On the Web Mon Aug 31 2009

Niffenegger Book Trailer

Audrey Niffenegger talks about her upcoming novel, Her Fearful Symmetry, cemeteries, the theme of loss and her choice of London as a setting:

[via]

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

Events Mon Aug 31 2009

Event Spotlight: Reading Under the Influence

This month marks the 50th installment of RUI: Reading Under the Influence, the theme of which will be "Fighting Words." On hand to help celebrate will be 2nd Story ensemble members J. Adams Oaks, author of Why I Fight, and Nadine Warner, as well as GB's own Mechanics editor Ramsin Canon, and local writer Kyle Chaney. Come see Ramsin get down and dirty with words on Wednesday, 7:30pm, at Sheffield's 3258 N. Sheffield Ave. $3 admission; email info[at]readingundertheinfluence[dot]com for more information.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Fri Aug 28 2009

When Algren & de Beauvoir Meet

Have you ever wondered what the first meeting between Nelson Algren and Simone de Beauvoir was like? The Reader gives us a sneak peek from a new biography of Jean-Paul Sartre and de Beauvoir.

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

News Fri Aug 28 2009

Making Money on Michael

Remember when HarperCollins said they weren't going to cash in on Michael Crichton's death? I guess Steven Spielberg didn't get that memo because he's already planning on making a film of the as-yet-unpublished, unfinished novel, Pirate Latitudes. Yeah, there's no money to be had in that at all.

— Veronica Bond

News Thu Aug 27 2009

Bookmarks

• Loving Frank sparks a lively discussion for one of Booklist's Book Group bloggers.
• In a musing over the recent practice of forgoing book jackets for printing cover images directly on books, as McSweeney's has been doing for some time, Chicago native Stephen Elliott's new book, The Adderall Diaries gets a mention. (Would that all publishers made books as beautifully as McSweeney's does.)
• The Literary Saloon provides us with some early reviews of J.M. Coetzee's Summertime.
• A review of Dave Eggers's Zeitoun in the New Yorker and an interview with the author at The Millions.
• Amy Guth takes a look at how L. Frank Baum's classic Oz stories have influenced contemporary literature.
• Listen to Aleksandar Hemon on Chicago Amplified and reading from Love and Obstacles at the Guardian.
• Two more reviews of Dan Chaon's Await Your Reply, one in the LA Times and the other in the New York Times.
• The AV Club reviews Daniel Kraus's The Monster Variations.
• National Book Critics Circle reviews Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition, saying "[Grandson and editor] Sean Hemingway agrees with scholars that decisions made in compiling the original book were questionable. Now he is likely to face a barrage of criticism for creating this alternate version of what has become, despite its possible flaws, a comfortable favorite."
• Jacket Copy wishes Ray Bradbury a happy birthday, apologizing to Illinois for claiming him for LA. Though we'll always feel the opposite - that he belongs to us - we're certainly happy to share him and his wonderful work.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Thu Aug 27 2009

The Monster Variations Soundtrack

Daniel Kraus, who gave an intriguing reading along with his Brothers Delacorte at the Book Cellar last night, talks to Largehearted Boy about his debut novel, The Monster Variations, and provides a soundtrack for the read. With a list of pieces that starts with Iron and Wine and ends with the Who's the Boss? theme song, you can't help wanting to know just a little bit more about this dark young adult story. I know I do.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 26 2009

Limited Edition Chris Ware Shirt

As reported on the main page, for today only you can get a limited edition t-shirt with a Chris Ware designed print. Proceeds of the shirt benefit 826Michigan, one of the sister organizations of our own 826CHI.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 26 2009

Shel Gets High

Obviously we can't have a YouTube video of Shel Silverstein reading his own work, but we can have a video of Silverstein's buddy Larry Moyers reading one of his poems. The poem is titled, "The Perfect High," and, as you might infer, is a bit different from the kid-friendly Shel we grew up with:

You can also read the text of the poem here. [via]

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 26 2009

Dan Chaon Book Trailer & Interview

The Millions does double duty by pointing us to a book trailer for Dan Chaon's new novel, Await Your Reply, and giving us a really in-depth interview with the author. Says Chaon of the books he loves and the audience for whom he writes:

As a writer, I feel like I'm always in conversation with the books that I've read. Occasionally, an interviewer will ask: "Who are you writing for? Who is your audience?" And in many ways the answer is that I'm writing for those authors I've loved, and the books I've loved. If you're an avid reader, and a book gets under your skin, it can affect you as intensely as a real human relationship, it lingers with you for your whole life, and there is always this desire to re-experience that amazing sense of connection you get from "your books." I understand completely why people want to write fan fiction. To me, I guess, all fiction is fan fiction at a certain level, just as it always has an element of identity theft.

