…and we’re back to rain. Well, at least yesterday, on the Most Wonderful Day of the Year, the sun was out, just as I had requested. Birthday girls always get their wishes, don’t they? Back to business:
Awards! The Guardian has come up with a tongue-in-cheek one: the Wankh award, given to the dodgiest title in fiction. Nominees include 1902 children’s book Drummer Dick’s Discharge, 1971 children’s book The Day Amanda Came, and Airtight Willie and Me (and that’s just by the writer of the piece; have a look at some of the comments!). On a more serious note, Geraldine Brooks won the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement. The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes (Britain’s oldest literary awards) were handed out to The Children’s Book by A. S. Byatt (fiction award) and William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies by John Carey (biography award).
- There’s a recession on still, bookstores are in trouble, as are publishers, but these authors have absolutely nothing to worry about: the 10 highest-paid authors according to Forbes. I’m a little surprised there’s no Nora Roberts, since she outsells Danielle Steel by about 6 to 1 in my Romance section. Anyhoo.
The Stig has apparently been unmasked because he’s writing his memoirs, and his name is… Ben Collins. Proof that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword, eh?
- Looking for literary love? Try alikewise.com – a dating service based on what books you read and/or comment about. On a related note, are you a sipper or a gulper when it comes to reading books? I always thought I became a sipper after my daughter was born, but really, I’ve always been one, reading little bits everywhere, even while walking. You?
- She must sleep with the laptop chained to her wrist: Eva Gabrielsson, Stieg Larsson’s partner, has possession of the fourth, unpublished manuscript, and is not handing it over.
- I’m not ready for fall yet, but New York Magazine is because they have their 20 most anticipated novels listed, right here.
- Quiz! The Guardian posted a Ray Bradbury-themed quiz, in honor of the man’s 90th birthday four days ago. I chickened out and didn’t take it, because I’ve not yet read anything by him (don’t hit me!). Sorry Em!
- And finally: a fan goes to great lengths (and widths) to spell out his love for an author (see below)(done with a GPS tracking pen, and not with Photoshop, people!).
Tags: awards, biography, dodgy titles, fall books, Fiction, highest-paid authors, literary luuurrve, millennium 4, quiz, really big space ad, science fiction, the stig
Ayn Rand fans SCARE me….