Alice Munro, winner of the 2009 Booker Prize
It’s been at least twelve minutes since we mentioned Twilight, so if you’ve been experiencing withdrawal, fear not! Today we link to an NPR piece about Twilight-loving men, written by mystery author Brad Meltzer. Also, the 2009 Man Booker International Prize winner has been announced, and a publisher in Massachusetts is giving books away for free (and not out of desperation). Details below…
- Alice Munro, the Canadian writer frequently described as today’s Chekhov, has won the 2009 Man Booker International Prize. According to the judging panel, “Alice Munro is mostly known as a short story writer and yet she brings as much depth, wisdom and precision to every story as most novelists bring to a lifetime of novels. To read Alice Munro is to learn something every time that you never thought of before.” To summarize: she’s pretty good. Check her out.
- You may have seen them on the subway or bus – men reading a thick volume that appears to be Twilight, but you can’t tell because the cover is either missing or conveniently hidden behind today’s Wall Street Journal. Author Brad Meltzer was one of these closeted Twilight fans until yesterday, when he spilled his guts on NPR’s new segment “My Guilty Pleasure.” Meltzer professes his pure love for the series, and challenges women to pass it on to their sons, friends, or husbands. Read or listen to his hilarious piece here, and pass the book along, because he’s “tired of being the only guy in the movie theater.”
- Shanghai Girls, the latest novel from Lisa See, was released Tuesday and follows the lives of two sisters that move from Shanghai to Los Angeles in the 1930s. A Powell’s review calls Shanghai Girls “a moving and revealing story of the Chinese American experience,” though the plot can be melodramatic at times and “mainly serves to keep the book moving past a series of fascinating backdrops.” Still, these “fascinating backdrops” are what See is known for, and fans shouldn’t be disappointed.
- The publishing industry isn’t exactly celebrating sales at the moment, but most publishers have resisted simply giving books away. Concord Free Press in Massachusetts is the exception – the one-room publishing house has just released its second free book, Push Comes to Shove by Wesley Brown. The book is truly free, and it can be ordered online or picked up at independent bookstores. In return, the press asks readers to make a donation to charity and pass the book on to someone else when they’re finished. So far their plan seems to be working, with the first free book resulting in $44,000 in donations (that they know about). For more on how Concord Free Press runs, check out the Washington Post blog.
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