Great New Books

Self-hypnosis has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. Being the computer geek that I was (still am), the notion to be able to program your mind like a computer intrigued me to the point of obsession. There are many great books available that you can check out if you are thinking about practicing self-hypnosis. In the next few minutes you will be grateful to learn about two great hypnosis books. A great book that is topping the charts is "Instant Self-Hypnosis: How to Hypnotize Yourself with Your Eyes Open" by Forbes Robbins Blair. At first I was skeptical about this book. Dozens of self-help books have graced my shelves, and I honestly thought I would not see anything new. But this blew away that notion and then some. Up until this book, I had thought that being hypnotized with your eyes open, let alone self-hypnosis, was a sham. But my first 20 minute session felt like less than 5 minutes. Anyone who knows hypnosis, knows that is a clear indication of effectiveness. Another fantastic read is "elf Hypnosis for a Better Life" by William W. Hewitt. This is the book that started it all for me. The beginning of this book gives you a great foundation on what hypnosis is and how it works. Then it goes on to give you a multitude of hypnosis scripts that you can read into a recorder to use on yourself or others. My friends and I held hypnosis sessions in our living rooms and were astounded by the results. This book holds a great deal of nostalgia for me, and I recommend it to anyone that will be taking on hypnosis. You have now learned about two great hypnosis books. Congratulations upon taking this life altering journey into this form of self-help. The possibilities are endless to the things you can do with the right methods of personal development. You have definitely come across the most effective ones.

The Great Little Book of Afformations Review

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:16:00 +0000

I know I have written about Noah St. John before and about his Book "The Great Little Book of Afformations." However, I don't believe I have given the book a formal review. The book has impacted my life so much I decided a review is in order. As I have written before I was first introduced to Noah St. John through his book "The Great Little Book of Afformations." The book made such dramatic changes in the way I think that I have been a fan ever since. "The Great Little Book of Afformations" is about learning to afform rather than affirm. What is afform? In a nutshell, it is asking yourself powerful questions. By doing this your mind begins to search for the answer. It is very refreshing to afform rather than affirm. When you make affirmations, as Noah's book points out, you don't necessarily believe them, most of the time. An example would be to affirm that you are thin when in reality you believe you are fat. By afforming instead of affirming, your mind can come up with numerous answers to questions, many of them being positive. Afforming releases resistance because you are now asking questions and searching for answers, rather than frustrating yourself with thoughts you do not believe. I would fully recommend Noah St. John's book "The Great Little Book of Afformations" to anyone trying to improve their lives. The book will open your mind to a new way of thinking as well as give you a fresh perspective on life.

Ready Or Not Here Come The New Books

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:16:00 +0000

How important is it that more books be published this year? How vital is it in this culture of tweets, of Facebook status updates, of writer blogs, text messages, e-mails, e-books, e-pamphlets, and the like that we have more books coming out? The struggle and value of publishing a new book seems not only futile, but overwhelming in a world in which more and more printed, electronic, and mobile content is being generated. As a publisher, now going in to my 20th year of business, I sometimes wonder what the point is. I hear all the time that there are too many books out there, that people don't have time to read. People are so caught up in speed that a whole book (whether one written or read) seems like a leap to the moon. On the other hand I hear people ask me, are there any Hemingway's, or Borges, or Steinbeck's out there anymore? Will we ever have authors like this again? I take this to mean that even though most people seem too busy to read, they still wish there was a good book to read. Confusing right. Or they wonder, is it even possible to be a writer anymore. I believe that yes, there are new Hemingway's out there: Jonathan Safran Foer, Junot Diaz and many more...........environmental writing is intriguing these days. However, to be in search of the next great, Pulitzer Prize winning author is a bit of a quest for perfection and much beyond the powers of most people to perform. We need new books for lots of reasons, just as many people declare how much they like a mid-day rain and the chance to sit on their front porch. We all know that the stream of e-mails and flurry of text messages are like small-talk and chatter. We know that what takes time to create, what takes time and thought to read and think over are what we most value and consider of the highest quality in the world. It could just be that there are more books each year because there are more people in the world, but this is kind of bland to say. There are more books each year for all the right reasons and all the wrong reasons. Some want to get their name in print and just be "famous" and I consider this the wrong reason. Some want to share what they are passionate about and share what they have dreamed about understanding and creating, sometimes for a lifetime, with others. This is the book I am looking for and the book we all want to read.

