Author encounters of the cool kind:

We start today’s episode with a wonderful voicemail from Jarrod in Alabama, who tells of his brief encounter with Harper Lee, author of  To Kill A Mockingbird. I think Jarrod is a far braver person than I would be in those same circumstances, and I’m thrilled that we had just a tiny bit to do with Jarrod having the opportunity to meet such an esteemed author. Melissa Klug, whom you met in BOTNS #73, emailed to tell us about her chance encounter with author Neil Gaiman — and the Dead Sea Scrolls. You’ll just have to listen to the podcast to hear the whole story.

Have you ever encountered an author “in the wild”? Tell us your story in the comments, or call our voicemail line: (209) 867-7323.

What to read after you’ve finished The Girl Who… (08:55)

As we’ve traveled through New England visiting bookstores this week, we saw so many displays of Scandinavian mysteries. Inspired by the oft-asked question, “I’ve read all of the Stieg Larsson books, what should I read next?”, bookstores have put together creative assortments of titles that will appeal to those who like their crime novels set in Sweden. Some of the authors we spotted:

Mind’s Eye by Hakan Nesser

Woman with Birthmark by Hakan Nesser

The Cruel Stars of the Night by Kjell Eriksson

The Water’s Edge by Karin Fossum

Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Henning Mankell’s Wallander series, which starts with Faceless Killers

And the pair that may have started it all, Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Beginning with Roseanna in 1965, the Swedish couple wrote a series of 10 police procedurals featuring detective Martin Beck. These books were the precursors to the modern-day crime thriller, and there are many similarities between them and the Stieg Larsson books. Sarah Weinman has more information on the pair in her Daily Beast article.

Two books we can’t wait for you to read: (15:44)

Michael raves about Revolver, an original graphic novel (never before in comic book form) by Matt Kindt. It’s the story of Sam, who has a dead-end job and a materialistic girlfriend, but one day finds himself splitting his time between his ordinary world, and a world where there has been a major terrorist attack. Ann talks about Star Island by Carl Hiaasen, a quirky crime novel starring a drug-addled young celebrity and her body-double stand-in who has been kidnapped by a crazed papparazo fan.

Listener Projects

Nicky, from the UK, has helped implement, at her local library, a new program which gives people with disabilities special services such as free audio book and DVD rentals, no late fees and book delivery. Chris emailed us a few years ago, asking if we knew of any services which would notify him when his favorite authors had new books out. We couldn’t think of any and he never found one, so he created one that is now available to everyone. Check out Reader Alert; it’s wonderful! Way to go Nicky and Chris!

When I raved about Kings of the Earth, I forgot to mention that Jon Clinch, the author, had used a true story as his inspiration for the novel. Several BOTNS listeners wrote in to mention the documentary Brother’s Keeper, which told the story of the four Ward brothers. It’s a documentary that Ann has seen and loved, and that I have in my Netflix queue.

Ice-Cold Pages

Recently, in the midst of a New England heatwave, Ann asked our Facebook followers for their favorite reads set in a cold climate. We got an avalanche of responses. (sorry) Some of the most often-recommended titles were To Build a Fire by Jack London, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, The Terror by Dan Simmons and Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg, which was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo of it’s time (a Scandinavian mystery that came out of nowhere and sold like mad). One book that caught both my and Ann’s attention was The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin, the true account of a late 19th-century storm that trapped a group of children in their one-room schoolhouse. You can see the full thread of recommendations here.

Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read

The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer has been getting stellar reviews so, even though I haven’t read it yet, I feel confident recommending this paperback original set in the New York publishing world. It’s about a hapless, aspiring writer caught up in a fake memoir scheme. Ann tells us about Border Songs by Jim Lynch. Newly released in paperback, this novel tells the story of Brandon Vanderkool who, despite being uninterested in his new job as a guard along the Washington-Canadian border, actually excels at catching illegal aliens and drug-runners.

A couple of weird things happened today: the podcast didn’t go up until this afternoon (we usually publish late Tuesday night) and then there was the scam email some of you might have received from my personal email address. No, I am not in London,  no I was not mugged, and no I wasn’t emailing you asking for cash!

Apologies to any of you who might have gotten this. While the hacker had access to my account, he wiped out all of my contacts, so I can’t even tell who might have been spammed. Chances are, if I ever replied to an email from you, you were hit. As far as I know, there is no virus to be concerned about. It was just a phishing attack looking for cash.

Rest assured, I have regained control of my account and the password is now VERY complex and convoluted!

Michael

p.s. many folks have told me that they immediately knew it wasn’t me because of the atrocious spelling and grammar. I guess it pays to speak (and write) correctly!

