You probably have your own favorite first lines from books you’ve read. You can check The Atlantic magazine’s article “This Did Something Powerful to Me”: Authors’ Favorite First Lines of Books to see what some of your favorite authors thought makes an inviting and memorable opening sentence.
Whether it’s the late spring warmth in the northeast, massive tornadoes across mid-America, flooding in the southeast or snowstorms in the northwest, the most commonly shared attribute for this winter’s weather is “record-breaking”. Freakish weather is not limited to the U.S. and people are wondering if extremes are the new “normal”.
You can go back to Jules Verne to find novels that explored the impact of climate change on our planet and its creatures. In the 1960s, British author J.G. Ballard pioneered the environmental apocalypse narrative in books such as The Wind from Nowhere and The Drowned World. Rod Serling wrote the memorable 1961 Twilight Zone episode The Midnight Sun, as a warning of climate catastrophe.
Dramatic weather patterns and their impact on humanity have inspired a growing body of literature in a new genre called climate fiction – or “cli-fi” (the catchier term introduced by writer and climate activist Dan Bloom in 2007). Over the past decade, more and more authors have set their novels and short stories in environments where the Earth’s systems are noticeably off-kilter. Searching for the term “climate fiction” on Amazon today returns over 1,300 titles.
Where sci-fi usually unfolds in a dystopian future, cli-fi is more apt to be presented in a dystopian present, bringing it closer to the reader. Judith Curry, professor and chair of Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, believes that when writers address climate change in their novels, they reach people in a way that scientists can’t.
“You know, scientists and other people are trying to get their message across about various aspects of the climate change issue,” says Curry. “And it seems like fiction is an untapped way of doing this — a way of smuggling some serious topics into the consciousness” of readers who may not be following the science.
All fiction springs from facts, carrying us on wings of imagination to the land of “what if”. While the best cli-fi entertains us, the “what if” of their stories stand as a warning of what could be if we don’t heed the signs around us and collaborate on remedies.
Men argue. Nature acts. – Voltaire (1694-1778)
In addition to books by Verne and Ballard other standout cli-fi novels include:
MaddAddam Trilogy – Margaret Atwood 2003-13
Solar – Ian McEwan 2010
Flight Behavior: A Novel – Barbara Kingsolver 2012
From Here – David Krumb 2012
Odds Against Tomorrow: A Novel – Nathaniel Rich 2013
The Water Knife – Paolo Bacigalupi 2015
Note to Readers – From time to time, I will re-post a past entry that has withstood the test of time. Whether you missed it the first time ‘round or read it years ago, I feel it’s worth sharing again. I chose Guilty as Charged because working with The Book Cellar during the inaugural season of BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™, gave me an added appreciation for the role independent bookstores play in creating opportunities for booklovers to meet authors and buy their books in various venues. This is the perfect season to give the gifts of books to people you care about, and to support your local independent bookstores.
In the 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, Meg Ryan loses the lovely little independent bookshop (“Little Shop Around the Corner”, an homage to the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch gem) she inherited from her mother and which she cherished. But she gets cute, multimillionaire mega-bookstore scion Tom Hanks and that makes for a happy ending. Sort of. For those of us who are not provided a very rich, attractive love interest in exchange for the closing of a favorite bookstore, life can be bitter indeed.
As large bookstore chains proliferated in the past couple of decades, local independent shops left the landscape because they couldn’t compete with the discount prices offered by the chains. Few foresaw the impact of Amazon (launched in 1994) and other internet booksellers that joined forces (or competed) with the chains. After Borders Books & Music (founded in 1971) – one of the world’s most expansive book retail chains — was taken over by equity investment buyers, then passed from one investment group to another without concern for books or the people who love them, it declared bankruptcy and closed in 2011.
In the past couple of years, I have seen the closing of one of the greatest independent bookstores – the legendary Bookman’s Alley in Evanston, Illinois – and two Borders stores in my area. Bookman’s Alley closed in July 2012, because owner Roger Carlson reluctantly retired after more than 3 decades of building a loyal clientele and awed admirers. Borders closed because its owners were really in the money business, not the book business.
Like many people, I look for the best prices on books I want to acquire. I buy them for a quarter a pop at my local library (comforting myself with the knowledge that my library gets the money), or at used book stores (helping staff there earn a living, I tell myself), or through Amazon and e-Bay (congratulating myself for being a thrifty shopper). I’m guilty as charged.