Give Me 5 Minutes - And I'll Give You the Places to Search for Great Audio Books!

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:16:00 +0000

One of the favorite things in this world is to go into my nook and curl up with a very good book. But unfortunately, with a long commute and a couple of important work to do it is so rare for me these days to have the time to kick back, relax and read. And that's the reason why I now fancy audio books since they allow me to enjoy my books even when I'm on the move. Usually I listen to around 4-5 books on a monthly basis. Two out of these books are from Audible since I'm a member. Before, I also downloaded the other books that I want to read from Audible but then in the long run I got tired from all of those extra fees that you have to pay and thus decided to surf the net to see if there are such things as free audio books. And I was blown away by what I have discovered. Public Domain Audio Books The books in this section are free for everyone to distribute since nobody has a copy right on the pieces. Here are sites that offers great downloads for free: LibriVox - the ruler of them all. The site's goal is to "make all public domain books available as free audio books." It may not be as user-friendly as others but it rocks! Librophile - gives off a clean and organized interface for searching an audio book that is available from LibriVox. Learn Out Loud - contains over 2,000 free audio and video titles. They also have lectures, interviews, sermons and speeches available for download. A very user-friendly site which you can navigate through effortlessly. Please also take note that the said books under the public domain categories are read by volunteers thus the quality of narration and production varies. I'm not saying that good ones are not available, it's just that you have to be patient enough in search for the one you prefer. The Books under Creative Commons License PodioBooks exhibits serialized books distributed through RSS feed, similar to that of a podcast. Over 300 books are housed here plus a wide array of genres to choose from: chick lit, humor, fantasy, thrillers, sci-fi, magic, etc... And unlike the aforementioned sites, the ones on Podiobooks are new works that the authors want to share to the public under Creative Commons License. The books here are personally recorded by the authors themselves thus the quality are not the same. Audio Books straight from your Local Library Another way to download them is through your local library. There are lots of libraries that have a deal either NetLibrary or OverDrive. The said firms give the infrastructure for libraries to distribute digital content (e.g. a-books, ebooks, music and video). The best thing to do for you to go deeper into this is to simply visit the website for your local library. One site that can be an example for this one is Download Audio Books Free - this site here will let you download a free audio book plus a loaning period of 14 days. At the end of this time, the book will expire and automatically "return" to the library (this means that you won't have to pay for the late fees!)

5 Great Fantasy Book Series for Tweens

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:15:00 +0000

If you're looking for just the right book to give your child, and he/she is interested in heroes and battles, magicians and sorcerers, hidden worlds or unique twists on old fairy tales, these five authors have series that will provide your child with hours of enjoyment and excitement. And I know, because not only have my kids read and delighted in them, I have too. 1) Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan: Rick Riordan presents an interesting twist on the old Greek and Egyptian mythologies in his two series. The stories really appeal to any kid who may have considered themselves different or outcasts, but have a bit of the undiscovered hero inside. The main characters of Riordan's stories discover that they are children of, or can channel, the Gods. Because of their abilities they face many enemies out to destroy them. And ultimately, it is up to them to lead many quests to help win the battle between good and evil. 2) The InkHeart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke: Anyone who has ever become immersed in a book, or dreamt of joining their favorite characters, will love the InkHeart series. Meggie, a young girl whose father repairs books, discovers that he has a secret talent to bring book characters and scenes to life by simply reading a book aloud. The book he read when Meggie was a toddler, InkHeart, had the unexpected consequence of causing her mother to disappear into the world of InkHeart, and some unsavory characters to be released into the real world. Years later, the characters return to seek out the InkHeart book so that it can once again be read aloud. 3) The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series by Michael Scott: Josh and Sophie Newman are twins that appear by chance to meet the immortal Nicholas Flamel, the Alchemist, and his wife. They are sucked into a battle of good and evil that will determine the fate of the world they know, and the worlds they have not even imagined. In order to fight this evil, Josh and Sophie will have to be taught all the elemental magics, and will discover that many Gods and Immortals move freely about the world as they know it. Parents will love the role that many historic figures play in this series. 4) Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins: Like the InkHeart Trilogy, the Underland Chronicles focuses on a child who has had a parent disappear early in his life. Gregor and his younger sister, Boots, accidentally discover a world underneath New York City, where humans and giant creatures coexist. Gregor will learn of a prophecy and more importantly he will learn about the whereabouts of his missing father. This series, written by the author of the Hunger Games, has some dark themes that may raise some discussion with your child. 5) The Sisters Grimm Series by Michael Buckley and Peter Ferguson: The Sisters Grimm is a great combination of fairy tale and detective series. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm go to live with their mysterious grandmother and learn that they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm and live in a town where fairy tale characters exist. They run into a series of events that require their detective skills to solve, such as the kidnapping of their grandmother and the murder of a teacher. A fun ride for both boys and girls with some strong female characters for the girls to relate to.

