Four (and more) for February 2020

On the road into 2020.

Sometime at the end of 2019, I saw an interview with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in which Rogers said that he was setting a resolution to read more books in 2020. 'Hell fire,' I thought, 'If a busy guy like the Green Bay Packers star is setting an intention to read more, than I can set an intention to read more - and blog about it.'

So, let's go!

Four books have caught my attention for February 2020. The first is The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. I'm a fan of Larson, starting with the first of his books that I read, The Devil in the White City (nonfiction account of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and a serial killer at large).

In his new book, Larson looks at Winston Churchill and London during the blitz, the bombing campaign waged against England by Hitler. Having just finished reading A Woman of No Importance, I'm in the mood for another nonfiction read about World War II. Stories of real people acting heroically are inspiring. (Actually, I may do this book as an audio book. Is that cutting corners? Nah.)

Second on my list for February is Weather by Jenny Offill. Based upon the summaries of the plot, I'm anticipating that this novel is one that is read more for the unique literary experience than for the hard-charging plot. The story is about a librarian named Lizzie. Lizzie's mentor, Sylvia, is a national expert on climate change. Sylvia is fed up with her fans and wants Lizzie to take over answering her mail. Lizzie does so. According to Kirkus Reviews, the ensuing "tension between mundane daily concerns and looming apocalypse, the "weather" of our days both real and metaphorical, is perfectly captured in Offill's brief, elegant paragraphs, filled with insight and humor."

On third base, as it were, is The Cactus League by Emily Nemens. Set in Arizona during spring training, this novel is about a baseball team and its star outfielder, handsome and talented Jason Goodyear - who is falling apart. I'm a baseball fan and since players will soon start reporting, this book sounds like it may be a good warm-up to the season.

Note also that if you want are interested in more books with a baseball hook, check out The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Also, author Steve Hamilton has a good mystery series featuring Alex McKnight, a former minor league baseball player and former Detroit cop, who moves to Michigan's Upper Peninsula where he occasionally works as a private eye and always finds trouble. This is a very entertaining series; I suggest reading the books in order, starting with A Cold Day in Paradise which won Hamilton both an Edgar and Shamus award.

Moving along from baseball, the last book in this list of four for February is The Man in the Red Coat by Julian Barnes. This historical biography interests me a great deal because I'm a huge fan of the painter John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925). One of Sargent's most famous portraits is of Samuel-Jean Pozzi, entitled Dr. Pozzi at Home. The huge painting (about 80" by 40"), is a dramatic, full length portrait in which Pozzi appears standing in a red dressing gown. In The Man in the Red Coat, Barnes writes about Pozzi's life in Paris during the period at the end of the 1800s to before the beginning of World War I, know as the Belle Époque or beautiful era. John Singer Sargent fans may also enjoy reading Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X by Deborah Davis, which is another nonfiction read about Sargent and one of his most famous, and at the time scandalous, portraits.

To conclude, if Aaron Rodgers and I were chatting right now, here is what I'd recommend to him for February reading: 1) A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton (good entertainment), 2) The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (engaging nonfiction), and 3) The Cactus League by Emily Nemens (new fiction for 2020).

For me, I'm starting with The Man in the Red Coat.

Hey! Spring is Coming!

The current weather conditions may not reflect it, but spring is coming. For now, let's find something good to read inside. Here are three new books to check out this March.

 

"Malice of Fortune" Holds No Riches for Me

I'm finding Malice of Fortune, a murder mystery set in 16th century Italy, to be very slow going.  This is disappointing because I enjoy mysteries and historical thrillers.  But alas, despite the promise of corrupt Popes, Machiavelli, and even Leonardo da Vinci, I'm not finding this story to be exciting.  Since I have a huge stack of other promising books, I am giving up on Malice of Fortune.

If you are looking for suspenseful historical fiction to read, check out Company of Liars by Karen Maitland.  Set in England during the Middle Ages, it is about a group of strangers who travel together trying to outrun the plague.  It's a good story.

