, edited by Jon and Ruth Jordan

Special Service to the Field: Janet Rudolph, for Mystery Readers International

9/29/06

The Shamus Awards were presented tonight by the Private Eye Writers Association:

The Eye - Award for Lifetime Achievement: Max Allan Collins

Best Hardcover: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)

Best Paperback Original: The James Deans by Reed Farrel Coleman (Plume)

Best First Novel: Forcing Amaryllis by Louise Ure (Mysterious Press)

9/28/06

Earlier this evening the following awards were presented:

The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association presented the Dilys Award for the book IMBA members most enjoyed selling in 2005 to Colin Cotterill for Thirty-Three Teeth. This award had been announced at Left Coast Crime in March, but Cotterill had not been present.

The Macavity Awards, voted on by the members of Mystery Readers International:

Best Novel: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)

Best First Novel: Immoral by Brian Freeman (St. Martin's)

Best Nonfiction: Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak (Harcourt)

Best Short Story: "There Is No Crime on Easter Island" by Nancy Pickard (EQMM, Sept-Oct 2005)

Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award: Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt)


The Barry Awards, voted on by the readers of Deadly Pleasures:

Best Novel: Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook (Harcourt)

Best First Novel Published In The U.S. in 2005: Cold Granite by Stuart Macbride (St. Martin's)

Best British Novel Published In The U.K. in 2005: The Field of Blood by Denise Mina (Bantam Press)

Best Thriller: Company Man by Joseph Finder (St. Martin's)

Best Paperback Novel: The James Deans by Reed Farrell Coleman (Plume)

Best Short Story: "There is No Crime on Easter Island" by Nancy Pickard (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Sept/Oct 2005)

Don Sandstrom Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mystery Fandom: Janet A. Rudolph (voted on by previous recipients)

The American Crime Writers League announced that Dick Adler is the recipient of this year's Ellen Nehr Award for mystery reviewing. Adler reviews for the Chicago Tribune.

Thanks to Black Raven Press for posting all the awards so fast.

Sony to launch web bookstore, e-book device
27 September 2006

Sony said today it will launch an electronic book store on the internet and start selling a device that displays e-books purchased from the store on October 1, after missing an earlier unveiling earlier this year due to technical reasons.

The Sony Connect book store will carry about 10,000 books from the top six publishers, including HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.

The launch of the store coincides with the official debut of its highly anticipated electronics book reader, which reviewers have said mimic the quality of regular paper.

The Sony Reader Portable Reader system will sell for about $US350 ($NZ533). For a limited period, new Connect customers will receive a $US50 ($NZ76) credit to buy books from the service.

Electronic books cost on average about 25 percent less than the cover price of physical books, a spokesman said.

Sony's latest generation reader, announced in North America at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, garnered attention for the electronic ink technology it employs made by E Ink of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It uses new technology that allows digital text and graphics to be displayed without power-hungry back-lit screens.

Much like regular paper, the Sony Reader screen is not back-lit and requires a light source in the room to view the page.

The sales of the device and launch of the book store was delayed to work out kinks in the integration of the device, service and computer software required to connect the two, Sony vice president of marketing Ron Hawkins said in an interview.

"There's a lot of moving parts to make it work well," Hawkins said. "In the spring, we decided we needed to take more time."

The device and service will also let users download from the Really Simple Syndication or RSS Feeds of popular blogs, including Salon, Slate, Huffington Post, engadget and Gizmodo to read on the device. But it will only downloads from approved feeds, restricting users from freely downloading from any RSS feed.

"We'll be expanding and improving it beyond that," he added.

Newspapers and other periodicals will not be offered at first, although Hawkins did not rule out such features down the line.

"We're taking a serious look at it," he said. "But we're focusing on books and personal content at launch."

