Meadowdale H.S. graduation 2012
Middletown H.S. graduation 2012
Dunbar H.S. graduation 2012
Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2009 > December
December 2009
Favorite non-fiction books from 2009
I prefer to read fiction and non-fiction in almost equal quantities. Some men rarely touch fiction. Some women only read novels. But the world of books is so varied - so incredible - I wish to read widely, avoiding a narrow range of topics.
Non-fiction books can cover every conceivable subject. Here are my favorites from 2009:
“Imperial” by William T. Vollmann (Viking, 1306 pages, $55). Some books are like boat anchors, others - doorstops. Huge books. Massive enterprises. Some actually work better as doorstops or boat anchors than as books. “Imperial” is that rare book, gigantic yet still worthy of a place of honor on the bookshelf.
This author has a prodigious talent. Vollmann does it all, writing novels and non-fiction. He excels at both forms, cranking out mountains of work. He worked on this one over the course of many years. He wanted it to be a novel but could not find a way to make it so.
“Imperial” is the history of Imperial County, California. This sprawling expanse along the Mexican border is one of the poorest counties in the state. That desert bloomed a century ago as Colorado River water irrigated a bonanza of farm produce. They thought that water would last forever.
Vollmann documents the booms and the busts along both sides of that border. This book is probably twice as long as it needed to be. Reading it felt like running a marathon. You must pace yourself.
“Bright-Sided, How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America” by Barbara Ehrenreich (Metropolitan Books, 235 pages, $23). This searing cultural critique was inspired during the author’s treatment for breast cancer. She got annoyed with people telling her to think positively to help beat the cancer.
Ehrenreich was intrigued by “instructors in the discipline of positive thinking-coaches, preachers, and gurus of various sorts.” She scrutinized a subculture that spawned an entire genre of self-help books, videos, lectures, and retreats. Ehrenreich is an incisive commentator. She doesn’t pull her punches here.
“The Man Who Loved Books Too Much - the True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession” by Allison Hoover Bartlett (Riverhead, 274 pages, $24.95). Can you ever have enough books? If you answered “no” then I know how you feel. We are the bibliomaniacs. We can never have enough books, right?
Some people take their bibliomania to extremes. Some become the bibliokleptomaniacs. They steal books. This story of one such afflicted soul was pure catnip for this book lover. The gent in question stole rare books because he simply had to have them for his collection. He didn’t do it for the money. The author interviewed the thief as well as the man who caught him. A book lover’s delight.
“Tears in the Darkness - the Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath” by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman (Farrar Straus Giroux, 464 pages, $30). Riveting. Harrowing. Stunning. World War Two history at its best.
Vick Mickunas
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TweetHe wrote the torture memos…
John Yoo was the attorney in the Bush White House who wrote the so-called “torture memos.” He has just published a new book, “Crisis and Command”. There is a fascinating interview with him in this week’s New York Times Magazine.
To read it click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetThe pungent fragrance of books being cooked ?
Amazon.com continues their leadership in the electronic book reader wars. And their market share for e-book readers must be growing? Hard to say for sure since they won’t reveal exact numbers but according to an article in PC World:
“It appears the holiday season was a very, very good one for e-reader sales. According to Amazon, the Kindle was the “most-gifted product” in the company’s history. And for the first time ever, the online retailer’s customers bought more Kindle e-books than physical books on Christmas day.”
Holy smokes! All those Kindle owners were downloading so many books to their Amazon e-book readers that downloads outsold traditional paper books on Christmas Day! Amazon sells tons of “physical” books. That is an astonishing statistic. Could e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle be catching on in a big way?
Do you have a Kindle or other e-book reader? How do you like it? Was it a gift? Have you given an e-book reader as a gift? Who are all these people buying book downloads? I want to hear from some of you.
And on a skeptical note; Amazon is giving away Kindle downloads in a big way. If you look at their top ten sales chart for Kindle downloads you’ll see that 8 out 10 of those titles are free downloads. So, how many of those Christmas Day downloads were free? Thousands and thousands of them, right? How many “physical” books were they giving away? ZERO. Was Amazon counting all those free downloads when they compared the tallies? Those numbers are a closely guarded secret. It sure sounds good from a PR standpoint, right? We are kicking you know what….no need to mention if the numbers for downloads include all those free downloads. Tsk, tsk.
Where I come from they call it “cooking the books”
To read the article click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetLegalizing marijuana…
The production and marketing of marijuana is a multi-billion dollar industry in this country. And since the product is illegal under most circumstances, all that potential tax revenue is not available to revenue-starved tax departments all over the USA. But that situation might actually be changing in some locales.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times:
“OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington is one of four states where measures to legalize and regulate marijuana have been introduced, and about two dozen other states are considering bills ranging from medical marijuana to decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the herb.
“In terms of state legislatures, this is far and away the most active year that we’ve ever seen,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, which supports reforming marijuana laws.
