Kim Edwards
Kim Edwards is living proof that a book that is a sleeper in hardcover can go roaring to success as a paperback book.
Her book, The Memory-Keeper's Daughter, has rocketed to high placement on all of the bestseller lists since its publication in paperback this past year. Now it is the book that everyone is talking about.
We've added a profile of her to Book Help Web and hope to have an interview with her to post for you in the coming months.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Prepare for Outrage
Well, actually, I have to admit that I'm not in the least bit outraged. Perhaps its because I simply don't find stage nudity to be all that controversial. If the part calls for it and it fits in with the story, then by all means, let there be nudity. If the nudity is there simply to fill seats, then I have little patience with it.
What am I rambling about? I'm rambling about the "breaking news" about Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry Potter in the movies based on J.K. Rowling's wonderful series. Radcliffe, who is currently filming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has been cast in a stage play in London. The play may be familiar to many of you--it's Peter Shaffer's Equus. Radcliffe is playing the part of the stable boy who is awfully fond of horse in a less than healthy way. Oh, and in one of the scenes, he rides a horse barebacked--at least, he's barebacked. In fact, he's completely bare.
Yes, this might anger some people who want the young actor to be Harry Potter-pure. However, Radcliffe is not Harry Potter, he's an actor. Equus is one of those plays that actors love because it is so meaty. Also, given that its a stage play, it isn't as though we have to worry about getting accidently exposed to it or having the young 'uns sneak into a video store to rent it for a quick peek at their heart throb in the buff.
Oh, and in what is a less controversial move, the actor playing Uncle Dursely, Richard Griffiths, will also star in Equus.
Well, actually, I have to admit that I'm not in the least bit outraged. Perhaps its because I simply don't find stage nudity to be all that controversial. If the part calls for it and it fits in with the story, then by all means, let there be nudity. If the nudity is there simply to fill seats, then I have little patience with it.
What am I rambling about? I'm rambling about the "breaking news" about Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry Potter in the movies based on J.K. Rowling's wonderful series. Radcliffe, who is currently filming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has been cast in a stage play in London. The play may be familiar to many of you--it's Peter Shaffer's Equus. Radcliffe is playing the part of the stable boy who is awfully fond of horse in a less than healthy way. Oh, and in one of the scenes, he rides a horse barebacked--at least, he's barebacked. In fact, he's completely bare.
Yes, this might anger some people who want the young actor to be Harry Potter-pure. However, Radcliffe is not Harry Potter, he's an actor. Equus is one of those plays that actors love because it is so meaty. Also, given that its a stage play, it isn't as though we have to worry about getting accidently exposed to it or having the young 'uns sneak into a video store to rent it for a quick peek at their heart throb in the buff.
Oh, and in what is a less controversial move, the actor playing Uncle Dursely, Richard Griffiths, will also star in Equus.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Girls Most Likely
Well, I finished it last night.
Sheila Williams' Girls Most Likely that is. I even managed to get the review
written and our Webmaster posted it (see previous link).
It really was more than just a chick lit book. Yes, I know, I just made the argument two days ago that chick lit was more than bubblegum reading, so I suppose this proves my point rather than detracts from it. But I was impressed with how many things were going on in the book. Yes, it was a story about four women, but it was also layered and there were rich themes flowing through the lyrical words.
I was impressed enough that I might try to pick up some of Sheila Williams' earlier novels.
Well, I finished it last night.
Sheila Williams' Girls Most Likely that is. I even managed to get the review
written and our Webmaster posted it (see previous link).It really was more than just a chick lit book. Yes, I know, I just made the argument two days ago that chick lit was more than bubblegum reading, so I suppose this proves my point rather than detracts from it. But I was impressed with how many things were going on in the book. Yes, it was a story about four women, but it was also layered and there were rich themes flowing through the lyrical words.
I was impressed enough that I might try to pick up some of Sheila Williams' earlier novels.
Terry Goodkind
I remember picking up and enjoying Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. There were a few things in the novel that made me a bit squeamish (there's a very strong strain of S&M going through the novels), it was good storytelling with some interesting ideas.
As the series progressed, I continued to read it even though the series quickly became somewhat stale and the events had to be stretched further and further for freshness. Even for fantasy, they started to strain at credibility. Somewhere around the sixth or seventh book, I stopped reading.
Book #10 in the series came out last week and another one is due early next year.
However, the bigger news with this series is that Terry Goodkind has released rights for the books to Sam Raimi, the director of the Spider-Man series. Goodkind hasn't liked any of the film offers up to this point, but was very interested in Sam Raimi's proposal for a miniseries. Raimi's plan is to begin production on the Wizard's First Rule miniseries next year.