Sony to launch web bookstore, e-book device - New Zealand's source for technology news on Stuff.co.nz

Update on BRAINLESS

A website that features video of Ann Coulter getting pied and other goodies.

www.anncoulterisbrainless.com

KILLER YEAR - THE CLASS OF 2007 LAUNCHES
Designed To Promote Debut Suspense Novelists

Every best-selling author began as a debut novelist. But making the step from promising beginner to proven success can be tricky, which is why four online friends, Brett Battles, JT Ellison, Jason Pinter and Sandra Ruttan decided to start Killer Year.

Founded in May 2006, Killer Year is a now a collective of suspense novelists who have banded together, sharing promotion and marketing for their debut novels. "Fiction is a crowded market," said founding member J.T. Ellison. "By working together, we hope to reach a larger audience than we could alone."

"We wanted to find a way to have equitable attention paid to all types of publication formats, from mass-market paperbacks to hardcovers,"
said Brett Battles, a co-founder. "One voice to promote 14 authors seemed to be our best bet to sell our books."

Spurred by a mention on Sarah Weinman's award winning blog, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, the four put up a website and blog, and Killer Year was born. The ranks quickly filled with excellent authors who, like the founders, are debuting in the fiction genre in 2007. All the books will be released from major New York publishing houses and first class small publishers, and will be commercially available in all retail outlets.

International Thriller Writers (ITW), the first professional organization for thriller writers, is lending a hand to the 14 novelists. The idea resonated with M.J. Rose, who heads up ITW's marketing committee. "One of our mandates is to build a community of writers who can help each other. Another is to get serious attention for our authors and make them stand out from the crowd. Not just established authors, but debut authors as well. This program fits both those goals."

One ITW member will mentor each Killer Year member, providing individual advice, blurbs and a short review of their book they can use in promotional material. They will also introduce Killer Year at a special breakfast during ThrillerFest 2007, the premier event for the thriller writing community. After 2007, Killer Year will remain an ongoing program, with ITW welcoming a new class of debut novelists.

"Only in the suspense genre can something this exciting, this cutting edge happen," founder Sandra Ruttan said. "We work as a team," added Jason Pinter. "We're here to support each other and make sure all of our members succeed in their first year as published authors."

Killer Year is an elite group of 14 debut suspense novelists working to create an interactive community with potential readers, buyers, reviewers and publishing professionals. The Killer Year founders are Jason Pinter (THE MARK, Mira), Brett Battles (THE CLEANER, Bantam Dell), J.T. Ellison (ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, Mira) and Sandra Ruttan (SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, Tico).

Members include Robert Gregory Browne (KISS HER GOODBYE, St. Martin's), Bill Cameron (LOST DOG, Midnight Ink), Toni McGee Causey (BOBBIE FAYE'S VERY (very, very, very) BAD DAY, St. Martin's), Sean Chercover (BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD, William Morrow), Patry Francis (THE LIAR'S DIARY, Dutton), Marc Lecard (VINNIE'S HEAD, St. Martin's Minotaur), Derek Nikitas (PYRES, St. Martin's Minotaur), Gregg Olsen (A WICKED SNOW, Kensington), Marcus Sakey (THE BLADE ITSELF, St. Martin's Minotaur) and Dave White (WHEN ONE MAN DIES, Three Rivers Press).

Visit the KillerYear website for more information on these fine authors.
WWW.KILLERYEAR.COM.

Update on National Book Fest

Be sure to check out the author podcast at www.loc.gov/bookfest/podcasts.html with John Hope Franklin, Poet Laureate Donald Hall, Khaled Hosseini, Marcus Samuelsson, Lisa Scottoline and Judith Viorst

Brainless

Everyday I come home from work and there is a neat pile of packages on my front door step, the ones delivered by UPS, FedEx, and DHL. Crammed into my new mailbox (the last one finally exploded) are usually one or two more. Not sure why my mail delivery person insists on forcing these packages into the mailbox but my personal feeling is that she's too damn lazy to get out of her cute little mail truck and walk fifteen feet or so to my door. But I digress...

I get lots of books, and I don't read most of them. I read a lot, but even I can't read 25+ books a week. Nor would I want to, much less review them. Lately Penguin has taken to sending me a box of reissued classics every week along with little notes asking me to review them. I'm sorry, but even as opinionated as I am, I am not presumptuous enough to review Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity, The Communist Manifesto by Friedrich Engels or The Bible.