After once again watching Nora Ephron’s ode to romance, books and the Upper West Side of New York, I’ve decided Meg’s Little Shop Around the Corner – and all the little bookshops around the corners of our neighborhoods – are worth saving. I’ve committed to buying at least 6 books from my local independent bookstore every year. And hope it will continue to serve up the love of books I feel.
If you have a favorite independent book store, let me know about it – name, town/state/country – and what makes it special. I may post your reply in a future blog. In the mean time, please post a response with your favorite independent book store or just a comment.
Independence is the word that best represents a concept launched in Dallas recently: an independent publisher is establishing an independent bookstore. Deep Vellum Publishing is about to open Deep Vellum Books. The store will sell books from independent publishers around the country “to celebrate the independently published written word,” says Deep Vellum’s owner Will Evans. The concept could catch on … and should!
Thirty-eight years ago, the first Star Wars movie was released. In case you’ve been asleep or on another planet for the past couple of months, you know that the newest in the series, The Force Awakens, will open in theatres on December 18th. People started camping out two weeks in advance to be first in line for the latest in the ever-expanding Star Wars universe, movie number 8. While the ground-breaking visual effects of the original film helped propel it to movie history, it’s the story that endures and provides the foundation for the subsequent issues; one can still enjoy watching the first Star Wars, even if the once-very-special effects seem run-of-the-mill today.
In literature, the science fiction writer must create special effects in the mind’s eye. The rules for great sci fi are the same on paper as they are on film: take the rudiments of great fiction and keep logic as the foundation from which wonder will lead the reader’s imagination. Here are the rules:
• Introduce a memorable protagonist with human traits (whether human or alien) so the reader can relate to qualities and situations of that character.
• Present the protagonist with a dilemma — an antagonist (another being or a situation) — and build tension by before showing resolution.
• Make the resolution worth the journey – for the reader as well as for the main character.
• Research the “science” behind the science fiction to develop a firm, believable foundation before letting the imagination soar into sci fi fantasy. Keeping up-to-date on the latest science news can provide inspiration and keep the story fresh.
• Create a background for any alien aspect of the story – culture, language, psychology, history, biology or geology – even if those elements don’t appear in the finished story. That background gives depth to the alien elements, whether or not they are detailed in the story.
Science fiction asks us to suspend belief and imagine “what if…?” The most successful and enduring sci fi literature includes this out-of-this-world dozen:
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Jules Verne
The Time Machine – H.G. Wells
I, Robot – Isaac Asimov
The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury
Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert A. Heinlein
Solaris – Stanislaw Lem
Dune Chronicles – Frank Herbert
2001, A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clarke
The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K. Le Guin
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Ender’s Game – Andrew Scott Card
Many of the authors listed have written several great science fiction books and many of the list books have been adapted to film. All of them are worth a look.
Anyone who is serious about books should plan on attending Book Expo America – coming to Chicago in 2016. For more information, check out the BEA 2016 video.
When we think of illustrated books, our thoughts might naturally go to children’s books. Those were the first books most of us remember being read from, then as the first books we learned to read. The most enchanting of these include the classic The Tale of Pete Rabbit (1902, Beatrix Potter), Madeline (1939, Ludwig Bemelmans), and Polar Express (1985, Chris Van Allsburg). In contemporary adult literature, the mention of illustrated books conjures up such graphic novels as Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Boy on Earth by Chris Ware, Maus by Art Spiegelman and The Sandman (series) by Neil Gaiman.
There is, however, a wide range of novels that, while note dependent on illustration, are greatly enhanced by the excellent images added to the text. Here are some that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, worth finding in the editions that haven’t exorcised the illustrations:
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll (illustrated by John Tenniel)
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens (illustrated by George Cruikshank)
Vanity Fair – William Thackeray (his own illustrations)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain (illustrated by E.W. Kemble)
Lest you think all illustrated books are for children and limited to the 1800s-early 1900s, check out:
The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson – 1959
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke (illustrated by Portia Rosenberg) – 2005
The Prague Cemetery – Umberto Eco (illustrations from various sources) – 2011
Illustrated non-fiction books of note that will stay with you long after reading:
Echoes of Earth – L. Sue Baugh and Lynn Martinelli – 2012
The Survival Girls – Ming Holden (illustrated by Jody Joldersma) – 2013
Based on my 2015 visit to Book Expo America, illustrated children’s books are alive and well. I hope authors, editors and publishers of adult literature, especially of fiction, consider more illustrations to enhance their tales. As you can see, it’s not just child’s play.
