"The Spare Room" and 11 other books that should have succeeded this past decade but didn't. From The Guardian.
Category: Other Books
The unforgettables: 2009
All Sides Weekend on WOSU 820 AM NPR News last Friday included a discussion about unforgettable books read in 2009. Here's my complete list.
Xiao’s “The Cave Man”
Xiaoda Xiao's debut novel is a work of history in fictional form. Its spare prose lures us into a powerful story of imprisonment and human rights violations in Mao's communist China. Here's a review.
While holiday shopping … 5 books
When it comes to buying books-as-gifts for readers, I'm challenged to find something they'll like but haven't already read. So I'm on the alert for unusual books. These five caught my eye.
The book I missed: “Tears in the Darkness”
Here's the book I knew last summer I should read. "Tears in the Darkness" is described as history written as story. The husband-and-wife authors created it from thousands of sources and hundreds of interviews. They have received nothing but praise.
Content & design: “Too Much Happiness”
Alice Munro's recently released collection of short stories is predictably winning praise. But it's the design of her new book that's initially caught my attention.
This thanks-giving holiday, thank you
Some thanks, some poetry, some good wishes and more in this Thanksgiving message originally posted in 2009.
2009 National Book Award Winners
Awards were announced late Wednesday night. Colum McCann won for fiction. Here are all the winners.
Lost in the coliseum
You never know what you'll find at the Dayton Book Fair, and that's the fun of it. It's held this time every year in the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Coliseum. I went and had a blast.
The Prix Goncourt and IMPAC literary prizes
France announced its 2009 top literary award winner. Plus, we've got the long list for Dublin's 2010 IMPAC, a great resource for international reading.
A lingering wild in America’s Great Plains
A photography book by Michael Forsberg published this month celebrates America's middle region. Forsberg says he strives "to photograph and build appreciation for what is left of the wild Great Plains."
Milo & Tock’s creators team up again
Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer, who collaborated on "The Phantom Tollbooth" in 1961, are working together again on a new book.
The horror of it
Two new books for those worried about zombies and werewolves. (Count me out.)
Looking back at book covers as art
Penguin and Faber and Faber published books in the U.K. about their book cover designs and illustrations from past to present. I wanted a look inside.
The NBA finalists & my disappointment
The National Book Award finalists have been announced. Here's the list, plus a link to the award site.