But a book arrived yesterday that I would consider reading and even reviewing, except I'm not sure I have enough Ruby Red Absolut to get me through it. So we'll see. The name of this unsolicited book that caught my eye is

Brainless: The Lies and Lunacy of Ann Coulter by Joe Maguire

William Morrow is the publisher and frankly, just reading the pitch that came along with it - did I mention that every book that arrives has at least a one page typewritten letter full of exclamation points stressing its vital importance to the reading community, nay, to the world at large, if only I would read it? Another digression, sorry. Anyway, the pitch was full of so much of the Coulter vitriol that it made my head spin. So I'm afraid to read more from the "Mistress of Malice". The letter included her thoughts on Jimmy Carter; "vengeful, sneaky and backstabbing." I worked for his campaign before I was old enough to vote and that is just wrong. Other thoughts include the fact that Intelligent Design is real science while evolution is "make believe".

But this is my favorite: women's liberation has led to "exhibitionism, promiscuity, sex toys, and adultery." Ummm, it's also led to Ann Coulter. It's given her the right to stay single and sexually active while proclaiming herself a good Christian, and even more importantly, it's given her the right to spew her vitriol, circle her wagons and stir up as much hatred as she possibly can. She's got a platform to speak from that is not in her kitchen, where she would be without women's liberation and all those women who fought for her right to publish snarky, malicious books full of "lies and lunacy".

So yeah, I want to read more. But I'm afraid to. I'm really not advocating drinking, but I am an adult and I know that numbing myself with alcohol may make it possible for me to read more than a page or two and not rip them from the book and burn the rest in effigy. Of course, if there is any book burning to be done I should probably start with the Ann Coulter collection, but I don't advocate that either. Just not buying them is enough for me.

But buy Brainless, if only for the jokes, including this tasteless one from David Letterman that made me laugh out loud:

"Here's what we know about Ann Coulter: She's blond, she's single. Maybe someone will set her up with O.J."

On sale date is October 10. Oh, and the book includes pages and pages of source notes.

2006 National Book Festival

Library of Congress Announces Award-Winning Authors Participate In Sixth Annual National Book Festival Celebrating the Joys of Reading and Lifelong Literacy

Library of Congress and Laura Bush Invite Book Lovers of All Ages to the National Mall on Saturday, Sept. 30

The 2006 National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by Mrs. Laura Bush, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 7th and 14th streets (rain or shine). The festival is free and open to the public.

“Each year, tens of thousands book lovers attend this national event to meet their favorite authors and celebrate lifelong literacy, which we are also highlighting in a partnership with the Ad Council” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “Now in its sixth year, the National Book Festival presents a wonderful opportunity to see firsthand how reading changes lives and how our country, its citizens and its libraries promote reading in imaginative and inspiring ways."

“The National Book Festival is a great way for families and friends to share in the joys of reading and discover the works of some of America’s most-loved authors,” Mrs. Bush said. “Readers of all ages can listen to and meet their favorite writers and enjoy a day on the National Mall.”

At the 2006 National Book Festival, more than 70 well-known authors, illustrators and poets will discuss their work in various pavilions, including “Children,” “Teens & Children,” “Fiction & Fantasy,” “Mysteries & Thrillers,” “History & Biography,” “Home & Family” and “Poetry.” Festival goers can have books signed by their favorite authors, and children can meet ever-popular storybook and television characters, such as Arthur The Aardvark, Maya and Clifford the Big Red Dog, who will appear on the festival grounds throughout the day.

