Diana Athill is a founding editor of the prestigious London-based publishing house Andre Deutsch, Ltd. Her memoir "Stet," published in 2000, recalled her years as one of the 20th Century's greatest editors, spanning five decades. Her newest memoir shares what it's been like for her, now 91, to grow old. It's an engaging, frank memoir.
Category: New Books
Huneven’s novel about guilt and forgiveness
Michelle Huneven's "Blame" is a finalist for the National Book Critic's Circle award in fiction (to be announced March 11). It's up against "Wolf Hall" and "American Salvage". Here's what it's about and why I'm baffled by its award nomination.
My Reading Table gets a make-over
I keep piling books on the reading table to the point where it becomes another book shelf. So, the RT has been reorganized. Here's what moved off and what it looks like now, with descriptions of the 12 books. Realistic versus hopeful.
Good stories: “Something Is Out There”
Richard Bausch is one of our present-day masters of rich short fiction. His new collection is the usual good stuff. Here's a review.
Not your typical March Hare & Mad Hatter
Jamison Odone retells and illustrates Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" with stick figures. The small, engaging book is to be released the same day as Tim Burton's new movie about the girl in Wonderland. Seems like a great combo to me.
A big, new novel about the Vietnam War
"Matterhorn" is an epic war novel in the tradition of Norman Mailer’s "The Naked and the Dead" and James Jones’s "The Thin Red Line," according to its publisher Grove/Atlantic. How it got published and its author's background are interesting stories. A book to anticipate.
It was a long and snowy journey
Michael O’Brien is professor of American Intellectual History at the University of Cambridge, and he's also the author of an upcoming book about Louisa Catherine Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams. Library Journal gives it a starred review. Here's a glimpse of what to expect.
Trial lawyer walking
"The Unnamed" is the recently released second novel of Joshua Ferris. It's absurd, unique and ultimately sad, commenting on the fragility of a good, secure life. Not for every reader. Here's why.
Grodstein’s “A Friend of the Family”
An absorbing novel of suburban tragedy. At the center is an over-protective father. Here's a glimpse of what the story is about.
The zombies are back on TLC
I'm once again trying to embrace the night of the living dead lurching it's way down literature's tree-lined classic lanes. I don't like it but hey, the zombies are doing phenomenally well for publishing sales.
Caldecott, Newbery and NBCC awards
It's one of those award weeks showcasing good books for kids and adults. The 2010 Newbery and Caldecott award winners were announced Monday, and we'll soon be hearing the line-up of contenders for the National Book Critics Circle 2010 awards. Here's the scoop.
What urban dwellers never see
"Burtynsky: Oil" is a photography book that questions human accountability regarding the cost of the resource we so depend on to run our cars. It's worth a look. Also, check out the video of the curator at The Corcoran Art Museum who says, "Burtynsky shows us a world that has incredible importance in our lives."
100 years ago, Paris went under water
This month Palgrave Macmillian publishes a book about the great Paris flood of January 1910. It's by an author recently honored as one of the top young historians in the U.S. The publisher's website and book's blog link to astonishing photos of this historical event.
New books to anticipate
Here's a dozen new books to browse for upcoming reading January through April. Author names on the list include the known and unknown, the "known" being Ian McEwan, Anne Lamott and Martin Amis, among others. A mix of fiction and non-fiction. Get your reading table ready!
No monkey business here
Steve Jenkins children's book "Never Smile at a Monkey" tells you what you should never do if you encounter one of the surprisingly dangerous animals illustrated in his book. I went looking for it because of the book's cover deemed a favorite of 2009, and then found the content informative.