— Veronica Bond

Chicago Public Library Wed Aug 26 2009

The Chicago Public Library: It's Not Just for Reading Anymore

I'll admit it: I'm a library junkie.

Sure, I could research everything from the comfort of my home PC, but why? Researching at home just doesn't compare to the physical library experience; there is something about perusing shelves that house hundreds of books that just gets me going. And the fact that I conveniently work and live near two of the best in the city, Harold Washington Library Center and Woodson Regional Library, respectively, is the icing on the cake.

As much as I love the Chicago Public Library system, there are some things, especially regarding internet usage policies, that leave me perplexed. Earlier this summer, a new computer policy was put in place: Effective June 1, patrons with outstanding fines or who are not in "good standing" are no longer allowed to use computers for either word processing or the internet.

Several weeks before, notices were taped on PC monitors throughout the city's libraries; however, the policy is still not listed on the system's website.

The way I see it, this policy was instituted to not only punish people who are negligent in returning library items but also to encourage timely returns. If they can't follow the rules, they shouldn't be able to enjoy any of the privileges. That's fair enough. As a regular library visitor, I certainly understand the need for this new policy, and I appreciate being rewarded for being a responsible borrower. And while this may leave some people out in the cold, rules are rules — or are they?

Obviously, for the CPL system, all is fair when it comes to pornography.

Continue reading this entry »

— LaShawn Williams / Comments (12)

On the Web Tue Aug 25 2009

Back to School

Jennifer Sampson's comment in this post reminds me that registration is currently open for the Newberry Library's Fall Seminars. Explore the themes of Toni Morrison's Beloved, take an academic stab at The Graphic Novel, learn more about Writing and Selling a Novel, brush up on your Food Writing skills or take Jennifer's own class and learn How to Read Like a Victorian. Registration for all classes can be done online; classes start in September and October. (Thanks, Jennifer!)

— Veronica Bond

News Tue Aug 25 2009

Obama's Summer Reading

The media is all a-flutter over which books Barack Obama is bringing on his summer vacation. The Guardian breaks it down title-by-title for us.

Elsewhere, a nice photo of Obama signing his books at an event in Chicago:

— Veronica Bond

News Tue Aug 25 2009

Speculations on Oprah's Next Pick

Apparently Oprah tweeted last night on what her next book club selection would be, saying she had never made a selection like "this." What's "this"? GalleyCat does some research and comes up with a few guesses. Anyone have any guesses of their own? The selection will be revealed on September 18.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Tue Aug 25 2009

Reading in Public

Jacket Copy brings attention to the Reading in Public project taking place in San Luis Obispo. The purpose of the project is to celebrate reading by way of performance in public places, similar to Open Books's Get Caught Reading that took place earlier this year. There is an accompanying Flickr group where people all over the world can submit pictures of people reading in public, but I'm dismayed to see that there is yet to be anything tagged Chicago. Surely we're just as publically literary as any other city, right? Submit your pictures to the group and make our presence known!

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Mon Aug 24 2009

Audrey Niffenegger on The Moonstone

Audrey Niffenegger has written a nice piece for the Guardian on her love of Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone, giving us an idea of what and how she reads:

It would be delightful to be able to read a book as its original readers did, to have the impact of the experience without knowing what would come after. Wilkie Collins's masterpiece, The Moonstone, must have seemed especially strange and new to its first readers. It was the first detective novel written in English. There are whole sections of bookstores, vast swaths of ISBNs devoted to The Moonstone's progeny. I happened to read it after the Sherlock Holmes stories, after Dracula, after Lord Peter Wimsey and Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe. But its first audience read it as a serial in Charles Dickens's weekly magazine All the Year Round. I suppose we could recreate this experience by reading one chapter each week and firmly putting the book away in the intervals, but I am much too impatient for that, myself.

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

News Mon Aug 24 2009

The Interpretation of Oz

A new biography of L. Frank Baum is hitting the shelves, this time with a particular spin on looking at his classic children's tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Author Rebecca Loncraine is imparting a Freudian take on Oz to explain how Baum dreamed up his wonderland in the first place. According to this New York Times review, Loncraine is not the first biographer to attempt to do so, saying, "It does not take Freud's insight to find origins of Oz's Emerald City in the famous White City built for the 1893 World's Fair." But the reviewer does describe the book as one revealing the numerous influences on Oz's creation and the subsequent failure of the author to live "happily ever after," making it more interesting than other biographies who have cut Baum's life story short.