Kudos to all the authors who participated in the inaugural season of BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ – we sure know how to pick ‘em:
• Susanna Calkins (July) – Guest of Honor at this year’s Sisters in Crime Chicagoland Holiday Party.
• Jen Gardner (August) – Special Event Guest of The Travel Boutique at their 2016 Caribbean Island Getaway.
• Eric Charles May (September) – 21st Century Award Winner, honored alongside Stephen Sondheim at this year’s Chicago Library’s Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner.
• Jasinda Wilder (October) – Riding the wave to another bestseller with Book #1 of her news-making Madame X trilogy.
• Joe Meno (December) – Selected by the Chicago Tribune roundup of leading authors talking about the book that inspired them to write.
You could spend a lot of money to be in a huge crowds to see your favorite authors … or you could come to the cozy, close up-and-personal BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ events where the quality wine tastings are free!
In deference to Chicago winters, BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ will be on hiatus until Spring 2016 but we’re already lining up incredible authors with the books you’ll want to read. Other plans are underway to make the 2016 season even bigger and better. Stay tuned!
It’s all over the news. It’s about people and events in the news. It’s about the news itself and how we get it. Exalted and maligned, beacon of truth and perpetrator of lies. In the 24/7, money/power-influenced, free-for-all world of media – both traditional and the wild, wooly internet – we’re bombarded with “fact-laden news” that is often moderately to totally false. We endorse the false information when we innocently share it with others (as I see several times a week on Facebook).
When news seems empirical, I become skeptical, regardless of the source. These times, perhaps more than any other, demand that all of us be skeptical first, inquisitive next and willing to challenge our preconceived notions before passing judgment on what we perceive as “truth”.
We can learn a lot about liars and the media from fiction and non-fiction literature. Go back to the Bible to see the original liar: Satan. Such an interesting character, he continues to appear throughout history in various forms and with all manner of motivation. You’ll find other memorable, usually seductive, liars in such enduring literature as:
The Tempest – Shakespeare (Prospero)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis (Edmund)
The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jay Gatsby)
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (Mr. Darcy)
Now I come to media and our response to it. The recently released movie, Spotlight, like the 1976 movie, All the President’s Men, started as a series of newspaper articles that became bestselling non-fiction books and acclaimed movies. They show news media at their best, when information was verified and facts beat out financial interests. Yet even in the good old days, news had the potential to be manipulated and the power to create chaos. The journals of James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) complain about newspapers misreporting the run-up to the Civil War. You’ll find similar accusations lodged against the media relating to the Spanish American War, Vietnam War and Iraq War.
We can’t stop false news but we can stop falling for it or passing it along by understanding how the media really work. These books will enlighten you and arm you against naivete:
The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism – Upton Sinclair
The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America — Daniel J. Boorstin
Between Fact and Fiction – Edward J. Epstein
It’s Not News, It’s Fark: How Mass Media Tries to Pass Off Crap As News — Drew Curtis
Entertainment doesn’t rely on facts but making wise choices does. Understanding the difference, in the “news” that is fed to us 24/7 in all media formats, will keep the liars at bay.
December 5th will be your last chance to experience all the fun and deliciousness of BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ this year. We’re excited to welcome award-winning bestselling author Joe Meno who will autograph his recently released novel Marvel and a Wonder from 3-5 p.m. at TASTE Food & Wine, 1506 West Jarvis Avenue in Chicago. As always, the selected quality wines will reflect aspects of the book. “Bonus Buy” tickets will once again be available at the event for neat mementos and a 10% discount on wine purchases. The Book Cellar will handle on-site book sales.
About this wonderfully insightful book featuring the evolving relationship between a grandfather and his grandson, the New York Times Book Review said, “Meno, whose previous novel was Office Girl, has a knack for giving small happenings emotional weight… Meno knows how to make you love his characters, want what they want. ” The Wall Street Journal calls Marvel and a Wonder “(A) rugged page turner….” In a starred review, the Library Journal said, “Talented Meno has penned a wise and touching novel of love, loyalty, courage; an extraordinary book not to be missed.”
