Foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times, who has a enormous following in Baltimore, understands globalization and the interdependence of nations probably better than anyone out there.

He demonstrated that in The World is Flat, in which he described how 9/11, Katrina and the Internet have combined to bring climate and energy issues to Main Street America.

He continues this discussion in his new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, his new book, in which he argues that America needs to go green in order to survive, prosper and remain secure.

It is complex argument, but Friedman delivers it in a conversational manner (through the congenial voice of Oliver Wyman, who also read The World is Flat.)

Friedman will deliver these thoughts in person this week at Goucher College, where he will appear as the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Visiting Professor speaking in Goucher College’s Kraushaar Auditorium on Friday, October 3, at 8 p.m.

Trouble is, demand was so great, tickets are sold out! So it is back to the CD player in the dashboard, people!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Audiobooks
        

Have you been itching to share a story, photo or artwork about our lovely city? Eight-Stone Press' Smile Hon, You're in Baltimore is accepting submissions. The catch is, deadline is today.

I know, I never make things easy on you, do I?

Posted by Nancy Knight at 4:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I was reminded of a recent Christmas I shared with my best friend, Abby. We'd both recently graduated college, living on our own, working and scrimping as you are wont to do in your early 20s.

So instead of buying the usual ridiculous gifts we had for years (yes, she did receive a sparkly tiara one year. And she loved it!), we bought each other this book, Suze Orman's The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke.

Yes, Orman does look slightly scary, in a Duran Duran music video kind of way. But she provides useful advice on paying down your credit card debt in a smart manner, negotiating lower interest rates and building up enviable credit in a rough time of your life.

It didn't fix all my problems, but I still use it as a resource -- and it's a lot cheaper than hiring a personal accountant.

Of course, this book is more appropriate for the young'uns. Anybody out there have their own finance books they turn to on the road to financial stability?

I'm sure we're all interested in learning more about this market that seems to be changing everyday.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Whatever
        

Too bad that Saturday's visitors to the Baltimore Book Festival got drenched, but yesterday was a beautiful day to celebrate the literary arts. To get the day started, Nancy and I participated on a panel with blogger Heather Johnson about shrinking newspaper book review sections and the corresponding growth among independent book bloggers. (I also made a guest post on this topic at the Poe's Deadly Daughters blog over the weekend.)

Folks in the audience were saddened by the loss of book coverage in the newspaper, and put a lot of trust in print reviews. They hadn't had much experience with blogs, (most were middle-aged), and wondered how they could evaluate the expertise of online reviewers.

Nancy, Heather and I noted that reading blogs is like talking to neighbors -- you quickly get a sense of common interests and tastes. And we agreed that the financial pressures causing a decline in newspaper coverage would continue, so newspaper and indie blogs will have to take up the slack. Still it can be dizzying to keep up with all the blogs out there. Do you have favorites for recommended reading?

Illustration for The Baltimore Sun by Michelle Stidham

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

This week's releases include Nicholas Sparks' latest romance, and reminiscences by TV star Diahann Carroll and basketball star Alonzo Mourning. Out Tuesday:

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central, $24.99), The hero of Nicholas Sparks’ new novel believes he’s found a lucky charm in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he’s never met.

Resilience: Faith, Focus, Triumph by Alonzo Mourning with Dan Wetzel (Ballantine, $26). The title describes Mourning, who petitioned himself into foster care at age 11, made the dean’s list at Georgetown University and returned to the NBA after organ-transplant surgery.

The Legs Are the Last to Go: Aging, Acting, Marrying, and Other Things I Learned the Hard Way by Diahann Carroll (Amistad, $24.95). Carroll discusses her four marriages as well as racial politics in Hollywood and on Broadway; and the personal cost, particularly to her family, of being a pioneer.

This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman (Holt, $23). This collection contains 75 more essays from the archives of the successful NPR program, a contemporary version of Edward Murrow’s classic radio show.

The Letters by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger (Bantam, $22). This epistolary novel explores the unraveling marriage of Sam and Hadley West, who separated after the death of their grown son, Paul.

Rebound Rules by Rick Pitino (Collins, $25.95). Pitino’s extraordinary success as a basketball coach has been tempered by personal tragedies that define the way he lives.

Amazon.com, Publishers Weekly

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Of one key character she says: "There has always, always, been a tightness about Meghan, a kind of controlled fury. You can see it even in baby pictures, her long, skinny body propped on a sofa, her face pinched with resentment. ... Meghan believes she was short-changed on everything in childhood: allowance money, new clothes, extra helpings, her father’s attention."

