Snooping through the bookshelves of The Little Bookshop in Westerville, Ohio, I came across a novel published in 1949 with interesting copy on the back of the dust jacket. Not the usual plot summary or praises of the book one would expect, rather a commentary about reading, written by the book editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer. A curiosity worth sharing.
Category: Other Books
A troubled detective, faceless killers
Kurt Wallander is Henning Mankell's inspector in nine crime mysteries published in the U.S., soon to be ten. His detective work is now a major TV series with Kenneth Branagh in Masterpiece Mystery! This is my first meeting with the sleuth.
Hymns to the fragility of human culture
I found this incredible creation of book art, a great grandmother's autograph book turned into a series of clay pages. Yes, we're going back to Mesopotamia. No e-books here.
So very far from the madding crowd
Paradise or hell? I'm thinking hell to inhabit, but these 50 remote islands are paradise to look at and read about in Judith Schalansky's "Atlas of Remote Islands."
When failure means success
Here's the classic novel that launched me into 2011: John Williams' "Stoner." A champagne of books.
Jumping on the best books bandwagon
Who needs one more 10 best books in 2010? The lists abound this time of year, yet TLC can't help but throw in its literary hat. An annual report, of sorts, and a great shopping list, too.
A Georges Simenon runaround
Some authors are so prolific their books can't possibly list the track record on the inside pages. Georges Simenon is one of them. We're talking a literary "oeuvre" of around 400 books, and it took three bookshops to help me find my way to a starting point.
Choose your page number
Book selection is not always about finding a good book to read. It's about finding a good book to read that fits your mood. Here's the solution an indie bookseller gave me, and it worked.
Shopping New York City bookstores
It's that time of year when holiday shoppers head to NYC to spend at Bergdorf Goodman, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and the many other stores decked out with merry-making windows. I went to shop the bookstores, including this odd one. Check out its unique name.
The monster in my home
A snake of books covering my dining room table became the sign it was time for a reality check.
A literary estate under siege
Katherine Anne Porter didn't publish many books, but what she did publish is considered to be some of the 20th century's best short-story literature. Her literary estate is in a messy court battle, summarized here on TLC. Also, my Katherine Anne Porter "Phooey!" book.
Small press book wins the fiction NBA
The National Book Awards for fiction, non-fiction, poetry and young people's lit were announced Wednesday night. Here's the list of winning books.
The claims books place on readers
Audrey Niffenegger is known for her best-selling novel "The Time Traveler's Wife" and recent novel "Her Fearful Symmetry." She also penned a graphic novel serialized in the Guardian two years ago and published in book format this year. It's a story for and about readers.
The heart that knows Latin America
Alma Guillermoprieto is an award-winning journalist highly respected for her reports on Latin American culture, politics and society. She's to receive a lifetime achievement award this month from the International Women's Foundation. The news recalled to mind her book "The Heart that Bleeds." If you don't know her work, here's why you should.
How to live and play the piano (etc.)
Michel de Montaigne provided answers in his famous essays to the universal question of how to live. Sarah Blackwell's biography of the 16th century philosopher weaves those answers into his life story. Also in this week's literary encounters, a memoir of piano lessons, some poetry and even an illuminated breviary.
The Longest Chapter 