“The ablest writer is only a gardener first, and then a cook: his tasks are, carefully to select and cultivate his strongest and most nutritive thoughts; and when they are ripe, to dress them, wholesomely, and yet so that they may have a relish.”
-Augustus William Hare
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Dave Woods book report is out. Get it while it’s hot.
Donald Miller earns muddled praise in Oregon for A MILLION MILES IN A THOUSAND YEARS.
Library Journal loves James Rollins’, THE DOOMSDAY KEY.
BRUNO, CHIEF OF POLICE, crosses the Atlantic and earns high praise for author, Martin Walker.
If you like your hardboiled characters hardcore and aren’t squeamish about the seedier side of human nature, Thuglit is just the online literary magazine for you.
Now on their 31st issue (with the other 30 conveniently archived), Thuglit oozes with irreverence and violence while offering crisp and evocative fiction from a diverse stable of writers.
An interview with Simon Beaufoy, Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Slumdog Millionaire”:
Nylon reports on fashion illustrator Ruden Toledo’s whimsical new covers for three new Penguin Classic Deluxe Editions—Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and The Scarlet Letter.
Poetry and technology to collide at the Glastonbury music festival.
Porn star and hooker Sunset Thomas writes a novel, inverting the normal process of becoming an author first and then becoming a prostitute.
Chris Anderson speaks out about his plagiarism “screw up”.
“Extraordinary new voice” and former “grass-strimmer, pot-washer, conservatory salesman, bloke holding the board in Leicester Square, and teacher” Edward Hogan has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott prize for his debut novel, Blackmoor.
Chris Power takes BookSeer for a test drive. Try it yourself here.
The Guardian’s Ewan Morrison bangs out the top 10 literary ménages à trois.
After 10 years, John Grisham finally relents on a movie adaptation of The Testament.
Cathy Young, writing for Politico, refers to Salinger’s lawsuit as a “book banning” case and makes a case for copyright law reform.
Facebook novel blends reality and fiction and is apparently heading for the big screen.
Barnes and Noble hires former eBay exec Jamie Iannone to head up its digital division.
R.I.P. H.B. Gilmour
Today in Literature: On this day in 1857, Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal was published.
“Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.”
-Samuel Johnson
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The Washington Times applauds journalist Christian Oliver’s timely turn to fiction with THE VIPER OF KERMAN.
Richard Brookhiser recalls his mentor in RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE: COMING OF AGE WITH WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY, JR. AND THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT.
In, THE MOTHER OF MOHAMMED: AN AUSTRALIAN WOMAN’S JOURNEY INTO JIHAD, author Sally Neighbor examines motivations and what they can do for (and to) facts.
Publishers Weekly has a new page of new fiction for the week.
Author magazine’s Bill Kenower interviews D.J. McHale, author of the Pendragon series:
Another great comprehensive site dedicated to a major writer’s life and works: The Walt Whitman Archive.
With beautifully scanned pages from original editions, works shown with poet’s edits included, and a wealth of letters, criticism, images and sound, the site is a wonderland for Whitman fans.
It’s also a living and breathing work in progress, with a brand new grant subsidizing the editing of the poet’s Civil War writings.
Galleycat reports on author Chris Anderson’s plagiarism problems in his new book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price (Hyperion). The Virginia Quarterly Review was first on the case with an exhaustive analysis. A sad case all round, made sadder by the author’s excuse that he was in a hurry…
In other plagiarism news, View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck is being sued by an author who sent her a copy of her health book, only to find Hasselbeck releasing an eerily similar book a year later…
…which all leads us to our profound thought of the day (courtesy of Alison Flood): Can publishing go any lower?
Why, yes… it can: The Village Voice snags an interview with everyone’s favorite intellectual property rapist, John David California, who continues his “gee, why is everyone so upset?” act.
In happier news, Dick Cheney gets his book deal.
Al Kennedy’s enthusiasm over his upcoming book of short stories is tempered by his paranoia over having to promote it.
Former astronomer and current Welshman Alastair Reynolds signs a 10-book deal worth £1,000,000.
Diane Davis, writing for the San Francisco Events Examiner, previews next month’s San Francisco International Poetry Festival.
Today in Literature: On this day in 1842, writer and reporter Ambrose Pierce was born in Horse Cave Creek, Ohio.
Does ‘fast-paced’ charge as one word or two? Not that it matters, anyway. Who’s counting? Fast-paced is the word(s) of the day for JJ Cooper’s debut thriller, THE INTERROGATOR. You may remember that JJ spoke 
with AuthorScoop back in May and I got my hands on an advance copy well before its August release date and am back to offer up a sneak peek.
JJ Cooper’s background in the Australian Army Intelligence Corps sets well-placed strings on the protagonist, interrogator Jay Ryan, and then JJ goes and puts him in a bind (sometimes literally) of epic proportion. What Ryan knows about Iraq’s WMDs, along with his long-standing record of achievement, has placed him in the crosshairs of a conspiracy that looks to rattle the entire world. The story stacks twists like a game of Jenga, and as the pieces move with the machinations of villain and hero alike, the tower of intrigue topples to a shattering conclusion.
Gunfire, fist fights, broken glass, double crosses, beautiful women, a Holden Monaro (that’s a hella car for you unwashed heathens), and even dear old dad thrown in for good measure. Must be summertime. Must be JJ Cooper’s THE INTERROGATOR.
ETA - Funny, that. I was regarding THE INTERROGATOR as very summer blockbustery, and then I realized, for JJ Cooper and his Jay Ryan an Co., August is the dead of winter. Ah, go put on a parka whydontcha, and read it huddled up by the fire.