Fall Reading: Books with Buzz.

Although autumn doesn't start officially until September 22, it feels like it is already here with kids back in school, football on television, and leaves falling in the yard.  It's sad to see the summer end.  However, we can take solace in the fact that as the weather cools and the days continue to get shorter, there will be more time for reading and lots of interesting new books available.

Here are a few books that are already getting a buzz, and which I will likely read in the coming weeks:

• J.K. Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, is releasing her first book written specifically for adults, The Casual Vacancy.  If The Casual Vacancy is even close to being as interesting as the Potter books, I'll be happy.

• Lee Child has another Jack Reacher book available, A Wanted Man.  Although I skipped Reacher's last outings, The Affair and a Kindle-only story, Deep Down, I'm ready for another Reacher yarn.

• Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.  McEwan writes beautifully.  I enjoyed the experience of reading Atonement and Saturday and look forward to this new work which The Irish Times described as an espionage novel and love story that is readable and funny.  

• Sutton by J.R. Moehringer.  A novel about one of America's most famous bank robbers, Willie Sutton.  J.R. Moehringer was a correspondent for the L.A. Times and is the author of the memoir The Tender Bar.  

• The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro.  Art thieves, obsessed collectors, forgery:  It all sounds exciting to read about.

• Dead Anyway by Chris Knopf.   I'm a big fan of Chris Knopf's books, including the recent Ice Cap.  In the reviews I've looked at of Dead Anyway, Knopf reportedly goes in a different direction with this book.  I'm looking forward to checking it out.

• The Return of the Thin Man by Dashiell Hammet.  Two novella-length stories by Dashiell Hammet, this book was mentioned by Otto Penzler in an LA Times article last spring.  I absolutely love the Thin Man movies and definitely plan to read this book.  

If there is a particular book, new or otherwise, that you are planning to read this fall, let us know in the comments.

New Mystery From Steve Martini

Good news for Steve Martini fans: The author has a new book available called Guardian of Lies. This book is number ten in Martini's Paul Madriani series.

L.A. Times Looks at New Books on Golf

Nick Owchar, writing for the L.A. Times book blog Jacket Copy, looks at new books on golf: The Original Rules of Golf (Postcards from...) and What's a Golfer to Do?: 343 Techniques, Tips, and Tricks from the Best Pros.

Best Seller Round-Up

"There is no shortage of wonderful writers.
What we lack is a dependable mass of readers . . .
I propose that every person out of work be required
to submit a book report before he or she gets his or her welfare check."

- Kurt Vonnegut, The Paris Review Interviews, I.

I. The New York Times.
Published August 2, 2009.

Fiction Hardcover: The Defector, Daniel Silva.
Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger.
Nonfiction Paperback: Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense', Glenn Beck.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published August 2, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson.
Fiction Hardcover: Shanghai Girls: A Novel, Lisa See.
Nonfiction Paperback: Julie & Julia, Julie Powell.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending July 26, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,
Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Defector, Daniel Silva.
Nonfiction Paperback: Julie & Julia, Julie Powell.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Zeitoun, Dave Eggers.


IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending July 26, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Help, Kathryn Stockett.
Nonfiction Paperback: Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense', Glenn Beck.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Horse Soldiers, Doug Stanton.

Best Seller Round-Up

"How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"
- E.M. Forster

I. The New York Times.

Published July 19, 2009.

Fiction Hardcover: Black Hills, Nora Roberts.



Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.

Nonfiction Paperback: Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense', Glenn Beck.

Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published July 19, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson.
Fiction Hardcover: The Angel's Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Nonfiction Paperback: Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense', Glenn Beck.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending July 12, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout.
Fiction Hardcover: The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.


IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending July 12, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Random House Reader's Circle), Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Finger Lickin' Fifteen, Janet Evanovich.
Nonfiction Paperback: Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense', Glenn Beck.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Horse Soldiers, Doug Stanton.