And she describes the chatter of soccer moms, whose husbands "are the fodder for ... the endless anecdotes about how much these women put up with, the heroic tales that tend to end: ‘And it was in his closet’ – or the refrigerator, or the garage, or the front-hall powder room, or even the man’s pocket – ‘the entire time!’ "

The collection is a fitting complement to Lippman’s many novels. And after reading the bite-sized dramas about average Baltimoreans who commit vicious crimes, you’ll never walk down the sidewalk without wondering about the folks around you.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

 I went to the Baltimore Comic-Con today, and behold! Photographic evidence of The Flash! Right there...on the left...oh. Wait. Maybe he's just all blurry because I'm not very good with the camera. Huh.

 Anyway, we braved the rain, and made it to the Baltimore Convention Center, which was packed with people, though not many were costumed. Maybe superheroes' powers don't extend to protection from wetness.  

But it was fun, regardless. And I finally got the chance to meet Andy Runton, creator of Owly! He was very gracious while I gushed, and we did a very short interview, which I'm hoping to have up on Monday, provided the video comes out better than my photo did.

There's plenty more fun scheduled for tomorrow, and maybe the rain will let up so the heroes come out and play.

First of all, Jim Lee is still in town. So if you missed his first pitch at the O's game Friday night, I suggest you head downtown to see the legend before he skips town.

At noon, Image Comics presents Robert Kirkman, author of Walking Dead, a great zombie comic; Erik Larsen; Jimmy Palmiotti; and Richard Starkings. The crew will discuss what's coming up for Image, and they promise surprises and giveaways to boot.

At 12:35, hometown boy Bernie Wrightson will be feted. The former Baltimore Sun illustrator is better known for his contributions to both DC and Marvel Comics, especially the character Destiny, made even more famous in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

And for anyone who's still completely confused about what's going on in the Marvel Universe, they're providing a tutorial at 1 p.m., where you can "join the Marvel crew and accept your new Skrullian Overlords as you find out all you want to know about Secret Invasion and the rest of the Marvel Universe." And anyone who hasn't checked out Runaways yet, do it!

Also, I want to make a special shout-out to the guy I saw in the quilted plaid Superman costume, although I wasn't quick enough to snap a picture of him. Just wow.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Whatever
        

This week in the YOU/Arts & Entertainment section, find a review of Philip Roth's Indignation. The book is described as an irritating, puzzling and fascinating bundle of mistakes, miscalculations and self-indulgences. Readers familiar with Roth will recognize familiar territory, characters and preoccupations in the tale of a brilliant but overprotected son of East Coast Jews who transfers to a small Midwestern college.

Also, capsule summeries football-themed books, including The Year That Changed The Game: The Memorable Months That Shaped Pro Football By Jonathan Rand; The Glory Game: How The 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever By Frank Gifford with Peter Richmond; and Pro Football Prospectus 2008 By Aaron Schatz and the Experts at FootballOutsiders.com.  

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The folks at AbeBooks have put together a light-hearted look at books related to Wasilla, the Alaska town that is home to Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Besides Palin's biography, Sarah,  highlights include books about hunting brown bears, Dall sheep, wolves and red-necked grebes. (Ok, so not grebes, they're featured in another kind of book.)

The town of less than 10,000 residents is described as a "publishing powerhouse … well, perhaps not a powerhouse but it certainly leads the way in books about hunting. Aside from putting animals in the telescopic sights, ‘Wasilla Lit’ covers many parts of the book spectrum – there are publishers, a major cartoonist, and an optometrist who writes about his adventures."

All jokes aside, if you want to read about Alaska and the pioneer spirirt that still drives the state, pick up John McPhee's Coming Into the Country. In this nonfiction account, you'll meet remarkable Alaskans, in stories filled with great writing.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

You guys! Can I just say that not being able to share this with you earlier today was TORTURE.

But as Dave said, we're trying to make it up to you. He gives you books, I give you a chance to dance the Thriller in public with Edgar Allan Poe.

So if you can't make it to our oh-so-educational and entertaining panel Sunday, you have to, at the very least, represent on Saturday. Bonus points if you bring your own mustache and send me some pics.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Sorry to all those who had problems visiting Read Street today -- the software that runs our blogs went haywire for several hours. But we have a book giveaway to cheer you up.

We're nearing our 500th comment on Read Street, and to mark that milestone, we're giving away five new releases.

You know the rules: comment away, and numbers 500, 501, 502, 503 and 504 get to choose from: Liberty by Garrison Keillor, The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory, The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan, Blood River by Tim Butcher, Two Brothers: One North, One South by David H. Jones, and Pecking Order by Omar Tyree.

A caveat: If you comment on this post, include a sentence about the funniest book you ever read; we'll use them in a future post. And be sure to include your email address so we can get back to the winners.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

As the presidential campaign rushes toward Election Day, some voters are wondering which candidate is more "real". So pollsters and reporters ask: "Which candidate would you rather watch a football game with?" or "Which candidate would you rather have a beer with?"

