press

You are currently browsing the archive for the press category.

The Perfect Singular Gift for the Person Who Has Everything – Literary Gems from Small Presses

December 2, 2009 in gifts, mystery, poetry, press by Kim | No comments

Need to give a unique gift?  A book to someone who seems to have read everything?  Look no further, this list includes gems for which your recipient will thank you.  I love Skylight Books, everything about it, except the location, it is just too far away from me.  At least it’s close enough for an occasional foray.  My next trip will be to visit one of their monthly Literary Salons that highlight small presses.  Monica organizes the Salon and Emily contributes as a fan of small presses.  I knew Skylight Books was the perfect store to ask for recommendations and Emily was kind enough to send along her favorites and the best picks from some of the other staff members at Skylight.   (Note:  the link from the book title leads to the review of the book from Skylight Books, the link on the publisher leads to its website.)

1.  Mopus — Counterpath Press

2.  The Musical Illusionist – Hotel St. George Press : Emily says the book reminds her of the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City.

3.  A Happy Man – Les Figues - Until December 7th, Les Figues is offering a holiday sale, free shipping and buy two books and get a third book for free.  An extra bonus – the books are long and slim, the perfect stocking stuffers.

thumb_waitress4.  The Waitress Was New – Archipelago – I love this publisher, so much so that I subscribed to their fall series.  Not only is the content great, they are lovely physical books.  Here’s my interview with Dave Lievens of Archipelago Books and my review of The Waitress is New.

5.  Hard Case Crime Mysteries  - This publisher specializes in hardboiled crime fiction.  The Skylight Books blog posted about the publisher.

6.  Sometimes My Heart Pushes My Ribs — MuuMuu House   Jade of Skylight Books writes: “This is the most innovative poetry book out right now. Kennedy’s poems are semi-surrealist narratives — dry, but beautiful; witty, but intense. Kennedy was born in 1989, and the speaker of her poems is generally very young and in touch with modern culture. The characters range from a generic young female to Woody Allen and Norm MacDonald. It’s semi-ridiculous, it’s (sort of) sexy, it’s post-modern-ish, it’s funny — in a way, it’s kinda cool, and it’s completely fantastic. Read it!”

Emily has also shared that she has really been enjoying stuff from Two Dollar Radio.  She hasn’t featured them at the salon (yet), but their whole collection is worth checking out.

Interested in learning about more small, independent publishers, check out our list of recommended books from last year and the list at Bread and Bread.

Share

Tags: , , , , ,

Translated Tuesday – Back to the Coast by Saskia Noort

July 28, 2009 in book review, international, press, translation by Kim | 1 comment

9781904738374Saskia Noort’s Back to the Coast grabbed me within the first three pages:  Maria is a single mom with two kids who just returned from having an abortion.  Before the reader has a chance to empathize with Maria, the threatening letters arrive:         

The letterbox rattled and the mail landed on the floor with a soft thud. . . I hauled myself up and shuffled over to the door, where I picked up the damp pile of envelopes.  Two letters from the taxman, a bank statement, a reminder for my six-monthly dental check-up and a postcard.  A black-and-white photograph of cute pink baby feet.  Tiny feet smelling of little white lambs and baby oil, tiny feet I wanted to kiss and cuddle, tiny feet I was mourning.  What a horrible coincidence.  My womb was still throbbing with pain. . . I picked up the card with trembling fingers and caressed the crinkly toes, the delicate heels.  I swallowed the tears that welled up and turned over the card. 

Maria!  You’re a viper.  A slut.  You murdered your child.  You don’t deserve to have children.  You don’t deserve to have a life.  I’ve been watching your case for years.  Someone ought to punish you, whore!

I’ll be watching you.

 The threats quickly escalate causing Maria to rush to her sister’s for safety.  However, with all good thrillers, there isn’t an escape, just a turn in the plot. 

Back to the Coast takes place in Amsterdam and in a seaside village on the Dutch coast.  The book gives a reader a gentle view of the stereotypical free and easy lifestyle of Amsterdam with Maria, a mother largely unconcerned with a conventional life.  Maria sings in a band, her two children have different fathers, neither of whom she married, and she never turns down a drink.  However, her strong suits are love and compassion.  In contrast, Maria’s sister Ans represents the traditional, taciturn, stern attitude of the Dutch.  Her house is sterile.  Disapproval drips from her.  Her life is a series of filling obligations.  Read the rest of this entry »

Share

Tags: , ,

Philly’s Fabulous Bookstores

March 26, 2009 in bookstore, classics, first editions, mystery, press, rare books, used books by Kim | 2 comments

Following the closure of Robin’s Book Store in Philadelphia, Jakob Dorof of the Philadelphia City Paper did a health check on some of the remaining independents in the area.  Below is a summary of what he found and in my quest for great books, where possible I’ve looked at the books each store recommends to find one that catches my eye.  I’m still celebrating my find from the Columbus bookstore roundup.  The Third Annual Philadelphia Book Festival is on April 18th and 19th, if you’re in the area drop by and look for some of these stores.

Joseph Fox Bookshop - owner Joseph Fox credits some of their success to the many off-site events the store participates in, over 200 a year.  These events give exposure to Joseph Fox Bookshop and if it is an author event, it stocks him with signed editions he continues to sell from the store.  Mr. Fox has noticed a slight slow down in sales, but he is confident that store will stay in business for years to come.  The store recommendation that caught my eye is Karnak Cafe by Naquib Mahfouz.  It’s underlying topic of state sanctioned torture is timely and I like the portions of Mahfouz’s publishing history that I’ve heard.

House of Our Own – another venerable establishment, it sells new books downstairs and used upstairs.  Co-owner Deborah Sanford said to stay financially flexible the store dropped author events because calendars are Read the rest of this entry »

Share

Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Battle Between the Kindle and the Book

March 10, 2009 in press, publishing, Uncategorized by Kim | No comments

While the hue and cry is that e-readers are the end of books and bookstores as we know them, there are a growing number of voices that are discussing innovative ways to attract readers of every format without eliminating any options.   As discussed earlier, purchasers of HarperStudio books can buy the audio version or the e-readers version for an additional $2 each.  Even cheaper, for one price a customer can purchase a NelsonFree book and receive a code to download the audio and the e-book versions for free. 

 My favorite take on the issue is David Pogue’s humorous battle between a Kindle2 and a book.  Mr. Pogue demonstrates each of their strentghs and argues that one won’t eliminate the other.

Share

Tags: , ,

HarperStudio Division Discussed

January 27, 2009 in press, publishing by Kim | No comments

Shelf Awareness, my favorite morning e-mail, wrote a special issue on HarperStudio yesterday that highlights some responses to the ongoing publishing and bookselling issues.  It will be interesting to see how this attempt to adjust to the new reading and buying reality works out.  The post is well worth reading.  It discusses in detail some of the policies HarperStudio, a division of HaperCollins, is trying out.  Here are some of the main points:

  • HarperStudio is encouraging booksellers to buy the books on a nonreturnable basis by offering a large discount on these books
  • Advances are lower to the author in exchange for a larger potential royalty
  • People who buy the paper book with be given the option to buy it cheaply in downloadable audio and digital form so it can be read in all formats
  • Marketing will concentrate on the Internet by using social networking, Twitter, related blogs and similar avenues

The debut book, Who is Mark Twain?, a compilation of previously unpublished stories, will be out on  April 21st.  Six of the stories are unfinished, so there will be a “I am the Next Mark Twain” writing contest allowing the entrants to finish a story.  I’m looking forward to that!

Share

Tags: ,

« Older entries