I remember picking up and enjoying Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. There were a few things in the novel that made me a bit squeamish (there's a very strong strain of S&M going through the novels), it was good storytelling with some interesting ideas.
As the series progressed, I continued to read it even though the series quickly became somewhat stale and the events had to be stretched further and further for freshness. Even for fantasy, they started to strain at credibility. Somewhere around the sixth or seventh book, I stopped reading.
Book #10 in the series came out last week and another one is due early next year.
However, the bigger news with this series is that Terry Goodkind has released rights for the books to Sam Raimi, the director of the Spider-Man series. Goodkind hasn't liked any of the film offers up to this point, but was very interested in Sam Raimi's proposal for a miniseries. Raimi's plan is to begin production on the Wizard's First Rule miniseries next year.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Chick Lit
I was talking with a friend the other day and we were attempting to define chick lit--not in any official way, but in a way that meant something to us. We decided it was a little like "chick flicks" only there was usually less romance and more humor.
Perhaps the more important element, though, is that chick lit books are books that focus on the relationship between women. Yes, there are usualy men in the book and there are often romances, but the important relationships in these novels are the relationships between the women. Rosemary Well's The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood struck such a chord with us because of the intense friendship between the women. Yes, they all had their lives and their trials, and their families, but they were bonded to each other with a lifetime of secrets and confidences.
I'm currently reading a book titled Girls Most Likely, and once again I am struck with how it is less about the momentous events and the coming-of-age and more about the relationship between four girlfriends and the difference that makes to their entire life.
Currently, chick lit gets mostly written off as bubble-gum reading with little literary value. I wonder, though, if perhaps it is worthy of being taken a little more seriously.
I was talking with a friend the other day and we were attempting to define chick lit--not in any official way, but in a way that meant something to us. We decided it was a little like "chick flicks" only there was usually less romance and more humor.
Perhaps the more important element, though, is that chick lit books are books that focus on the relationship between women. Yes, there are usualy men in the book and there are often romances, but the important relationships in these novels are the relationships between the women. Rosemary Well's The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood struck such a chord with us because of the intense friendship between the women. Yes, they all had their lives and their trials, and their families, but they were bonded to each other with a lifetime of secrets and confidences.
I'm currently reading a book titled Girls Most Likely, and once again I am struck with how it is less about the momentous events and the coming-of-age and more about the relationship between four girlfriends and the difference that makes to their entire life.
Currently, chick lit gets mostly written off as bubble-gum reading with little literary value. I wonder, though, if perhaps it is worthy of being taken a little more seriously.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Farewell, Mike Hammer
Mickey Spillane, the creator of the Mike Hammer and a giant in the hardboiled mystery genre, died this past Monday at the age of 88.
Born in 1918, Spillane's first Hammer novel was published in 1946--though he'd written comics before that time. He starred in the movies made about his books. While he wrote another series, it was the Mike Hammer ones he was most famous for. They sold more than 100 million copies.
His work earned him lifetime achievement awards from the Mystery Writers of America and the Private Eye Writers of America.
Sleep well, Mr. Spillane.
Mickey Spillane, the creator of the Mike Hammer and a giant in the hardboiled mystery genre, died this past Monday at the age of 88.
Born in 1918, Spillane's first Hammer novel was published in 1946--though he'd written comics before that time. He starred in the movies made about his books. While he wrote another series, it was the Mike Hammer ones he was most famous for. They sold more than 100 million copies.
His work earned him lifetime achievement awards from the Mystery Writers of America and the Private Eye Writers of America.
Sleep well, Mr. Spillane.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Marcia Muller
Marcia Muller is one busy author. She's not content to put out just a book a year or even one series a year.
The author of the popular Sharon McCone series, Muller released two books in the past three weeks: Cape Perdido and The Vanishing Point.
I had the pleasure of interviewing her a few weeks ago. She's a fascinating woman who takes great delight in her characters and in her stories. Even when she talks about McCone's orneriness it is with great affection.
The interview is now posted at our home page. I hope you enjoy it!
Marcia Muller is one busy author. She's not content to put out just a book a year or even one series a year.
The author of the popular Sharon McCone series, Muller released two books in the past three weeks: Cape Perdido and The Vanishing Point.
I had the pleasure of interviewing her a few weeks ago. She's a fascinating woman who takes great delight in her characters and in her stories. Even when she talks about McCone's orneriness it is with great affection.
The interview is now posted at our home page. I hope you enjoy it!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Moving from page to stage
As someone who loves theater as much as she loves books, scripts rank pretty high on my list of reading material. I'm also fascinated by books that are turned into plays, though few authors are able to do so successfully.