I think this is more relevant: Would you rather have Barack Obama or John McCain in your book club? And which book would you have them read?

I'm not choosing sides -- a newspaper editor needs detachment. But here's a suggestion for McCain: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a fictional account of soldiers in Vietnam, and the ways they handle loneliness and fear. For Obama: A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind, about a boy's challenging journey from a troubled Washington high school to Brown University. It's the selection for the One Maryland One Book program. 

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In anticipation of this weekend's Baltimore Book Festival, I thought I'd steer you guys toward some of the featured authors' works. Of course, this is only a very small sampling, with more than 200 writers crammed into the square over three days, but it's enough to get you started.

First of all, I don't know anyone who doesn't love at least one Avi book. My favorite is The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, but I'm pretty excited that the Colorado-based author is here to discuss his 2003 Newbery Medal winner, Crispin: The Cross of Lead. Set in 14th-century England, the book follows a 13-year-old navigating his world. 

For John Hodgman fans, Michael Ian Black should do the trick. The comedian brings My Custom Van: And 50 Other Mind Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face. What do you have to look forward to? An explanation as to why salami is the greatest lunchmeat in the world, and what Black would be thinking if he were Billy Joel driving to a holiday party where he knew there would be a piano.

Dave will be happy to know that his literary hero is appearing, too! No, not Frank Herbert. Mark Twain! You'll want to bone up on your Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer before you go head-to-head with the literary genius himself. 

Morgan State's own M.K. Asante Jr. will discuss It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation, described as a "bold look at the rise of a generation that sees beyond the smoke and mirrors of corporate-manufactured hip hop and is building a movement that will not only change the face of pop culture, but of the world." Asante talked to luminaries such as Chuck D and Maya Angelou, as well as youth from around the world in this look at the intersection of pop culture and politics.

Dave and I will also be on a festival panel, Sunday at 11 a.m., discussing recent cutbacks in newspaper book reviews and the growth of independent bloggers. 

Posted by Nancy Knight at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Christopher Brosius creates perfumes that evoke real-life aromas -- and memories. His CB I Hate Perfume Gallery in New York City, has, according to the magazine More Intelligent Life, "the air of an austere cabin. Three hundred miniature laboratory vials populate white shelves. Inside the bottles are accords, the aromatic building-blocks with which one can -- for $125 to upwards of $1,200 -- collaborate with Christopher to construct one's own custom scent. The vials of single notes, which can be had individually for around $25, carry hand-scrawled names like 'Rhubarb Leaf', 'Papaya Seed', 'Celo Tape' and 'Crayon'."

But that won't do for bibliophiles. How about In the Library, which Christopher describes as "First Edition, Russian and Moroccan Leather, Binding Cloth and a hint of Wood Polish". I might ask ask for a customized scent: Pratt Lobby, which would blend the cool, airiness of the grand lobby, with the heady aroma of a hundred just-opened hardbacks.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The tents are up in Mount Vernon square, and the Baltimore Book Festival is taking shape. Only two more days until it kicks off.

Opening night on Friday features something for everyone. Gals have discussions of Ladies Lit and treating your BFF; guys have sessions on grilling food and drinking beer. (Hey, we can read, too!) 

You can also hear Bishop T.D. Jakes, several Newbery Medal-winning authors, and young literary stars including Jessica Anya Blau and Emma Sovich,  winner of the Sophie Kerr Prize at Washington College.

The festival continues through Sunday, along the 600 block of N. Charles St. There's music, good food and more than 200 authors. Sure beats watching the O's and Blue Jays.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

 There aren't many things in life that I hate more than being cold, so the end of summer is a very sad time for me.

But then I saw this scarf, and now I'm just praying for it to cool down. They come in grey, black and white, with both upper- and lowercase letters. And if numbers are more your thing, well, they've got those, as well.

The lovely scarves are from littlefactory.com, a design Web site with plenty of other neat things, but this is reason enough for me to love them.

And here's another example of why I need more designer-type friends: Book vases. No, not cases. VASES.

Designer Laura Cahill began making them from unwanted books, after she discovered the glue used to bind them makes books very difficult to recycle. Maybe publishing houses can stop destroying books, and start making pretty housewares, now.

(photo courtesy of littlefactory.com)

Posted by Nancy Knight at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Whatever
        

One Book for Greater Hartford's pick for 2008 is The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri, the University of Maryland Baltimore County math professor who has carved out a second career as novelist. OBGH, which recently kicked off its seventh year, features contemporary fiction with cross-cultural ties.

"Each year’s selection has taken us far away, where, by learning about a different culture, we discover more about our own," the program states, adding that Suri's book "takes us to Bombay. We meet the residents of an apartment building who live side-by-side and one on top of the other, but share few social customs, religious practices, or living habits."