Fifth Day of Christmas: 20 GO-OLD RINGS!

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000

The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

-J.R.R. Tolkien's epigraph, The Lord of The Rings

...And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Love this pocket edition, with illustrations by Tolkien

"Official Movie Guide" by Brian Sibley (review here)

(US Marines) "Men, it's leadership problems:" The Calamitous Condition of Contemporary Anglicanism

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:29:00 +0000

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17013

THE CALAMITOUS CONDITION
OF CONTEMPORARY ANGLICANISM

By Roger Salter
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
December 30, 2012

If Holy Scripture and Reformational standards are to be our measure the present
state of the Anglican Communion is lamentable. Discounting those rare
exceptions in academy, diocese

Grammarly - Don's Detestations

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 22:44:00 +0000

I was interested in your 'Grammarly' list of solecisms. Here are some of mine from my book 'Milestones':

Detestations

How I detest the silly fool

Who calls the noble street 'Pawl Mawl'

But I'll make him a lifelong pal

Who, unaffected, says 'Pal Mal'.

Some people in a verbal mix

Will call this star * an asterix

Far better not to take the risk

But properly say 'asterisk'.

'Crèche' said 'craysh' just blows my mind I'd like to kick the sayer's behind While shouting 'Crèche is 'cresh' you fool Were you taught nothing at your school?'

Bought for brought and brought for bought Is trotted out with little thought By teachers and TV presenters, Police, MPs and riot fomenters Proselytisers, red wine swillers - They're all of them just language killers!

Singular, data is datum

So I hand you this stern ultimatum -

If you didn't do Latin at school

You shouldn't use Latin at all.

Don Donovan. Writer & Illustrator.

Facebook Tops 2012 Wikipedia Queries

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:02:00 +0000

Fotog/Tetra Images, via Corbis

How do you learn about another culture? Maybe by looking at its Wikipedia searches. On Friday, a Swedish software engineer published a list of Wikipedia's most-searched articles of 2012, sorted by language.

Facebook tops the English-language site's list of things we care about, with One Direction, 50 Shades of Grey, and The Avengers also showing up in our top 10. Over on the Spanish site, people learned about the Mayan culture, while in Iran, searchers seem curious about homosexuality, sex, and female genitals, which all showed up on the Persian site's top 10.

Sex made another appearance on Japan's list, where the top search was for a porn actress. The most inexplicable international No. 1? German-language speakers really care about cul-de-sacs.

Read it at The Washington Post

December 29, 2012 8:52 AM

Bookselling in Dunedin

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:49:00 +0000

Otago-based poet David Howard snapped this shot yesterday and shared it with me with the following comment:

A bookseller and, perhaps, a writer as well in George Street, Dunedin, today.

A Collection of Suspiciously Similar Book Covers

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:39:00 +0000

By Emily Temple on Flavorwire, Dec 29, 2012

Sometimes, while we’re browsing through book catalogues, or idly pulling things off the shelves in bookstores, as we often do, we are suddenly struck with a sense of deja vu. Haven’t we, um, seen this book before? Of course, there are thousands of examples of different books using the same clip art, which, while lazy, is probably unavoidable, but what about the more nebulous resemblances? After the jump, a few book covers and their suspiciously similar (we won’t say rip-offs, but we sometimes might imply it) pairs. Let us know what you think (or if we missed a particularly egregious one) in the comments!

… Read More

Libraries See Opening as Bookstores Close

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:35:00 +0000

Tyler Bissmeyer for The New York Times

Vicki Culler shops for discounted books at the Friends of the Public Library in Cincinnati.