Best Seller Round-Up

"I am a completely horizontal author.
I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a cigarette and coffee handy. I've got to be puffing and sipping.
As the afternoon wears on, I shift from coffee to mint tea to sherry to martinis.
No, I don't use a typewriter."

- Truman Capote in 1956.
Responding to the question "[w]hat are your writing habits".

From The Paris Review Interviews.

A number of new books in the number one spots this week, including something by a "Glenn Beck". Who is this person, "Glenn Beck"?

I. The New York Times.

Published June 26, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Knockout, Catherine Coulter.

Nonfiction Paperback: Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense', Glenn Beck.

Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published June 28, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Shanghai Girls, Lisa See.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending June 21, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Home Game, Michael Lewis.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending June 21, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafón.



Nonfiction Paperback: Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense', Glenn Beck.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

Best Seller Round-Up

"All good books are alike in that they are truer
than if they had really happened,
and after you are finished reading one,
you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you;
the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse, and sorrow,
the people and the places and how the weather was. "

- Ernest Hemingway

I. The New York Times.

Published June 19, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Relentless, Dean Koontz

Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.





II. Los Angeles Times.
Published June 21, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending June 14, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending June 14, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Shanghai Girls, Lisa See.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

New Mysteries

A few new titles to check out:

Fifty Grand by Adrian McKinty. Review and synopsis from Powell's Books here.




Choker by Frederick Ramsay. Review and synopsis from Powell's Books here.




The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. Review and synopsis from Powell's Books here.



The Innocent Spy by Laura Wilson. Review and synopsis from Powell's Books here.

Best Seller Round-Up

"A good word is like a good tree
whose root is firmly fixed and whose top is in the sky."

- The Koran

I. The New York Times.
Published June 7, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly



Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published June 7, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Fiction Hardcover: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5) Rick Riordan.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending May 31, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending May 31, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Horse Soldiers, Doug Stanton.

Best Seller Round-Up

"Beware of the man of one book."

- Anonymous

Author Lee Child is not a "man of one book." His 13th Jack Reacher novel, Gone Tomorrow, storms onto three of the lists followed here.


I. The New York Times.
Published May 29, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher, No. 13) Lee Child.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published May 31, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Fiction Hardcover: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending May 24, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher, No. 13) Lee Child.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending May 24, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher, No. 13) Lee Child.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell..
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

Best Seller Round-Up

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten,
either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.”

- Benjamin Franklin .

I. The New York Times.
Published May 15, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Vision in White, Nora Roberts.
Fiction Hardcover: Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris.


Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published May 17, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: City of Thieves, David Beniof.



Fiction Hardcover: Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer.
Nonfiction Paperback: The Soloist, Steve Lopez.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve Harvey.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending May 10, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout.
Fiction Hardcover: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, Alexander McCall Smith.
Nonfiction Paperback:Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending May 10, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, Alexander McCall Smith.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan.

Best Seller Round-Up

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
- Dr. Seuss

I. The New York Times.
Published May 8, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Vision in White, Nora Roberts.



Fiction Hardcover: The 8th Confession, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.




Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published May 10, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: Unaccustomed Earth Jhumpa Lahiri.
Fiction Hardcover: First Family, David Baldacci.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending May 3, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri.
Fiction Hardcover: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, Alexander McCall Smith.
Nonfiction Paperback:Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending May 3, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Home Safe, Elizabeth Berg.



Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

Best Seller Round-Up

". . . there are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts."

- Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist

I. The New York Times.
Published May 1, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.

Note: June 2008 article about The Shack from The New York Times.

Fiction Hardcover: First Family, David Baldacci.
Note: On Amazon this book has been given 51 customer reviews and rates 2.5 stars out of a possible 5.



Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published May 3, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: Unaccustomed EarthJhumpa Lahiri.
Fiction Hardcover: Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer.