— Veronica Bond

News Mon Aug 24 2009

A Real Case of Capgras

Those of you reading Richard Powers's The Echo Maker with us will be interested in reading this very recent New York Times article that Alice brought to my attention. While The Echo Maker's Mark Schluter's misidentification disorder is trauma induced, the mysterious Capgras syndrome is usually found absent of trauma. However, this article follows a 19-year-old named Adam, convinced that his mother is a fake and doesn't "live in the real world," whose own Capgras was the result of a motorcycle accident much like Mark's near-fatal car accident. The article gives some good outside information that will help shed a little bit of light on what, for most of us, is a completely unheard of syndrome and lend some credibility to Powers's story.

— Veronica Bond

Events Mon Aug 24 2009

Event Spotlight: The Girls' Guide to Rocking @ Hideout

Local music journalist Jessica Hopper comes to the Hideout on Saturday to read from her debut book, The Girls' Guide to Rocking. The book is a how-to guide for girls (or anyone, really) who wans to start a band, get on stage, write songs and further their love of music. Hopper will be joined by music acts Katie Stelmanis and Ghost Bees. Admission is $7 for adults and $4 for kids; 1pm-4pm at 1354 W. Wabansia. Call 773-227-4433 for more information.

— Veronica Bond

News Fri Aug 21 2009

Birthday Wishes for Bradbury

Happy Birthday to Ray Bradbury! The prolific and beloved author turns 89 tomorrow. If you're a fan of Chicago lit living in California, don't forget that you can attend his birthday party at the Mystery and Imagination bookstore in Glendale.

Also of note, Bradbury has a new story, titled "The Juggernaut," published in the Saturday Evening Post.

— Veronica Bond

News Fri Aug 21 2009

Triple Quick Fiction iPhone App

This makes me feel old, in a you-kids-and-your-new-fangled-communication-devices kind of way. Featherproof Books has announced the release of the Triple Quick Fiction iPhone app, an application that allows you to download new stories to your iPhone or iPod. The "Triple Quick" name does, in part, refer to the quick attainment of the stories, but also to the length of the stories, only 333 words long, or 3 iPhone screens. This seems like the logical next step from Featherproof's downloadable mini-books, which are also a quick, free way to get the latest stories from the current hot authors, but the app takes things one step further. Not only can you read the stories Featherproof makes available, but you can also compose your own stories and submit them to Featherproof's editors. The app will be available in September, just in time for all the back-to-school hoopla to get you thinking about readin' and writin' again. Meanwhile, I'm going to go listen to three songs I've managed to upload to my store brand mp3 player.

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

News Thu Aug 20 2009

Bookmarks

• Like poetry? How about Bad Chicago Poetry?
• Sara Paretsky writes quite eloquently about a visit to a French hospital.
• Julie of Publish Chicago recently read The Time Traveler's Wife for the first time and found herself "incredibly pleased with this book."
• The New Yorker's fiction podcast, featuring Joshua Ferris reading and discussing George Saunders's work.
• Rust Wire talks to Alex Kotlowitz about writing about cities and his work focusing on Chicago.
• Chicago Examiner reviews Patrick Somerville's latest novel, The Cradle, and calls the author "a dick." But in a good way.
• A podcast of Aleksandar Hemon with New Hampshire Public Radio on how his fiction parallels his immigrant experience.
• Sean Chercover's Trigger City is named "Favorite Book of 2008" by Crimespree Magazine.
• David Sedaris writes of an Australian experience in the New Yorker.
• You know WWBOR, but how about WWMOR? Or, What Would Michelle Obama Read? Oprah's website gives you a sampling.
• More on the Plan of Chicago by the U of C Press blog and by local blogger Pete Anderson.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 19 2009

Dan Chaon on Literature & Genre

Northwestern grad Dan Chaon has never blogged before, but gives it a shot in effort to discuss his latest book, Await Your Reply. In the process, he discusses some of the fantasy and thriller reads that influenced him as a kid, how those grew to help him appreciate character-driven works and why the difference between "genre" and "literary" fiction can be so confusing. [via]

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 19 2009

Covers Contest

The New Yorker's books blog holds a weekly covers contest and Book Club members might have a slight advantage identifying at least one of this week's covers:

If you know all four, email them at bookbench[at]gmail[dot]com to win a prize.