Suri is in good company -- previous OBGH choices include Reading Lolita in Tehran and The Color of Water. In case anyone thinks success has gone to Suri's head, watch this funny video, 

Photo by Elizabeth Malby, The Baltimore Sun

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

A couple of posts ago, I talked about what a refreshing pleasure it was to take a break from some pretty heavy-duty "listening" and visit Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in her cozy but murderous village of St. Mary Mead.

And just last week, we got to hear from Dame Christie herself. It seems her grandson found a box of old - very old - reel to reel tapes in which the great mystery writer talked about, among other things, her most famous characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple...and the oft-expressed hope of her readers that they would one day meet.

A report on NPR by Lynn Neary included excerpts from those tapes and, amazingly, Dame Christie's voice sounds almost exactly like Miss Marple's voice when Joan Hickson is the reader on the recorded versions of those books.

It wasn't just hearing Dame Christie's voice...that was special, indeed. It was hearing the "voice" of Miss Marple.

"Quite extraordinary," is how I think both women would have put it.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Audiobooks
        

The story of spunky Anne of Green Gables has been cherished for decades -- this actually is the book's 100th year. And though much has been written about the hard life and mental anguish of author Lucy Maud Montgomery, I bet most people have been stunned by the news that she committed suicide.

As part of a look at mental health, the author's grand-daughter told Canada's Globe and Mail about the family's "troubling secret." Kate Macdonald Butler said, "Despite her great success, it is known that she suffered from depression, that she was isolated, sad and filled with worry and dread for much of her life. But our family has never spoken publicly about the extent of her illness. What has never been revealed is that L.M. Montgomery took her own life at the age of 67 through a drug overdose.

And a darkness was evident in Montgomery's writings, some argue. As Margaret Atwood wrote "... if Anne were nothing but a soufflé of happy thoughts and outcomes, the Annery would have collapsed long ago. The thing that distinguishes Anne from so many "girls' books" of the first half of the 20th century is its dark underside: this is what gives Anne its frenetic, sometimes quasi-hallucinatory energy, and what makes its heroine's idealism and indignation so poignantly convincing."

Few suspected that Montgomery's own life was so dark.   

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I'm not one to dwell on the negatives, but last week, New York Magazine offered a candid and often dismal view of the future of book publishing.

It's not so much eye-opening to me that the consolidation of publishing houses, the death of indie booksellers and the emergence of e-books are completely changing the industry -- I'm more surprised at how the major players all recognize what the problems are, yet don't deal with them.

Call me a snob, but any industry that depends on Oprah as the biggest advertising boost in their arsenal needs to take another look at their gameplan. Meanwhile, I noticed that blogging is mentioned only in passing, and with derision, in the article, which leads me to believe that while it's an in-depth look at the problem, no one's looking at the solutions that are being presented.

But as a member of another mass medium that isn't so "mass" anymore, it does make me sad. I'll be looking for all kinds of hope at the Book Festival this weekend.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Whatever
        

Here's the latest on efforts to save the Mark Twain House and Museum, a Hartford, Conn., historical landmark that is in financial trouble after a major expansion. The New York Times story notes that misguided investments and money problems also dogged Twain -- especially after he built his sprawling home.

Tomorrow, a group of authors will hold a reading and fundraiser -- for a taste, here's a video of John Clinch, who put the event together, reading fom his book Finn. And a November fundraiser features auction items such as lunch with Tom Wolfe or Roy Blunt Jr.

If you're in New England for fall foliage season, stop by the house. It's worth a trip -- and a contribution to American literary history. 

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This week, we get a memoir from TV talker Bill O'Reilly, as well as the latest from Dennis Lehane and our own Stephen Hunter. Out Tuesday:

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway, $26). O’Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from working-class kid to TV personality.

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (Morrow, $27.95). This epic brings alive the social turmoil, political chicanery and racial prejudice encompasses the Spanish flu pandemic, the Boston police strike of 1919, red-baiting and anti-union violence.

Night of Thunder by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster, $26). Bob Lee Swagger tries to figure out who wanted to kill his daughter.

Heat Lightning by John Sandford (Putnam, $26.95). Investigator Virgil Flowers takes on a puzzling — and most alarming — case: A murder victim found near a veteran’s memorial with a lemon in his mouth.

Planet Google by Randall Stross (Free Press, $26). The New York Times columnist Randall Stross looks at Google’s ambitious aim to organize the world’s information.

Tsar by Ted Bell (Atria, $26.95). Alex Hawke fights the leaders of a new and invigorated Russia, where Vladimir Putin has been locked up in a lethal prison built over a massive radioactive waste site.

Amazon.com, Publishers Weekly

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This is a big week for local book lovers. Friday, the Baltimore Book Festival starts a three-day run along the 600 block of N. Charles St. You’ll find authors who thrill (Walter Mosley and Omar Tyree) and challenge (Dr. Cornel West and Naomi Wolf). And you’ll find award-winners in every genre.

