On Monday 26 December I talked with Booktown's readers panel (Cameron Cobden, John Deaderick and Alison Jones-Pomatto) about their favorite books of 2005. Along the way, we also mentioned quite of few past favorites and non-favorites. The list of books and authors discussed follows; favorite books of 2005 are marked with an asterix.
Cameron Cobden
*Assasination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (Simon & Schuster)
*Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford (Crown)
Genghis Khan: The Emperor of All Men by Harold Lamb (McBride)
*Disgrace by J M Coetze (Viking)
*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling (Scholastic)
*A Feast for Crows by George R R Martin (Spectra)
John Deaderick
*A Song of Ice and Fire (of which A Feast for Crows is the fourth installment) by George RR Martin (Spectra). The earlier volumes are A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords.
Amsterdam (Anchor), Enduring Love (Nan A Telese) and Saturday (Nan A Telese) by Ian McEwan
Patricia Highsmith
Margaret Atwood
*Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (many editions)
Oryx and Craik by Margaret Atwood (Doubleday)
*Sarah Vowell
*The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
*The Known World by Edward P Jones
David Mitchell
Alison Jones-Pomatto
*The Tender Bar by J R Moehringer
*Rules for Old Men Waiting by Peter Pouncey
*The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
*The City of Fallen Angels by John Behrendt
*Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
*Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Eric Tomb
*Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (Houghton Mifflin)
*Incendiary by Chris Cleave (Knopf)
*Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender (Doubleday)
*Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (many editions)
*Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac (many editions)
*War Trash by Ha Jin (Pantheon)
*K: The Art of Love by Hong Ying (Marion Boyars)
*Moral Politics by George Lakoff (University of Chicago Press)
The program acted up and I couldn't add some of the publishers without affecting the links. But you already have much more information than you really want.
posted by Eric Tomb and others 4:02 PM 0 Comments
On Monday 12 December I talked with local Janeites Robin Wallace and Pam Jessup about the novels of Jane Austen, whose 230th birthday will be Friday 16 December. We were joined by novelist Louis B Jones, who talked about Austen's influence on his writing (his novels include Ordinary Money, Particles and Luck and California's Over, all published by Random House).
Jane Austen's work is popping up all over these days, with a new version of one of her novels becoming a movie or TV special every year or so (in addition to the new Pride and Prejudice, recent spin-offs include Clueless and the Bollywood Bride andPrejudice). There are several Jane Austen socities around the world, including JASNA in North America. You can also call Robin Wallace at 265-9397 to find out about local Janevents.
posted by Eric Tomb and others 9:27 PM 0 Comments
On Monday 28 November I talked with poet and storyteller Steve Sanfield, who will read from and sign his new book The Rain Begins Below: Selected Slightly Longer Poems 1961-2005 at the Community Room of the Nevada County Helling Library Wednesday evening 30 November.
In the second half of the program I talked with actor Martin Buchanan, who will present a one-man adaptation of Pam Houston's novel Sight Hound at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley at 7 PM on Sunday 4 December. Pam Houston will lead a writing workshop from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Center's Off-Center Stage and Martin will lead a worskshop entitled From Page to Stage: Literature as Theater at the Off-Center Stage from 2 to 4 PM.
I also briefly mentioned the free reading poet, novelist and translator William O'Daly will present at 7:30 PM on Friday 2 December at Sudio 131, 131 Richardson Street in Grass Valley. More information is available at 272-1680.
posted by Eric Tomb and others 8:46 PM 0 Comments