Nadelmann said that while legalization efforts are not likely to get much traction in state capitals anytime soon, the fact that there is such an increase of activity “is elevating the level of public discourse on this issue and legitimizing it.”
“I would say that we are close to the tipping point,” he said. “At this point they are still seen as symbolic bills to get the conversation going, but at least the conversation can be a serious one.”
Opponents of relaxing marijuana laws aren’t happy with any conversation on the topic, other than keeping the drug illegal.”
What do you think? Should marijuana remain illicit? Should it be decriminalized? Legalized? Will it ever be legal to consume the wacky weed in Ohio?
To read the entire article click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetGet Michelle Obama arms…
Tired old 2009 is wobbling to the finish line. Snowy January lurks just around the bend. Are you making some New Year’s resolutions? Do you have plans for improving yourself? A new diet? An exercise program?
Maybe you just want to have arms like Michelle Obama? Doesn’t everybody? Apparently, a lot of people do, as evidenced by a new book, “Totally Toned Arms - Get Michelle Obama Arms in 21 Days” (Wellness Central) by Rylan Duggan, CSCS.
There’s a picture of our First Lady right there on the cover. She is beaming. She knows that everybody wants to have gorgeous arms like hers.
The arms race is on!
My New Year’s resolution? I plan to read more books in 2010.
Vick Mickunas
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TweetQuick thinking over Detroit saved the day…
The story of the attempted terrorist attack over Detroit gets more interesting by the moment. Truth is stranger and more thrilling than fiction in this case.
I got a note from someone who was trying to leave a comment about it on my previous post. That post seems to be blocked for comments right now. I don’t know what’s up with that but hopefully, you can leave any comments on this new post.
According to the New York Times, quick action by some passengers on the plane was crucial to averting disaster on Christmas Day over Detroit. The Times reports:
“During 19 hours of travel, aboard two flights across three continents, law enforcement officials said, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab bided his time. Then, just as Northwest Flight 253 finally began its final approach to Detroit around noon on Friday, he tried to ignite the incendiary powder mixture he had taped to his leg, they said.
There were popping sounds, smoke and a commotion as passengers cried out in alarm and tried to see what was happening. One woman shouted, “What are you doing?” and another called out, “Fire!”
And then history repeated itself. Just as occurred before Christmas in 2001, when Richard C. Reid tried to ignite plastic explosives hidden in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight, fellow passengers jumped on Mr. Abdulmutallab, restraining the 23-year-old Nigerian.
Jasper Schuringa, a Dutch film director seated in the same row as Mr. Abdulmutallab but on the other side of the aircraft, saw what looked like an object on fire in the suspect’s lap and “freaked,” he told CNN.
“Without any hesitation, I just jumped over all the seats,” Mr. Schuringa said, in an account that other passengers confirmed.“I was thinking, Oh, he’s trying to blow up the plane. I was trying to search his body for any explosive. I took some kind of object that was already melting and smoking, and I tried to put out the fire and when I did that I was also restraining the suspect.”
Mr. Schuringa said he had burned his hands slightly as he grappled with Mr. Abdulmutallab, aided by other passengers among the 289 on board, and began to shout for water.
“But then the fire was getting worse, so I grabbed the suspect out of the seat,” Mr. Schuringa said. Flight attendants ran up with fire extinguishers, doused the flames and helped Mr. Schuringa walk Mr. Abdulmutallab to first class, where he was stripped, searched and locked in handcuffs.
“The whole plane was screaming — but the suspect, he didn’t say a word,” Mr. Schuringa said.
He shrugged off praise for his swift action, which he said was reflexive. “When you hear a pop on the plane, you’re awake, trust me,” he said. “I just jumped. I didn’t think. I went over there and tried to save the plane.”
In an affidavit filed in court, an F.B.I. agent said that Mr. Abdulmutallab stayed in the bathroom for 20 minutes before the attempt, returned to his seat, told his seatmates that his stomach was upset and covered himself with a blanket. It was then that the smoke and popping sounds began.
After he was subdued and the fire extinguished, a flight attendant asked him what had been in his pocket, and he answered, “explosive device,” the affidavit said. The powder was identified by the F.B.I. as PETN, a high explosive.” (The New York Times, 12/27/09)
Vick Mickunas
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TweetWas US aware of potential Nigerian terrorist months ago ?
According to an article in the New York Daily News, a Nigerian banker, the father of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, yesterday’s alleged Detroit airline bomber, notified the US Government about concerns regarding his son months ago.
Fortunately, this bomb attempt fizzled out when the flight came in from Amsterdam on Christmas Day. One wonders just how vigilant our Dept. of Homeland Security is? Did they ignore this threat? The DHS was formed after 9/11 in large part because the threat posed by Osama bin Laden had not been taken seriously. How safe are we, 8 years later?
Books will be written about this terrorist incident and about our current preparedness to avert this kind of potential danger.
To read the article click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetYuletide reading…
Happy Christmas. Are you reading anything special for the holidays?
