Updated Articles and Resources
- The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris - Review of The Unnamed…Created: 2009-12-03 @ 21:55:07 EST Updated: 2009-12-04 @ 20:57:46 EST
The Unnamed is an engrossing novel – a page turner utterly dissimilar from Joshua Ferris’ debut, Then We Came to the End. In that book, Ferris plied his considerable talents wit… - Joshua Ferris Bio - Biography of Joshua Ferris…Created: 2009-12-03 @ 21:35:21 EST Updated: 2009-12-03 @ 21:57:14 EST
Joshua Ferris' work in an advertising agency was the inspiration for his hilariously satirical debut novel, Then We Came to the End. In January 2010, he follows with The Unnamed, a powerful story o… - New Book Releases - Books to read in November 2009 - Upcoming Books…Created: 2009-11-29 @ 15:40:01 EST
Stories, and lots of them! Stories from Alice Munro and Augusten Burroughs, and even previously unpublished work from Kurt Vonnegut plus essays from Zadie Smith and a new Philip Roth novel will kee… - 2010 New Book Releases - Books Coming in 2010…Created: 2009-11-29 @ 15:38:59 EST
Expect some great new book releases in 2010. Here is a preview of books coming in the first months of 2010, and I will update this page with links to expanded descriptions of each month's new relea… - Jack Vance Bio - Biography of Jack VanceCreated: 2009-11-28 @ 11:52:51 EST
Science fiction and fantasy writer Jack Vance is the award-winning author of such widely acclaimed works as The Dying Earth, the Lyonesse trilogy, the adventures of Cugel the Clever, and the Demon … - Farm City : The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter - …Created: 2009-11-27 @ 23:14:25 EST
When Novella Carpenter moves to an Oakland ghetto, "a postcard of urban decay," she gazes out onto an adjoining vacant lot - 4,500 square feet of weeds - and envisions a backyard vegetabl… - Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer - Review of Eating Animals…Created: 2009-11-27 @ 23:00:41 EST Updated: 2009-11-28 @ 18:55:07 EST
An inquiry into the nature of factory-farmed meat turned into a three-year oddysey for Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything is Illuminated), the result of which is Eating Animals, part memoir, history,… - Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NCCreated: 2009-11-23 @ 19:40:21 EST Updated: 2009-11-23 @ 19:40:21 EST
Set in a small strip mall in West Raleigh, NC, Quail Ridge Books continues to prove that people still seek the best books… - Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby - Review of Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby…Created: 2009-11-23 @ 11:35:15 EST
In 'Juliet Naked,' woman leaves her rock and roll obsessed husband, striking up a relationship with the object of his obsession. Nick Hornby's latest novel explores the nature of love and meaning … - Best Books of 2009 - Top 10 Books of 2009Created: 2009-11-21 @ 12:46:22 EST Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 18:27:30 EST
2009 gave us much in the way of contemporary literature. Here are reviews of the ten best books of the year… - New Book Releases - What to read in September 2009 - Upcoming Books…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 12:29:31 EST
There are some very interesting titles coming out in September from visionaries such as Margaret Atwood, E.L. Doctorow, and David Byrne as well as eagerly awaited follow-ups from Dan Brown and Audr… - New Book Releases - Books to read in October 2009 - Upcoming Books…Created: 2009-11-15 @ 11:01:24 EST
October's new releases include a collection of essays from Malcolm Gladwell, the long meditation on the meaning of manhood from Michael Chabon, A.S. Byatt's sprawling novel of Victorian through pos… - Look At the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut - Review of Kurt Vonnegut's Look…Created: 2009-11-15 @ 10:31:56 EST Updated: 2009-11-15 @ 10:32:35 EST
Fourteen new and previously unpublished short stories that sparkles with the wit, the sarcasm, and the dark observations that only Kurt Vonnegut can offer… - Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace - Review o…Created: 2009-11-15 @ 00:14:41 EST
These short pieces incorporate the stylistic pyrotechnics for which David Foster Wallace is famous - a usage lexicon from 100 years in the future that sheds light on the deterioration of male-femal… - Generation A by Douglas Coupland - Review of Generation A…Created: 2009-11-15 @ 00:06:10 EST Updated: 2009-11-15 @ 00:40:41 EST
In Generation A, Douglas Coupland envisions a near future in which bees have been extinct for years and the earth has, as a result, undergone a pollination crisis, in which various plant and animal… - Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving - Review of Last Night in…Created: 2009-11-14 @ 23:59:10 EST