Participating authors include best-selling novelists Khaled Hosseini, author of the “Kite Runner” and Geraldine Brooks, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for her book “March”; novelist and essayist Joan Didion; historians John Hope Franklin and Doris Kearns Goodwin; biographer Taylor Branch (“Martin Luther King”); Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, winners of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for their biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer; authors of books for children and teens, including Andrew Clements, Stephenie Meyer, Richard Peck, and Louis Sachar; award-winning illustrators Bryan Collier, Betsy Lewin and Mark Teague; Donald Hall, the recently named 14th Poet Laureate of the United States; and poet Dana Gioia, the director the National Endowment for the Arts; best-selling mystery and thriller authors, including Michael Connelly, Lisa Scottoline, Kathy Reichs and Alexander McCall Smith; science fiction award-winner Spider Robinson; and Elmer Kelton, author of more than 40 novels and voted “the best Western author of all time” by the Western Writers of America.

Popular personalities in the “Home & Family” pavilion include television celebrity chefs and authors G. Garvin and Marcus Samuelsson; CNBC economics and investments commentator Jim Cramer and popular linguistics expert Deborah Tannen, whose new best-seller is titled “You’re Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation.”

Beyond meeting their favorite authors, festival visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the reading programs and resources in libraries across the country. The “Pavilion of the States” will highlight the book, reading, literacy and library promotion activities of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several American trusts and territories. Representatives from every state and territory will welcome families and children interested in that state's writers and reading programs. In addition, the “Let’s Read America” pavilion will feature reading promotion activities developed by select festival sponsors.

The Library of Congress Pavilion will feature a variety of interactive family-centered activities about the importance of lifelong literacy, cultural preservation, and preserving digital culture. Computers will be available for children and adults to explore the Library’s acclaimed Web site at www.loc.gov. The Library’s myriad online resources contain examples of American creativity in all forms such as music, poetry, films, photographs, maps, and sound recordings. The Library’s new National Audiovisual Conservation Center will introduce the latest technologies in film and audio preservation. The Veterans History Project will also feature a teacher and her students who use VHP material in the classroom. Two students will interview Ezra Hill, a Tuskegee Airman. VHP historian Tom Weiner will interview Darlene Iskra, the first woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy and serve during the Persian Gulf War.

In the “Teens and Children” pavilion, the national student winners of the Letters About Literature contest will read their personal letters to authors who inspired them. Sponsored by the Library’s Center for the Book with support from distinguished benefactor Target, Letters About Literature invites young readers in grades 4-12 to write personal letters to authors, past or present, who have changed their views of the world or of themselves. Each year, winners are selected at the state and national levels. As the project’s corporate sponsor, Target awards the six national winners and their parents with a trip to the National Book Festival in Washington, to share their winning letters with a national audience.

“It is inspiring to see the number of young people whose lives have been positively affected by a particular author or book,” said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. “Through its comprehensive support of early childhood reading, including the Letters About Literature program and the National Book Festival, Target is able to helping to instill a love of reading in kids as the foundation for reading early in life and further the goals of lifelong learning literacy.”

In addition to planning a range of activities for this year’s festival on the National Mall, the Library is offering a variety of ways for people around the country to participate in the event online. New this year will be downloadable podcasts of interviews with popular participating authors. The Library will also present same-day webcasts of selected authors’ presentations from the “Teens & Children,” “Mysteries & Thrillers” and “Fiction & Fantasy” pavilions. Both the webcasts and the podcasts will be available on the Library’s Web site at www.loc.gov/bookfest.

During the week leading up to the festival, washingtonpost.com will host a series of online chats with authors appearing at the National Book Festival. These text-based discussions can be viewed daily, starting on Monday, Sept. 25, on the site at www.washingtonpost.com. The schedule of chats and authors’ names will be posted on the site and the Library’s site at www.loc.gov/bookfest. Participants can submit questions in advance or during the live discussion. Authors’ responses will post while the program is airing or at a later date on washingtonpost.com’s online discussion archive.

In addition to live webcasts, the Library will again collaborate with Book TV on C-SPAN2 to televise the National Book Festival “History & Biography” pavilion events live on Sept. 30. The C-SPAN2 Book TV Bus, a mobile Book TV studio with a multimedia demonstration center for the public, will also be on the National Mall. Festival coverage will be streamed live on C-SPAN’s website www.booktv.org.