I’m currently re-reading Garrison Keillor’s new novella. It is called A Christmas Blizzard (Viking).
I’m also reading some random poetry from The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems and a few stories taken from The Oxford Book of Christmas Stories.
What are you reading? Please share your choices in our comments section.
Happy Holidays.
Vick Mickunas
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Tweet“I Saw A Stable”
I Saw A Stable
I saw a stable, low and very bare,
A little child in a manger.
The oxen knew Him, had Him in their care,
To men He was a stranger.
The safety of the world was lying there,
And the world’s danger.
Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems)
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Tweet“Christmas 1970”
Christmas 1970
A little girl called Sile’ Javotte
Said ‘Look at the lovely presents I’ve got’
While a little girl in Biafra said
‘O what a lovely slice of bread’.
Spike Milligan (The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems)
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Tweet“A Walk in the Woods”
Bill Bryson’s book “A Walk in the Woods” made him famous. Bryson’s tale of walking major sections of the Appalachian Trail has become a classic of the travel genre. Have you read it?
If you have read the book then you know that Bryson plays the straight man to his walking companion Steven Katz. In my view, Katz made the book what it is. In fact when Bryson is walking alone near the end of the book it stopped being funny. Katz was a key element and when he exits from the story the humor leaves right with him.
To Bryson’s credit, he wrote about Katz. That was a stroke of genius on Bryson’s part. Katz (not his real name) is an old friend of mine. Katz is living quietly in Iowa. He just sent me a Christmas card.
It is a Christmas miracle. Happy Holidays.
Vick Mickunas
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Tweet“Buy Books and Save Western Civilization”
The author (or should I say writologist?) Philip Persinger has the write idea. Persinger, the author of the novels “Semele” and “Do the Math” has created a t-shirt which bears the message “Buy Books and Save Western Civilization”.
He could be on to something here. Check out his website. If you ask nicely (and while supplies last) he might even share one of his lovely t-shirts with you.
Does his message resonate with you? If so, click HERE:
p.s. While you are there check out his books and artwork. After all, he had the write idea all along.
Vick Mickunas
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TweetHoliday eating tips…
The information superhighway offers frequent detours. A friend sent me a piece of holiday literature for my edification. The author of this manuscript is unknown. If you recognize it and know the creator of these words of wisdom let me know so I can assign the proper credit for authorship. I share these tasty tidbits in the holiday spirit.
“Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.
Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It’s rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it.
If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by: “Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!””
So as you chart your gustatory traverse across this gaudy remnant of 2009 pray thee remember that you are what you consume. Make merry. The iceberg of January looms larger with each passing moment….
(and here’s a Christmas bonus for you; a holiday punch video). click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetMy favorite fiction titles from 2009…
Do you ever find yourself looking for some good fiction to read? We know it when we read it, don’t we? The barriers dissolve. It draws us right in. Here is my favorite fiction from 2009:
“American Rust” by Philipp Meyer (Spiegel & Grau, 367 pages, $24.95): The steel mill shut down long ago in a decaying river town in Pennsylvania. Two friends wander into an abandoned building. They encounter strangers. A random act of violence occurs. Innocence fractures. Meyer forges a magical story, part crime novel, part road novel. These two young men are hurled upon dire trajectories. One runs off. The other ends up in prison.
Poe, the character who is headed to prison, ponders the unreality of it all: “I am giving up my life, he said out loud. But still the words brought nothing to his mind, no description, only a very faint feeling, he might have been saying I would like a glass of milk.”
“Ravens” by George Dawes Green (Grand Central, 325 pages, $24.99): Two young men from Piqua get burned out on their jobs providing technical support for computer users in the Dayton area. They head south with the dream of joining a fishing crew in Key West. Then their junker car breaks down in Georgia.
They pull over at a filling station and one of them catches wind of a huge lottery windfall that has just been won. He hatches a plot to extort some of that money from the family that has hit the jackpot. “Ravens” is a dark farce that takes readers on a roller coaster ride of lottery fantasies that don’t always turn out for the best.
“Rain Gods” by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 434 pages, $25.99): How does James Lee Burke do it? He has been putting out exceptional novels for decades and they just keep getting better.
His latest, “Rain Gods,” dredges up a character who Burke hasn’t written about in years. Hackberry Holland is the sheriff of a little Texas town on the Mexican border. As the book opens he has happened upon a grisly crime scene. The perpetrator of this horrific crime is the nastiest villain Burke has ever imagined. One key witness, an Iraq War vet, flees the scene. In an interview Burke described the state of this veteran’s mind after he returned from Iraq: “he comes home with a head full of snakes.”
“Love and Obstacles” by Aleksandar Hemon (Riverhead, 210 pages, $25.95): Hemon’s book “The Lazarus Project,” was one of my favorite books from 2008. This new collection of short stories was written during the same period that he was writing that other book.
