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.
Bounding toward Antonya Nelson
My discovery of this author via her newest novel, "Bound," makes me want to read more of her work. Here's why.
Don’t dump yr garbage can on my head
A random mention of this book lead me on a library search for it -- the letters exchanged between poet Charles Bukowski and artist Sheri Martinelli in the 1960s.
In the shadow of the podium
United States Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin read from his work at The Kenyon Review Literary Festival, and I was there, at his feet.
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.
“Speak, Memory” and a book club
Jonathan Yardley of The Washington post wrote: "The impulse to rediscover and reclaim childhood is deep in human nature, and thus the chord 'Speak, Memory' touches is truly universal." His words define why this memoir became a classic and continues to be a favorite. I recently discussed it with a book club.
A ghost and a fugitive on my mind
Two new books that look interesting. One by prolific U.K. writer Susan Hill and the other by NYT Opinionator blogger Stanley Fish.
Who’s the girl in that song?
Music critics Michael Heatley and Frank Hopkinson have written an entertaining book that reveals the women who inspired legendary singer/songwriters to compose what have become classic rock songs. "The Girl in the Song: The True Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics" took me down a nostalgic lane of rock 'n' roll, and it was a blast.
This week’s surprise book announcements
First Britain's Man Booker Prize winner is announced, delivering comedy (for the first time), and then the finalists for the National Book Award, delivering omission (shock!). The NBA finalists are listed here, providing good selections for your Reading Table.
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.
The Longest Chapter 