Time to loosen those hooks, belts and zippers, folks. We’re heading into the feasting season, from Thanksgiving (in the U.S.; Canada got a jump-start last month) through the various winter holidays right into the New Year. We use the holidays to feed our bellies and our spirits but it’s also a great time to feed our imaginations. When the hoopla has died down and the meals are luscious memories, the coming days are perfect for curling up and seeing how food plays so well in great books. Here are some tasty suggestions spanning 1873-2012 (several so delicious they were adapted to film):
The Belly of Paris – Emile Zola
Remembrance of Things Past – Marcel Proust
Babette’s Feast — Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)
A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway
Heartburn – Nora Ephron
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café – Fannie Flagg
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan
Chocolat – Joanne Harris
The Hundred-Foot Journey – Richard C. Morais
White Truffles in Winter – N.M. Kelby
Pow – Mo Yan
BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is excited to round out its 2015 season by welcoming award-winning bestselling author Joe Meno who will autograph his recently released novel Marvel and a Wonder at its December 5th wine tasting. The free event will run from 3-5 p.m. at TASTE Food & Wine, 1506 West Jarvis Avenue in Chicago. As always, the selected quality wines will reflect aspects of the book. “Bonus Buy” tickets will once again be available at the event for neat mementos and a 10% discount on wine purchases. The Book Cellar will handle on-site book sales.
About this wonderfully insightful book featuring the evolving relationship between a grandfather and his grandson, the New York Times Book Review said, “Meno, whose previous novel was Office Girl, has a knack for giving small happenings emotional weight… Meno knows how to make you love his characters, want what they want. ” The Wall Street Journal calls Marvel and a Wonder “(A) rugged page turner….” In a starred review, the Library Journal said, “Talented Meno has penned a wise and touching novel of love, loyalty, courage; an extraordinary book not to be missed.”
It seems every list of newly published novels includes at least one book based on a parent-child relationship. We’ve all been children and most of us have been parents so we understand the inherent life drama (and, often, comedy) of this complex relationship. It’s ripe for the picking and telling.
Finding great books about grandparent/grandchild relationships is harder, at least for adult readers (although they abound in children’s literature). There’s no good reason for the dearth of novels exploring these formative relationships. You’ll see how good they can be if you check these fine examples:
Marvel and a Wonder – Joe Meno
Northern Borders – Howard Frank Mosher
The Summer Book – Tove Johansson
Bird – Crystal Chan
The Blue Mountain – Meir Shalev
Imaginings of Sand – André Brink
BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is excited to round out its 2015 season by welcoming award-winning bestselling author Joe Meno who will autograph his recently released novel Marvel and a Wonder at its December 5th wine tasting. The free event will run from 3-5 p.m. at TASTE Food & Wine, 1506 West Jarvis Avenue in Chicago. As always, the selected quality wines will reflect aspects of the book. “Bonus Buy” tickets will once again be available at the event for neat mementos and a 10% discount on wine purchases. The Book Cellar will handle on-site book sales.
About this wonderfully insightful book featuring the evolving relationship between a grandfather and his grandson, the New York Times Book Review said, “Meno, whose previous novel was Office Girl, has a knack for giving small happenings emotional weight… Meno knows how to make you love his characters, want what they want. ” The Wall Street Journal calls Marvel and a Wonder “(A) rugged page turner….” In a starred review, the Library Journal said, “Talented Meno has penned a wise and touching novel of love, loyalty, courage; an extraordinary book not to be missed.”
And don’t forget the November 21st BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ with acclaimed author Christine Sneed signing her beautifully drawn novel, Paris, He Said, while you enjoy classic Burgundy wines and an opulent French white sparklet. From 3-5 p.m. at TASTE Food & Wine. Find out why the Chicago Tribune book review said, “If you love the City of Light or have always wanted to travel there, Paris, He Said is worth a visit.”
My cousin Ron has been posting photos on Facebook as he travels to places many of us only dream of visiting. I’m envious. Those photos remind me of my own travels to other countries, of days soaking in the sights, sound, smells and even the feel on the skin that comes with the otherness of far-away lands. One really feels the shift of consciousness when returning home and finding that once-familiar things seem new.