UPDATE: The answers.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 19 2009

The Time Traveler's Wife: Movie & Possible TV Show

After unexpectedly seeing The Time Traveler's Wife this weekend (I was really planning on waiting until the DVD release, but found myself at the theater with a friend trying to decide on a movie for the afternoon), I find this review of the movie fitting: Not Bad. Which is to say, not as horrible as I was expecting it to be, but not great either. It was a passable, bare-bones version of a fantastic book, told in a far more linear manner, which I don't think was necessarily beneficial. Having said that, I'm forced to think back on my lit theory class where we learned that one of the bases of feminist theory is the idea that men tell stories linearly - going down a straight line until they come to a point, not unlike certain parts of their bodies - while women tell stories circularly - going around and around (think of Mrs. Dalloway for a prime example). I'm not much of a proponent of that particular theory, but it strikes me that it does seem applicable here, what with the book written in a circular manner by a woman and the movie directed in a linear manner by a man. In a story about time travel, the circularity is just more interesting. I won't review the movie in depth (I'll let our movie columnist Steve do that here, where he hits nicely on its faults and attributes), but I will say that, unlike Steve, I was emotionally touched. Ridiculously so. I have never cried during a movie while watching it in the theater (and only once before in front of another person at all), but halfway through I remembered exactly what was going to happen and how it was going to happen and I must admit that I shed some tears. I really think that had much more to do with having read the book, but in any case, that movie is freakin' sad. And while it's not nearly as great as its progenitor, it's not bad either.

In other news, the novel may be appearing as a TV show in the not too distant future.

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

On the Web Tue Aug 18 2009

Hearing Hemon

Looking to catch to some Aleksandar Hemon today? You've got two opportunities to do so: you can listen to NPR's interview with Hemon about his latest short story collection, Love and Obstacles, and read an excerpt from one of the stories, then you can head over to the Guardian and listen to Hemon reading from the first story in the book, "Stairway to Heaven."

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Mon Aug 17 2009

The Wild Things Excerpt

To brighten up your Monday afternoon, I present to you (actually, the New Yorker presents to you) an interview with Dave Eggers and an excerpt of The Wild Things:

Max knew that a bunk bed was the perfect structure to use when building an indoor fort. First of all, bunk beds have a roof, and a roof is essential if you're going to have an observation tower. And you need an observation tower if you're going to spot invading armies before they breach your walls and overtake your kingdom. Anyone without a bunk bed would have a much harder time maintaining a security perimeter, and if you can't do that you don't stand a chance.

— Veronica Bond

News Mon Aug 17 2009

The Illustrated Man & the Plot to Save the Literary World

Speaking of Ray Bradbury (and really, when am I not?), publisher Macmillan has a video on their website of the author discussing the graphic novel adaptation of Fahrenheit 451. He calls himself "The Illustrated Man," which is so wonderfully fitting here, and reveals that two more of his most famous novels - Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Martian Chronicles - are slated to receive the graphic novel treatment in the near future.

In other news, this reviewer at Slate doesn't seem to think too highly of the new Fahrenheit 451, saying that the graphic novel "reads like a joke" and that it is ironic that a novel about book burning has now become a shortened version of itself. Now, I'd be the first person to jump up and defend a watering down of any book, especially when it comes to my beloved Bradbury, so I do think the reviewer missed the point here. To say that this is a contribution to the end of print is to say, essentially, that graphic novels are a detriment to literature and I just don't believe that to be true. Nor does Mr. Bradbury, if you recall this post here. It's simply a different medium, one not comparable to the picture stories of the original novel that were created so that no one would have to read the news, a comparison that this reviewer makes. "It's hard to know what on earth Bradbury was thinking. Did he just give in to the enemy?" the reviewer asks. "Is Bradbury saying that it's back to pictographs to save the literary world?" What's hard to know is just where the disdain for the comic form comes from for this reviewer, but I'd venture to say that for Bradbury, as it is for all of his fans, this is really just another way to experience the novel, not a replacement for it, nor a "giving in" to an illiterate enemy nor a plot to "save the literary world." But that's just my opinion, that of a lover of literature who loves her graphic novels, too.

— Veronica Bond

News Mon Aug 17 2009

Do Graphic Androids Dream of Cartoon Sheep?