Once again John Irving fluently demonstrates his considerable literary merits and superb story-telling ability. Drawing on the lives of an unforgettable cast of characters, he has given us first an… - The Best American Short Stories 2009 - Review of The Best American S…Created: 2009-11-14 @ 23:38:17 EST
If you don't read any other fiction this year, read this book of short stories. If you are recovering from heart failure and are not sure if your heart is still working properly, then read this boo… - Matchless: A Christmas Story by Gregory Maguire - Review of Matchles…Created: 2009-11-14 @ 21:52:32 EST
In 2008, NPR asked Gregory Maguire to write and read the story for their annual Christmas show. What Maguire created was Matchless, a refreshing twist on the Hans Christian Andersen classic, "… - The Best American Sports Writing 2009 - Review of The Best American …Created: 2009-11-05 @ 23:20:50 EST
The foreword and introduction of a book are usually things to be glanced at, gotten through as quickly as possible on the way to the "good stuff." Here, the "good stuff" begins… - The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2009…Created: 2009-11-05 @ 23:05:12 EST
The writing in 'The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2009' demonstrates what sets the best apart from the rest. On topics ranging from psychology and biology to carbon footprints and elect… - Share Your Story: Independent Bookstores - Share Your Favorite Indie…Created: 2009-10-28 @ 18:26:29 EDT
You find them in big cities and small towns - indie bookshops that are cherished by their residents, to which local book lovers hold a fierce devotion that the big box chains will never see. Tell u… - The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - Review of The Last Song by Nichol…Created: 2009-10-28 @ 00:15:37 EDT
It seems that it took only a moment for 'The Last Song' to reach number one on both the USA Today and New York Times lists of best-selling books. Such is the norm when Nicholas Sparks publishes a n… - New Book Releases - What to read in August 2009 - Upcoming Books…Created: 2009-10-20 @ 10:30:04 EDT
August is packed with hot books, including new releases from Thomas Pynchon, Pat Conroy, and Philippa Gregory. Throw one of these in your beach bag!… - And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer - Review of Eoin Colfer's And Anoth…Created: 2009-10-17 @ 21:34:42 EDT Updated: 2009-10-17 @ 22:32:29 EDT
They're back. Arthur Dent, Trillian Astra, and those froody Betelgeusian cousins Ford Prefect and Zaphod Beeblebrox have returned along with the rest of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' in th… - The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt - Review of A.S. Byatt's The Child…Created: 2009-10-17 @ 21:25:59 EDT
'The Children's Book' is a flawed masterpiece. It is long and often confusing, yet the writing is superb. The cast of characters is spread across a Victorian and Edwardian canvas that stretches in … - Down Around Midnight by Robert Sabbag - Review of Down Around Midnig…Created: 2009-10-17 @ 20:55:22 EDT
Robert Sabbag's 'Down Around Midnight' recounts the horrific plane crash that he survived in 1979 and the results of the author's recent attempts to contact the other survivors, bystanders and firs… - Alphabet Juice by Roy Blount, Jr. - Review of Alphabet Juice…Created: 2009-10-17 @ 20:42:46 EDT Updated: 2009-10-17 @ 20:49:58 EDT
Humorist Roy Blount Jr. collects a compendium of words alphabetically to explore their origins, spellings, pronunciations,and various other aspects in as unique and funny a writer's reference book … - Essays by Wallace Shawn - Review of Essays by Wallace Shawn…Created: 2009-10-15 @ 00:19:27 EDT
Wallace Shawn's book of essays is an eclectic collection of the hyper-talented playwright's musings, interviews, and serious exposition on politics, social responsibility, and the power and excitem… - Jonathan Ames Bio - Biography of Jonathan AmesCreated: 2009-10-11 @ 14:11:00 EDT Updated: 2009-10-12 @ 09:57:22 EDT
New York humorist Jonathan Ames is the author of numerous novels and essay collections. In much of his work, Ames unabashedly sheds a starkly honest light on his own sexual misadventures, experienc… - Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger - Review of Her Fearful S…Created: 2009-10-04 @ 15:00:34 EDT Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 15:26:15 EDT
Audrey Niffenegger, renown for her wonderful debut 'The Time Traveler's Wife,' proves herself yet again in 'Her Fearful Symmetry,' in which she explores the unseen world of spirits. Chicago twins, … - Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow - Review of Homer & Langley by E.L.…Created: 2009-10-04 @ 14:52:13 EDT Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 15:26:47 EDT