For all the technological advances, today’s travel is chock full of frustrating inconveniences for most of us. Fortunately, we can still crack open a good book or fire up an e-reader and roam the world from the comfort of an easy chair. Where would you like to go next? If cities are your thing, I suggest these wonderful contemporary novels to transport you to some memorable places:
Paris, He Said – Christine Sneed (Paris)
NW – Zadie Smith (London)
Angels and Demons – Dan Brown (Rome)
Who is Mr. Satoshi – Jonathan Lee (Tokyo)
The Foreigner – Francie Lin (Taipei)
The Dog – Joseph O’Neill (Dubai)
Happy trails!
For those who want to let their imagination take them to a far-away city, you can’t go wrong with Christine Sneed’s latest bestselling novel, Paris, He Said. The Chicago Tribune review of the book noted, “Sneed allows readers to revel in Paris’ celebrated light while walking its wide boulevards and cobblestone streets. If you love the City of Light or have always wanted to travel there, Paris, He Said is worth a visit. You’ll come for the story but stay for Sneed’s painterly homage to the city’s art and culture.”
BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is delighted to welcome award-winning author Christine Sneed at its November 21st book signing and wine tasting from 3-5 p.m. at TASTE Food & Wine, 1506 West Jarvis Avenue, Chicago. The featured quality wines, reflecting themes in Paris, He Said, will be classic burgundy in a white and a red, along with an opulent French sparkling white. The wine tasting is free. Optional “Bonus Buy” tickets, which proved very popular at the October BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™, will be available again at this month’s event. Ticket holders will get a memento of the event and a discount on any wine purchases. For details, click the pull down tab at the Book●ed website or visit the Events page at Taste Food & Wine.
On Saturday, November 21st, from 3-5 p.m., the fifth BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ event of 2015 is proud to feature award-winning bestselling author Christine Sneed and her latest novel, Paris, He Said. The New York Times Book Review, called this beautiful book, “…an absorbing, original tale about the questions we all end up confronting as we grapple with the interplay between who we are and who we think we want to be.” Along with the book signing, we will be serving a trio of wines for the free wine tasting that reflect themes in the book: classic Burgundy in a red & a white plus an opulent French Sparkler. The “Bonus Buy” tickets that proved so popular at our October BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ will be available at the November event. If you’re in the area, come spend the afternoon with us at TASTE Food & Wine, 1506 West Jarvis, Chicago.
Fans of Tyrone Power who live anywhere near Arlington Heights, IL, should mark their calendars: on Friday, November 6th from 2-4 p.m., the Arlington Heights Memorial Library will screen the 1937 screwball comedy, Love is News, teaming movie idol Tyrone Power with lovely leady lady Loretta Young. Tyrone Power memorabilia will be on display. Taryn Power Greendeer will be interviewed by movie historian Annette Bochenek and will autograph copies of Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power, written by Taryn’s sister Romina Power (contains several of Taryn’s photos). The book is a collectors quality limited first edition, available only at select events and by mail order. The library program is free but registration is recommended.
The Presidential election is still a year away but one can’t escape the entertainment known as campaign season. Have you tried imagining any of the candidates as President yet? Why not measure your expectations against some former Presidents? Here are a dozen books – both non-fiction and fiction – in which real former Presidents play a featured role:
Non-Fiction
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power – John Meacham
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln – Doris Kearns Goodwin
Grant and Twain: The Story of a Friendship that Changed America – Mark Perry
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt – Edmund Morris
Eleanor and Franklin – Joseph P. Lash
Truman – David McCullough
A Thousand Days – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Fiction
Lincoln – Gore Vidal
The Alienist – Caleb Carr
The Plot Against America – Philip Roth
Primary Colors – Anonymous (Joe Klein)
The President’s Shadow – Brad Meltzer
Curious to know which books were the favorites of each of our Presidents? Check out The Favorite Books of All 44 Presidents of the United States.
There’s still time to pre-order your book and get a Bonus Buy ticket for the October 22nd BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™. This will be a very special event as Amazon #1 and national bestselling author Jasinda Wilder makes her Chicago debut with her hot-off-the-press book Madame X. Meet the author who has been interviewed by major media and learn how she parlayed a seven-figure publishing deal with Penguin Random House after selling millions of self-published eBooks. In honor of the author and book, TASTE Food & Wine feature wines (free tasting!) will be a sparkling white and two scintillating red. Bonus Buy tickets get preferred position on lines, a 10% discount on all wine purchases, and a special author memento. For details about the event, check the Book●ed website. Visit The Book Cellar to pre-order your book and get a Bonus Buy ticket!