In episode 85, we talked about how we choose the next book from our to be read pile, and Shannon from Ohio called in to tell us about the way she uses the to read shelf on Goodreads.

In episode 82, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird. We heard from two listeners: one who attended the Monroeville, AL celebration, and one who created a celebration of her own by rereading the book. (For more information on the documentary Hey, Boo, visit this site.)

Episode 84‘s question “Do you buy books or do you use the library?” led to several similar responses of “Both!” It’s clear that book lovers need more than one way to get their fix!

Both Kristen, a librarian, and Ellen from Ohio called to weigh in on our Episode 83 topic, the importance of bestseller lists. We had so many responses to this topic and many people actively avoid reading books on bestseller lists. Anna Marie wrote to tell us about a book, on this subject, that she enjoyed: Bestsellers: A Very Short Introduction by John Sutherland.  Eric wrote in the comments section of the blog that he has decided to read the top bestsellers from every year since 1974, the year of his birth. That’s quite an undertaking Eric. Keep us up-to-date on your progress! Pat emailed us about bestsellers and the other topic we discussed in episode 83, which was the city as character. She loves to read books set in a place she is planning on visiting, but can’t find an easy way to search for books that way. Ann and I searched the web also and couldn’t find anything. Anyone have suggestions for Pat? Ann also reminds us that your local booksellers are a great resource for queries like this.

Mark from Toronto called in a recommendation for Jose Saramago’s Blindness. He recounts the way, as a bookseller, he would tell stories to sell stories. It’s a wonderful call and it made both Ann and me want to pick up Blindness immediately! Please don’t forget that we would love for you to call in your own recommendations. Our voicemail number is 209-867-7323.

Eeny Meeny Miney Moe

Goodreads has recently introduced the ability to re-order you To Be Read shelf and I’ve begun experimenting with that as a way of keeping track of which books I’ll read next, and I tend to sort by when the books will be released. Ann often chooses by mood, current buzz, what her book group has picked for that month, or what catches her eye on her bookshelves. What about you? Do you have a system to pick your next reading selection or is it all spur-of-the-moment?

Gooooooaaaaaalllllll! (4:48)

The vuvuzela has sounded and the World Cup is here (for a few more days at least). The ESPN World Cup Companion is a beautifully illustrated book that looks at the entire history of this event, and was fun to look through even for as unschooled in soccer/football as I am. Ann recommends two true stories of inspirational soccer teams.  The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss, an American-in-Italy story with soccer at its heart. Outcasts United by Warren St. John is the story of a soccer team in Clarkston, Georgia, home to scores of families who have fled war-torn regions around the world. A young Jordanian woman forms a soccer team made up of refugee children and this book follows that team over the course of a single season.

Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read (13:30)

Ann departs from tradition by recommending an older book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, which she just read for the first time, and which was chosen by her book group. This story of young Francie Nolan growing up in Brooklyn in the first decades of the 20th century quickly jumped onto Ann’s Top 10 Books of all time list. A book that’s sure to make my Top 10 (or 5, or 1) of 2010 is Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch. I do my best to describe this novel about three elderly, illiterate brothers on a rundown farm in upstate New York, but I quickly lapse into “I can’t coherently express how much I love this book” territory. Just take my word for it and read it!

Borrow vs. Buy

Jason, from western New York, emailed us asking about buying books from bookstores and taking books out of the library. Ann and I share our “methodology” for library use, including Ann’s daughters trying out new series. We’d love to hear what all of you think!

Biblio-Mysteries (6:28)

Talking about libraries got us thinking about books set in libraries or other book-ish sites. Thankfully, the Manchester CT public library did most of the work for us when they created Death Among the Books, a very comprehensive list with a title that we shamelessly stole! From the list, we mention Miss Zukas Shelves the Evidence by Jo Dereske and The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie. Ann talks about Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr series, featuring a bookstore owner who is also a cat burglar. I also have fond memories of bookstore owner character: Cliff Janeway, the protagonist in John Dunning’s Bookman series which began with Booked to Die. Moving out of libraries and bookstores, Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg is a mystery set in the office of a literary agent and features an anonymous manuscript being sent in chapter by chapter. The problem is that the story seems to mirror the life of Angel, our main character, and the latest chapter ends in murder.

Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read (12:10)

Ann recommends Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross. It’s difficult to describe, but features a murder investigation and homages to Hitchcock, M.C. Escher and The Fugitive. There’s a can of peanuts in there too and they just might be the murder weapon. Equally hard to describe is my book: Kraken by China Mieville. A giant squid has gone missing from London’s Natural History Museum, tank and all. It has been taken a sect of squid worshipers who believe it has the power to bring about the end of the world. I’ve only read the first chapter, but it grabbed me right away!