On one of the panels, Nancy and I will discuss "The Changing Landscape of Book Reviews," and the recent cutbacks by many U.S. newspapers. At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Hartford Courant, book editors left and were not replaced. The Los Angeles Times eliminated its book review section and folded coverage into the lifestyle section. Other papers, including The Baltimore Sun, have trimmed book coverage.

Some newspapers use blogs as a new way to connect with readers. But the cutback in coverage has created an opening for independent bloggers, who are flourishing. To discuss these changes, we’ll be joined on the panel by Heather Johnson, who blogs at Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books.

Let us know how changes in newspaper coverage — and the growth in blogging — affect you. Where do you get book reviews and recommendations for reading? Do you use blogs regularly? Do you think newspapers and bloggers can coexist?

I hope some Read Streeters can make it to our panel discussion Sunday, Sept. 28, at 11 a.m. on the Festival Stage; it would be nice to meet you. As part of the festivities, we'll give away some new releses, including Hardly Knew Her by Laura Lippman, Night of Thunder by Stephen Hunter, The Given Day by Dennis Lehane and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. 

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Book It
        

OK, I was completely remiss and forgot to wish you all a happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Luckily, Mr. McIntyre over at You Don't Say did it far better than I ever could, so I direct you to his spirited post. 

As an attempt to atone, I will now share some free booty with you -- shimmerzine.com's 2007 pirate issue.

Yesterday's holiday prompted them to offer the e-zine free of charrrrrge for the day, but as far as I can tell, it's still available today. Huzzah!

It includes an interview with the founder of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, as well as quite a few entertaining short stories for the seafaring-inclined.

Read up, me hearties!

(photo by penywise at stock.xchng)

Posted by Nancy Knight at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Whatever
        

This Sunday in YOU, get a review of two mysteries by Rita Mae Brown.

Hounded to Death (Ballantine Books/Random House/304 pages/$25) is a tidy, parlor-style mystery that will please fans of the Sister Jane Arnold series. But newcomers looking for the grittier, bloodier sort of detective styling will be disappointed.

The Sand Castle (Grove Press/Atlantic/112 pages/$18.95) has all the components of earlier Husenmeir books, but in miniature. Tales within the story are sad and sweet, but as told through the eyes of a 7-year-old often seem too precocious. Even Husenmeir fans may find it lacks depth and heft.

There are also capsule reviews of Tonight at Six by Michael Olesker, Jealous Witness, poems by Andrei Codrescu, and Mary Elizabeth Garrett by Kathleen Waters Sander.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

From my very first profile of Clayton Fine Books, I've heard Baltimore bibliophiles singing the praises of Royal Books owner Kevin Johnson. Just last week, Daedalus' Sara Roberson mentioned sending book lovers along to his 25th Street location, which specializes in first editions and rare books.

So I was extremely happy to score an interview with Johnson, and even more happy to check out his place. It didn't disappoint.

While Johnson concedes that the location on historic Book Row isn't what it used to be, (as far as I can tell, only Kelmscott Bookshop and Johanson Rare Books have stuck it out with Royal in this stretch of the block) the store has maintained a loyal customer base, which Johnson credits largely to their Web site.

And if you can't make it to their physical store to check out the books, not to worry! Royal Books does a better job than any bookstore I've seen of providing detailed descriptions and photos of the books they're offering. "It can really be the tipping point for someone who's about to lay down $300 on a book," Johnson says, explaining their attention to detail.

Want more options? You can also subscribe to their bimonthly catalog. The latest includes a first edition copy of Hitchcock/Truffaut, signed by the Master of Suspense himself; an original still photograph of Ingrid Bergman, circa 1945; various noir film posters; and first editions of Faulkner, Atwood and Albee, just to name a very few.

 A little background

 Johnson began selling books in 1997, out of his house. "I gravitated toward rare and first edition books from the start," he said.

As space got tight, he moved his wares to an old Noxzema factory in Hampden, where he remained for three years. He worked as the book scout for the former owner of Kelmscott Bookshop, which used to occupy both the Royal Books space and the current Kelmscott digs.

Today, Johnson is the owner of the entire building, which he says is key in the stability of his business.

Clientele

As Johnson is quick to point out this section of the city is "not really a consumer district." He says they get most of their business through mail order, a good 90 percent of their sales, including book collectors in Maryland who just prefer to do their shopping online.

Popular sections

Johnson himself is a big fan of literature and the arts, and during a tour of the shop, you can tell those sections of his store get special attention, and tend to spill over into the other areas -- even the stairway -- where he displays film posters of classics such as 1965's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

In that vein, there is an entire room devoted to music, film, art, photography and design. And if you want to have a great conversation about film noir, ask Johnson about his book, The Dark Page.