I’m about to depart on a one-week trip to New York City. For many months, I’ve been organizing a first-ever global cousins gathering for my mother’s side of the family. In the internet age, the family tree has sprouted many more branches as relatives dug deep to find their roots. Most of us have never met or haven’t seen each other in decades. We cousins share a genetic predisposition for genealogy; now we’ll see what else we have in common… or not. This will be interesting!
Through the communication I’ve had with these cousins, I’m already forming images of who they are. One thing for sure: they are complex and interesting. Our family history and relationships would make a fascinating book but, were I to write it, I’d have to disguise it as a novel to protect the innocent! Would you say the same for your family?
Family relationships are great fodder for memorable books. Here’s a sampling of titles I haven’t mentioned in previous posts, from some familiar authors and some new names; how many have you read?
Eight Cousins – Louisa May Alcott
Till We Had Faces – C.S. Lewis
The Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving
The Brothers K – David James Duncan
Nervous Conditions – Tsitsi Dangaremba
In the Unlikely Event – Judy Blume
Add a couple of books for children that feature family relationships:
Beezus and Ramona – Beverly Cleary
Coraline – Neil Gaiman
10,000 Dresses – Marcus Ewert
Note: I’m taking next week off from posting on my Blog while I’m taking a bite of the Big Apple.
There’s still time to pre-order your book and get a Bonus Buy ticket for the October 22nd BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ . This will be a very special event as Amazon #1 and national bestselling author Jasinda Wilder makes her Chicago debut with her hot-off-the-press book Madame X. Meet the author who has been interviewed by major media and learn how she parlayed a seven-figure publishing deal with Penguin Random House after selling millions of self-published eBooks. In honor of the author and book, TASTE Food & Wine will featured wines in the free tasting will be a sparkling white and two scintillating red. Bonus Buy tickets get preferred position on lines, a 10% discount on all wine purchases (the tasting is free), and a special author memento. For details about the event, check the Book●ed website. Visit The Book Cellar to pre-order your book and get a Bonus Buy ticket!
Curran Bell, Acton Bell and Ellis Bell may not be names you recognize but what if I were to say Charlotte, Anne and Emily Brontë? In the 1800s, the famous Brontë sisters had to don male names in order to get their writing published after England’s poet laureate Robert Southey responded to 20-year-old Charlotte’s selection of poetry with, “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life.” Other noted female authors of the same period who disguised their gender in order to get published include George Sand (Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin) and George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans.)
A century later, Nell Harper Lee dropped her first name for the more androgynous Harper Lee. Nora Roberts, a bestselling author of romance novels under her real name, became a bestselling author of detective fiction using the pseudonym J.D. Robb.
Perhaps the best known contemporary female author to neuter her name is J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. Her UK publisher, Bloomsbury, felt that replacing her first name (Joanne) with initials would make her book more appealing to boys. Without a middle name of her own, she used her grandmother’s, Kathleen. “They could have called me Enid Snodgrass,” Rowling told The Telegraph in an interview. “I just wanted it [the book] published.”
As long as women have written, they have had to contend with bias in the publishing industry. While some are hopeful that the growing number of female authors with successful books will open doors for more women, statistics suggest that traditional publishers still view women primarily as writers and readers of romance novels.
Two 2011 studies prove the point. They showed that The New York Review of Books reviewed 71 female authors, compared to 293 male authors; The New York Times reviewed 273 women and 520 men. Only Crown published a similar number of male and female authors; the others clearly favored men.
Women authors are not the only ones battling discrimination in the publishing world. Minorities are also largely underserved, much to the loss of booklovers. But women are not a minority, which is why I highlight this sorry aspect of the publishing world.
The emergence of self-publishing is resulting in some hugely successful female writers (see Footnotes) but traditional publishers need to step up to the plate. It makes good business sense. Car dealers, real estate marketers and political parties have awakened to the potential women offer, not only as consumers but as producers. It’s time for the white male bastions of the publishing world to make way for diversity. Let it begin with women authors.
Many female authors, facing gender bias in the publishing industry, turn to self-publishing. Producing a book is only step one. Knowing how to promote it into success is a very different art. Author Jasinda Wilder is a master of both. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and international bestselling author with millions of sales of self-published eBooks. One of her titles, Falling Into You, reached #1 on Amazon.