Retreat Rates and Bestseller Lists

We have officially announced the lodging options and rates for the Books on the Nightstand Weekend Retreat! Be sure to visit the Retreat page on our Goodreads group for all the details. And don’t forget to sign up for the BOTNS Weekend Retreat Email Newsletter to stay up-to-date!
Ann and I discuss the role of bestseller lists for today’s book buying public, and Ann tells us about the history of the book bestseller list. One interesting aspect was British publishing’s reluctance to embrace the concept of bestseller lists. You can read more about that here. The Washington Post recently had an article that featured the Top 10 bestselling books for each decade (from 1910s to 1990s) as pulled from Publishers Weekly. What a fascinating trip down memory lane – with a few very obscure stops along the way!

The City as Character (11:54)

Mrs. Somebody Somebody, a book I recently spoke about, could be said to have the city of Lowell, MA as its main character. Ann and I have come up with a few more books that feature a setting that takes on character status. The one that immediately sprang to mind for me was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a book that is set in Barcelona and which I read before going to that city. I made sure to visit several of the sites mentioned in the book. A comic book series which has a wonderful sense of place is DMZ by Brian Wood, with art by Riccardo Burchielli. Set in the near future, during the second American Civil War, the story follows Matty Roth, a photojournalist, and the only journalist embedded in Manhattan, the demilitarized zone between the two warring armies. Ann tells us about Lauren Belfer’s City of Light, a book that came out 1999 and that Ann has been recommending ever since. The city-as-character here is Buffalo of 1901, whose people are preparing for the Pan-American Exposition and are readying Niagara Falls for hydro-electric power. Lauren Belfer has a new book out called A Fierce Radiance which follows a Life magazine photographer in New York City during the early days of World War II.

Two Books We Can’t Wait for You to Read (22:12)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Scott Huler, author of Defining the Wind, which I loved, has a new book out. It’s called On the Grid and in it he traces all of the elements of infrastructure (water, electricity, roads, sewage, telephone) outwards from his house in Raleigh, NC. It’s a fascinating read so far, and I’m learning a lot. Ann recommends The Quickening by Michelle Hoover, the story of the friendship between Enidina (or “Eddie”) and Mary, the wives of farmers who live near each other in 1900′s Midwest.

We told you a bit about the Books on the Nightstand retreat in an earlier podcast. Now, it’s a reality! Early interest has been phenomenal, thank you so much!! Honestly, when we threw out the idea, we weren’t sure if anyone would want to come. But you do! So much so that we had to find a second lodging option because it appears that we have more people who want to come than there are rooms at the inn! A good problem to have!! (OK, this paragraph gets the record for most exclamation points ever. Can you tell we’re excited?)

So join us for a weekend of talking about books, shopping for books, reading books, and general bookish merriment! We are eagerly looking forward to spending a weekend with Books on the Nightstand readers, listeners and friends. We haven’t finalized all of the plans yet, but we hope to have an author or two in attendance, a group book discussion, and whatever else we can come up with.

When: April 8-10, 2011

Where: Manchester Center, Vermont, USA

The Details: This is not a formal, organized, all-inclusive conference. This is an individual, pay-as-you-go on your own hang-out-with-friends kind of weekend. There’s no registration fee, programming fee, etc. You pay for your own lodging and meals — so that you can stick to your own budget, and hopefully have a lot of money to spend on new BOOKS! Some people will likely want to have dinner in a nice restaurant, others will want to get a sandwich — whatever you choose to do is up to you, and you will surely have company in whatever you do. We really want to keep this fun and affordable for everyone.

Lodging: We have made arrangements for special Books on the Nightstand rates at two properties in Manchester. Rates will be announced in the Goodreads group on Tuesday, June 22nd at 9am, and on the Books on the Nightstand podcast that goes live on Wednesday, June 23rd. You can begin booking your rooms at either property at that time. We should have plenty of rooms between the two locations.

The Inn at Manchester

The Inn at Manchester is the “official headquarters” of Books on the Nightstand. This lovely 18-room country inn is where we stay when we visit our friends at The Northshire Bookstore. It’s like a second home to us, and the innkeepers could not be more wonderful. There are many cozy common areas to gather and chat with friends. It’s just under a mile drive to the bookstore from the Inn.