(photo courtesy of royalbooksonline.com)

Posted by Nancy Knight at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bookstores
        

Oprah is going to make a hit book even bigger.

David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, a 500-page debut novel, is Oprah's latest book club pick, two booksellers told the Associated Press this morning. Edgar Sawtelle, the story of a mute boy who communicates best with his dogs, was released in June and became a smash thanks to strong reviews, word of mouth and a blurb from Stephen King.

Winfrey was to make the announcement later today on her show. The Associated Press purchased a copy of the novel, which has a Winfrey book club sticker on the cover, from a bookseller that placed Edgar Sawtelle on sale early.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Recommended
        

Everyone has a favorite way to shelve books: by genre, theme, height, chromatic spectrum, whatever. Here's another: sorting titles so they tell a story. At left is an example from artist Nina Katchadourian, as noted by The Guardian. You can find more on Flickr.

The Guardian's book blog offers others such as: Somewhere A Cat Is Waiting/To Kill A Mockingbird/In A Dark House/Bad Kitty.

Here's one from my shelves: As I Lay Dying/All the King's Men/Run/Parting the Waters/God Knows/Wait Til Next Year

What's on your shelves?

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

There's tons to do this week, and the festivals haven't even started yet!

For those of you who want to get away from the world of fiction, the Towson library holds its Biography Book Club tomorrow morning at 10. The event is sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Jane Byers of Towson University leads discussions of Thomas Paine in this session of the series. To learn more, call 410-887-6166.

Saturday sees the release of the latest of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle, Brisingr. Celebrate the new book at Constellation Books' Breakfast with the Dragons. Yes, it starts at 8 a.m. But there will be food!

Later in the morning, catch the animated version of George Orwell's Animal Farm at the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Inspired by his confrontation with Stalinism during the Spanish Civil War, Orwell wrote a political classic that still resonates today.

At 4 p.m., Hampden fans may want to head to Greetings & Readings to meet the author of Sisterbaby's Monkey: Answer the Voices... or Die Trying, which is set in Baltimore's beloved neighborhood. Charles Colley will sign his book, described as a tale filled with love, ghosts and dreams.

On Monday you can get a little creative, as Ukazoo Books hosts the Maryland Writers Association Baltimore meeting at 7 p.m. Ann Bracken will teach attendees what journaling is, and how to do it, with fun writing exercises and discussion.

And you can spend Tuesday evening with Baltimore's favorite daughter, Nancy Pelosi, at the Enoch Pratt Library. She'll discuss her memoir, Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters, which share her childhood in Baltimore, immersed in politics, and how she came to hold the highest office of any woman in U.S. history.

You can find plenty more where that came from, on the Read Street calendar.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Book It
        

The Enoch Pratt Free Library received a huge gift today -- $500,000 from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, to improve the system's wireless access and other technology.

Kenneth D. Lewis, chairman and CEO of the banking company, made the presentation at a morning news conference. The money, one of the largest corporate gifts the Pratt has received, will provide wireless capabilities for the Central Library and technological renovations to five branch libraries, according to the Pratt.

“The Enoch Pratt Free Library is an important economic driver in Baltimore’s ongoing revitalization,” Lewis said, according to a Pratt news release. “With more than 1.5 million people visiting the library each year, it is the largest provider of public access computers in the metropolitan area."

For the folks who have PCs at work and home, and who carry a BlackBerry or PDA, the Pratt offered some sobering stats: Nationwide, 60 percent of people who visit a public library do so primarily to use computers and access the Internet. And with 40 percent of Baltimore City households lacking internet access at home, the Pratt’s more than 500 public computers are often the only way for visitors to go online. ... In addition, the Pratt Library also offers free computer classes at several neighborhood branches

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Whatever
        

I know what the sign says. But I can't stop that little pit from forming in my stomach. Why, you ask. (You always ask that. Couldn't you try something more interesting, like: Why not have a chocolate chip cookie, Dave?)

Just heard that children's author Eoin Colfer has been hired to write a sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series. The last Hitchhiker book was written by Douglas Adams 16 years ago. He died in 2001 at age 49.

Nothing against Colfer, whose Artemis Fowl series has been a great success. My nephew Matt, a sixth grader and big-time reader, loves the guy.

But can Colfer capture Adams' madcap comic genius? I've always avoided franchise-extenders such as the Civil War novels that followed Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels or the post-Frank Herbert Dune series. Am I missing out on some great books? Or do all followups pale when compared to the book that started a series?   

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

As I'm sure many of you know, Nicholas Sparks is having a busy month. The movie adaptation of his book, Nights in Rodanthe, opens in theaters Sept. 26, and his latest novel, The Lucky One, will be in stores on the 30th.