Agatha Christie used to complain about the stage adaptations made of her novels because she thought they stayed too true to the original story and missed out on the theatricality of the medium. So she began adapting her stories--far more successfully than those who came before her. Anyone who has seen her plays and read her books will know that there are often different endings, especially in such plays as Witness for the Prosecution and And Then There Were None (or Ten Little Indians).
But the transition from book to stage is a far more difficult one than, for example, the transition from book to screen.
Howard Mohr is an author who managed to take his book of humor and turn it into a musical. Mohr, a one-time writer for Prairie Home Companion, became a bestselling author by translating his regionalisms for the rest of the world in the popular book, How to Speak Minnesotan. (It's a book, incidently, that was reviewed by a native Minnesotan at Book Help Web.) But he didn't stop there. After winning a regional Emmy for the video version of the book, he turned it into a musical which has enjoyed long runs in Minnesota.
It reminded me a bit of Jeff Daniels' stage version of Escanaba in Da Moonlight (and from what I've heard, the movie version had little merit, which is a real shame considering how very, very good the stage version is). It's a play that plays to sell-out crowds wherever it goes in Michigan. It plays most often at Daniels' own Purple Rose Theater, but it's made the rounds to other state theaters as well. I recently saw it performed in Grand Ledge, Michigan in an old barn that was the perfect setting for a Yooper play. It may not be as funny to people outside the region, but it's hilarious for those of us born and bred here.
However, Mohr's book certainly shows that even books about regionalisms can have a national appeal.
As someone who loves theater as much as she loves books, scripts rank pretty high on my list of reading material. I'm also fascinated by books that are turned into plays, though few authors are able to do so successfully.
Agatha Christie used to complain about the stage adaptations made of her novels because she thought they stayed too true to the original story and missed out on the theatricality of the medium. So she began adapting her stories--far more successfully than those who came before her. Anyone who has seen her plays and read her books will know that there are often different endings, especially in such plays as Witness for the Prosecution and And Then There Were None (or Ten Little Indians).
But the transition from book to stage is a far more difficult one than, for example, the transition from book to screen.
Howard Mohr is an author who managed to take his book of humor and turn it into a musical. Mohr, a one-time writer for Prairie Home Companion, became a bestselling author by translating his regionalisms for the rest of the world in the popular book, How to Speak Minnesotan. (It's a book, incidently, that was reviewed by a native Minnesotan at Book Help Web.) But he didn't stop there. After winning a regional Emmy for the video version of the book, he turned it into a musical which has enjoyed long runs in Minnesota.
It reminded me a bit of Jeff Daniels' stage version of Escanaba in Da Moonlight (and from what I've heard, the movie version had little merit, which is a real shame considering how very, very good the stage version is). It's a play that plays to sell-out crowds wherever it goes in Michigan. It plays most often at Daniels' own Purple Rose Theater, but it's made the rounds to other state theaters as well. I recently saw it performed in Grand Ledge, Michigan in an old barn that was the perfect setting for a Yooper play. It may not be as funny to people outside the region, but it's hilarious for those of us born and bred here.
However, Mohr's book certainly shows that even books about regionalisms can have a national appeal.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Cesar Millan: The Dog Whisperer
I often peruse the bestseller lists just to see what people are reading and what is currently popular.
This summer, dogs are definitely having their day on the non-fiction charts.
John Grogan's Marley and Me has sat on the list for a long time. From everyone I've spoken to, the book is a charming tale that is thoroughly enjoyable. Marley is called the worst dog ever, but it is obvious his family is devoted to him.
People want to read about misbehaving dogs. They also want to know what they can do so their own dogs stop misbehaving. That's where a person like Cesar Millan steps in. His book, Cesar's Way, has been selling like illegal fireworks on the third of July. Of course, it helps that Millan already had widespread popularity because of his National Geographic Show, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan and his appearance on such other shows as Oprah.
I managed to catch an episode of the National Geographic episode and it is easy to see why Millan has such wide appeal. He loves dogs, but he is also very realistic about them. He doesn't try to anthropomorphosize dogs. Instead, he points out that they are pack animals and that what they need are exercise, discipline, and love--in that order.
It's a good summer out there for people who are dog and book lovers!
I often peruse the bestseller lists just to see what people are reading and what is currently popular.
This summer, dogs are definitely having their day on the non-fiction charts.
John Grogan's Marley and Me has sat on the list for a long time. From everyone I've spoken to, the book is a charming tale that is thoroughly enjoyable. Marley is called the worst dog ever, but it is obvious his family is devoted to him.