Following in the footsteps of Tim Hamilton's adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, comes a graphic novel adaptaion of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The novel, which will be published in a series of volumes, will mix comics with the full original text of Dick's novel and, according to Publisher's Weekly, is not just a retelling of Blade Runner, the movie based on this book that incorporated significant changes. The first issue of the comic is out now, with 24 issues expected for the series run and six hardcover collections to be published later, each containing four issues.

— Veronica Bond

Events Mon Aug 17 2009

Event Spotlight: Jen Lancaster @ Hopleaf

Local author Jen Lancaster, known for her biting wit in chick-lit type novels, comes to the Hopleaf on Wednesday to read from her new work Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase. The great thing about this reading is not only that you'll get to hear Lancaster talk about her work, but you'll also help Literacy Works in the process. All proceeds from the reading's $10 suggested donation will go toward helping fund this local literacy non-profit and that's always a good place to send your money. The reading will take place at 7:30pm at 5148 N. Clark St. Email info[at]litworks[dot]org for questions and information.

— Veronica Bond

Book Club Fri Aug 14 2009

September Book: The Echo Maker by Richard Powers

Our September book is The Echo Maker by Richard Powers, an engrossing novel about the mystery of the human brain. On a lonely stretch of highway in Nebraska on a cold February night, twenty-seven-year-old Mark Schulter is in a near-fatal car accident. He survives, but the accident leaves him with a brain injury that causes him to believe his older sister, Karin, is an imposter.

Karin enlists the help of Dr. Gerald Weber, a well-known neurologist and author of several popular books about patients living with rare neurological conditions. But Weber's most recent book is a flop, and as his career declines, Weber finds himself ill-equipped to help Mark.

Throughout the book, the point-of-view shifts between Karin, Weber and Mark. Karin struggles to recover the brother she seems to have lost; Mark delves into the mystery of the circumstances of his accident; and Weber sheds light on the fragility and resiliency of the human mind through his recollection of case histories. This complex and compelling narrative is part drama, part science and part detective story, all leading to a surprising conclusion.

In an interview with Powell's Books, Powers described the novel this way:

"The prose is an attempt to recreate that return from a complete loss of conscious mental functioning, or any sense of anchored self. Yes, and there is a way in which it's a recapitulation of the original process of self-assembly. There's a lot of suggestion on the part of the different stories of the characters in the books that baseline consciousness is always just a step away from other, stranger, earlier, lower processes that are part of us, but that we have to do a whole lot of footwork in order to hide, to keep invisible."

Ultimately, The Echo Maker is about how we make sense of ourselves, our past and our present.

The Echo Maker won the 2006 National Book Award for fiction and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

About the Author
Richard Powers was born in 1957 in Evanston, IL, and spent most of his formative years in the north suburbs. When he was fifteen, his family resettled in DeKalb, IL, after spending four years in Bangkok, Thailand, where Powers' father was an administrator at the International School of Bangkok. Powers earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1992, Powers began a long association with the U of I, first as a writer-in-residence. He is currently the Swanlund Chair and Center for Advanced Study Professor of English at the university.

Resources
Richard Powers: American novelist
An authorized website dedicated to the author. Everything you wanted to know about Richard Powers. The site includes an extensive bibliography of articles by and about Powers, plus citations and links to interviews, reviews, criticism and more.

Richard Powers' Narrative Impulse
This interview with Powers from Powells.com was conducted shortly after the publication of The Echo Maker. In it, Powers provides plenty of insight into the novel.

Author Richard Powers
Listen to an interview with Richard Powers from NPR, which first aired on December 12, 2006, just after The Echo Maker had won the National Book Award.

— Alice Maggio / Comments (1)

Bestsellers Wed Aug 12 2009

Chicagoland Bestseller List for Week Ending Sunday, August 9

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
4. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
5. The Amateurs by Marcus Sakey

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
2. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
3. Fergie by Ferguson Jenkins
4. Dancing to the Precipice by Caroline Moorhead
5. Catastrophe by Dick Morris

Paperback Fiction
1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
3. Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4. Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
5. Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Paperback Nonfiction
1. Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
2. My Life in France by Julia Child
3. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
4. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
5. Ask Me about My Divorce by Candace Walsh

Children's
1. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
2. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. Princess Prissypants Wishes the World Pink by Ashley Evans
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself by Jeff Kinney

As gathered from Anderson's Bookshop; Read Between the Lynes; The Book Cellar; Lake Forest Books; The Bookstall at Chestnut Court; The Book Table; the Seminary Co-op Bookstores; and Women and Children First by Carl Lennertz.

