Image: from Bustle
The Book Booth is a weekly feature at The Political Carnival, relating news, notes, and reflections from the world of books and publishing. @SeattleDan, along with his wife, SeattleTammy, are operators of both an on-line bookstore here, as well as a brick and mortar storefront mini-store in Hoquiam, WA at 706 Simpson Ave (Route 101 South). Both have been in the book business since shortly after the Creation, or close to 6000 years now.
The Book Booth: Happy Bloomsday Edition
Despite the fact that Google spellcheck doesn't like how I spelled Bloomsday, the anniversary of Leopold Bloom's trek around Dublin on June 16th 1904 is upon us. So grab yourself a gorgonzola sandwich, pour yourself a glass of burgundy and if you happen to be in Dublin, stop into Davy Byrne's pub to celebrate. #Bloomsday
The summer season is fast approaching with the solstice but days ahead. With that in mind those of us lucky enough to live near large bodies of water can head out to the beach with lotions and books at hand. Bustle has these recommendations for good beach reading. I can't say I'm familiar with any of these titles, but then again, I'm old.
Beach Reading Suggestions
For those of us who'd prefer literary titles, MentalFloss collected these favorite books by well-known authors. Scroll past the Ayn Rand, whom they feature first as she wouldn't have known good literature from a hole in the ground. The rest of them are good. Who knew that Samuel Beckett loved Catcher in the Rye?
What Books Do (or Did) Famous Authors Recommend?
Then there are the stories about the glamorous and not so glamorous in Hollywood. Author Michael Friedman, whose novel Martian Dawn was recently republished, had these novels of Tinseltown on his personal list of the best over at Publishers Weekly. Of course both The Last Tycoon and Day of the Locust are must reads.
10 Best Tinseltown Novels
The New York Times Book Review recently had this short interview with Stephen King. Asked about some of his favorite non-fiction writers, I was pleased to see him name Rick Perlstein, author of some very fine modern American histories, Nixonland and The Invisible Bridge. And I was taken by his selection of Don Robertson as his numero uno novelist.
Stephen King's Favorite NonFiction Writers
You know what modern novels lack? A good duel. I'm sure there is plenty of fisticuffs in today's fiction, but no ten paces, turn around and fire stuff. So it's good to see James Guida at the New Yorker discuss the swashbuckling duels in literature.
Swashbucklers!
Not too long ago, I noted here that Kazuo Ishiguro had recently published a new novel, his first in years, The Buried Giant, and that it contained elements of fantasy. Apparently the book has stirred a bit of controversy among fantasy novel fans and brought out the issues of genre. So at The New Republic, Neil Gaiman and Ishiguro recently discussed the notion of genre and what it means for the literary writer.
What is 'Genre'?
In other book news, the successor to Charles Wright as US Poet Laureate was announced this week. He is the poet Juan Felipe Herrera, author of such collections as Half of the World in Light and Senegal Taxi. I salute the former UCLA Bruin and hope he enjoys his tenure.
New US Poet Laureate is Former UCLA Bruin!
Amazon.com is no stranger to legal probes and the behemoth gets some more scrutiny as European Union regulators will soon examine its dealings in e-readers. NPR reports here.
Amazon and the European Union Antitrust Probe
I know I can be fairly obsessive about books and so can my wife. But I guess I'd really start worrying if either of us displayed any of these symptoms of serious book collecting from this amusing list provided by the New Antiquarian.
How Are Serious Book Collectors Different From You and Me?
Have a splendid weekend my book loving friends and please let us know what books you are enjoying on an early summers day.
The post The Book Booth: Happy Bloomsday Edition appeared first on The Political Carnival.