The artist for this year’s festival is award-winning Russian illustrator Gennady Spirin, whose lush contemporary technique brings a rich, imaginative depiction to the 2006 National Book Festival poster. Spirin combines a modern aesthetic with the great traditions of the Renaissance. He has illustrated 30 storybooks for children and has won four gold medals from the Society of Illustrators. Four of his books, including “The Sea King’s Daughter” (1997), were named the best illustrated book of the year by The New York Times. Posters featuring the illustration painting will be available free of charge at the festival.

The 2006 National Book Festival is made possible with generous support from Distinguished Benefactor Target; Charter Sponsors AT&T, The Amend Group and The Washington Post; Patrons AARP, the James Madison Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; and a myriad of contributors. The Junior League of Washington will again contribute hundreds of volunteers to help with the National Book Festival.

A preliminary list of participating authors, illustrators and poets follows. For more information about them and the festival, visit www.loc.gov/bookfest.

Publishers say few hits on blog books
By Lauren Beckham Falcone/ Books
Saturday, September 23, 2006

Not so long ago, having a popular blog was the ultimate “in” to get yourself a book deal.

Now? Not so much.

Bloggers, buoyed by site meter numbers and Internet buzz, were the darling of the publishing world about two years ago. But when books hit the shelves, sales fizzled, and now it takes a lot more than a laptop and a blogspot account to make it onto Amazon’s top 100.

“They haven’t performed as well as publishers hoped,” said Boston-based literary agent Jill Kneerim. “It is still a phenomenon that people are hopeful about, but in many cases, people who are fans of the blog have already read the content. So what’s the point in buying the book?”

Stephanie Klein, whose blog “Greek Tragedy” at www.stephanieklein.com netted her a six-figure, two-book deal, released “Straight Up and Dirty” this past spring. It wasn’t the grand slam publishers expected. One agent told The Book Standard, “Paying $500,000-plus for that Greek Tragedy blogger was pretty dumb.”

Other hyped blogger books such as “Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq” (riverbendblog.blogspot .com), “Anonymous Lawyer” by Jeremy Blachman (anonymous lawyer.blogspot.com) and “I’m Not the New Me: A Memoir” by Wendy McClure (poundy.com) weren’t anything to, well, blog about.

“A book has to be bigger and last longer than a blog,” Kneerim said. “It has to be more than gossiping or talking about yourself.”

Sara Nelson, editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, agreed.

“(Former Wonkette blogger) Ana Maria Cox’s book didn’t do as well as expected,” she said.

Adams Media publisher Gary Krebs has published bloggers, most recently Erin Shea’s “Tales from the Scale: Women Weigh In on Thunder Thighs, Cheese Fries, and Feeling Good at Any Size,” based on www.ejshea.com/buddha.

“It’s done quite well,” he said. “But I think that (publishing bloggers) is something you have to scrutinize very carefully. If a blog gets the attention of the public, then we are at the point knowing that we really have to look at it and determine if there’s something beyond it. Having a popular blog isn’t enough to get a book deal anymore.”

Tucker Max, the rare successful blogger turned author of “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” (tucker max.com), is a bit more, um, direct.

“These bloggers aren’t good writers and they really don’t get a lot of traffic if you really look at the numbers,” he said. “They had a blog, people liked reading the blog, then they wrote stuff people don’t want to read. Who cares what Jessica Cutler’s novel is about? People liked reading she had sex with senators who paid her (money).”


BostonHerald.com - the Edge: Publishers say few hits on blog books

BRAD MELTZER BOOKSIGNING




Last week I went to a Brad Meltzer book signing for his latest, THE BOOK OF FATE - which is a great read (reviewed on my site). It was standing room only at the Barnes & Noble in Boca Raton. One of the store managers guesstimated about 200+ people in attendance and I can tell you that all were very happy they came.



Brad was funny and articulate and warm and welcoming. He told some great stories, read a bit, then took questions from the audience. He thanked his wife, his family, Paul Castronovo (of the Paul & Young Ron morning radio team on BIG 105.9 here in south Florida,) and moi.