— Alice Maggio

Events Mon Aug 10 2009

"The Night Bookmobile" Exhibit

Just caught this in the Reader: Audrey Niffenegger's illustrated story "The Night Bookmobile" (published in the Guardian and collected here) is up on exhibit at Printworks. Go read the original story through August 22 at 311 W. Superior, #105.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Mon Aug 10 2009

Furry Wild Things

Jacket Copy offers a look at the furry cover of Dave Eggers's upcoming The Wild Things, the novelized version of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The verdict on the book's appearance? "[M]atted. And kind of creepy." Kind of true, but I also can't wait to get my hands on one. Literally.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Mon Aug 10 2009

WWBOR?

Or, What Would Barack Obama Read? The Daily Beast collects all of the books that the President has been seen with since the campaign, saying that the list reveals a "predilection for presidential profiles, a weakness for explain-it-all bestsellers, and the occasional hankering for literary fiction." Some homeland notables on his shelf: What is the What by Dave Eggers and Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan.

Also, the New York Times looks at how Obama is influencing pop culture creation and consumption.

— Veronica Bond

News Fri Aug 07 2009

Bookmarks

• NPR's All Things Considered discusses the new graphic novel adaptation of Fahrenheit 451. Also, an excerpt of the graphic novel.
• The Library of America has just published a new volume of Philip K. Dick's stories, titled VALIS and Later Novels. The San Francisco Chronicle discusses Dick's life and the stories in the new volume, saying, "What this volume ultimately tells us is that Dick was not a science fiction writer, but instead he was our writer."
• A quartet of reviews of Philip Roth's Indignation: the Guardian, the Independent, the Telegraph and the Guardian again. (The Brits love themselves some Roth, huh?)
• Publisher's Weekly reports that Crocodile Pie, a children's bookstore in Libertyville, will close on August 14. Also of note (as previously reported), Borders on Michigan Ave. is slated for closure in January.
• The National Book Foundation recently remembered Saul Bellow's winning book Herzog. Blogger Ron Fields remembers it too, describing it as "a towering literary achievement that is at once a mundane account of an intellectual dealing with his wife's incomprehensible betrayal, and the tragic loss of his marriage and family life, and also a life-affirming manifesto about finding the strength and devotion to try to move on and rebuild one's life after a divorce."
• Catch a podcast of local lit blogger Pete Anderson reading his short story "One Son Resists" at this year's Emerging Writer's Festival.
• Also on Publisher's Weekly (you have to scroll down a bit), here are a couple of small reviews of Chicago-related reads, one by Dominic A. Pacyga titled Chicago: A Biography and the other featuring Adam Langer's upcoming book My Father's Bonus March, both non-fiction reads.
• Does reading about physics really get you going? The University of Chicago Press's recent publication, Fermilab: Physics, the Frontier, and Megascience might be for you. (Okay, I have to admit that learning more about the Fermilab does somewhat appeal to me.)
• A comparison of William Faulkner and Aleksandar Hemon.
• Half Deserted Streets give another glowing review of Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry: "If you're a fan of her previous novel, you won't be disappointed with this next one." I'm very much looking forward to getting this, myself.
• We start with Bradbury and we end with Bradbury: a podcast of one sci-fi fan's thoughts on Fahrenheit 451.

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

On the Web Fri Aug 07 2009

What Makes a Jewish Writer?

I've never considered how being Jewish and a writer makes one a "Jewish writer," but it seems that Adam Langer, author of our July 2005 selection Crossing California, is asked about that very thing and is forced to wonder what that really means:

You'll offer that you were born Jewish and you've been a writer for eons, so sure, you're a Jewish writer by definition, but that's just one fact of your life. Like you're five-foot-eight or you moved out of Chicago but still enjoy double cheese dogs from Wolfy's Red Hots.

If you're feeling erudite, you'll quote Saul Bellow, an author you don't enjoy as much as people sometimes assume: "I'm well aware of being Jewish and also of being American and of being a writer. But I'm also a hockey fan, a fact which nobody ever mentions."

You'll say when you were a kid, you liked hockey too.

The rest of Langer's essay at Tablet Magazine reads as a great and amusing contemplation not just on the Jewish-ness of a writer who happens to be Jewish, but on the assumption of racial and ethnic stereotypes on the artist.

