In these 11 essays Ballantine brings us along on a light-hearted journey through the ups and downs of being human. Cooking his way through life waiting and hoping for literary nirvana Ballantine's trip includes an account of his suicidal musings in Advice to William Somebody, a inside look at the horrors of crank in Methamphetamine for Dummies and his fear induced homicidal tendencies in The Irving, where his appearance at the largest reading of his literary life throws him for such a loop that he dreams up a plan to knock off Norman Mailer and John Irving. Luckily, Ballantine works...
Act 2: Kansas City Book Pyro Ignites Another Batch
Tom Wayne of Prospero's Books in Kansas City chose Labor Day weekend for the second installment of his 'I'm Going to Burn All the Books I Can't Sell' publicity gimmick.KCTV5 news in KC is giving it prime coverage, with the story and video being the website's most popular, and CNN has picked it up as a home page headline.The first burning back in May resulted in "thousands of e-mails and phone calls with suggestions what to do with the books. But few people offered to take them."With all of the public outcry, I thought more people would step up to...
The Great Hotel Book Hoax of ’07
The Travelodge hotel chain in the UK issued a press release last week announcing the results of a "survey" of the top ten books left behind in their hotel rooms this summer (which technically hasn't ended yet, first flag).The books were:1. The Blair Years - Alastair Campbell2. Dont You Know Who I am? - Piers Morgan3. A Whole New World - Jordon4. Wicked - Jilly Cooper5. Dr Who Creatures & Demons - Justin Richard6. The Diana Chronicles - Tina Brown7. I Can Make You Thin - Paul McKenna8. Humble Pie - Gordon Ramsey9. The Story Of A Man And His...
Gorey Time: Dracula Visits the Cartoon Museum
There is little doubt that Edward Gorey is one of the premier illustrators of the late 20th Century. His images are instantly recognizable. His pen and ink illustrations have appeared in the country's top publications and he has authored over 100 books. He has also contributed set and costume designs to numerous theatrical productions.Currently on view at the Cartoon Museum is an" exhibition of the master cartoonist's original set and costume designs, rare production photographs and memorabilia from the Tony Award-winning Broadway production," of Dracula. The exhibit also features "a unique behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, from Gorey's initial...
Another Haven For Book Culture
I was quite pleased when I heard that Labyrinth Books, the bookstore serving Columbia University and its surrounding neighborhood, was changing its name to Book Culture.Regardless of the fact that it was motivated by a failed business relationship the point is they arrived at Book Culture.I asked Chris Doeblin, former co-owner of Labyrinth Books and now sole owner of Book Culture I few questions on how they got there and were they are going:Book Patrol: How did you get to the new name? Chris Doeblin: I wanted to choose a name that defined what we were trying to offer in...