The Palmer House is a slightly less-expensive option that has more standard “motel-style” accommodation set on lovely grounds. There’s even a tennis court! The Palmer House is located 1/2 mile from the bookstore, and has easy access to restaurants and shops.

The Palmer House

Bookish activities: We’re still planning our events, but some of them will surely involve visiting and shopping at the famous Northshire Bookstore, a wonderful, rambly store filled with great books and fantastic booksellers (who are also BOTNS fans). Serious book lovers can (and do!) spend hours browsing and buying. We can’t wait to share this amazing bookstore with our Books on the Nightstand friends. We also hope to have at least one author chat, a group book discussion, and assorted other informal gathering opportunities as well.

Learn more: We’ve set up a folder in our Goodreads group to discuss all of the details: lodging specifics and rates, transportation options, activities and plans. Join us there to learn more, talk with others who are thinking of coming, and ask questions. We also have a special email list specifically for information about the retreat. Sign up below to receive notification of all new developments here: BOTNS Weekend Retreat Email Newsletter

We hope to see you there!

We love email!

We start this episode with two listener emails. Richard thanks us for recommending Stoner, and responds to our inquiry about novels with nontraditional reading structures. Richard suggests that we take a look at the novels of David Markson, who recently passed away. Richard suggests that we start with The Last Novel, Reader’s Block, Vanishing Point, or This Is Not a Novel.

Katherine wrote in to correct Michael’s pronunciation of a name in his recent recommendation of Operation Mincemeat. “Cholmondeley”, it turns out, is actually pronounced “Chumley.” Katherine goes on to say:

“As I was writing the above, I remembered a limerick Willard Espy included in one of his wonderful compilations on language, probably Words at Play. He noted several English names that were not pronounced as written, one of which was Cholmondeley and another Beauchamp, or “Beechum.” Then he wrote:

A naughty young fellow named Beauchamp
Said: “These jelly tarts–how can I reauchamp?
To my parents I’d go
But they always say no,
No matter how much I beseauchamp.”

The English language can be endless fun, especially in rhyme.”

Thanks to Richard and Katherine for taking the time to write in. We encourage all of our listeners to contact us at any time, using any of the methods in our About/Contact Us page.

Happy 50th to an American classic! (4:45)

July 11th, 2010 is the 50th Anniversary of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Both Michael and I are hoping to listen to the audiobook, which is read by Sissy Spacek. Harper Collins has a website set up for all information regarding the 50th anniversary. They also just released Scout, Atticus and Boo by Mary McDonagh Murphy, which is a compliation of essays from well-known writers and celebrities about the effect that To Kill A Mockingbird had on their lives.

There are many events around the US to celebrate the anniversary. A full schedule is at http://tokillamockingbird50year.com.

Two books we can’t wait for you to read (11:20)

I love, but cannot coherently explain, The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst. In this novel, main character Octavia Frost attempts to reconcile with her estranged son Milo, a rock star who has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend. Much of the story is told through summaries of Octavia’s successful novels, with newly-rewritten endings that make up her next novel. It sounds confusing, but the reading experience is not. And to add an additional layer of interest, author Carolyn Parkhurst has also created an author website for her novelist-character Octavia, where you can see book jackets, read a Q&A, and experience Octavia in a new way.

Michael talks about Blind Descent by James Tabor about two men who each believe that he has discovered the deepest cave in the world.  It’s not a book for the claustrophobic, but if you’re a fan of Shadow Divers, you’ll love the adventure elements of this book. If you’ve ever wondered about the various ways you could die in a super-cave, this book is for you — turn immediately to chapter 4!

Book Expo America

Ann and I tell you all about our trip Book Expo America, where we saw lots of authors and new books coming out this fall. Check out our Flickr Photo Set from images of some of the things I saw. It was wonderful for to see all of the enthusiasm at the show for The Passage, a book we told you about several months ago. The title and release date were plastered on everything from badge holders to giant banners.

Join Us for our Summer Reading (14:22)

Thank you to everyone who voted for the books than Ann and I will read this summer. Here we tell you about the books that won – Middlesex for me and The Poisonwood Bible for Ann – in the hopes that you’ll join us in reading one or both of these. We’ll talk about the books in late August and hope to be able to have a live call-in book group of some kind (more to come on that).

Two Books We Can’t Wait For You to Read (19:21)

My book for segment three is Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn, a collection of linked short stories which all take place in the mill town of Lowell, MA, and which span the last half of the 20th century. Ann tells us about American Music by Jane Mendelsohn, author of I Was Amelia Earhart. The new novel is about an Iraq War veteran and his masseuse, who can “feel” stories as she massages him.