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

News Fri Aug 07 2009

The Reader Reads Audrey

The Reader catches up with Audrey Niffenegger to discuss her upcoming book, Her Fearful Symmetry, the beauty of working in Chicago vs. the city's lack of recognition abroad, and her visual art. But not the upcoming Time Traveler's Wife film. It seems that she's taking the Alan Moore stance, saying only that she wasn't a part of the adaptation.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 05 2009

Wendy's Love of Laura

Book Club selection author (and FoBC) Wendy McClure (I'm Not the New Me) has been travelling throughout the Midwest for work on a new book about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her childhood obsession with the Little House books. Salon wonders how our culture became obsessed with Wilder's stories yet remained almost ignorant of her ambitious daughter Rose Wilder Lane. (As someone who read all the Little House books as a kid, I must admit I know nothing of Laura's daughter either.) Wendy tells Salon:

The popular conception of Laura is that she was a naturally talented late bloomer with pure intentions to simply write down her memories -- the kind of writer a lot of people think they want to be (or even think women should be). Rose, though, is the 'other' kind of writer -- ambitious, constantly concerned with money and career stuff, often ghostwriting or cranking out stuff that she wasn't proud of, so there's a pervasive belief that she was just too hard-edged to have had anything to do with the Little House books. But she did.

On her site, Wendy invites all to share their memories and experiences of Laura Ingalls Wilder with her, from the books, the actual homes and even the TV show. And if you've never seen any of Laura's homes, check out Wendy's flickr stream of her enviable research excursions.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Wed Aug 05 2009

Her Fearful Symmetry Early Review

Rebecca of The Book Lady's Blog was graced with an advance copy of Audrey Niffenegger's forthcoming novel Her Fearful Symmetry. Her immediate opinions? Yes, it does live up to the hype and it has all the great things we loved about The Time Traveler's Wife while going in a completely different direction. Color me excited.

Meanwhile, I remain trepedatious about the upcoming Time Traveler's Wife film and these articles, one saying the movie isn't science fiction but an "epic love story" and the other explaining why it was necessary to change the ending in the film, do little to calm my reservations. Sure, the story is about love, but generally "epic love story" translates to "cheese" in the movies and there's nothing I hate in movies more than cheesy, ridiculous, maudlin love. Also, I hate unnecessary ending changes, so I'm pretty much guaranteed to dislike this movie. (I also suspect that the director's insistence that this is a love story and not science fiction is in effort to draw in the female audience, which irks me because that assumes that females aren't interested in science fiction and are only interested in love. But that's another rant for another day.)

— Veronica Bond / Comments (4)

Book Club Wed Aug 05 2009

La Perdida Discussion Questions

Below are the questions we'll use to start discussing Jessica Abel's La Perdida. Feel free to post answers in the comments or join us on Monday, August 10, when we'll discuss the book in person at the Book Cellar. New members are always welcome to drop in.

• How do you feel about Carla? Is she a likeable character? What are her motivations throughout the story?
• How are Carla and Harry different? How are they similar? Why do they have a clash of ideals?
• Why does Carla trust Memo and Oscar so much? Why is it important for her to spend more time with that group of people rather than with the people Harry introduces her to?
• On p. 105 Memo tells Carla, "You don't know what it is to be a conquistadora. But here you are." What does he mean by that? What is he saying about American attitudes toward Mexicans? How does this help explain the inherent difference between Carla and Harry's group and Oscar and Memo's group?
• Oscar's dream is to move to the US to be a DJ. Is this similar or dissimilar to Carla's aspirations? Why is Carla able to see the futility in Oscar's plan but not her own?
• Why does Carla tear down her poster of Frida Kahlo? What is she trying to prove by this action?
• Carla's brother Rod feels much more comfortable in Mexico than Carla does, but Carla admits that she was embarrassed for her brother when they were younger. What does this say about Carla's ability to accept her ethnicity when she was younger? How does this drive her actions in the present? Why does this make her jealous of Rod?
• Why does Oscar get involved in the plan to kidnap Harry and Carla? What does he think he'll gain? Why does Carla try to talk him out of it?
• At the end, Carla says, "The thing is, I thought the rules were different in Mexico, but they're not different." What rules is she talking about? How did she break the rules and how did that result in her participation in the kidnapping?
• Has Carla changed at all by the end of the book? How does the author juxtapose scenes from Carla's early days in Mexico with her days since her return to Chicago? What point is she making by doing this?