Homer and Langley Collyer were hoarding hermits who lived in the Harlem of the early 20th Century. They died in 1947 when the hoard they had collected over the years collapsed. Langley, who created… - The Wild Things - Review of The Wild Things by Dave EggersCreated: 2009-10-04 @ 14:38:24 EDT Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 15:25:15 EDT
'The Wild Things' is a novelized version of 'Where the Wild Things Are,' Maurice Sendak's wonderfully captivating children's book about a young boy, who after being sent to his room for making &quo… - Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love by Laura VapnyarCreated: 2009-09-26 @ 21:56:07 EDT
These six short stories all feature Russian immigrants who eat together and whose lives are uniformly depressing with occasional moments of joy. The joy is often connected with food. Nothing much h… - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - Review of The Lost Symbol by Dan BrownCreated: 2009-09-26 @ 21:36:20 EDT Updated: 2009-09-26 @ 21:45:03 EDT
Robert Langdon has been invited to Washington at the last minute to make a speech about the fraternal order of Masons and to bring a certain box entrusted to him by a 33rd degree Mason. This box al… - You Are Here by Colin Ellard - Review of You Are HereCreated: 2009-09-15 @ 12:16:11 EDT
'You Are Here' is a compelling plunge into the realm of orientation or way-finding in which experimental psychologist Colin Ellard questions why modern humans, with our big brains and technological… - Historical Fiction for Everyone - The best in Historical Fiction boo…Created: 2009-09-15 @ 10:23:54 EDT
From the ancient world to the 20th century and around the world, here is the best in recently published historical fiction novels… - The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo CoelhoCreated: 2009-09-06 @ 17:44:55 EDT Updated: 2009-09-06 @ 17:47:13 EDT
Internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho's latest novel, The Winner Stands Alone, is like his bestselling The Alchemist, but with a murderer on the loose. In this psychological thriller, the… - The Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley - Review of The Wildernes…Created: 2009-09-06 @ 17:38:01 EDT Updated: 2009-09-06 @ 17:50:04 EDT
In March 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt declared Pelican Island in Florida "a preserve and breeding ground for native birds." That was the first federally protected area for birds. By… - Dragon House by John Shors - Review of Dragon HouseCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 21:37:40 EDT Updated: 2009-08-23 @ 22:54:03 EDT
'Dragon House' marks John Shors' third novel, after 'Beneath a Marble Sky' and 'Beside a Burning Sea.' Each novel has moved forward in time from Moghul India to World War Two to the present. A four… - The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine - Review of The Blue NotebookCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 20:27:03 EDT
James A. Levine's standout debut novel, 'The Blue Notebook,' is a difficult kind of fiction. It's the kind of fiction that reveals a truth so painful you hope it remains within the book's pages. … - Two of the Deadliest edited by Elizabeth George - Review of Two of t…Created: 2009-08-17 @ 13:54:03 EDT Updated: 2009-08-17 @ 13:54:54 EDT
Lust and Greed are 'Two of the Deadliest' of the Seven Deadly Sins. Elizabeth George has brought together 18 "known" authors and 5 "unknown" authors to examine many aspects of t… - The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie - Review of Salman Rus…Created: 2009-08-10 @ 10:15:17 EDT Updated: 2009-08-10 @ 10:32:55 EDT
The Enchantress of Florence is Salman Rushdie's most recent sweeping and masterfully-written historical novel, set in sixteenth century Florence and Sikri, the seat of the Mughal Empire of the East… - Rain Gods by James Lee Burke - Review of Rain Gods by James Lee BurkeCreated: 2009-08-02 @ 23:34:17 EDT
Rain Gods is the most clearly literary novel of James Lee Burke's distinguished career as a novelist. After 17 Dave Robicheaux, four Billy Bob Holland, six miscellaneous golden novels and two colle… - The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz ZafonCreated: 2009-07-25 @ 18:40:47 EDT Updated: 2009-07-25 @ 18:46:09 EDT
Carlos Ruiz Zafón's (The Shadow of the Wind)latest novel, The Angel's Game, is told from the perspective of David Martin, a Barcelona youth who makes his living as a journalist and writer of p… - Frank McCourt Bio - Biography of Frank McCourt author of Angela's As…Created: 2009-07-19 @ 20:06:40 EDT Updated: 2009-07-19 @ 20:18:31 EDT
