An afternoon with Erik Larson

Yesterday I had the great fortune to attend a talk and book signing with Erik Larson, author of the best-seller The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. Larson told some very entertaining stories about his experiences at book signings and talked briefly about his research, writing process and where his ideas come from. When Larson took questions, an audience member mentioned that she was disappointed there were not more pictures included in Devil in the White City. As a non-fiction reader myself, I find that I do like to see pictures of the people and places I am reading about, but Larson informed us that he purposely chose to leave out pictures. When publishers put pictures in a book, they are usually compiled together in a group somewhere in the middle of the book. So as you are reading, you frequently flip back and forth to the middle to look at the pictures. Because Larson was trying to keep the interest and pace of the story going, he felt that if the reader was constantly stopping to look at the pictures, it would break the pace and the reader would not be drawn into the story as deeply. Interesting point. I never that about it that way, but I guess it is true.

I did ask Larson if he could tell us anything about what he is working on. During his talk he made comments that the next book would be darker and would take place in a different time period than Devil and Isaac's Storm, but would not divulge any more information. He said that writing is very nerve-wracking and if he told us the topic and we weren't enthused, he would be discouraged and it would make it difficult to continue writing. I guess we'll just have to wait.

The Slump

After much careful deliberation, I chose 4 fiction books to take with me on vacation (and a few digital photography how-to's, because I swear I am going to learn how to use my camera one of these days). I brought along Richard North Patterson's Exile, which I have been trying to finish since Christmas; Francis Clark's Waking Brigid, which I had already started; Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End and Lawrence Goldstone's The Anatomy of Deception. I was looking forward to some uninterrupted reading time, but for some reason I got very little done. I still haven't finished Exile, barely got into Clark's and Ferris' books, didn't even get to Goldstone, and I still don't know how to work that camera. Maybe it was the distraction of the ocean-I mean, who really wants to read a book when you can stare out at the beautiful blue ocean after looking at gray slush for 3 months? Or maybe these books aren't good fits for me. Or maybe it's worse. Maybe it's...

the dreaded slump.

I call it a reading slump. Once in a while I just can't seem to find a book I like. I can't finish anything. I am easily distracted and nothing holds my interest-not a thriller, not a historical novel, not a non-fiction book. I have some theories as to why this happens, but no good solutions. I broke out of my last slump with Sophie Kinsella, but since I have read all of her books and her next won't be here until March, I've got to find something else.

Do any of you ever have reading slumps? What do you do? Any sure bets to bring me out of the slump?

Free Books!

Last week, Oprah announced that Suze Orman's book Women & Money would be available for free to download in e-book form on her website. The book, available for less than 48 hours, was downloaded 1 million times. HarperCollins has also initiated programs to offer books online for free. Their "Full Access" program will offer select titles in its entirety for a limited time. Their "Sneak Peek" program will offer 20% of the book 2 weeks prior to the publication date.

Opening Lines

The opening lines of a book can make or break its success. Either they catch you and draw you in, or well, they don't. See if you recognize some of these famous opening lines:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

"My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip."

"Call me Ishmael."

"Marley is dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that."

Twitterlit.com is a fun website that will email you opening lines from books. It's fun to see if you can guess any of them. My favorite so far has been:

"There are two kinds of people in this world: Greeks and those who wish they were Greek." from Sofie Metropolis by Tori Carrington.

All the news in books, movies and more...

Thank goodness the strike is almost over. Here is an update on the TV schedule and when we can expect to see new episodes of our favorite shows.

O. J. Simpson's former sports agent, Michael Gilbert is adding his two cents with his new book How I Helped O. J. Get Away With Murder. Great. Just what we need- another O. J. book.

J. R. R. Tolkien's estate and Harper UK is suing New Line Cinema, claiming they have not recieved over $6 billion in proceeds from the Lord of the Rings films. Aside from seeking monetary damages, they are seeking a declaration from the court that the plantiffs have the right to terminate any further rights to works, including The Hobbit. No!! We must have a Hobbit movie!!

Marlena de Blasi will be publishing her first work of fiction, a historical novel set in WWII era France and Poland, to be titled Amandine. Marlena de Blasi is known for her memoirs of life in Italy in A Thousand Days in Tuscany, A Thousand Days in Venice and The Lady in the Palazzo.

Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones is said to be the Spanish Pillars of the Earth. Set in Barcelona in 1320, the novel has been a huge hit in Spain, selling over 1.5 million copies. The novel is set to be released in the U.S. in April.

The Coen brothers, whose recent film, No Country For Old Men, has earned several Oscar nominations, have signed on to adapt and direct Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union.

Alexandria, VA is the most romantic city in the U. S.?? Amazon rated the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in America, based on sales data of romance novels, relationship and sex books since Jan. 1, per capita in cities with more than 100,000 residents. Probably all those politicians sneaking out to the burbs to get their trashy romance novels.

And the winner is...

Essence magazine held its first literary awards honoring African-American authors last week. The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson won for best fiction.

The Sami Rohr prize for Jewish literature was awarded to Lucette Matalon Lagnado for The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World. The Sami Rohr prize is awarded each year, alternating fiction and non-fiction, to an emerging writer whose work, of exceptional literary merit, stimulates and interest in themes of Jewish concern. The winner recieves a $100,000 prize.

Can't Get Enough of Those Royals...

Joy of joys, I just read that Alison Weir has a new historical fiction novel coming out in April, called Lady Elizabeth, based on Elizabeth I. Weir is well-known for her biographies of royalty, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Isabella, Henry VIII and his wives and children. Last year, she crossed into fiction with her historical novel, Innocent Traitor, about the life of Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for nine days after Henry VIII's son Edward died, and before Mary was placed on the throne. I thoroughly enjoyed Innocent Traitor and I can't wait for this next one. I just picked up Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl and I am hooked! The court intrigue and the lives of these women amaze me. How did I ever go this long without reading Philippa Gregory? Fans of Philippa Gregory should enjoy Weir's historical fiction (and her non-fiction, if you're looking for the "real" story).