I was able to catch up with Mr. Sparks by phone today, and he shared a few of his favorite books. According to his Web site, he reads 125 books a year, so any books that he can list from the top of his head are probably worth checking out:

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
City of Thieves, by David Benioff
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae, by Steven Pressfield
Early from the Dance, by David Payne
The Caveman's Valentine, by George Dawes Green
Emperor of the Air, by Ethan Canin

And in case that's simply not enough for you, Sparks sent me to variety.com to check out the absolute latest. "There is a big story about miley cyrus and me," he said. "Essentially, Disney has purchased the rights to a new book, and hired me to adapt the screenplay. And Miley will be in it."

Posted by Nancy Knight at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Check It Out
        

Here's a look at some new Maryland-related books.

-- Laura Lippman's collection of short stories, Hardly Knew Her, will be out in a couple of weeks. You may have read some of the stories in "noir" publications, but her collection of the twisted and criminal includes a new novella, "Scratch a Woman." (Morrow/292 pages/$23.95)

-- Two Brothers, by David H. Jones, recounts the tale of Baltimore's Prentiss family, torn apart by the Civil War. The novel, navigated by Walt Whitman, traces the brothers' bloody paths as they fight for opposing armies and wind up together in a Washington hospital. (Staghorn/316 pages)

-- New Lines from the Old Line State, an anthology of the Maryland Writers Association, offers essays, poems and short stories. Contributors include Liz Moser, Lalita Noronha and Laura Shovan. The book is available for 15% off at the MWA website, (MWA Books/217 pages/$15.95)

-- Kabbalistic Teachings of the Female Prophets by J. Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus, looks at the connection of seven Biblical women to mystical Jewish teachings, and relates their experience to our lives. (Inner Tradistions/418 pages/$24.95)

-- How to Become a Successful Commercial Model by Aaron Marcus has been revised and expanded for its fifth printing. It's an everyman's step-by-step guide to modeling.   

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Marylandia
        

It seems like the tide is turning against the romance novel, a genre which brought us Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre.

I've spoken to many bookstore owners, and many don't even have a romance section. Those who do, such as Constellation Books, have a standing sale on the genre, in the hopes it will get a few titles moving. With the growing popularity of mystery novels and court-room dramas, not many people have a Harlequin on their bedside table, anymore.

The traditional romance seems to have lost its audience, while the ever-expanding world of "chick lit" has gained favor.

My own first foray into this world was with Sonia Singh's Goddess for Hire, which was a fun, if often shallow, time. I remember liking the heroine despite myself, and any book that can overcome a few preconceived notions is a winner in my book.

Maybe the problem is that I've never been the type to sip lattes on my way from a shopping spree to a manicure, so it's a little difficult for me to relate to the chick lit protagonists. But as far as I can tell, this is the new face of romance novels.

I will admit, compared to glassy-eyed ladies swooning from their too-tight corsets, this is an improvement. Escapeism is key in either scenario, but I can't help wondering how much of this has to do with that must-have pair of stilettos, rather than love conquering all.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If you're a fan of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, set aside some time tomorrow to hear from the author.

To mark the book's 20th anniversary, HarperCollins is sponsoring a live interactive web event with Coelho, readers and actor Laurence Fishburne, who's involved in the upocoming movie adaptation. The one-hour program, which starts at 3 p.m., will be broadcast on www.authorsonair.com. 

The publisher describes the event as "a phone-in and online chat that includes an author interview, reader’s calls and a conversation between Coelho and Fishburne." The Alchemist has sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The good folks at Good magazine have created a great visual aid for describing our overcrowded roads, and it will hit home for anyone who has ever sat on the Baltimore Beltway (who hasn't?). The chart lists annual per-person traffic delays in major cities -- from 11 hours in Buffalo to 72 hours in L.A. -- and notes what else you could be doing.

In Baltimore (44 hours delay per person), for example, you could take in about two-thirds of the 65-hour War and Peace audiobook, listen to the entire Ring trilogy three times, or watch the Lord of the Rings film trilogy five times.

Or eat 2,640 Goo Goo Clusters. Any other ideas? 

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

As Dave mentioned earlier, I'll be talking to Nicholas Sparks on Wednesday afternoon, which means this is your chance to pick over his brain.

If there's a question you're just dying to ask him about his latest movie, his latest book or even his favorite color, let me know.

And if you just want to send along some kind words, I can do that, too.

I'll write up a quick preview of my article for your Internet enjoyment, including your own fascinating questions, after the interview.

Just to make the pot a little sweeter, all interrogators get a book delivered to their door. Talk about service!

Posted by Nancy Knight at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

This week, a "Phil" trifecta: advice from Dr. Phil, tales of royalty from Philippa Gregory and the latest from Philip Roth. Coming Tuesday:

Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life by Dr. Phil McGraw (Free Press, $26). A step-by-step plan for getting through the worst days is designed to help you feel prepared when it really matters — in the midst of a crisis.