The author is a native of Bosnia. His stories take readers through some odd locales — to an embassy in Africa, on a train trip across Yugoslavia to buy a freezer, the icy streets of Madison, Wisc., and selling magazine subscriptions door to door in Chicago. These stories dazzled me with their wry humor and glittering language.
Next week I’ll have my favorite non-fiction from 2009.
And on further reflection I am realizing that there are four more compelling reasons why I chose these four books as my favorites; I interviewed all four authors - and for me that caused a more significant engagement with these works of fiction. There’s nothing quite like talking to writers about the creative process that nourishes the wellsprings of their writerly muses.
Vick Mickunas
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TweetThou shalt not steal Bibles…
There is a fascinating article in the New York Times today about stolen books. Apparently book theft at independent bookstores is soaring right now. Blame the economy.
The most popular book to steal came as a bit of a shock however - I realize that this book is ever popular. It also contains the warning “Thou Shalt Not Steal”. You know which book I mean.
The article states:
“At BookPeople in Austin, Tex., the rate of theft has increased to approximately one book per hour. I asked Steve Bercu, BookPeople’s owner, what the most frequently stolen title was.
“The Bible,” he said, without pausing.
Apparently the thieves have not yet read the “Thou shalt not steal” part — or maybe they believe that Bibles don’t need to be paid for. “Some people think the word of God should be free,” Bercu said. As it turns out, Bibles are snatched even at the Parable Christian Store in Springfield, Ore., the manager told me, despite the fact that if a person asks for a Bible, they’ll be given a copy without charge.”
Amazing.
To read the rest of it click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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Tweet“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for iPhones…
I don’t have an iPhone. But I do love Dr. Seuss. So when I heard about an eBook version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” that is now available as an application for the iPhone it got my attention. I know a lot of you do have iPhones so this might be of some interest to you.
To watch a short video clip of the Grinch iPhone app click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetAmanda Hesser’s spice drawer trick…
Food writer Amanda Hesser always has a few culinary tricks up her sleeve. At this time of year some of us are venturing into our spice cabinets and drawers and finding that things are not as organized and coherent as we might wish for them to be.
Hesser offers up some tips on keeping our spices in good order…. click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetJoe Lieberman is….
Fun with Google Dept.
Sometimes just for fun (and my own literary edification) I go to Google (an awesome search engine) to look up information about authors, books, sundry topics, and what have you.
Today I searched in Google for the term “Joe Lieberman is” since our esteemed independent US Senator from Connecticut is so much in the news lately. Try it. See what pops up in Google’s suggestion box when you type in those three innocent words. (Warning: if you idolize Joe Lieberman you might wish to skip this entire exercise).
I’m still laughing. (It sure beats crying).
Vick Mickunas
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TweetSarah Palin’s (gasp!) Secret Diary?
Some people have accused Sarah Palin of “cashing in” with her best-selling memoir “Going Rogue.”
Then there are the bottom feeders who want to try to cash in on Sarah Palin. For instance, there’s a Sarah Palin coloring book out.
And I just got a press release for Sarah Palin’s “diary.” Check this out:
December 16th, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA — “This “genuine imitation” of Sarah Palin’s diary, fabricated by a bona fide satirist Joey Green, reveals spurious behind-the-scenes happenings with all your favorite mavericks from the Palin family. Joey Green is a former contributor to the National Lampoon, the author of dozens of books and has appeared on Good Morning America, The View and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The book is being distributed digitally by BFM Digital (http://www.bfmdigital.com), a leading digital music aggregator and distributor of independent music.
Among the many ersatz revelations in the spurious diary are that Palin cast her vote for Barack Obama, had the hots for Joe the Plumber, practiced for her debate against Joe Biden with her 13-year-old daughter Willow, and went on a campaign shopping spree at Neiman-Marcus to buy lingerie, luggage, and an espresso maker. The simulated diary also discloses that Palin found her teenage daughter Bristol and boyfriend Levi Johnston alone in a bedroom—buck naked and surrounded by lit candles—but feared the teens were practicing Satanism, not premarital sex.
Other adventures of America’s favorite hockey mom include:
How Bristol revealed her little secret
Going rogue with Joe the Plumber
Books the former Governor would love to ban
Campaign slogans for 2010
“Sarah Palin told the media that she kept a journal during her pregnancy, her teenage daughter’s pregnancy, and her campaign for Vice President,” said Green. “I wondered what torrid secrets the diary might reveal, but for legal reasons, I’m not allowed to claim that a disgruntled Alaska State Trooper broke into her home, stole her diary, and FedExed it to me. I remain 100% convinced that Sarah Palin wrote every single word of this diary, even if the book does call itself a forgery right on the cover.”?
How low can they go? What will they think of next?
Vick Mickunas
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TweetKnock it out of the park with this gift idea…
2009 has been a fabulous year for baseball books. Publishers have been peppering the outfield with one great title after another.