People want to read about misbehaving dogs. They also want to know what they can do so their own dogs stop misbehaving. That's where a person like Cesar Millan steps in. His book, Cesar's Way, has been selling like illegal fireworks on the third of July. Of course, it helps that Millan already had widespread popularity because of his National Geographic Show, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan and his appearance on such other shows as Oprah.
I managed to catch an episode of the National Geographic episode and it is easy to see why Millan has such wide appeal. He loves dogs, but he is also very realistic about them. He doesn't try to anthropomorphosize dogs. Instead, he points out that they are pack animals and that what they need are exercise, discipline, and love--in that order.
It's a good summer out there for people who are dog and book lovers!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
July is...
July is slipping away from us, another few days and we'll be sliding down toward August and summer's end. So while we can still enjoy summer's treasures, I'm going to throw out some book recommendations to celebrate July's sometimes unusual "celebrations." Be prepared for some stomach growling, though, much of July is celebrating food.
July is...
National Ice Cream Month
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit by Ray Bradbury
Clifford and the Big Ice Cream Mess by Norman Bridwell
Read an Almanac Month
The Celebrated Discworld Alamanac by Terry Pratchett
Anti-Boredom Month
38 Ways to Entertain Your Parents on Summer Vacation by Dette Hunter
National Blueberries Month
Blueberries for the Queen by Katherine Paterson
National Hot Dog Month
Hot Dog, Cool Cat by Jenny Nimmo
Pet Month
Marley and Me by John Grogan
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Family Reunion Month
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
Family Month
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
All My Sons by Arthur Miller
Romance Month
Any book in the Love Swepts series by Janet Evanovich
The Strongbox Chronicles by C.E. Murphy/Cate Dermody
Irish Gold by Andrew Greeley
The Compass Rose by Gail Dayton
For Camelot's Honor by Sarah Zettel
Endless Night by Agatha Christie
American Beer Month
The Greatest Invention in the History of Mankind is Beer by Dave Barry
Adopt a Rabbit Month
Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
National Picnic Month
Picnic by William Inge
Picnic at Mudsock Meadow by Patricia Polacco
The Butterfly Picnic by Joan Aiken
And while I haven't reading recommendations to offer for the following, there are plenty more celebrations and awareness dedications for this month:
July is slipping away from us, another few days and we'll be sliding down toward August and summer's end. So while we can still enjoy summer's treasures, I'm going to throw out some book recommendations to celebrate July's sometimes unusual "celebrations." Be prepared for some stomach growling, though, much of July is celebrating food.
July is...
National Ice Cream Month
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit by Ray Bradbury
Clifford and the Big Ice Cream Mess by Norman Bridwell
Read an Almanac Month
The Celebrated Discworld Alamanac by Terry Pratchett
Anti-Boredom Month
38 Ways to Entertain Your Parents on Summer Vacation by Dette Hunter
National Blueberries Month
Blueberries for the Queen by Katherine Paterson
National Hot Dog Month
Hot Dog, Cool Cat by Jenny Nimmo
Pet Month
Marley and Me by John Grogan
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Family Reunion Month
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
Family Month
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
All My Sons by Arthur Miller
Romance Month
Any book in the Love Swepts series by Janet Evanovich
The Strongbox Chronicles by C.E. Murphy/Cate Dermody
Irish Gold by Andrew Greeley
The Compass Rose by Gail Dayton
For Camelot's Honor by Sarah Zettel
Endless Night by Agatha Christie
American Beer Month
The Greatest Invention in the History of Mankind is Beer by Dave Barry
Adopt a Rabbit Month
Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
National Picnic Month
Picnic by William Inge
Picnic at Mudsock Meadow by Patricia Polacco
The Butterfly Picnic by Joan Aiken
And while I haven't reading recommendations to offer for the following, there are plenty more celebrations and awareness dedications for this month:
- National Refractive Disorders Month and Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month
- Mixed Nut Month
- National Tennis Month
- National Baked Bean Month
- Hitchhiking Month
- National Grilling Month
- National Horseradish Month
- Recreation and Parks Month
- Cell Phone Courtesy Month
- Social Wellness Month
- UV Safety Month
- Browser Bug Month
- National Foreign Language Month
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Call her Doctor Rowling
It's not the first time J.K. Rowling has received an honorary degree.
In fact, three other universities have given the creator of Harry Potter honorary degrees for her contribution to literature. However, Aberdeen University in Scotland recently awarded her an honorary doctorate for a different reason--for her contribution to multiple scerlosis research. It's a disease her mother died from in 1990 and Rowling has supported research and worked to raise money for the cause.