Then the line formed and snaked around the second floor while he answered more questions, posed for pictures and signed lots and lots of books. A fun time was had by all.

Hatchette Book Group has posted a fun tie-in game to the book online, check it out:
GUESS WHO'S A MASON

Readers can get a refund for 'A Milions Little Pieces'

Friday, September 8, 2006

Readers aggrieved by the discovery that James Frey's best-selling memoir contained elements of fiction can get a refund for what they paid for 'A Million Little Pieces.'

A tentative legal settlement of class-action lawsuits against Frey and his publisher, Doubleday, would provide unprecedented refunds to buyers of his book (with a total payout limited to $2.35 million).

Readers who bought Frey's book before Jan. 26 would have to sign a sworn statement that they bought the book thinking it was a memoir and would have to supply proof of purchase (either page 163 from the $23.95 hardcover or the cover from the $14.95 paperback).

Neither Frey nor his publisher admits any wrongdoing in the proposed settlement, which must be approved by a U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan.


Readers can get a refund for 'A Milions Little Pieces': "SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/books/284269_tf108.html

2006 QUILL BOOK AWARDS

The Quills aim is to be the "People's Choice" awards for books - basically, a popularity contest voted on by the public. I've listed all the nominees in all the categories below - my picks are in bold italics. I don't know how they came up with some of these lists but I didn't get to vote on who got nominated...

Consumer voting for the 2006 Quill Book awards is now open.
Below is a list of the nominees by category.

Vote now at www.quillsvote.com


Debut Author of the Year

$64 Tomato
William Alexander/Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
Julie Powell/Little, Brown & Company

The Last Templar
Raymond Khoury/Dutton

The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel
Debra Dean/William Morrow

The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of an American Family
Mike Leonard/Ballantine Books


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Audio Book

A Dirty Job: A Novel
Christopher Moore/Harper Audio

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
James L. Swanson/Harper Audio

Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
John Grogan/Harper Audio

Teacher Man: A Memoir
Frank McCourt/Simon & Schuster Audio

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin/Simon & Schuster Audio

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Children's Illustrated Book

Fancy Nancy
Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser /HarperCollins Publishers

If You Give a Pig a Party
Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond /HarperCollins Children's Book Group/Geringer

John, Paul, George & Ben
Lane Smith/Hyperion

Walter the Farting Dog Goes on a Cruise
William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray and Elizabeth Gundy, illustrated by Audrey Colman /Dutton Juvenile

Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey
Robert Sabuda/Little Simon

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Children's Chapter Book/Middle Grade

Flush
Carl Hiaasen/Knopf Books for Young Readers

Inkspell
Cornelia Funke/Scholastic, Incorporated/Chicken House

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Kate DiCamillo/Candlewick Press

The Penultimate Peril
Lemony Snicket/HarperCollins Publishers

Ptolemy's Gate
Jonathan Stroud/Miramax Books

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Young Adult/Teen

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak/Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

Dairy Queen
Catherine Gilbert Murdock/Houghton Mifflin Company

Eldest
Christopher Paolini/Random House Children's Books

Elsewhere
Gabrielle Zevin/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

King Dork
Frank Portman/Delacorte Books for Young Readers

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General Fiction

Black Swan Green: A Novel
David Mitchell/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

A Dirty Job: A Novel
Christopher Moore/William Morrow

March
E. L. Doctorow/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

Suite Française
Irene Nemirovsky/Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

Water for Elephants
Sara Gruen/Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

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Graphic Novel

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Alison Bechdel/Houghton Mifflin Company

Maximum Fantastic Four: A Visual Exegesis of Fantastic Four #1
Stan Lee/Marvel Enterprises, Incorporated

Mom's Cancer
Brian Fies/Harry N. Abrams , Incorporated

Naruto
Masashi Kishimoto/Viz Media

Hellsing
Kohta Hirano / Dark Horse Comics

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Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

The Lincoln Lawyer: A Novel
Michael Connelly/Little, Brown & Company

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet; The Sign of the Four; The Hound of the Baskervilles; and The Valley of Fear
Arthur Conan Doyle/W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated

Promise Me
Harlan Coben/Dutton

Tomb of the Golden Bird
Elizabeth Peters/William Morrow

Twelve Sharp
Janet Evanovich/St. Martin's Press

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Poetry

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem
Maya Angelou/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

Good Poems for Hard Times
Garrison Keillor/Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

New and Selected Poems
Mary Oliver/Beacon Press

Still Another Day (A Kagean book)
Pablo Neruda/Copper Canyon Press

The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems
Billy Collins/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

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Romance

Blue Smoke
Nora Roberts/Putnam

The Masque of the Black Tulip
Lauren Willig/Dutton

The Preacher's Daughter
Beverly Lewis/Bethany House Publishers

Savannah Breeze
Mary Kay Andrews/HarperCollins Publishers

Undead and Unpopular
Mary Janice Davidson/Berkley

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Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror

A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Diana Gabaldon/Dell Publishing

Cell
Stephen King/Scribner, Simon & Schuster

A Feast for Crows
George R. R. Martin/Bantam Books

Labyrinth
Kate Mosse/Putnam

The Stolen Child
Keith Donohue/Doubleday Publishing

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Religion/Spirituality

The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions
Karen Armstrong/Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

Mama Made the Difference
T. D. Jakes/Putnam

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
Bart D. Ehrman/HarperSanFrancisco

The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
Alan Jacobs/HarperSanFrancisco

The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
Dalai Lama XIV/Broadway Books

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Biography/Memoir

Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival
Anderson Cooper/HarperCollins

Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
John Grogan/William Morrow

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee
Charles J. Shields/Henry Holt & Company

The Tender Bar: A Memoir
J. R. Moehringer/Hyperion

The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion/Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

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Business

Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
Barbara Ehrenreich/Henry Holt & Company

The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge
Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio/Broadway Books

Good to Great and the Social Sectors: Why Business Thinking Is Not the Answer
Jim Collins/Collins

The Number: A Completely Different Way to Think about the Rest of Your Life!: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day
Lee Eisenberg/Free Press, Simon & Schuster

The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transforming the American Economy
Charles Fishman/Penguin Press

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Cooking

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
Bill Buford/Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
Julie Powell/Little, Brown & Company

My Life in France
Julia Child/Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners
Rachael Ray/Crown Publishing Group

The Silver Spoon
Phaidon Press Editors/Phaidon Press

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Health/Self Improvement

Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being
Andrew Weil/Knopf Publishing Group

It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken: The Smart Girl's Breakup Buddy
Greg Behrendt/Broadway Books

It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider
Jim Henson/Hyperion

Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons
Tim Russert/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

YOU: The Smart Patient: An Insider's Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment
Michael F. Roizen & Mehmet C. Oz/Free Press, Simon & Schuster

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History/Current Events/Politics

An Inconvenient Truth
Al Gore/Rodale Press, Incorporated

The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece
Jonathan Harr/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
James L. Swanson/William Morrow

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
Candice Millard/Doubleday

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin/Simon & Schuster, Incorporated

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Humor

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
Bill Watterson/Andrews McMeel Publishing

Don't Make a Black Woman Take off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life
Tyler Perry/Riverhead

The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Bobby Henderson/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

A Heckuva Job: More of the Bush Administration in Rhyme
Calvin Trillin/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

The Truth (with Jokes)
Al Franken/Dutton

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Sports

Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero
David Maraniss/Simon & Schuster

The Education of a Coach
David Halberstam/Hyperion

Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football
Holly Robinson Peete/Rodale Press, Incorporated

Glory Road: My Story of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship and How One Team Triumphed Against the Odds and Changed America Forever
Don Haskins/Hyperion

Why My Wife Thinks I'm an Idiot: The Life and Times of a Sportscaster Dad
Mike Greenberg/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

JAMES PATTERSON TO RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITER'S 2007 THRILLER MASTER AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THRILLER GENRE

August, 2006: The International Thriller Writers, Inc (ITW) is delighted to announce that the 2007 ThrillerMaster Award for outstanding contribution to the thriller genre will be presented to author James Patterson during ThrillerFest 2007, hosted by ITW.