I just stumbled across another one that would make a lovely gift for that passionate baseball fan you know; “Baseball Americana-Treasures from the Library of Congress” (Harper) is a coffee table volume that is jammed with an extraordinary array of fascinating baseball goodies.
Baseball was truly the American pastime. This book has page after page of artwork; cartoons, illustrations, baseball cards, advertisements, photographs, sheet music, books and posters.
Here’s the earliest known printed image of the sport from 1787. The first baseball card (1865). A chromolithograph of the first professional team, The Cincinnati Red Stockings from 1869.
Here’s an ad for Chesterfield cigarettes with star endorser Jackie Robinson. Here’s the cover of Sports Illustrated from 1970; Reds catcher Johnny Bench is chasing a pop up. His tongue is hanging out.
So was mine as I perused this fabulous book. Give a copy to that baseball fan that you know-the one that is so hard to shop for.
Time’s a’wastin’…..
Vick Mickunas
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TweetE-book battle lines being drawn…
In previous posts I have noted the escalating battle over electronic books that is being waged between traditional book publishers and internet book sellers like Amazon.com.
An article in the New York Times today distilled the essence of what is at stake here in one paragraph:
“The skirmish over e-books is part of a larger multidimensional chess match being played among publishers, authors, agents and book retailers. The big publishing houses hate the uniform e-book price of $9.99 that Amazon and others have set for newer titles. Although the retailers are subsidizing that price, executives say they believe that such pricing harms the market for more expensive hardcovers, and some publishers have reacted by announcing they will delay the publication of certain e-books by several months after they are made available in hardcover.”
To read the entire article click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetThat retro David Sedaris…
The humorist David Sedaris has a new audiobook, “Live for Your Listening Pleasure”, coming out in January. It will be available on CD and on LP. That’s right, the ever hip Sedaris is releasing it on a 12 inch vinyl long playing record album. That is so cool!
I have never given up on vinyl and LP’s are actually on the upswing. CD sales are in a virtual nosedive while vinyl sales are slowing rising. Still miniscule, but growing.
The vinyl release of the Sedaris audiobook has a delightfully retro cover. Don’t you agree? That takes me back to the heyday of LP’s-the 1960’s and early 1970’s were a time when some fabulous music was being released and album covers were providing an alluring canvas for some incredible artwork.
I’m hoping that David Sedaris is on to something here…
Vick Mickunas
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TweetFill your stockings with new Christmas books…
’Tis the season for Christmas books. Here are my criteria for choosing which ones I covered: I eliminated those too large to fit into a good sized Christmas stocking, and I picked potential classics along with one that is considered to be the greatest Christmas story ever told. Here they are:
“The Dreaded Feast — Writers on Enduring the Holidays” (Abrams Image, 208 pages, $20.95): The holidays can be stressful. Well chosen humor might provide some relief for an excess of holiday drama. These stories and essays could bring extra twinkles to your merrymaking.
There are veritable chestnuts here including “A Fruitcake Theory” by Calvin Trillin, “Susie’s Letter from Santa” by Mark Twain, “Christmas Shopping: A Survivor’s Guide” by Dave Barry and “Christmas Means Giving” by David Sedaris.
“Wishin’ and Hopin’ — A Christmas Story” by Wally Lamb (Harper, 273 pages, $19.99): Wally Lamb is that rare author with two books which made “Oprah’s Book Club.” This seasonal book is an unexpected treat. We flash back to a blue collar town in Connecticut in 1964. Our middle-aged narrator, Felix Funicello, recalls the fifth grade at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School, the Christmas play and a sweet miracle.
“A Rumpole Christmas — Stories” by John Mortimer (Viking, 161 pages, $21.95): Crotchety lawyer Horace Rumpole was John Mortimer’s greatest creation. Fans of the Rumpole books and the British TV series that was inspired by them should enjoy this collection. Rumpole isn’t fond of Christmas. Fortunately, the criminals that he defends don’t take much time off for the holidays. That keeps Rumpole busy and Mortimer’s readers chuckling. These stories are appearing for the first time in book form.
“A Christmas Blizzard - a Novel” by Garrison Keillor ( Viking, 180 pages, $21.95): Garrison Keillor is a superb humorist and storyteller. This is the story of the Sparrows, James and Joyce. James wants to forget about his troubled youth on the desolate midwestern plains. He has made a fortune selling his energy drink. He doesn’t like Christmas: it reminds him of the past. As the holidays draw nigh, he wants to leap aboard his private jet and fly off to the vacation villa in Hawaii. But Joyce loves Christmas. She would rather stay home. The decision is made for them as James learns that his Uncle Earl is dying back in Looseleaf, North Dakota. James heads into a blizzard on a fateful journey into his past. Keillor’s wry humor crackles throughout.