Nonfiction Paperback: The Soloist, Steve Lopez.
Note: Movie tie-in. See Rotten Tomatoes.



Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending April 26, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri.
Fiction Hardcover: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, Alexander McCall Smith.



Nonfiction Paperback:Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Macolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending April 19, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, Alexander McCall Smith.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

Best Seller Round-Up

"To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list." ~John Aikin

If following John Aikin's advice for finding a good book, quoted above, sounds better than consulting the best seller list below, then check out the American Library Associations lists of banned and/or challenged books. The ALA collects this information as part of its promotion of the freedom to read. The lists include:

1) Banned and/or challenged novels from the Radcliffe Publishing Course top 100 novels of the 20th century. I'm proud to say that I've read most of these; hurray for liberal arts education.

2) The top 100 banned and/or challenged books of 2000 - 2007. Amazingly, the Harry Potter series is number one on this list. Go figure! Others books on this list I've read but haven't thought about in, well, in decades such as Go Ask Alice by Anonymous. In looking over the list, it seems like the world has changed so little, while at the same time it has changed so much.

As Aikin suggested, choose a good book while also flexing your First Amendment muscles by purchasing, or checking out from the library, a few banned books.

I. The New York Times.
Published April 10, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Long Lost, Harlan Coben.



Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times
Published April 12, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Nonfiction Hardcover: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve Harvey.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending April 5, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Elegance of the Hedgehog Muriel Barbery.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending March 29, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

Best Seller Round-Up

"A home without books is a body without soul." -

Marcus Tullius Cicero

A contemplative view for this day of rest.

From The New York Times, new in the number one spot for hardcover nonfiction is Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto. Can't wait to find out which he is advocating for, liberty or tyranny; one can never assume when it comes to a conservative manifesto.

I. The New York Times.

Published April 3, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: True Detectives, Jonathan Kellerman.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.



II. Los Angeles Times
Published April 5, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending March 29, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Elegance of the Hedgehog Muriel Barbery.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending March 29, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Hardcover: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve Harvey.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

Best Seller Round-Up

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." ~Groucho Marx

Malcolm Gladwell's book about success, Outliers, is still selling like hotcakes. Go figure. Also writing about success, Tara Stiles at Huffington Post sets forth 10 tips for success in what I have to assume is an unintentionally funny post. Drink water and get enough sleep, she writes. Do yoga. Smile. Ms. Stiles seems to have a low threshold for declaring success. Her tips read more like preparation for life as a dancing bear rather than say, director of the FBI.

That Outliers is indeed "selling like hotcakes" reminds me that if you are a word maven, there is a new book that may be of interest: I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech by Ralph Keyes. Check out a NPR interview of Keyes here.

Below is this week's best seller round-up:

I. The New York Times.
Published March 27, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Handle With Care, Jodi Picoult.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.


II. Los Angeles Times.
Published March 29, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer.
Fiction Hardcover: Corsair, Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul.



Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending March 22, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending March 22, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Handle With Care, Jodi Picoult.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

Reading Slump

Over the last few weeks I've picked up and put down a lot of bad books. When I find a bad read, I feel no compunction to finish it. Time is a precious thing and I'm not willing to invest my time on a book that I don't like.

As a result, when this type of steak hits I start feeling jangly. My brain becomes littered with bits of silly plots and stupid characters, and I restlessly prowl around for something, somewhere, that is good to read. During this slump, my need-to-read has been satisfied only by spending a lot of time lingering over the three daily newspapers we subscribe to; while I am feeling terribly well-informed about toxic funds, French business executives, and NCAA basketball, this is no substitute for a good book.

Fortunately, I think this streak may be at an end. Last night I started reading People of the Book, a novel by Geraldine Brooks. So far, so good.

All this reminds me about why I get so excited about really good books, books that you don't want to stop reading, that you hate to see end. There is nothing like it. And so, I'll keep hunting for that next captivating story.