A very happy meal (maybe)

McDonalds recently announced that it would be including books with children’s Happy Meals in the United Kingdom. This has generated quite a bit of controversy. Michael and I examine our feelings about it which, frankly, are conflicted. The fact that 1 in 3 children in the UK does not own a book is a staggering reality that makes me believe that this program may be OK. Still, I wrestle with the idea of connecting books and junk food.

Should tragedy be funny? (05:21)

A recent New York Times Book Review by Christopher R. Beha about Adam Johnson’s The Orphan Master’s Son [WARNING: major spoilers included in Beha's review] has raised the question: is it ever OK to deal with tragic events through the use of humor? The novel, set in North Korea with Kim Jong-Il as a character, does have some humorous elements within, but overall it is not a comic novel.  As I was thinking about the review and Beha’s viewpoint, I happened upon a blog post on The Book Smugglers that questions a young adult book that contains a Nazi joke.  Shalom Auslander’s new novel, Hope: A Tragedy, centers on a farmhouse where Anne Frank lives in the attic as a squatter. My friend Kalen begins her Goodreads review in this way: “I don’t even know where to start reviewing this book. It is so very, very wrong and hysterically funny.”  What do you think? Is there a certain period of time that should pass before tragedy is written about in a way that veers from the serious? Are some subjects untouchable?

Two books we can’t wait for you read (13:20)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain is a work of nonfiction that we think will appeal to many of our Books on the Nightstand listeners. The book looks at how extroversion as “the norm” is a fairly recent phenomenon, and how introverts are often “forced” to work with others and in ways that are do not always play to the strengths of the introvert. The book looks at the brain science behind each personality trait, and examines the societal expectations and valuation of introverts and extroverts. Even though many of us share traits of both extroverts and introverts, it’s a fascinating book that has made Michael look at the world a little differently. (Susan blogged about last year’s Books on the Nightstand retreat, even before we knew that her book would be published by Crown, one of the Random House imprints. We’re thrilled that Susan will be joining us at Booktopia:Manchester).

Full confessions: I have not yet read The Ice Balloon by Alex Wilkinson, but many, many of my colleagues have and it’s killing me that I haven’t gotten to it yet. But based on other books that our Books on the Nightstand listeners have read and loved, I didn’t want to wait to tell you about this book. It’s the story of Swedish explorer S.A. Andreé, who in 1897 tried to discover the North Pole by flying over it in a hydrogen balloon. Andreé and his fellow aeronauts were not successful, and they seemingly disappeared into thin air. Wilkinson tells the story of what happened, based on diaries and unexposed films that were found 33 years after the fatal voyage, when their bodies were finally discovered.

Books Around the World

January 31 and February 1 are two dates to circle on your calendar. February 1 is the deadline to sign up to be a volunteer book-giver for World Book Night. I’ve already signed up and Ann is narrowing down the selection of which book she’d like to pass out. Join us!

January 31 is the deadline to nominate books for the shortlist of The International Readers Book Awards, put on by our friends Simon and Gav at The Readers podcast. If a book was published somewhere in the world in 2011, it’s eligible, so nominate your favorites!

The Alex Awards (5:38)

The American Library Association just awarded The Alex Award to ten adult books that have “special appeal to young adults.” It’s a wonderful list that includes a few of our favorites:

• Big Girl Small, by Rachel DeWoskin
• In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard
• The Lover’s Dictionary, by David Levithan
• The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens, by Brooke Hauser
• The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
• Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
• Robopocalypse, by Daniel H. Wilson
• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
• The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures, by Caroline Preston
• The Talk-Funny Girl, by Roland Merullo

Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read (9:12)

Defending Jacob by William Landay is the story of a lawyer dealing with a murder in his town; a murder for which his own fourteen-year-old son Jacob has been accused. This is a book that I read in huge gulps, turning pages frantically until the end, when my hands were shaking and my heart was pounding. We’re thrilled that Bill Landay will be joining us in Manchester for Booktopia VT.

Ann was thrilled to see Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward on the list of Alex Award recipients. It also won the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction. It’s a book she read last year, but hadn’t had a chance to talk about yet. Set in a fictional Mississippi town in the ten days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, this novel follows Esch, a fourteen-year-old who has just found out she’s pregnant, and her family. Poetic, literary, and many-layered, it’s a book that you don’t want to miss.