Author Clive Cussler, 2006 ThrillerMaster Award recipient and a spotlight guest for ThrillerFest 2007, will present the award to Patterson during a gala Thriller Awards Ceremony on July 14, 2007 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. During the ceremony ITW also will present its Thriller Awards covering five categories including The Distinguished Literature Award; Best Novel; Best First Novel; Best Paperback Original and Best Script.

James Patterson is ITW's second ThrillerMaster award recipient. The first Award was presented to Clive Cussler during ITW's inaugural ThrillerFest, a blockbuster event with more than 100 thriller authors and 400 thriller fans in attendance, which took place at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona, in summer of 2006.

"For more than 30 years, James Patterson has actively contributed to the thriller genre both through an outstanding body of work as well as his contributions to promoting literacy", said M. Diane Vogt, vice-president of ITW Events. "We are delighted to be presenting this award to him."

First published in 1976, Patterson has over 40 books in print translated into more than 30 languages. Founder of the Page Turner Awards, which annually distributes more than $500,000 in cash prizes in an effort to spread the excitement and joy of reading, Patterson is the recipient of the Edgar Award, The BCA Mystery Guild's Thriller of the Year and The International Thriller of the Year Award.

Patterson also edited ITW's first anthology entitled THRILLER: Stories to Keep You up All Night (MIRA Books, June 2006), which received a record-breaking six figure advance. This first-ever all-thriller anthology includes original stories by 30 of the leading authors of the genre, all of whom are ITW members, with introductions and prefaces to each story written by Patterson.
*****

Founded in October 2004, at the Bouchercon World Suspense Conference in Toronto, Canada, the International Thriller Writers organization (ITW) was created by thriller authors to celebrate the thriller, to enhance the prestige and raise the profile of thrillers, to award prizes to outstanding thriller novels and authors, and to create marketing opportunities for authors within the thriller community. ITW boasts a membership of more than 400 authors (many of whom are New York Times bestsellers) with worldwide sales exceeding 1.8 billion books.

ThrillerFest 2007. July 12 - Jul 15 2007 Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City www.ThrillerFest.com
www.internationalthrillerwriters.com

FPA 2006 Publishing Ed-U Conference

The Florida Publishers Association, Inc., is now accepting registrations for its August 19 Publishing Ed-U-Conference and Book Awards Luncheon, to be held at the Hilton Naples in Naples (on the southern Gulf coast of Florida). Speakers include Pam Lontos from PR/PR, Ed Colleran from Copyright Clearance Center, Linda Fasulo from the Collier County Library Service and FOL, and Aileen Tang from the Google Book Search Partner Program. A downloadable PDF of the conference brochure can be found online at www.flbookpub.org/educonf_2006.html or by emailing FPAbooks@aol.com.

Laura Lippman on Tour!

Laura Lippman stopped by Murder on the Beach in Delray Beach, Florida to promote her latest book, NO GOOD DEEDS. It was a standing-room only crowd for the popular author. I was fortunate enough to be able to review her latest entry in the Tess Monahan series for Library Journal and it was terrific.

Lippman spoke about how Robert B. Parker is a huge influence on her writing and how she hides references to his books throughout hers - hiding being the operative word. Apparently most people never get the references! She also spoke about the Baltimore quirkiness of police officers calling themselves a "police", rather than a "police officer." She gets a lot of flak about using the real term in her writing, but it brings a sense of authenticity to her books, as any Baltimore native will tell you.

Everyone who came to see her was a fan, including some local authors - Jonathan King came by, as did Elaine Viets.












One of her fans had a cake made with the cover of the book - I took a not-very-good picture, but hopefully you can get the idea.

As always, it was a pleasure to see her. If she's in your neighborhood, stop by, buy a copy of NO GOOD DEEDS and say hi from the BookBitch!