“A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, big enough for the manuscript to come back in. This is too much of a temptation to the editor.”
-Ring Lardner
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This is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive websites ever created for a single author. Mag4.net’s Arthur Rimbaud site is as comprehensive as any I’ve ever seen, which is not surprising given that its creator (who simply goes by the name Catherine) began work on it 11 years ago. Originally inspired by Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance as Rimbaud in “Total Eclipse”, it’s a quantum leap from any notion of a “fan site”.
Packed not only with the poetry and biographical material you’d expect, the site also features several letters (including two to Verlaine and one to his mother), his renunciation of the charges against Verlaine, galleries of photos and of the poet’s original artwork, an excellent bibliography and a treasure trove of links.
Definitely a keeper for any Rimbaud fan— and an entire education in the poet’s life and works for the newly curious.
Slate Magazine takes the opportunity of John Updikes latest collection, MY FATHER’S TEARS AND OTHER STORIES, to showcase his revered talent and astonishing work ethic.
Brian A. Nelson keeps the history and frames the perspectives of the events of April 11th, 2002 in, THE SILENCE AND THE SCORPION: THE COUP AGAINST CHAVEZ AND THE MAKING OF MODERN VENEZUELA.
Sometimes there are books too practical to pass up - here’s one: RAIN GARDENING IN THE SOUTH: ECOLOGICALLY DESIGNED GARDENS FOR DROUGHT, DELUGE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
The Washington Times has a bit to say about Richard N. Haas’ WAR OF NECESSITY/WAR OF CHOICE: A MEMOIR OF TWO IRAQ WARS.
Author magazine interviews Christopher Moore, bestselling author of Lamb and Fool, on the subject of comic timing in prose:
Courtesy of the fine folks at PBS, it’s the Mark Twain Scrapbook:
Mark Twain was a lifelong creator and keeper of scrapbooks. He took them with him everywhere and filled them with souvenirs, pictures, and articles about his books and performances. But in time, he grew tired of the lost glue, rock-hard paste, and the swearing that resulted from the standard scrapbook process. So, he came up with the idea of printing thin strips of glue on the pages to make updates neat and easy to do. In 1872, he patented his “self-pasting” scrapbook, and by 1901, at least 57 different types of his albums were available. It would be his only invention that ever made money.
Inspired by his invention, this interactive scrapbook tells Twain’s life story through a collection of texts, photos, illustrations, and clippings from his day. To begin exploring, click one of the chapters…
The BBC profiles Portuguese Nobel Prize laureate Jose Saramago.
Textbook freelancers get a lesson from the school of hard knocks as Inkwell runs dry on payments.
Ben Myres finds the spirit of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath in the Calder Valley.
Koji Sazuki’s toilet paper novel revealed in all its glory.
Portland Literary Examiner’s Alex Zavlaris wraps up his countdown of the “Top ten anti-heroes of modern literature”, with Dorian Gray taking the top honors. Catch up on the whole list here.
What’s the best thing a $138,000 literary prize can buy a writer? Time.
A federal appeals court sides with woman suing over Stephen King cellphone spam.
Last week’s annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses centered on fixing a broken business model.
Today in Literature: On this day in 1961, John Steinbeck’s The Winter of Our Discontent was published.
Courtesy of Bukowski.net, Charles Bukowski’s first published short story, “Aftermath of a Lengthy Rejection Slip”, from the March-April 1944 issue of “Story”. A taste:
I WALKED AROUND outside and thought about it. It was the longest one I ever got. Usually they only said, “Sorry, this did not quite make the grade” or “Sorry, this didn’t quite work in.” Or more often, the regular printed rejection form.
But this was the longest, the longest ever. It was from my story “My Adventures in Half a Hundred Rooming Houses.” I walked under a lamppost, took the little slip out of my pocket and reread it -
Dear Mr. Bukowski:
Again, this is a conglomeration of extremely good stuff and other stuff so full of idolized prostitutes, morning-after vomiting scenes, misanthropy, praise for suicide etc. that it is not quite for a magazine of any circulation at all. This is, however, pretty much a saga of a certain type of person and in it I think you’ve done an honest job. Possibly we will print you sometime, but I don’t know exactly when. That depends on you.Sincerely yours,
Whit BurnettOh, I knew the signature: the long “h” that twisted into the end of the “W,” and the beginning of the “B” which dropped halfway down the page.
I put the slip back in my pocket and walked on down the street. I felt pretty good.
Here I had only been writing two years. Two short years. It took Hemingway ten years. And Sherwood Anderson, he was forty before he was published.
I guess I would have to give up drinking and women of ill-fame, though. Whiskey was hard to get anyhow and wine was ruining my stomach. Millie though - Millie, that would be harder, much harder.
“No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.”
-Henry Brooks Adams
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MedPage doesn’t go so far as to pronounce the case closed, but they’re well-impressed with Dr. Bryan Vartabedian’s, COLIC SOLVED: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO INFANT REFLUX AND THE CARE OF YOUR CRYING, DIFFICULT-TO-SOOTHE BABY.
The Palestine Chronicle offers up its opinion on HALLIBURTON’S ARMY: HOW A WELL-CONNECTED TEXAS OIL COMPANY REVOLUTIONIZED THE WAY AMERICA MAKES WAR, by Pratap Chatterjee.
A trio of reference books spurred an installment of ‘Short Takes’ from Library Journal.
Check out National Geographics, THE SCIENCE BOOK. It might be a must have.
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