Speaking of children's authors, there are several upcoming releases that fans of the genre can eagerly anticipate. Such authors as Meg Cabot, Ursula LeGuin, and Gail Carson Levine all have books coming out soon. For that matter, so does Jamie Lee Curtis and Kate McMullen.
It's not the first time J.K. Rowling has received an honorary degree.
In fact, three other universities have given the creator of Harry Potter honorary degrees for her contribution to literature. However, Aberdeen University in Scotland recently awarded her an honorary doctorate for a different reason--for her contribution to multiple scerlosis research. It's a disease her mother died from in 1990 and Rowling has supported research and worked to raise money for the cause.
Speaking of children's authors, there are several upcoming releases that fans of the genre can eagerly anticipate. Such authors as Meg Cabot, Ursula LeGuin, and Gail Carson Levine all have books coming out soon. For that matter, so does Jamie Lee Curtis and Kate McMullen.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Wonder-ful Picoult
You never know what path you might travel once you've written a book. Lots of authors tell of amusing and harrowing stories of adventures they've had while researching books. Then there are those doors that open because the book has been published.
Jodi Picoult, an author of several bestselling novels who did an interview with Book Help Web earlier this year, wrote her most recent book about a comic book writer. Now she's being invited to step into those shoes herself. DC Comics, according to the New York Times, has asked her to write five issues of "Wonder Woman."
They'll be published next year.
You never know what path you might travel once you've written a book. Lots of authors tell of amusing and harrowing stories of adventures they've had while researching books. Then there are those doors that open because the book has been published.
Jodi Picoult, an author of several bestselling novels who did an interview with Book Help Web earlier this year, wrote her most recent book about a comic book writer. Now she's being invited to step into those shoes herself. DC Comics, according to the New York Times, has asked her to write five issues of "Wonder Woman."
They'll be published next year.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Authors and Literary Magazines
There are myriad paths that authors take to get from their keyboard to bookstore shelf.
Short stories have always been a way for writers to break into larger markets and editors aren't immune from catching the publishing bug. Yesterday, I wrote about Adrienne Brodeur and her delightful Man Camp. Her pre-publishing background included being the founder and editor of a literary magazine, Zoetrope.
Another author who has gone the literary magazine route is Bill Buford. He was the founding editor of the literary magazine, Granta. His most recent book, Heat, has been selling like hotcakes. It's a book that gives a peek into a kitchen headed by a talented and volatile chef. Buford spent three years in the kitchen, learning everything he could. It's a style he's used before--when researching soccer thugs in England.
There are myriad paths that authors take to get from their keyboard to bookstore shelf.
Short stories have always been a way for writers to break into larger markets and editors aren't immune from catching the publishing bug. Yesterday, I wrote about Adrienne Brodeur and her delightful Man Camp. Her pre-publishing background included being the founder and editor of a literary magazine, Zoetrope.
Another author who has gone the literary magazine route is Bill Buford. He was the founding editor of the literary magazine, Granta. His most recent book, Heat, has been selling like hotcakes. It's a book that gives a peek into a kitchen headed by a talented and volatile chef. Buford spent three years in the kitchen, learning everything he could. It's a style he's used before--when researching soccer thugs in England.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Man Camp
Every so often, you come across a book that just tickles your funny bone and keeps you laughing long after you've put it down.
Adrienne Brodeur's Man Camp has done that for me. It's easily one of the funniest books that I've read this year. I found myself constantly reading passages of it aloud to my husband, recounting scenes to several of my friends, and insisting that people I know go and pick themselves up a copy.
Man Camp is Brodeur's debut novel. She published it in 2005 and it was released in paperback last month. It's a fast-paced hilarious read filled with cleverness on every page. There were times when reading it that I almost felt guilty for liking it so much. Where is the egalitarianism in sending men to a camp to learn to be more "manly"? Didn't we leave that sort of sexism behind already?
But Brodeur's novel really does manage to strike a genuine chord. It made even this die-hard feminist chortle with delight.
Every so often, you come across a book that just tickles your funny bone and keeps you laughing long after you've put it down.
Adrienne Brodeur's Man Camp has done that for me. It's easily one of the funniest books that I've read this year. I found myself constantly reading passages of it aloud to my husband, recounting scenes to several of my friends, and insisting that people I know go and pick themselves up a copy.
Man Camp is Brodeur's debut novel. She published it in 2005 and it was released in paperback last month. It's a fast-paced hilarious read filled with cleverness on every page. There were times when reading it that I almost felt guilty for liking it so much. Where is the egalitarianism in sending men to a camp to learn to be more "manly"? Didn't we leave that sort of sexism behind already?
But Brodeur's novel really does manage to strike a genuine chord. It made even this die-hard feminist chortle with delight.