“A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books” by Charles Dickens (Everyman’s Library, 411 pages, $18): “A Christmas Carol” is the greatest Christmas story ever written. Back in 1843 when Dickens wrote it, he had to make some money quickly. Initially, he failed to earn what he desired, but, in time, this heartwarming tale of Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and Ebenezer Scrooge has become an enduring classic. This gorgeous reissue contains some lesser known seasonal stories as well; “ The Chimes,” “The Cricket on the Hearth,” “The Battle of Life” and “The Haunted Man.”
Next week, I’ll have my favorite fiction from 2009.
Vick Mickunas
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TweetShare your on-line shopping horror stories here…
Have you been doing any on-line shopping? How has that been going for you? Has everything been satisfactory? Or, do you have some horror stories you would like to share?
I do. Here’s my horror story: I have been doing some shopping on eBay. I’m new to eBay so I don’t really know what I’m doing yet. I hear there are a lot of pitfalls to avoid there. Many of them are unforeseen. I have been buying some old books on eBay. There are some amazing books to be had there. I ordered a couple recently from different eBay sellers. The first book arrived and the second I opened the box I regretted it. The box smelled like an ashtray. Everything reeked of tobacco smoke. The box. The styrofoam packing. The bubble wrap. And the book. The beautiful, old, wretchedly stinky book. Yuck.
The second book arrived today. Same deal. Like opening an ashtray. Everything reeked. One seller was in Florida and the other was in Arizona. Of course their eBay listings neglected to mention their vile nicotine habits. Disgusting. These books are worthless to me. I cannot read them without feeling ill. They need fumigation.
So, what are your internet shopping horror stories? I know that you must have a few good ones by now. Please share them in the comments section. Happy shopping.
Vick Mickunas
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TweetThe perfect gift suggestion for hardcore baseball fans…
You have just enough time to order Paul Dickson’s fabulous baseball dictionary before Christmas. Here’s more info click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetNew Christmas books…
This Sunday I’ll have some new Christmas books to tell you about. There’s the new book from Garrison Keillor, one from Wally Lamb, and even a reissue of the greatest Christmas story ever told.
Do you know which book I’m talking about?
Vick Mickunas
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TweetDo you have a favorite number?
Most of us have some superstitions whether we admit it or not. Do you try not to step on cracks in the sidewalk? Do you avoid walking under ladders? Common sense, actually. How do you feel about black cats? (I love’em).
Ever since I can remember I have had a favorite number. It is 7. It might have something to do with the fact that I was born on the seventh day of the month? That number has always seemed significant to me. Call it superstition.
A new book is validating some of my feelings about it. “Seven - the Number for Happiness, Love, and Success” (Twelve) by Jacqueline Leo just came out this week. (Of course it was published on the 7th).
Leo claims that this number is special. Why else would there be 7 days of the week? 7 stages of grief? 7 Wonders of the World? 7 notes in the musical scale? 7 seas? Heck, there are even 7 ingredients in a Big Mac! (I won’t let that fact spoil it for me).
Do you have a favorite number? What is it? Why is that one your favorite? How did you choose it? Is it also a lucky number? Do you have any superstitions? What are they?
Vick Mickunas
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TweetJames Patterson and Sue Grafton…
I’m fascinated by how Amazon.com is marketing their Amazon Kindle electronic book reading device. I frequently check out their top ten chart for hourly Kindle downloads and that says a lot. Amazon is supposedly selling Kindles at a clip of about 50,000 devices per month in 2009 according to one analyst. (Amazon won’t reveal the exact numbers).
Part of the attraction is that Kindle users can currently download all sorts of free content at Amazon. Publishers must be striking all kinds of deals with Amazon to get their content made available through free Kindle downloads.
Currently 8 of the top 10 book downloads for the Kindle are free downloads. Charlie Huston’s novel “Already Dead” is topping the list. That’s a free Kindle download. The only authors cracking the top ten who are actually charging Kindle users for downloads are James Patterson and Sue Grafton.
Patterson’s “I, Alex Cross is at #8. Grafton’s “U is for Undertow” is at #9. And both books are actually declining in Kindle downloads at the moment. Amazing.
From the electronic book front I’m Vick Mickunas….
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TweetRemembering Pearl Harbor…
There have been many books written about the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that took place on this date in 1941.
I have read some of them. For me none of them fully captured the horror and the heroism of that day.
My dad wasn’t there. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1942 and served in the Second Division at godforsaken places in the Pacific. Islands like Saipan. He never liked to talk about it.
Many years ago I used to eat dinner quite often at a little Italian restaurant in Des Moines. I was a regular. I dined there 3 or 4 times a week for several years. The maitre d’ was a gentleman who lingered in the background most of the time. Quiet, unassuming, his name was Melvin.
After quite a few meals Melvin began to open up to me in conversation. On slow nights he would sit down at my table and we would chat. After quite a few conversations he mentioned that he had been on a ship anchored at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked.
He described what it felt like to be there. His ship was on fire. His crewmates were dying all around him. He spoke very quietly. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes.
As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated shortly thereafter in a speech: “it was a day that shall live in infamy.”
