Between the Covers

The New Yorker picks its best books of 2009. A lot of them.

Never let it be suggested that the New Yorker would deign to choose just 10 best books of the year (and why should the editors succumb to that arbitrary number, which, as far as I can tell, is in vogue because of David Letterman?).

The list is lengthy, so I won't reproduce the whole thing here, but I was happy to see one book I liked quite a bit make the cut: Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood.

Also on the list: Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry, which was something of a sales disappointment, considering how many copies sold of Niffenegger's book club favorite, The Time Traveler's Wife.

"Mennonite" success lands second book deal for Janzen

We hear so much about the demise of the publishing industry we could really use a success story, and Henry Holt has one in the case of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen. The memoir, about Janzen's return to her Mennonite family after a series of blows (dealt by that capricious devil Life), has gone back to press five times, reports Publisher's Weekly. The book now has 40,000 copies in print, thanks to good reviews and one very special blurb (from Eat Pray Love's Elizabeth Gilbert).

Holt recently acquired the rights to Janzen's followup to Mennonite, entitled Backslider, which picks up where the first book left off, according to PW. Look for Backslider in March  2012.

In her review, Herald staff writer Hannah Sampson called the book "spirited" and "fascinating." 

New York Times Book Review picks its top 10 books

I frequently make snarky remarks about the NYT, the odd Jayson Blair/Judith Miller/sure-everything-you-write-is-factual joke. But I applaud the Book Review's top 10 best books list this year, particularly for its inclusion of the latest Lorrie Moore novel, which I loved. And none of this weak Publisher's Weekly men-only nonsense, either.

FICTION

A Gate at the Stairs, Lorrie Moore

Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, Maile Meloy

Chronic City, Jonathan Lethem

A Short History of Women, Kate Walbert

Half-Broke Horses, Jeannette Walls

NONFICTION

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science, Richard Holmes

The Good Soldiers, David Finkel

Lit: A Memoir, Mary Karr

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, Liaquat Ahamed

Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life, Carol Sklenicka

Click here to read what the Times had to say about these books.

And here to read reviewer Michiko Kakutani's top 10.

And here to read reviewer Janet Maslin's top 10 (Stephen King makes the cut!).

Florida-based publisher ships copies of left-wing "Going Rouge"

From Publisher's Weekly:

"Going Rouge, the left-wing critical take on Sarah Palin published by OR Books, is going to bookstores after all. The essay collection from OR - a new indie founded by Colin Robinson and John Oakes - was initially published as a direct-to-consumer title. Now, Florida-based publisher HCI has acquired rights to the book and began shipping copies to stores yesterday. HCI is doing a first printing of 50,000 copies."

Interestingly, HCI is best known for publishing self-help and inspirational books (we are sure Going Rouge, subtitled An American Nightmare, will be inspirational to plenty of readers). The book includes essays on the former VP candidate and Alaska governor by such "media elites" as Frank Rich, Max Blumenthal and Eve Ensler.

Sony can't promise an e-reader in every stocking

Good news for Sony, bad news for those who thought they had some holiday shopping done, courtesy of  the Associated Press:

"Sony Corp. says some customers who pre-order its newest e-reader may not get the gadget in time for the holidays.

The company said Wednesday it's trying to ship the $399 Reader Daily Edition for the holidays. But because interest has exceeded expectations, the company can't be sure that everyone who buys one will get it by Christmas.

Sony unveiled the Reader Daily Edition in August and planned to release it for the holidays. Like rival Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle, the Daily Edition will be able to download books wirelessly - a first for a Sony Reader."

Fox News: AP assigned 11 reporters to factcheck Palin book

Fox News reporter Robert Shaffer reports that in an "unprecedented" move, the Associated Press got an early copy of Sarah Palin's Going Rogue and assigned 11 reporters to factcheck the book. AP refused comment.

Click here to read the story.

"Lost Symbol" boosts Random House's ebook sales

Bookseller.com reports that a leaked memo indicates that Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol helped Random House improve its ebook sales by - whoa! - 400 percent.

From Bookseller:

"According to an internal Random House report, sales of its Kindle e-books through September 2009 came to $22.6m, an increase of almost 700% over the $2.9m in revenue that the Kindle generated during the same period in 2008.

Crain's reports that the The Lost Symbol sold 100,000 e-books its first week out, or about 5% of total sales for the book. In the first half of 2009, Random House e-book revenue grew by 400%, a Random House spokesman added, a figure previously disclosed."

Are you ready for "Going Rogue"?

From McClatchy's Erika Bolstad (former Herald reporter!) comes this story on the eve of the release of Sarah Palin's memoir Going Rogue:

"WASHINGTON — By now, nearly everyone with a television has seen the teases for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's appearance Monday on Oprah Winfrey's show. (Will Levi come to Thanksgiving dinner? Stay tuned!)

Thanks to a sloppy stock clerk at an undisclosed bookstore, there've been plenty of leaks from Palin's memoir, Going Rogue, which officially hits bookstores Tuesday.

The Palin publicity blitz has begun, and if it has elements of a political campaign, a Twitter feed and that of a top-tier rock band touring second-tier cites, well, that's by design.

Palin, who taped her appearance on Oprah last week, kicks off her tour Tuesday at a Barnes & Noble in Grand Rapids, Mich. She'll swing through small cities such as Fort Wayne, Ind., Washington, Pa., Roanoke, Va. — places where she had triumphant appearances last year on the campaign trial as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate."

The story continues:

"So what's in the book?

There's some juicy campaign trail gossip, writes the Associated Press reporter who last week tracked down a copy of Going Rogue. In it, Palin reportedly claims that as much as $50,000 of the legal bills she amassed while she was governor of Alaska came from the vetting the McCain campaign did of her as a vice presidential candidate.

The book also "describes heart-wrenching anguish about her teen daughter's pregnancy playing out before a national audience," reports the AP.

There's also plenty of media bashing, according to an excerpt leaked to the Drudge Report Web site."

Click here to read the whole story.

 

Library scofflaw returns books 51 years later

From the Associated Press:

PHOENIX -- A high school librarian in Phoenix says a former student at the school returned two overdue books checked out 51 years ago along with a $1,000 money order to cover the fines.

Camelback High School librarian Georgette Bordine says the two Audubon Society books checked out in 1959 and the money order were sent by someone who wanted to remain anonymous.

Bordine says the letter explained that the borrower's family moved to another state and the books were mistakenly packed.

The letter said the money order was to cover fines of 2 cents per day for each book. That would total about $745. The letter says the extra money was added in case the rates had changed.

Bordine says the money will buy more books, and the overdue books will be returned to the shelves.

Palin to go "Rogue" in Orlando

South Florida Sarah Palin fans, you're going to have a long drive if you want to see the former Republican VP candidate on her upcoming book tour. According to the Associated Press, she has scheduled a stop in Orlando. No word on South Florida (that bastion of liberalism) yet.

The AP reports that Palin, whose book Going Rogue comes out Nov. 17, is skipping the traditional bookselling towns (New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, speaking of bastions of liberalism) in favor of such hot spots as Noblesville, Ind.; Rochester, N.Y. and Washington, Pa. She'll talk to Oprah but won't hold events in Chicago; ABC's Barbara Walters will also interview Palin in a three-part series starting on publication day. The book tour begins Nov. 18 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

From the AP story: "She wants to be unconventional. She is unconventional,'' HarperCollins spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said Wednesday. "She feels like this is where her fans are and Harper feels this is where she'll sell the most books.''

Going Rogue has an announced first printing of 1.5 million copies.