By KAREN ANN CULLOTTA

Published: December 27, 2012 - The New York Times

At the bustling public library in Arlington Heights, Ill., requests by three patrons to place any title on hold prompt a savvy computer tracking system to order an additional copy of the coveted item. That policy was intended to eliminate the frustration of long waits to check out best sellers and other popular books. But it has had some unintended consequences, too: the library’s shelves are now stocked with 36 copies of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Tyler Bissmeyer for The New York Times

Of course, librarians acknowledge that when patrons’ passion for the sexy series lacking in literary merit cools in a year or two, the majority of volumes in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy will probably be plucked from the shelves and sold at the Friends of the Library’s used-book sales, alongside other poorly circulated, donated and out-of-date materials.

“A library has limited shelf space, so you almost have to think of it as a store, and stock it with the things that people want,” said Jason Kuhl, the executive director of the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Renovations will turn part of the library’s first floor into an area resembling a bookshop that officials are calling the Marketplace, with cozy seating, vending machines and, above all, an abundance of best sellers.

As librarians across the nation struggle with the task of redefining their roles and responsibilities in a digital age, many public libraries are seeing an opportunity to fill the void created by the loss of traditional bookstores. They are increasingly adapting their collections and services based on the demands of library patrons, whom they now call customers.

Full story at The New York Times

Book sales overtake ebook downloads for first time in three years...

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Booksellers enjoyed their best week in three years in the lead-up to Christmas
Celebrity books by Jamie Oliver, Miranda Hart and Jamie Oliver were the most popular sellers

By Harriet Cooke
PUBLISHED: 29 December 2012 - The Daily Mail

Printed books made a surprise comeback this Christmas after figures revealed the strongest week of sales in three years.The autobiographies of TV star Miranda Hart and Olympic cyclist Bradley Wiggins were believed to be key factors in the surge of book-buying in the Christmas rush.
Physical books have seen dwindling sales in recent years due to the increased use of e-readers and tablets, but this Christmas their fortunes were reversed.

Success: Jamie Oliver (left) took the crown of most-popular book this Christmas after his 15-Minute Meals sold 140,155 copies in the UK last week

Right: Is It Just Me? - the memoirs of Miranda Hart (left) - came second in the UK Christmas book chart

The industry saw takings of £75.4million in the week ending December 22 - up by 20 per cent on the previous week and £1.4million higher than the same period in 2011.
Most popular was Jamie Oliver's 15-Minute Meals, which sold 140,155 copies in the UK last week.
Second was comic Miranda Hart's Is It Just Me?, in which the star looks back on her childhood, followed by Bradley Wiggins's account of his journey through the Tour de France and the Olympics.
The titles sold 64,691 and 59,524 copies respectively.

Full story at The Daily Mail

Stories from Galley Cat

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:12:00 +0000

What Is the Happiest Word?

What do you think is the happiest word? A team of mathematicians from the University of Vermont published a paper examining 10,000 of the most frequently-used English words. The group took this information and surveyed people; the collected data was used to rank the words according to happiness. The word "laughter" captured the number one spot and the word "terrorist" finished in last place. Mental Floss writer Arika Okrent picked 25 words that she... read more>>

The Joy of Books

Out of all the videos we posted on GalleyCat this year, "The Joy of Books" was the most popular--watch books frolick inside a closed bookshop. If the video inspires you to support your local bookstore, here are some links: Best Indie Bookstores on Twitter and How to Buy eBooks from an Indie Bookstore. Here's more about the video: "After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago, my wife and I decided to take... read more>>

FOUR MIXED UP CALLING BIRDS

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered what those "Four Calling Birds" are all about? (Explanation to follow...)

Are these calling birds?

Definitely not these guys...

Hmmm. [source]

My favorite:

source: Anne Geddes

There's a reason the stanza about "calling birds" doesn't make much sense: the original line in the song The 12 Days of Christmas names four "colly birds", an alternate word for the Common Blackbird. The Blackbird is a common backyard bird in Europe and has a melodious song. It also lives in Asia, North Africa and it has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. [source: Birdorable.com]

In England a coal mine is called a colliery and colly or collie is a derivation of this and means black like coal.

For a long time in England, blackbirds have been referred to as both blackbirds (as in the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence) and colly birds as in The Twelve Days of Christmas.