— Veronica Bond

News Tue Aug 04 2009

The Wizard of Oz: Book vs. Movie

Anthony Horowitz of the Telegraph writes that he hated the movie version of The Wizard of Oz as a child. He notes that there are vast differences between the book and the movie, and those of us who read the book in August 2008 will certainly agree. Here Horowitz expounds on L. Frank Baum's life, revealing him to be a failure at several careers and something of a white supremacist (wasn't aware of that one myself), and explores what makes Oz such a fascinating world. Says Horowitz on one of the major differences between the movie and the book:

...the storytelling is surprisingly violent. The film gave us the winged monkeys but spared us the wild crows, sent out by the Wicked Witch with the command: 'Peck out their eyes and tear them to pieces!' Forty of them are strangled by the Scarecrow who is probably not singing while he does it, while in the same chapter 40 wolves are decapitated by the Tin Man.

Forty wolves and 40 crows. I'm not sure those numbers are accidental for it seems to me that the books could have been almost purposefully in the style of the Bible. We are given as much detail about Oz as we are about the Garden of Eden. God-like archetypes - the wizard in particular - loom over the action. Things happen because they must.

— Veronica Bond

News Tue Aug 04 2009

Ray Bradbury Loves Graphic Novels

USA Today interviews Ray Bradbury about the upcoming publication of the graphic novel version of Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury says he can imagine "someone giving it to a 10-year-old kid who then wants to read the original novel. That's what good graphic novels can do. They can make you read more." He's not worried that kids will only look at the pictures because, from his own experience with illustrated novels, they only increase kids' desires for learning to read. Bradbury also commented on the idea of a new film version of the book, saying that the 1966 François Truffaut film downplayed one of the main characters (that being just one of the problems, in my opinion) and he'd love to see a new version with Sean Connery as Beatty and Nicolas Cage as Montag (ooh...don't know about that Nicolas Cage part, but this movie is definitely itching to be remade).

— Veronica Bond / Comments (1)

On the Web Tue Aug 04 2009

Anne Elizabeth Moore Talks to Bitch

Anne Elizabeth Moore, series editor of the Best American Comics and former GB Sky in Five columnist, talks to Bitch Magazine's Pages Turned blog about the influence of Julie Doucet's Dirty Plotte comic books. Says Moore of the comics:

These were the things Dirty Plotte was about: the isolation of being a driven female creative; the jealousy in personal relationships that come out of that; the ever-present push from the outside to be maternal and nurturing, but the absolute interior knowledge that that is not your way; and the incredibly shifting sense of gender that a strong, smart woman must feel in order to move about in the world. These were all very important themes, and they still resonate with me when I get into frustrating situations.

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Mon Aug 03 2009

Amazon Customers Tag Blagojevich

The Washington Post reports that Amazon customers are tagging Rod Blagojevich's forthcoming book, The Governor derisively. Tags include "moron," "delusional," "crook" and "weasel," among others. My favorite? "Captain Hair." (I wonder if the underwear would be on the outside of the tights for that superhero costume...) Read the whole list of tags here and do Chicago proud by adding your own!

— Veronica Bond

On the Web Mon Aug 03 2009

Dave Eggers - "A Fork Brought Along"

The Guardian's summer short story special issue is up and Dave Eggers has one of his, titled "A Fork Brought Along," included:

Edward has long been a successful man, a gentle and happy man liked by most everyone, but now he has a fork in his pocket. Blessed by good health and vast family, married 40 years, with five children, 11 grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren on the way, Edward has considered himself lucky to be enjoying his retirement and twilight years without care or controversy. But now he is at a wedding reception, and he has a fork in his pocket, and this is threatening to undo everything. He first noticed it a second ago, when he put his hands in his pockets, looking for a mint, and instead found the sharp prongs of the fork. He quickly pulled his hand away, smarting from the pain. And then it dawned on him: there was a fork in his pocket.

— Veronica Bond

Events Mon Aug 03 2009

Event Spotlight: Chicago Visionaries

In celebration of their current One Book, One Chicago selection, the Harold Washington Library is presenting a panel discussion on Tuesday titled "Chicago Visionaries: From Burnham to Today and Beyond." The panelists include Carl Smith, author of the current One Book, One Chicago selection Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City, Nichole Pinkard of the University of Chicago's Urban Education Institute, architects Sarah Dunn and Martin Felsen, and Angela Hulock of Claretian Associates, developers of green and affordable housing on the Southeast side. MarySue Barrett, President of the Metropolitan Planning Council, will moderate. Free at 6pm in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, 400 S. State St. Call 312-747-4300 for more information.

— Veronica Bond