Wine & Song - followed by BREAKING DAWN

Friday, 1 August 2008 is jam packed!

6-9pm Wine & Song

New for summer - casual wine, munchies and music. Our wine is provided by Vino 100 though they cannot be with us tonight. Tea and hot drinks will be available for those who choose not to drink wine. Ken McDermott and his jazz/pop stylings will sing us inti the evening.


9pm - 1am BREAKING DAWN Release Party
Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn will release at 1 minute past midnight Friday night. Join us for for activities, munchies and discussion! Prom dress suggested but optional. Character-based costumes an acceptable alternative.
NOTE: If you want to pre-order the book for pickup this night, call the shop or stop by. Otherwise, your online order will ship via post.

Hip Hop Canterbury Tales

Thanks to the folks at the Baltimore Sun's Read Street blog, we heard about a Hip Hop/Rap version of the Canterbury Tales. There's video and audio links on the page. Incredible stuff!

Lauretta

FREE Book-related material on the internet

Taking them in the order they release:

Breaking Dawn fans: Did you know that Stephenie Meyers is working on a version of Twilight as seen by Edward? It's called Midnight Sun and you can read the first chapter for FREE here. Remember Breaking Dawn releases at one minute past Midnight Friday August 1st, 2008. Well, technically, August 2nd. We are having a party - starting at 9pm and going until 1am. Come on by - bring your prom outfits or a costume; bring your fan fiction; bring your opinions (Team Edward? Team Jacob? Team Switzerland?).

Fantasy fans! Some of you know from our website or from Library Thing that Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine are making a return visit on August 23rd. Well, their publisher is running a sweet deal involving FREE copies of their books in electronic format. Thanks Dragon Moon Press! NOTE - We will have copies of these books once they release 8/8/2008.

1858

1858 was one of the last stable years before the Civil War. Bruce Chadwick covers the major political and personal decisions of some of the major figures in American political life, hence the subtitle 'Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis,Robert E.Lee, Ulysses S.Grant and the War They Failed To See.'

A fair fraction of the book is taken up with James Buchanan's career - possibly the most incompetent President. He managed to weaken the Democrats by inserting himself into the battle for an Illinois Senate seat with the incumbent Douglas fighting Buchanan's animosity and Abe Lincoln.

Jefferson Davis survived a life threatening illness and spent the year recuperating in the North. Surprisingly he became more friendly and understanding of the North's position and looked like he could compromise but his southerness reasserted itself and 'the rest is history'. This book is a prequel to the Civil War if you like.


The Age of Shiva Manil Suri
Manil Suri's long awaited second book is a very personal story of a woman's life and relationship with her son. She miscalculates an infatuation with her sister's boyfriend which is then compounded by the impulses of the young man. They are caught in flagrante and society forces this marriage between social unequals. Mura has one son and a loveless marriage to a disillusioned drunkard. Suri describes her slow dissolution into an erotic, dependent love of her son. The Age of Shiva is distinctly different from his more spiritual Death of Vishnu. Vishnu dealt with life in an apartment block. Shiva is focused on one relationship. Suri's writing is always worth reading.

Gerhardt Meurer

Janwillem van de Wetering - RIP

One of our SOHO Press authors passed away on July 4th. Janwillem van de Wetering had a very interesting life - from joining a South African motorcycle gang to attempting to become a Buddhist monk in Kyoto, to being a policeman in Amsterdam, his life experiences informed his writing. His gentle Zen-like humor made his mysteries a quirky joy.

NPR's Fresh Air just re-ran his interview as a memoriam.
Lauretta

Book to Movie news!

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi, and on a number of summer reading lists, is being directed by Danny DeVito! Saoirse Ronan (of Atonement and City of Ember fame), Pierce Brosnan and Morgan Freeman have all been cast and shooting starts in September.

Lauretta

Larry McMurtry - a minor mystery solved

I had noticed Larry's McMurtry's memoir, Books, just came out and I was reading up on it in BookPage. He was a bookseller! In 1970, Larry and a partner bought up the stock of a D.C. bookstore called Lowdermilks and used it to open their own Booked Up. Booked Up stayed in Georgetown for 32 years before moving to Archer City, Texas.

A bookseller!
No wonder!

You see, I vividly remember Larry McMurtry accepting his Oscar for the Brokeback Mountain screenplay. He gave a wonderful and unexpected shout out to the booksellers of the world and it really warmed my heart. If you want to read the exact quote, Bibliophile Bullpen kept track of it.

This memoir covers a lot of the details surrounding running a used bookstore so it may be a lot of fun for the used book fans.

You go, Larry!
Lauretta