A day we can never forget.
Vick Mickunas
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TweetThe Palin rules….
Sarah Palin has a book signing today in Sioux City, Iowa at the Barnes & Noble. Here are the rules for that book signing as reported by the Des Moines Register:
“Here’s a checklist of details provided by Barnes & Noble about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s scheduled visit to the bookstore at Southern Hills Mall, 4400 Sergeant Road, at noon today in Sioux City.
Wristbands will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 6 a.m.
An original Barnes & Noble or BarnesandNoble.com receipt for Palin’s book, “Going Rogue: An American Story,” is necessary to get a wristband.
A maximum of two copies of the book per person will be signed.
Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
No photos.
No personalization of books.
Customers may only approach the signing table with “Going Rogue.”
No bags will be allowed in the signing line.
Cell phones and cameras must be turned off and put away before customers approach the signing table.
Customers with wristbands who leave the line for an extended period will have to rejoin the line at the end.”
Vick Mickunas
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TweetSome novel gift ideas for you…
There are so many fantastic book-related gift ideas, it’s difficult to narrow them down to a few choices. Here are my favorites:
“National Geographic Illustrated Birds of North America-Folio Edition” by John L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderer (National Geographic, 502 pages, $50). This stunning coffee table book is a bird lover’s dream. There are more than 4,000 full-color, original paintings of birds. All 967 species of North American birds are included. There are more than 700 maps indicating the ranges for each species. This is a valuable reference guide and a magnificent work of art.
“The National Parks — America’s Best Idea” by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns (Knopf, 403 pages, $50). Ken Burns has carved out a niche as one of our greatest documentary filmmakers.
This is the companion volume to his recent PBS series “The National Parks.” It contains incredible photos and a wealth of historical information about these pristine treasures of nature.
“The World in Vogue — People, Parties, Places” edited by Alexandra Kotur (Knopf. 386 pages, $75). Vogue Magazine has chronicled the social lives of the rich and famous for decades. Vogue employs gifted photographers. This collection captures amazing moments with beautiful people, and the lavish lives that they lived.
“A New Literary History of America” edited by Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors (Belknap Harvard, 1,095 pages, $49.95) This fascinating collection of more than 200 essays covers 500 years of American culture filtered through our literature.
It begins with the first mention of the word “America” in 1507 and ends with the election of Barack Obama. The editors solicited contributions from a wide range of our leading thinkers.
They cover subjects as diverse as the Salem witchcraft trials, Emily Dickinson, the Daytonian Paul Lawrence Dunbar, the “Wizard of Oz,” “Tarzan,” Alcoholics Anonymous and Dr. Seuss. Readers of this masterpiece can consider themselves well read.
Garner’s Modern American Usage — The Authority on Grammar, Usage and Style” by Bryan A. Garner (Oxford, 942 pages, $45). Do you care about choosing the right words? Are proper grammar, punctuation and pronunciation important to you? If so, buy this for yourself or bestow it on another logophile.
“Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary” (Oxford, 3,984 pages, $395). Have you ever found a gift so fabulous you just had to have it for yourself? This is the one for me.
Fifty years in the making, this first historical thesaurus is an astounding intellectual achievement. Do you know that there are 264 synonyms for the word “immediately”? This two-volume set covers more than 920,000 words while going back to the earliest forms of our language.
“Novel-T Literary Baseball Jerseys.” These whimsical T-shirts offer the wearer the opportunity to “wear your read.” You can sport the jersey of one of your literary heroes. They have designs that feature Walt Whitman, Henry Thoreau, Edgar Alan Poe, “Tom Sawyer,” “ Huck Finn,” “Moby Dick” and more. Check them out at www.novel-t.com.
Vick Mickunas
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Tweet“I Slept With Joey Ramone”
Book titles are supposed to get our attention. Some do. Others elicit reactions that are not uniformly positive. Let me give you an example. “I Slept With Joey Ramone” (Touchstone) by Mickey Leigh and Legs McNeil just came out this month. The book is being described as a “family memoir” about the lead singer for the seminal punk band The Ramones. The late Joey Ramone was their lead singer. Mickey Leigh is Joey’s brother.
Joey was born Jeffry Hyman on May 19, 1951 in Forest Hills, New York. He suffered from “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder” for his entire life. This is his story (sort of). Joey is dead so his story is being recreated by others.
I have a Ramones story. I encountered Joey and the boys back in the early 1980’s. I was managing a record store in Des Moines. The store owner was also a music promoter. He brought the Ramones to town for a gig on the top floor of the Holiday Inn. That floor contained a restaurant that slowly revolved with a view of beautiful downtown Des Moines. A surreal place for a punk gig.
The Ramones came into my store for an autographing session that afternoon. The late Joey and the late Johnny and the other two were right on time. They had on their trademark leather jackets. Joey was wearing his round dark sunglasses. Their manager was also with them.