As to why the person in the song would give his true love a gift of blackbirds, the answer is that this would have been another gift of food. Blackbirds were plentiful and were a common food. [source: Hubpages.com]

Mystery solved.

Top Ten Grammar Peeves - from Grammarly

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:17:00 +0000

Handled With Care

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:10:00 +0000

By ANDREW D. SCRIMGEOUR

Published: December 28, 2012 - The New York Times

I have been here many times before. Not to this particular library but to others like it. Some have been on college campuses, others in private homes. Some have sprawled through many rooms, including the bathroom; others were confined to a single space. One had no windows; another overlooked a lake. Most were crowded. All were dusty.

Illustration by Jon Krause

Each was the domain of a scholar. Each was the accumulation of a lifetime of intellectual achievement. Each reflected a well-defined precinct of specialization. But what they also had in common was that each of their owners had died. And by declaration of their wills, or by the discernment of their families, I had been called to claim or consider the bereft books for my university library.

One of the little-known roles of the academic librarian is bereavement counseling: assisting families with the disposition of books when the deceased have not specified a plan for them. Most relatives know these books were the lifeblood of their owners and so of intellectual value if not great monetary worth. But they remain clueless about how to handle them responsibly. Some call used-book shops. Some call the Salvation Army. Others call a university library. Many allow friends and relatives to pick over the shelves before bringing in a professional.

On this particular day I’m standing in the doorway of a distinguished but forlorn library in South Bend, Ind., ready to perform last rites on the extensive collection of James White, a noted historian and specialist in the liturgies and worship practices of the Christian tradition. I always pause before entering these libraries. Even after the family has shown me to the space, I can’t just barge in. That seems disrespectful. I need to be introduced to the books. I need to become acquainted.

Surveying these rooms, I find myself wishing I had a ritual to invoke, for the study I’m about to disrupt is a private, beloved retreat — an inner sanctum for reading, reflection and writing. And since it is here that someone wrestled with ideas, sought integrity of expression and gave expression to fresh-jacketed voices, the book-studded room seems sacred. Is there a prayer I can offer? Sometimes I think I should take off my shoes — a physical act to show my respect.

Full article at The New York Times

Jason Books and New Zealand Small Presses

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Auckland's Jason Books stock books from The Holloway Press and a number of other small presses.
A list of titles currently in stock, images and more detailed entries are available on their website.

On becoming illiterate

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:56:00 +0000

Author Lynley Hood (above, photo by Reg Graham) has put her paper to the Bibliography Conference held in Dunedin in November up on her website, together with a related paper on the lack of low vision services in NZ ("An Absence of Vision") - they're in a section headed "Inside of a Dog" - from Groucho Marx's quip "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

Here's the link to "On becoming illiterate":

http://www.lynleyhood.org/page8/page11/page11.html

Author: I'll name character after who finds my dog

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:52:00 +0000

Associated Press – Wed, Dec 26, 2012

BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — Author Dennis Lehane is offering an unusual reward for the person who finds his family's beloved missing beagle.

Lehane says he'll name a character in his next book after whoever finds Tessa, who disappeared from the family's home in Brookline, Mass., this week.

He says on his Facebook page that Tessa jumped a fence at the home, and even though she has been micro-chipped, she was not wearing her tags.

Lehane says Tessa is "smart, fast, and immeasurably sweet."

Lehane wrote "Mystic River," ''Gone Baby Gone," ''Shutter Island" and other books.

The Top 10 Most Difficult Books

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:43:00 +0000

By Emily Colette Wilkinson & Garth Risk Hallberg | Aug 03, 2012

Back in 2009, The Millions started its "Difficult Books" series--devoted to identifying the hardest and most frustrating books ever written, as well as what made them so hard and frustrating. The two curators, Emily Colette Wilkinson and Garth Risk Hallberg, have selected the most difficult of the most difficult, telling us about the 10 literary Mt. Everests waiting out there for you to climb, should you be so bold. If you can somehow read all 10, you probably ascend to the being immediately above Homo sapiens. How many have you read? What books would you add?Let us know in the comments!