On October 6th, Jasinda Wilder’s first book in print as well as digital format will be published by Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Madame X is the first in a planned trilogy that netted a 7-figure deal for this Michigan-based mother of six.
On October 22nd, from 6-8 p.m., BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ will welcome Jasinda Wilder in one of her very first public appearances to sign copies of Madame X as she meets fans during another fabulous wine tasting event at TASTE Food & Wine in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.
For this event, BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is offering pre-orders of the book with “Bonus Buy” tickets. Ticketholders will get preferential place in line for books and autographs, 10% discount on all wine purchases and a special author memento. “Bonus Buy” tickets will also be available at the event but I encourage pre-ordering. Book pre-orders and Bonus Buy ticket sales will be handled by The Book Cellar. Event details can be found at the Book●ed website.
This is the time of the Jewish High Holy Days. The 10 days between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur are a time of introspection, culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). All major world religions exercise self-examination, judgment and repentance, often through the holiest of their holidays. For Christians, it’s the Lenten season. For Muslims, it’s the month of Ramadan. It’s a uniquely universal human quality to look in a mirror, searching beyond a flat reflection for the truth of who we are, to imagine who we might become; hoping to become more tomorrow than we were yesterday.
Introspection plays a catalytic role in some of our best literature. It crosses all genres of books.
Memoirs and biographies are most memorable when the author impresses us with their change through self-reflection. Some of the finest examples include:
12 Years a Slave – Solomon Northrup
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
Gift from the Sea – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
The Color of Water – James McBride
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail – Malika Oukfir
The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls
Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand
As fictional characters examine their lives, as they evolve and grow, we often see aspects of our own lives. Through them, we gain insights or confirmation about our own circumstances. This is the enduring power of great books. Here’s just a sampling; how many have you read?
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Death of Ivan Ilych – Leo Tolstoy
Siddharta – Herman Hesse
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint- Exupéry
1984 – George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
The Giver – Lois Lowry
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
13 Reasons Why – Jay Asher
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is excited that its September 24th event will feature Bedrock Faith, a book exemplifying great literature that comes alive in a neighborhood. Eric May’s debut novel landed on several “Top 10” lists and led to Eric winning the prestigious 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library in partnership with the Chicago Public Library Foundation. In fact our September 24th event will be a prelude celebration before the Library’s award dinner in October. Come meet Eric, get a copy of his book and have him personally autograph it for you while you enjoy some wines with great character between 6-8 p.m. at TASTE Wine & Food in Chicago. No reservations or entry fees! Find details at the Book●ed website or on our Facebook page.
One of my recurring nightmares is finding myself back in school, either unable to find my classroom or being totally unprepared for a subject I learned a long time ago, maybe trying to read something and seeing only gibberish. Sound familiar?
In the light of day, fortunately, school (especially at the start of a new year) looks a whole lot brighter. Everything is fresh and new. Books and doors are there to be opened, new people to meet, the world at one’s feet with many paths to explore. No matter how the coming year unfolds, when the cycle begins in late August or early September, there’s excitement in the air.
Our school years help form us, leaving indelible memories. The experiences, as we grow through the school years and beyond, are potent. This is why schools and the people who walk through their halls appear in so many great books. How many of these have you read?
Good-bye, Mr. Chips—James Hilton
The Blackboard Jungle—Evan Hunter
Up the Down Staircase—Bel Kaufman
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie—Muriel Spark
Sophie’s World—Jostein Gaarder
The Secret History—Donna Tartt
Infinite Jest—David Foster Wallace
Harry Potter—J.K. Rowling
The Cheese Monkeys—Chipp Kidd
Special Topics in Calamity Physics—Marisha Pessl
We all know how beautiful it can be to read a book. Brit + Co shows ingenious ways to make books look beautiful in other ways.
BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is excited that its September 24th event will feature Bedrock Faith, a book exemplifying great literature that comes alive in a neighborhood. Eric May’s debut novel landed on several “Top 10” lists and led to Eric winning the prestigious 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library in partnership with the Chicago Public Library Foundation. In fact our September 24th event will be a prelude celebration before the Library’s award dinner in October. Come meet Eric, get a copy of his book and have him personally autograph it for you while you enjoy some wines with great character between 6-8 p.m. at TASTE Wine & Food in Chicago. No reservations or entry fees! Find details at the Book●ed website http://www.bookedwebcast.com/index.html# or on our Facebook page.