They didn’t say much. They gamely signed autographs. I stood behind the counter with the four of them. Joey hardly uttered a word. Johnny was the big talker. Not to the assembled crowd but he chatted good naturedly with me. It was a bit astonishing to learn when Johnny died that he was extremely conservative in his politics. A punker with a Republican outlook. Appearances can be just that.
My store carried a lot of unusual and rare music. Cassette only punk albums on obscure labels in limited editions. British imports. Bootlegs. That was the final heyday for record stores. Think High Fidelity. Music geeks hung out at our place. After the signing the band browsed and they were really excited about buying some music from me. They asked their manager if they could buy some stuff. Their manager said they could each have 5 dollars to spend. 20 dollars in total. The Ramones. I’m not making this up. They pooled their funds and bought a couple of things, then they left.
I can’t imagine who might have wanted to sleep with Joey Ramone. I don’t even want to think about that…
Vick Mickunas
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TweetWin 100 new audiobook titles for your local library…
BBC Audiobooks is conducting a contest where you can win 100 new audiobooks for your local library. There will be 5 winners. With library budgets shrinking that would be a real boost for your local library. There is one catch though, you need to be a member of the Facebook social networking site to participate. Have you been looking for an excuse to join Facebook? Here it is. When you sign up to become a fan of BBC Audiobooks on their Facebook page you are entered in the contest. It is as simple as that. The contest runs through the end of December.
To learn more and to participate in this contest click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetMy gig with the New York Times….
Someone was kind enough to forward a link to me that connects to an article I wrote recently. This article was picked up by the Lariat Online at Baylor University.
I was amused. It has a dateline of Dayton and my byline at the New York Times. I’m not kidding. Check it out by clicking HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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TweetObama is losing some of his most loyal support…
The author Garry Wills just wrote a piece for the New York Review of Books blog in which he describes his growing disillusionment with President Barack Obama. This is a thought provoking piece. To read it click HERE:
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TweetElectronic book crazoids…
Shares in Borders Books fell off the table today. Amazon.com has an e-book reader, the Kindle. Barnes and Noble has their e-book device, the Nook. What does Borders have? Well, they don’t have a proprietary e-book reader like some of their competitors and according to Reuters News Service: “Borders Group Inc (BGP.N) shares fell sharply on continued fears that the US bookseller was missing out on the burgeoning electronic-reader market during the crucial holiday shopping season. Border’s stock fell as low as $1.08…” Ouch!
Speaking of Barnes and Noble, according to CNET News:”Start-up Spring Design has been denied an injunction to halt Barnes & Noble from selling its Nook e-reader, according to court documents. The company had requested the injunction, in addition to monetary damages, as part of a recent lawsuit filed in federal court in San Jose, Calif. The suit charges that the bookseller misappropriated Spring Design trade secrets in the design of its Nook, which launched October 20, the day after Spring Design announced its Alex e-book reader.” Ouch! To read the rest of the article click HERE:
That lawsuit isn’t B&N’s only Nook related headache either. According to Daily Tech, B&N will be hard pressed to fill orders for the Nook in time for delivery by Christmas. Ouch! To learn more about this delay click HERE:
Meanwhile, Amazon.com is laughing all the way to the bank. While they don’t release sales figures on the Kindle one analyst predicts that Amazon will end up selling over half a million Kindles in 2009. According to an article in E Week.com “Amazon.com is expected to sell about 550,000 Kindle devices in 2009, according to a research note issued on Dec. 1 by financial advisory group Collins Stewart. The note’s chief author, Sandeep Aggarwal, also pointed out that the Kindle faces competition from about 40 other e-readers, including Barnes & Noble’s Nook device.”
“The report comes just as Barnes & Noble announced on its site that Nook e-readers ordered after Nov. 30 will ship on Jan. 11. The device will make its debut in Barnes & Noble’s bricks-and-mortar stores starting on Dec. 7, although only high-volume retailers will receive Nooks for actual sale. The bookseller has repeatedly suggested that high demand is the cause for the delays.”
The New York Times just ran an interview with Jeff Bezos, the mastermind behind Amazon.com. It is quite interesting to hear the thoughts of someone who has prospered during tough economic times. To read it click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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Tweet“The Way to Cook” by Julia Child.
This just in from Knopf: Just in time for the holidays….on Dec 8: “THE WAY TO COOK by Julia Child will be available on DVD for the first time: the six-part Video Book (yes, that’s what we called it!) that Knopf originally released on cassette back in 1985, and then published as a best-selling book four years later. 2 DVDs, in full color. 360 minutes.”
Vick Mickunas
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TweetVote for the best book covers of the year…
Amazon.com is conducting a poll on the best book covers of the year in a number of categories. Each category has six finalists and you can choose your favorites from each section. I just voted for my favorites. You can only vote once.
Amazon will ask you to identify yourself to prevent ballot box stuffing. I enjoyed it. Some of my favorite books from 2009 are among the finalists.
You can vote by clicking HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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