Emily's Picks

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes - Dylan Thomas called Nightwood "one of the three greatest prose books ever written by a woman,” but in order to behold this greatness you must master Barnes' tortuous, gothic prose style. In his introduction to the novel, T.S Eliot described Nightwood’s prose as “altogether alive” but also “demanding something of a reader that the ordinary novel-reader is not prepared to give.” Nightwood is a novel of ideas, a loose collection of monologues and descriptions. What will keep you going: The cross-dressing Irish-American "Dr. Matthew-Mighty-grain-of-salt-Dante O'Connor," who, when not wandering Paris, drinking heavily, or dressing in nighties, rouge, and wigs of cascading golden curls, is expounding great rambling sermons that fill most of the book. These are funny, dirty, absurd, despairing, resigned—even hopeful in a Becketty I-can't-go-on-I'll-go-on kind of way.

A Tale of A Tub by Jonathan Swift - The first difficulty: The superabundant references to obsolete cultural squabbles (some obscure even in Swift’s eighteenth-century England) and then there’s the narratorial persona: an impoverished, syphilitic madman who cuts pieces out of his manuscript and his fellow citizens remorselessly. His compulsive digressiveness is deliberately baffling, but more baffling still is that this satire, aimed at “the Abuses and Corruptions in Learning and Religion” and written by a conservative, Anglican clergyman, ends finding nothing sacred. If you can bear it (and the 100s of footnotes you’ll need to understand its historical context), it’s the ultimate expression of cultural alienation and despair.

The Phenomenology of the Spirit by G.F. Hegel - Do you enjoy a good intellectual gobsmack every now and again? If so, Hegel’s your man and this book, a classic of German idealism and unquestionably one of the most important works of modern philosophy, is a fine place to start. Hegel’s refutation of Kantian idealism, history of consciousness, and quintessential explanation of the process of the dialectic is hard to understand and harder still to retain (“goes through you like lentils,” as one Stanford professor described it to me), due first and foremost to the breadth of its subject and its terminology. The book’s nearly impenetrable without a good edition and guide or two: The Oxford UP edition is widely considered the best (and don’t skip the notes and foreward) and the Routledge Philosophy Guidebook’s commentary by Robert Stern makes good warm-up reading; also good (and free) are J.M. Bernstein’s lecture notes for his UC Berkeley graduate course on the Phenomenology, available at BernsteinTapes.com.

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf - In its intermingling of separate consciousnesses, Virginia Woolf’s fiction is both intellectually and psychically difficult. Not only is it hard to tell who’s who and who’s saying or thinking what, it is also disconcerting—even queasy-making—to be set adrift in other minds, with their private rhythms and associative patterns. It feels, at times, like being occupied by an alien consciousness. Some readers don’t ever find their sea-legs with Woolf. The trick is to surrender yourself (true with other high modernists too), to let the prose wash over you and take you where it will—not to worry too much about understanding a dogmatic way.

Full article at PW

Book Sales Had Strong Christmas Week in the US

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:38:00 +0000

By Jim Milliot | Dec 27, 2012 - PW

Book sales had a strong showing in the week leading up to Christmas with sales rising 24% over the prior week at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. The 27.3 million print units sold during the week ended December 23, moreover, was a 5% increase over the last week before Christmas in 2011 when 26.1 million units were sold.

Gains were driven by the children’ categories with nonfiction up 19% and fiction ahead 7%. The adult categories had more modest gains with fiction sales increasing 2% and nonfiction up 1%.

Sales through retail and clubs rose 6% in the most recent week over 2011, while sales through mass merchandisers and other retails were 3% down compared to last year. Frontlist and backlist titles performed about the same with frontlist up 5% in the week and backlist units ahead 4%. Sales in BookScan’s South Atlantic region had the biggest gain in the week with sales up 12%, while sales were weakest in the Middle Atlantic where they were flat with 2011.

Jeff Kinney’s The Third Wheel was the top selling title in Christmas week at outlets that report to BookScan, though its 186,214 units sold was actually 4% behind the sales volume in the previous week. Bill O’Reilly took second and third place in the week with Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln. The Racketeer and Proof of Heaven rounded out the top five bestsellers.

And how did the book of the year do as a Christmas present? Fifty Shades of Grey landed in ninth place in Christmas week, selling a shade under 65,000 units.