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone, $25.95). A novel about the captive years of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Indignation by Philip Roth (Houghton Mifflin, $26). Marcus Messner, the 19-year-old son of a Newark kosher butcher, flees his overprotective father but fears that flunking out of college will mean going to war in Korea.

Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: A Giant Problem by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (Simon & Schuster, $10.99). The authors continue to build on their successful Spiderwick Chronicles series. This time giants threaten Florida.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf, $24.95). Cases rarely come much colder than the decades-old disappearance of teen heiress Harriet Vanger from her family’s remote island retreat north of Stockholm.

Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Tor, $27.95). Following in the footsteps of Frank Herbert, bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson answer the question of how Paul created his empire and become the Messiah.

The Forever War by Dexter Filkins (Knopf, $25). New York Times prize-winning reporter Dexter Filkins offers a richly textured book based on his work in Afghanistan and Iraq since 1998.

Think BIG: Make it Happen in Business and Life by Donald J. Trump (Collins, $14.95). The Donald gives advice on how to get momentum, when to get revenge and the importance of contracts.

Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life by Kathleen Norris (Riverhead, $25.95). In this penetrating theological memoir, Norris details her relationship with acedia, a slothful, soul-weary indifference long recognized by monastics.

Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman (Scribner, $24). This is the unpretentious, darkly comedic story of how it feels to exist in a community where rural mythology and violent reality are pretty much the same thing.

Amazon.com, Publishers Weekly

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Baltimore author Michael Kimball's third novel, Dear Everybody, is a collection of letters, diary entries, lists, news articles and other snippets that document the sad life and tragic end of a TV weatherman. Kimball, 41, grew up in Michigan and lived in New York City before moving here about three years ago with his wife, who teaches literature at the University of Maryland, College Park. They live in Charles Village. We asked him about his book and writing.

How Dear Everybody was born: I had just finished a novel and had written one letter -- it's about apologizng for standing someone up on a date and wondering whether life would have turned out different if the date had happened. Over a week or 10-day period, I wrote about 100 letters. Then I did it again, and I had over 200 letters. Then I wrote the intro and the last will and testament.

On outlines: I try not to have a planned outline. I try not to know how something’s going to end.

On writing in snippets: I was trying to make each fragment its own finished piece. But I needed the readers, and wanted the readers, to supply certain things. I showed a few pages to a friend who writes here in Baltimore and he said, "You can’t do this."

On organizing the book: I had about 400 fragments on different pieces of paper spread out in my dining room. Every flat surface was covered. I was pacing around the room, getting down on the floor ... but over a few days it came together. It was quite surprising; some [fragments] moved several years in the narrative.

On facts and voice: I did a fair amount of reading on clinical disorders in DSM4 [the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] and in case studies. There's different language in play there, sentences are formed in different ways. ... I even took my character to three different clinical psychologists. I said, "Here’s his life, here’s what happened, what is the diagnosis?" Just to be sure I wasn’t wrong.

On his sometime day job, editing textbooks: One thing I like about it is it doesn't use any of the fiction-writing part of my brain.

Last read: I just finished Oven Man by Jeff Parker, it's a slacker novel and is pretty great.

Coming on Read Street. On Wednesday, Nancy will interview Nicholas Sparks after watching the movie Nights in Rodanthe, an adaptation of his novel. If you have questions for Sparks -- about the movie, his novels or any other topic -- just leave a comment here for Nancy. 

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

"[I]n 1995, Ms. Palin, then a city councilwoman, told colleagues that she had noticed the book Daddy’s Roommate on the shelves and that it did not belong there, according to Ms. Chase and Mr. Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps children understand homosexuality, and said it was inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin read it.

'Sarah said she didn’t need to read that stuff,' Ms. Chase said. 'It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn’t even read it.' "

While I've certainly heard of this book, which follows the life of a young boy with his father and his father's male partner, I've never read it. Clearly, I can't speak to it being offensive.

If anyone out there can enlighten me on that point, I would appreciate it.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Whatever
        

This Sunday in the YOU section, you'll find a guide to the season's mountain of political books.

Among them: John McCain's Faith of My Fathers, a 1999 memoir that chronicles his family tree going back to Scot Presbyterian warriors. And Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father, a 1995 memoir that discusses his search for identity and his effort to connect with an absent father. And books about vice preidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. Whew!

If you need a break from politics, there's a review of Stephen Hunter's Night of Thunder (Simon & Schuster/304 pages/$26).  Bob Lee Swagger confronts a gang of armed robbers and murderers in Appalachia, in a tale loaded with Hunter's trademark cinematic language, action-packed suspense and multifaceted characters. The gripping though somewhat far-fetched story line concerns a plot to hijack an armored car carrying millions of dollars.

Photo by Bruce Gilbert, MCT

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