Frank McCourt was the author of Angela's Ashes, his Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir detailing an impoverished Irish childhood at the hands of an alcoholic father. McCourt followed with two memoirs, '… - Overqualified by Joey Comeau - Review of Overqualified by Joey ComeauCreated: 2009-07-17 @ 23:06:50 EDT
In Overqualified, Joey Comeau spins a narrative of love and loss via a most unusual vehicle: a series of letters. Not your ordinary epistolary collection, Comeau's missives are in fact letters of a… - The Alchemist - Review of The Alchemist by Paulo CoelhoCreated: 2009-07-17 @ 21:24:30 EDT
Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist' is a short and inspirational parable about the importance of pursuing one's dreams. Originally published in 1988 in the Brazillian author's native Portugese, it has s… - Boulder Book StoreCreated: 2009-07-15 @ 11:17:10 EDT
Are you a Boulder Book Store patron? What do you love about the Boulder Book Store?… - Boulder Book Store - Boulder, COCreated: 2009-07-15 @ 11:10:47 EDT Updated: 2009-07-15 @ 11:34:47 EDT
The Boulder Book Store, situated at the East end of the Pearl Street Mall, Boulder's lively pedestrian thoroughfare, is a destination for readers seeking solace from the big box chains, a book love… - Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris - Book Review…Updated: 2009-12-03 @ 22:00:55 EST
I knew after reading the first paragraph in "Then We Came to the End" that Joshua Ferris had nailed it. He utterly nails the boredom, the cynicism, and the resignation that is work in the… - Holiday Books - Books for Winter Holidays Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa…Updated: 2009-11-29 @ 16:11:50 EST
A cornucopia of holiday books to choose from as gifts for your friends and family or for yourself. Avoid the mall - give them a book from this eclectic selection!… - Jonathan Safran FoerUpdated: 2009-11-28 @ 11:28:58 EST
Jonathan Safran Foer's debut novel, Everything is Illuminated (2002) is based on a trip Foer had taken to Eastern Europe to research his grandfather; his 2005 novel, entitled Extremely Loud and Inc… - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - Review…Updated: 2009-11-28 @ 11:24:54 EST
Oskar Schell, the precocious nine year old narrator from Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, is an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pa… - Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer - Review of Everyt…Updated: 2009-11-27 @ 23:38:42 EST
With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man - also named Jonathan Safran Foer - sets out to find the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by… - A Convergence of Birds: Original Fiction and Poetry Inspired by Jose…Updated: 2009-11-27 @ 23:36:55 EST
Inspired by Cornell's avian-themed boxes, and suspecting that they would be similarly (and diversely) inspiring to others, Jonathan Safran Foer began to write letters. From Joyce Carol Oates to Rob… - A Long Way Down by Nick HornbyUpdated: 2009-11-23 @ 11:34:30 EST
Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year's Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They e… - Must Reads: Essential Articles and Resources about ContemporarylitUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 18:49:35 EST
- Nick Hornby Bio - Biography of Nick HornbyUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 18:26:30 EST
Nick Hornby is the author of the bestselling novels High Fidelity and About a Boy, as well as the memoir Fever Pitch. He is also the editor of the short story collection Speaking with the Angel. In… - New Book Releases - What to read in July 2009 - Upcoming Books…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 12:31:56 EST
There is no shortage of hot books this summer! July brings us plenty to choose from, so grab one of these before you head out on vacation… - A Man Without A Country by Kurt VonnegutUpdated: 2009-11-15 @ 10:43:00 EST
A Man Without a Country is Kurt Vonnegut’s hilariously funny and razor-sharp look at life, art, politics, and the condition of the soul of America today. Based on short essays and speeches… - David Foster Wallace Bio - Biography of David Foster Wallace author …Updated: 2009-11-15 @ 00:34:19 EST
David Foster Wallace is the author of Infinite Jest, The Broom of the System, Girl With Curious Hair, and Oblivion, a collection of short stories. His essays and stories have appeared in Harper's, … - Oblivion by David Foster Wallace Review - Book Review of David Foste…Updated: 2009-11-15 @ 00:33:34 EST
One of the most prodigiously talented and original writers at work today returns with his first new fiction in five years. In the stories that make up Oblivion, David Foster Wallace joins the rawes… - Infinite Jest - Review of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace…Updated: 2009-11-15 @ 00:32:50 EST
Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace's 1996 novel of addiction and recovery, popular entertainment, and tennis has been hailed as a work of genius, one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. It… - Books by David Foster Wallace - David Foster Wallace Bibliography…Updated: 2009-11-15 @ 00:28:58 EST
Perhaps the greatest writer of his generation, David Foster Wallace was the author of The Broom of the System, Girl With Curious Hair, Oblivion, a collection of short stories, and Infinite Jest, hi… - Independent Bookstores - Share Your Favorite Indie Bookstore!Updated: 2009-10-28 @ 18:26:29 EDT
You find them in big cities and small towns - indie bookshops that are cherished by their residents, to which local book lovers hold a fierce devotion that the big box chains will never see. Tell u… - Boulder Bookstore, Boulder ColoradoUpdated: 2009-10-18 @ 10:54:16 EDT
The Boulder Book Store, situated at the East end of the Pearl Street Mall, Boulder's lively pedestrian thoroughfare, is a destination for readers seeking solace from the big box chains, a book love… - Douglas Adams Bio - Biography of Douglas Adams…Updated: 2009-10-17 @ 21:42:24 EDT
Douglas Adams was a British comic author, most notably the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas worked with Graham Chapman of Monty Python fame, and has a writing credit in one e… - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams…Updated: 2009-10-17 @ 21:40:58 EDT
Douglas Adams' THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is not just a book--it's a phenomenon. It's based on a BBC radio series that spawned four other books, a TV series, a movie, and a computer game… - Don't Panic: Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy …Updated: 2009-10-17 @ 21:38:19 EDT
Don't Panic celebrates the life of Douglas Adams who, in a field in Innsbruck in 1971, had an idea that became The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: the radio series that started it all, the five b… - Wake Up, Sir! by Jonathan AmesUpdated: 2009-10-11 @ 14:19:20 EDT
What kind of book has Jonathan Ames written this time? Well, think of Cervantes' Don Quixote, except that "Wake Up, Sir!" is not as good. Alan Blair is a young, loony writer with numero… - Audrey Niffenegger Bio - Biography of Audrey NiffeneggerUpdated: 2009-10-11 @ 13:40:59 EDT
Audrey Niffenegger is the author of the outstanding debut novel, 'The Time Traveler's Wife,' an inventive and unconventionally rendered tale of Clare, a luminously beautiful artist, and Henry, a ti… - Dave Eggers Bio - Biography of Dave EggersUpdated: 2009-10-04 @ 18:52:58 EDT
Dave Eggers is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction including A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, You Shall Know Our Velocity, and What is the What. He is the founder of M… - Banned Books Week 2009 - Banned Books from 2008…Updated: 2009-09-27 @ 23:43:09 EDT
Banned Books Week began in 1982 as a response to books being challenged by schools and libraries on the basis of objectionable content. Here, according to the American Library Association, are the … - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - Review of the Da Vinci Code by Dan …Updated: 2009-09-26 @ 22:49:39 EDT
In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown combines a murder mystery with a religious historical thriller to create a record-breaking best-seller. While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives … - Recommended ReadingUpdated: 2009-09-07 @ 10:38:37 EDT
The cream of the literary crop, these lists highlight some of the best of the past quarter century, contemporary classics, and literary award winners… - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Review of The Shadow o…Updated: 2009-09-07 @ 10:25:55 EDT
Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind seems born of a different time. An ode to its own genre, a love song to itself, the story of a boy who is shown the power of a book, one so powerful that … - Margaret Atwood Bio - Biography of Margaret AtwoodUpdated: 2009-08-31 @ 00:02:46 EDT
Known for sharp social commentary delivered via science fiction or speculative fiction, Margaret Atwood's books have been published in over thirty-five countries. She is the author of more than thi… - Traci J. MacnamaraUpdated: 2009-08-23 @ 20:28:08 EDT
Traci J. Macnamara is a freelance writer and literary adventurer. She has an undergraduate degree in science from the University of Notre Dame and master's degrees in English literature, writing, a… - Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal by John ShorsUpdated: 2009-08-23 @ 20:10:09 EDT
Set at the height of the Mughal Empire, Beneath a Marble Sky recreates the remarkable lives of those responsible for the Taj Mahal's existence. From the famous lovers who inspired it, Shah Jahan an…