Books That Will Inspire You to Be a Better Person in 2013

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:32:00 +0000

By Emily Temple on Flavorwire -Dec 28, 2012

The holiday season is traditionally a time for charity and warm fuzzy feelings, but sometimes we need a little extra inspiration. That is, a captivating read that will also make us want to be a better person — whether because of the sterling example of a character, some choice lines of world-wisdom, or something a little more nebulous. After the jump, try out ten books that will inspire your better self to make an appearance — we’ve veered away from self-help books of any kind, though we’ve allowed for a mix of fiction and non – and let us know if we missed your personal go-to good-guy read in the comments. … Read More

Photos of Famous Authors Playing in the Snow

By Emily Temple on Dec 27, 2012

Though we’ve been having an astoundingly mild winter here in our native New York City, we managed to eke out a white Christmas, and the snowy season seems to have begun in earnest. Possibly. We hope. But there’s no reason to stay indoors — when the seasonal flurries appear, even that most indoor-cattish breed, the author, sometimes comes out to play. In celebration of the long months of winter ahead, we’ve put together a little collection of famous authors out in the snow — skiing, playing with their dogs, or just wandering about. So yes, we’re taking a rather wide interpretation of “playing,” but bear with us. Check out some chilly writers after the jump, and if we missed a favorite photo, add it to our collection in the comments. … Read More

Pearson Invests $89.5 Million In Nook Media, After Disappointing Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (art) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Publishers Lunch

Nook Media--the entity formed in 2012 that owns Barnes & Noble's Nook business and their college bookstores--has its second major strategic investor, joining Microsoft: As of December 21 Pearson agreed to invest $89.5 in cash for a 5 percent equity stake. The bookseller paired an announcement about that investment with a preview of holiday sales that indicates "results will be below expectations" and Nook in particular will not meet their previous projections for the fiscal year.

Perhaps because of that performance, Pearson is buying in to Nook Media at essentially the same the valuation given to the company when Microsoft paid $300 million for a 17.6 percent stake (which was $1.7 billion) plus the value of Pearson's cash, for a "post-money valuation of approximately $1.789 billion." That leaves Barnes & Noble with a 78.2 percent share and Microsoft with a 16.8 percent stake in Nook Media. Pearson also will get warrants to purchase up to an additional five percent "under certain conditions," at the same valuation. Perhaps just as importantly, "at closing, Nook Media and Pearson will be also entering into a commercial agreement with respect to distributing Pearson content in connection with this strategic investment." (No further details are provided; that likely refers primarily to digital textbooks, but could also apply to print textbooks through the BN College stores.)

News of this new partnership, however, is balanced by a warning of weaker than expected performance over the holidays, for Nook in particular and potentially the entire Barnes & Noble business. The warning was contained in the company's SEC filing about the investment, but was not mentioned in the press release: It says they will announce holiday sales on January 3 and "based on preliminary sales results to date in the holiday period and sales trends, the company expects its holiday sales results will be below expectations and that the Nook business will not meet the company's prior projection for fiscal year 2013." When BN reportedquarterly earnings in late November, Nook segment sales of $160 million were well below analysts expectations of $191 million and raised fresh concerns about the growth trajectory of the Nook business in the face of intensifying competition.

With the Pearson alliance you see the value and intention of pairing the college bookstores with the digital reading business--which has significant potential when allied with the world's largest textbook publisher. (And yes, this investment is about the core business that drives Pearson, rather than the trade publishing interest in Penguin that is slated to become part of a jointly-owned company with Bertelsmann.) Pearson North America ceo Will Ethridge says in the announcement, "With this investment we have entered into a commercial agreement with Nook Media that will allow our two companies to work closely together in order to create a more seamless and effective experience for students. It is another example of our strategy of making our content and services broadly available to students and faculty through a wide range of distribution partners."

Barnes & Noble ceo William Lynch adds in the release, "We welcome their partnership in Nook Media, and look forward to working with them and Microsoft to deliver great digital experiences for our shared customers." Pearson shares were down slightly in early trading in London Friday morning. While the investment has significant strategic potential for both partners, it's a small sum for Pearson (just as Microsoft's investment was small for them).

After a steady decline since early December, Barnes & Noble's shares moved higher in early trading, up oer $1 a share in the first hour--though as we noted, the disappointing holiday forecast was not highlighted in the press release. And even with that movement, investors still value the bookseller far less than the partners in Nook Media--Barnes & Noble says its stake in that entity alone is still worth $1.4 billion, but the parent company's entire market capitalization remains about $900 million.