The Value of a Blurb

Betsy in our Goodreads Group asked whether or not she should trust author blurbs. Do the authors actually read the books then write those recommendations? The short answer is yes. In our opinion, and from what we’ve seen on the “inside,” we think you can trust the majority of blurbs. When you should most pay attention is when an author you love blurbs a book. That should definitely make you check out that book!

You Did WHAT to a Book?! (6:56)

On our Facebook wall, author Elizabeth Stuckey-French posted a message about using books as the raw materials for art projects. The book lover in her can’t bear the thought of books, even old ones, being destroyed for any reason. Ann and I can certainly see her point, but we had to admit that we’ve done things like this many times. In our defense, we also handmake books, so that has to balance the scales a bit, right? Whether you need inspiration for “evil” (mutilating helpless books) or “good” (creating beautiful new tomes), here are some books of inspiration and instruction:

• The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti
• Playing With Books by Jason Thompson
• Uncovered by Thomas Allen
• Handmade Books by Lark Studio Series
• How to Make Books by Esther K. Smith

Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read (16:12)

Ann has been waiting several months to tell you all about The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker (on sale January 31). It’s the story of a young woman who travels to Burma in search of the truth behind her father’s disappearance and the possible love affair he had with a woman there. It’s perfect for book groups. (Because Ann read the book so long ago, she mixed up the main character’s name when describing the book. It’s Julia.)

Just out in stores now is The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss. It’s an utterly charming story of a love affair that spans a decade, and possibly a millennium. The story is told from the point of view of both the man and the woman, and is presented in a unique accordion fold package. You choose which story to read first. When you finish it, you flip the book over and read the other side. Plus, it’s packaged in a beautifully illustrated slipcase.

Not Yet on the Nightstand

Our forthcoming monthly newsletter finally has a name: Not Yet on the Nightstand (thanks to Doug on our Facebook page for coming up with the title – even though Ann claims she came up with it first, but I have no memory of that!). The newsletter will take a quick look at manuscripts we have just read and loved, but that won’t be out for a few months, plus a calendar of exciting books coming out the following month.

(If signup form does not appear, please use this link to subscribe)

As we did last year, we will be creating a book to commemorate the Booktopia 2012 events.  Full details on how to submit will soon be sent to all registered attendees and authors. Sadly, the deadline for getting the book ready in time for the first event in April means that folks who wait to register for Oxford in June or Santa Cruz in October may be left out. Yet another reason to register soon!

Adaptations (9:26)

Sundance Film Festival starts soon, and will feature two movies based on books: Wuthering Heights and Lay the Favorite. Ann and her daughter recently watched the movie version of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which was disappointing to say the least. Two book-based movies we are looking forward to are Norwegian Wood and The Woman in Black.

Adaptations is a collection of 35 short stories that were turned into movies. I think it would make for an interesting book group discussion to read several of the stories and then watch the movies to see how they were expanded.

And Two One Book We Both Can’t Wait For You to Read (18:27)

It’s rare for Ann and I to read the same book, and our tastes are different enough that we don’t always agree when we do. But we both love The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson.

 The story follows Pak Jun Do, a boy raised by his father in an orphan work camp. In adulthood, he finds himself serving the North Korean government in several covert capacities until he finally ascends to a level that pits him against the Dear Leader himself, Kim Jong-il. The writing is wonderful and the research that went into the book creates a picture of a North Korea that has rarely been glimpsed.

Step Away from the Screen

My amazingly wonderful wife surprised my with an iPad for Christmas. It’s fantastic and and I love it, but I’ve been spending a lot of time on it and my reading time has suffered. So I’ve made a resolution to unplug from all media two hours before bed. Ann has made a similar pledge: to change the hour between 7-8 am from time spent trolling Twitter and email to an hour spent reading. Don’t forget about our 12 in ’12 Reading Challenge. Folks are coming up with some great interpretations over at our Goodreads group!

A New Literary Ambassador (4:53)

Walter Dean Myers was just named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. That got us thinking: should there be a Literary Ambassador for adult books or reading in general? What would that position entail and who should fill it? I suggested John Grisham, but Ann made a compelling argument for Neil Gaiman. What do you say Neil? If chosen, will you serve?
As for the rest of you, let us know who you would nominate to this (as of now, non-existent) post.

And Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read (12:35)

Over the holiday break, I read, and was moved by, Enjoy Every Sandwich by Lee Lipsenthal M.D. Lipsenthal’s life and work uniquely prepared him for his diagnosis of terminal esophageal cancer. This book is his a look at his philosophy of truly living every day you are alive.
Last episode, Ann and I both expressed regret over not having read The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. Ann picked it up New Year’s Day and was very much surprised by it. It was not what she expected and she can’t wait to discuss it with others who have read it (yes, yes, I’ll get to it soon!)

photo by spykster, via flickr

Successes and failures

At the beginning of the year, we made some reading resolutions. Michael and I report on our successes (or not) in meeting those resolutions. Congratulations, Michael, on reaching your goal of reading 61 books. Many others who joined the challenge have completed or surpassed their +11 in 2011 resolutions, and they are scheming ways to read “12 in 2012″. Join the Goodreads thread to check in on them, and to join in with your own challenge. Michael will put up a blog post soon with all the details–watch for it!

Our favorite books of 2011

It was really difficult to narrow down our favorite books of 2011, but we (sort of) managed. Our individual lists are presented below, in no particular order. Where applicable, links go to the BOTNS episode where we first discussed these books.

Ann’s list:

The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
We the Animals by Justin Torres
The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott or Jo Nesbo’s The Snowman

I also want to add  the winners of 2011′s big literary awards:
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, which won the Man Booker Prize, and
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, which won the National Book Award.

Michael’s list:

The Bee Loud Glade by Steve Himmer
Habibi by Craig Thompson
Ready Player One by Ernie Cline
Townie by Andre Dubus III
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (not previously discussed on BOTNS)

Three books we wish we had read this year

Michael and I both discovered that the number one book we wish we had read this year is The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

Since we didn’t want you to feel cheated, we each chose another book. Michael wishes he had read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

I chose Ready Player One by Ernie Cline — Michael and so many of the rest of you have convinced me!

World Book Night!

April 23rd is World Book Night, and we hope that you will all participate. I’m sure that publicity will ramp up after the New Year, but it’s a great event that will hopefully spread the love of reading far and wide. Volunteers throughout the United States, UK & Ireland (and possibly other countries, I’m not sure) will hand out free books in their communities. We’ll be talking about this a lot more in 2012, but if you think you’d like to learn more and maybe participate, please visit the World Book Night website. There’s a form there to fill out if you’d like to be a volunteer, or you can just get more details.

Just a reminder: Michael and I are taking next week off to spend Christmas with our families. Happy Holidays to everyone! We will be back with a new episode on January 4th!

Sometime last week Books on the Nightstand podcast passed 500,000 downloads. It’s an astonishing number. True, heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported us for past 4+ years!

Next week, we’ll be bringing you our Favorite Books of 2011. We’d love to hear what your favorites were this year! In the comments section below, please tell us up to five of your top books. Feel free to leave a simple list, or tell us a little about the books and why you loved them.

The Books on the Nightstand Retreat Author Reading Challenge is coming to an end! You have until January 15 to report the reading that you’ve done. Then we’ll pick three winners who will each receive a book, or two, plus a set of BOTNS Bookmarks, hand letterpress printed by Ann.

The Books Michael Saw on Vacation

While at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I was amused (and a little horrified) to see books used entirely as props. So much so that they were actually glued to the bookshelves. I’m guessing we all love to “decorate” our homes with the books we’ve read and loved, but I think books strictly as decoration, especially in a way that prevents using them as intended, is going a little far!

A Cry for Attention (9:34)

We’ll be covering our favorites of 2011 next episode, this time around we’re discussing the books we feel deserve more readers. Some of them may have sold well, or made some Best of lists themselves, but in our own opinions, they should have been even bigger. Similar lists were put out by Flavorwire and Book Riot. (Titles below link to original BOTNS podcast where the book was mentioned)

Ann:

• We the Animals by Justin Torres
• The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
• The Curfew by Jesse Ball
• The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
• The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott

Michael:

• Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman
• After the Apocalypse by Maureen McHugh
• Bright’s Passage by Josh Ritter
• The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips
• Vietnamerica by GB Tran

Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read (20:20)

Batman: Noel, a graphic novel written and beautifully painted by Lee Bermejo is a Gotham City retelling of A Christmas Carol. I loved Bermejo’s unexpected choice of who stood in for Scrooge. Ann recommends a YA novel, Divergent by Veronica Roth. What happens in a future utopia when someone decides to choose a path different from the one society has chosen for her? This book was named best book of 2011 by Goodreads members.

