The African American Literature Book Club

* I came across this site when searching book clubs and thought it was worth posting. Enjoy!

AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club

The #1 Site for "Readers of Black Literature"

The Pulitzer Project

*Want to start a Book Club?

Start The Pulitzer Project and begin reading all 81 winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Even if you are not interested in the club, the site is still worth checking out for titles.

The Road

The Road

by Cormac McCarthy

Review:

Last week I went to see No Country For Old Men and realized I have never read a Cormac McCarthy book. This is weird with all the hype around him this last year I have only seen All The Pretty Horses and now No Country..., but never physically read any of his work. I decided to pick up, thanks to Oprah, one of his most talked about books. This novel was very bleak and dark, but not horrific or surprising. It slightly reminded me of a Stephen King novel (The Stand) or one King would write. Sorry to say this story was not really my "cup of tea". I don't know if it was the build up to the book or the plot. I rarely read books that Oprah recommends and if I happen to dive into one, it is usually way after the hype. Needless to say, I am glad I tackled this body of work and will maybe even look in to other books by McCarthy. Sometimes it is nice to read outside of your comfort zone and I am glad I did this time. If anyone can suggest another book by McCarthy to read, I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

BookMooch

BookMooch is a community for exchanging used books.
BookMooch lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.

www.bookmooch.com

BookSwim

BookSwim is the first online book rental library club lending you paperbacks and hardcovers directly to your house without the need to purchase! http://www.bookswim.com/

Kelly Link

Stranger Things Happen

&
Magic for Beginners
by Kelly Link

Review:
These two books have been calling my name for some time now and I finally got my hands on a copy of each. Each collection of short stories by Link are laugh out loud funny and shockingly odd. To say that Link's writing is strange, scary and charming is an understatement. Her style is also surreal (dream/nightmare like) and dazzling. The stories are one great journey after another and I found some of the themes and symbols spinning around in my head for days. I approached the reading of these two books simultaneously. It was fun bouncing back and forth and hard to say which collection I liked the best. It is amazing how long it has taken me to finally dive in to Link's work and now I feel like I can not get enough of her. I highly recommend grabbing both of these books and checking out the links below for more on this very unique and entertaining storyteller.

read "Light" online: www.tinhouse.com/mag/issue33/current_feature.htm
visit her site: www.kellylink.net/

Crashing Through

Crashing Through:

A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See

by Robert Kurson

Review:

Blinded at age three, Mike May lived a life much more fulfilling than any sighted person I know. At the age of 46, an ophthalmologist told him a new stem-cell and cornea transplant could restore his vision. There were many risks with this surgery: the restoration of sight might only be temporary and the immunosuppressive drug was highly toxic and could cause serious illness. This true story is so poetically written, it reads more like fiction. Mike May was a risk taker, adventurous man who dared to see in a world that he already lived a very fulfilling life. I loved travelling through one man's struggle with a life changing decision and the scientific explanations throughout the book. By far, this is one of the best non-fiction pieces I have read in a long time.

Truman Streckfus Persons & Nelle Harper Lee

* In a few weeks, I will be teaching To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee to my 8th grade English class, so I have spent this morning researching the novel, Lee and her odd relationship with Truman Capote.

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields, is an interesting look at Lee's life, but since it is written without Lee's permission, I take a majority of it with a grain of salt. Shields, a former English teacher, has pieced together the results of hundreds of interviews, along with much new information about Lee and this American classic.

As an introduction to reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I'm going to have my students read a short story from Truman Capote, so I started becoming more familiar with his work. I grabbed two books from the library that were very helpful. Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career by George Plimpton, is an oral biography, filled with wonderful intimate stories told by his famous friends and enemies.

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote and Reynolds Price, is a "must read" and the last book that I looked at in my research. I chose two short stories ("Miriam" and "The Thanksgiving Visitor") from this collection to use in my classroom.

Websites to visit:

www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/mockingbird04.php

www.kirjasto.sci.fi/capote.htm

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

*It has been four decades since his death and there are always new stories to be told about this revolutionary icon. This year there are two books that will be released soon and two movies being filmed back-to-back.

Book and Movie Titles:

A book on his home life written by his widow will be published in Cuba in March 2008, titled Evocations.

A Mexican publisher has printed what it claims are the contents of a dog-eared notebook

(The Green Notebook of Che) which was found on his body and kept locked away for years in a Bolivian army vault.

The Argentine is being shot in the mountains of Puerto Rico, follows Che during his days with Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra and ends with the Cuban leader's ascension to power.

Guerrilla will shoot in Bolivia and Spain, which tells of Che's misguided attempt to start a revolution among Bolivia's peasants, which ended in his death.

Check out Ocean Press www.oceanbooks.com.au/ for more books on Che.

Steve Erickson

Black Clock Editor Steve Erickson

reading at the National Arts Club

Thursday, January 31 2008

6:30 - 8:30 PM
Steve Erickson will be reading from his latest novel, Zeroville.

National Arts Club

15 Gramercy Park South

New York, NY 10003

(212) 475-3424

Post Floetry

*I tried to visit an old website, Foetry.com, the "poetry watchdog", but was pleasantly surprised to find a link to Post Floetry. This site is hysterical and a must see for those of us who devour poetry and the world of.

Thomas Allen

Thomas Allen: Uncovered

by Chip Kidd and Thomas Allen

Book Synopsis
Thomas Allen selects the pulpiest of pulp paperbacks and then lovingly slices out a figure from the cover, gently folds it into position, and constructs a witty scene around it. In Thirst, a sultry dame reaches from her cover toward a guy with a bottle on a nearby volume; in Teeter a man careens toward the edge of a stack of paperbacks ready to topple.Inspired by a love of pop-up books, Allen revels in taking on different roles in creating his scenarios: “In addition to being a photographer, I play talent scout, casting director, stage manager, lighting supervisor, and film editor.” He photographs these engaging tableaux in shallow focus, rendering his prints with the dreamy effect seen in the View-Master stereoscopic toy that also inspired him.Well suited to the three-dimensional heft of a board book, the images in Uncovered are combined into an almost toylike object that will delight photography lovers, graphic designers, and bibliophiles with a sense of humor.

*You have to go to this link to check out the pictures for yourself, they are really awesome.
http://www.aperture.org/store/books-detail-promo.aspx?ID=586

Bob Dylan, the Artist

Lisa, This post is for you. Enjoy!

Editor: Kerstin Drechsel
Editor: Ingrid Mössinger
Artist: Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
The Drawn Blank Series

Published in cooperation with the first museum exhibition of Bob Dylan's artwork, this unique book brings together 170 watercolors and gouaches from the legendary musician.

taken from: www.prestel.com

Ron Carlson

Ron Carlson Writes a Story
By Ron Carlson

Ron Carlson, "a master of the short story" (Booklist), shares the secrets of how to write a book.



“Do yourself a favor and read Ron Carlson.”—Stephen King

excerpt: It would be strange to get in the car and think you were going to pick up the kids at school, but not be really sure. But there are moments in the process of writing a story when you must tolerate that uncomfortable feeling: You stay alert to everything that is happening and by listening and watching, you find out where you are going by going there. Somebody else may get in the car. https://www.graywolfpress.org/

Fidel Castro Graphic Novel

Fidel

A Graphic Novel Life of Fidel Castro
by Néstor Kohandue

Due out June 2008 is an illustrated guide through Fidel Castro’s Cuba and his revolutionary dream.

For more information visit: http://www.sevenstories.com/

Tito Perdue

Cult favorite author Tito Perdue- whom the New York Press called "America's Lost Literary Genius" released two new novels this past year: Lee and Fields of Asphodel. Check out his site below to read more about the author and his work. www.titoperdue.com/

John Lurie

A Fine Example of Art

by John Lurie

Who is John Lurie?
A musician, actor, producer and, most recently, exhibiting painter.

There will be and exhibit/event January 17-February 17 at the powerHouse arena. Click on the link below for more information.

This collection of artwork has supporting text by Carter Foster, Flea, James Nares and Stephane Aquin.

Check out this website for more books on art and photography.
http://www.powerhousebooks.com/

Bear Stories

Bear Stories
J'Lyn Chapman

Review:

This is a neat little book, roughly 36 pages, recently published by Calamari Press. Although, the title is Bear Stories, this tiny treasure is not about Bears. You would have to read it for yourself to decide what it truly is about. The format is a cross between prose and poetry. A very interesting read!

Akashic Books

Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers.