When good authors go bad

How do you handle the disappointment when you are looking forward to a favorite author’s book and it leaves you wanting? I tend to make a distinction between favorite books and favorite authors — not all of my favorite books are by my favorite authors. I tend to judge authors on the body of their work, but I don’t always love every book by a favorite author. Michael and I discuss this. Is it a case of overblown expectations? Are we more disappointed by a book we don’t love if it’s from a favorite author? Do we cut other authors more slack?

Excuse me, where is the time travel section?

Michael and I are both fans of time travel in fiction.

Paris Before Men by Pierre Boitard is often mentioned as one of the first time travel novels. Some classic examples of time travel fiction are The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain. In this segment, we do a quick roundup of some of our favorite time travel novels, and one or two that are on our to-be-read list:

• A Scientific Romance by Ronald Wright
• Replay by Ken Grimwood which, as Michael points out, was revitalized a few years ago when author Brad Meltzer talked about it on NPR.
• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
• Kindred by Octavia Butler
• Time and Again by Jack Finney

Two books we can’t wait for you to read

Michael talks about Alan Bradley’s new book, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows. The latest in the Flavia DeLuce series, this book is set during the holiday season and includes a plot by Flavia to catch Santa Claus. Michael hasn’t read it yet, but  you know that both of us are huge fans of Alan Bradley, so I suspect that we will both have read this book before the year is out.

My recommendation for this episode is gritty and gory: The Leopard by Jo Nesbo, the latest mystery in the Harry Hole series. The novel picks up after The Snowman, and we see Harry Hole suffering from the events that transpired in The Snowman. Despite his best efforts, Hole gets dragged into a new investigation in Norway that involves a serial killer who is targeting people who stayed in a particular cabin on a particular night.

Before the show… I realize that we’ve forgotten to mention two important things. First, the 2011 BOTNS Holiday Gift Guide is available for you to download. We hope that you find some great gift ideas.

Secondly, we recently announced that we would be writing a free monthly email newsletter, available only to subscribers. We’ll begin in January. We’re still playing with the types of content that we want to include, but we know that it will feature a snapshot of the manuscripts we’ve been reading. If you like hearing about books that will be published far in the future, this is the email for you. Sign up here. We promise we will never spam you.

Book Elves are Back on Duty

Last year, Michael and I played “book elves,” and asked BOTNS listeners to call in and give us their “gift giving challenges”. We came up with book recommendations for those tough-to-buy-for people, and we had a great time doing it. This year we’ve decided to play Book Elves on our Facebook page. Post your holiday gift challenges on our wall there, and Michael and I will try to come up with some great book suggestions — but we’d love for you to chime in with your recommendations, too! It starts on December 1st, so please join us there!

Books as Warm Blankets

We got an email message asking us to talk about “security blanket books” — those books that we turn to in time of stress or turmoil. Others have called these “comfort reads.” Michael and I confess that neither of us have specific books that we turn to, but we do have genres that we rely on. Michael of course loves superhero comics, and I run for mysteries and thrillers, especially Lee Child‘s Jack Reacher series. What are your comfort reads or “security blanket books”? Let us know in the comments.

Two Books We Can’t Wait for You to Read

Michael recommends After the Apocalypse, a collection of short stories by Maureen McHugh.  The stories are all very different and don’t fit the typical post-apocalyptic mold.

My pick for this week is P.D. James’ Death Comes to Pemberley, which I confess I have not yet read–but I will drop whatever I’m reading when my copy arrives. P.D. James has set her latest mystery at Pemberley, the estate from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It’s an homage to Austen that I can’t wait to read.

But before you do … Michael and I have something else up our sleeve. Beginning in January, we will be creating a monthly BOTNS email newsletter that will be sent only to subscribers. This will be content that is separate from our weekly podcast. We are still working on all of the details, but one of the features we will definitely include is the inside scoop on some of our favorite books that are still several months away from publication. Many of you have been asking to hear more about the manuscripts we are reading, even though they won’t be published for six months or more. This newsletter will give you that type of information.

(If signup form does not appear, please use this link to subscribe).

The Books on the Nightstand Holiday gift guide includes our personal book recommendations across many categories — including several great books that cost less than $20! Just click to download the free guide. The final page of the guide is a handy checklist you can print out for easy reference, or for a not-so-subtle hint to leave on the kitchen table! This is a .pdf file; click to open, or right-click to download.

PDF file: Click to open; right click to download