Here are some titles I think are worth checking out:
http://www.akashicbooks.com/

Tango for a Torturer

by Daniel Chavarria

translated by Peter Bush
Mystery/Latin American Literature

Of Grunge and Government:

Let's Fix this Broken Democracy!

by Krist Novoselic

Nonfiction/Political Science/Memoir

South of the Pumphouse

by Les Claypool

The Dirty Goat

About The Dirty Goat:

The Dirty Goat, published biannually in January and September, brings together the finest in contemporary poetry, prose, drama, literature and visual art from across the globe. The Dirty Goat is a journey which may take the reader from avant-garde Czech drama on one page to contemporary Turkish poetry on the next. Continually expanding the cultures it explores, this journal offers a taste of some of the world's most provocative and talented artists. With its wide array of art and literature, The Dirty Goat is a glimpse into the cutting edge of the international arts scene. http://www.thedirtygoat.com/

Host Publications

About Host Publications
Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas HOST Publications is a press dedicated to bringing readers the best in international literature and the most exciting writing from the United States. Since its inception, HOST has published works from countries as diverse as Brazil, Chile, Poland, Belgium, Turkey and the United States. From Nobel Prize winners Pablo Neruda and Wisława Szymborska to renowned Texas writers Dave Oliphant and Christopher Cook, HOST Publications presents writers who should be more widely known than they are. Under the leadership of Joe W. Bratcher, III, HOST is committed to identifying prominent authors in other countries and publishing them in the United States, many for the first time.

http://www.hostpublications.com/

For excerpts, author bios and news on the latest releases.

Peter Selgin= Artist, Author & Teacher

Who is Peter Selgin?

He teaches writing at Gotham Writers Workshop, Manhattan, Montclair State University, and at the MFA Writing Program at Western Connecticut State University, and holds his own annual writing workshop in Vitorchiano, Italy. He lives in the Bronx, New York, where he is editor of the journal Alimentum: The Literature of Food.

Here is an excerpt from By Cunning & Craft:
"This is a book for serious fiction writers of all levels—from beginner to advanced and beyond, including accomplished authors wishing to fine-tune their craft. It aims to provide actionable advice, and plenty of it, yet offers no glib formulas or panaceas. Those seeking a writing guide that tells them, in so many words, that writing fiction is easy and that anyone can do it, should probably look elsewhere. Such guides exist and are hugely popular. As is so often the case, the truths of the matter are less obviously appealing, and are as follows: that writing fiction is indeed hard, that it takes time and energy and effort, that if everyone could do it, it wouldn't be worth doing; at any rate, it would be no more worth doing than riding a bicycle, or whistling."

visit his website: www.peterselgin.com

Cotton, Christopher Wilson

Cotton

by Christopher Wilson

Review:

Lee Cotton begins life as a blonde, white, blue-eyed boy born of a black mother. He lives the later part of his life as a black woman named Lee McCoy. How is this possible coming from Eureka, Mississippi? That is exactly what I thought when I was reading through Wilson's wonderfully poetic odyssey of misfits. This story has the most plot twists I have ever seen and is sure to please even the most conservative of readers. I couldn't wait to read more and travel through time and place with the title character. If you are looking for something a little out there, look no further.

Milkweed Editions

Milkweed Editions

Milkweed Editions, founded in Minnesota 1979, is one of the leading independent, nonprofit, literary presses in the nation. We publish outstanding new fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and children’s books by writers from across the country and across the globe. We publish in the belief that literature is a transformative art uniquely able to convey the essential experiences of the human heart and spirit.

http://www.milkweed.org/

* If you are an educator, be sure to check out the downloads for reading guides to Milkweed Editions books.

Booklyn

Founded in 1999 Booklyn is an artist-run, non-profit 501 (c) (3), consensus-governed, artist and bookmakers organization headquartered in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Booklyn's mission is to promote artist books as an art form and an educational resource, to provide the general public and educational institutions with services and programming involving contemporary artist books, and to assist artists in exhibiting, distributing and publishing artist books. http://www.booklyn.org/

The Nine

The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

by Jeffrey Toobin

Review:

Bestselling author, a CNN senior legal analyst and New Yorker staff writer, Toobin surveys the Court from the Reagan administration onward. Toobin explores the justices stance on abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, gay rights and church-state separation. This is not a book that needs to be read word for word or straight through page by page. I skipped around for the most part and still got a good sense of the book as a whole. I especially recommend reading Part One in it's entirety and skimming Part Two. Part Three can be skimmed and Four should be read from start to finish. This book opened my eyes to the "real" Sandra Day O'Connor and how much of an impact she had as a woman on our society. Overall, this was a nice overview of the ins and outs of the Supreme Court and an interesting/informative read during an election year. I highly suggest this to all political science and history buffs.