Book Expo 2017 and Library Journal's Day of Dialog

My best reading buddy and I didn't go to New York City this year for Book Expo but through the glories of the internet I was able to spend an entire day with a front row seat to the Day of Dialog sponsored by Library Journal. It's the hottest day in publishing where agents, editors, and authors meet to tout their forthcoming fall and winter titles and there are always free copies for everyone. OK, admittedly, that part I did sorely miss!

I have five pages of notes but don't fear. I will just give you the highlights and especially give a shout out to the kind of books that you come to my blog to read about. If you still can't get enough of Gillian Flynn's novels St. Martin's Press has a November offering, "Poison" by Gary Niederhoffer. It's set in Seattle and involves a marriage that resembles the union in "Gone Girl." The publisher calls it a "swiftly moving, literary, women's thriller." Enough said?

 

 

I went crazy for mortician Caitlyn Doughty's first book, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." http://bit.ly/1xw9mnE It was a modern day Jessica Mitford clone about the gouging that families take from the funeral industry when they are least able to resist spending more than necessary. She is smart, funny, empathetic, and a pleasure to spend time with. Norton has Doughty's latest, which sounds like a mashup of anthropology and travel guide. "From Here to Eternity, Traveling the World to Find a Good Death." The title says it all. Look for it in October.

 

 



 Berkeley author Adam Braver - http://www.adambraver.com/ - is examining the aftermath of a San Bernardino-style terrorist attack in his new novel, "The Disappeared." The same publisher, Outpost Books, is issuing a new book by "The Atlantic" essayist Ta-Nehisi Coates that takes a look at the Obama years with poignancy and regret at all that has yet to be accomplished. "We Were Eight Years in Power, An American Tragedy," will also be released in early October.

 

There was an all female panel of SciFi, Fantasy, and Dystopian novelists who did Wonder Woman proud. Though it's not usually my cup of tea I did derive great satisfaction from seeing all these bright, young women embracing the genre. If it's your thing keep an eye out for Jordanna Max Brodsky ("Olympus Bound" Trilogy), S. A. Chakraborty ("City of Brass" set in 18th century Egypt), Holly Goddard Jones ("The Salt Line" involving an especially nasty plague), and Annalee Newitz whose "Autonomous" introduces robots who are slowly gaining their humanity.

 

And that was just the morning session!

 

 

I would have loved to meet Brendan Matthews whose debut novel, "The World of Tomorrow," sounded like this year's answer to "The Nix." He told the audience that he spent eight years writing this big fat historical about the Irish in New York City from 1939 to the present day. He really got my attention when he said that most of his research and writing was conducted at the Lenox and Stockbridge (Massachusetts) public libraries! Born and raised in the Berkshires, I've spent my share of time in both of those libraries - most likely getting chastised for being too loud and giggly.

 

 

And then there was a rowdy welcome for librarian and action figure Nancy Pearl, long time reviewer and once my inspiration, she is now a novel writer. Though "George and Lizzie" sounds at first glance like just another story about a marriage, commitment, and forgiveness, you know I'm going to have to take a chance on it and so will you. Though Pearl can be effusive when discussing another writer's book she seemed reticent to toot her own horn. I'll check it out in September and let you know the verdict.

 

Enough reading for one day? Take notes and I'll be back tomorrow with my favorite panel - international literature and books in translation.

 

 

Avid Reader

Could there be a better title with which to begin the new year? After all, if you are reading this then the epithet belongs to you. If you give this memoir a go, keep a pad and pencil handy as you'll be writing down book suggestions throughout.

Robert Gottlieb is a joy to spend time with. He's unassuming about his position in the hierarchy of literary editing and publishing and yet he can't help but marvel at his own good fortune at being able to work with all the bright lights of 20th century authorship. What more could an English major ask for?

It's difficult to believe that Gottlieb is now in his eighties. From whence does the energy come you might ask? Traveling the world, sitting on the boards of the New York City Ballet and then the Miami Ballet, and maintaining loving, nurturing relationships with friends all over the globe, he has remarkable stamina. I was exhausted just reading about it.

Luck and opportunity found him in the right place at the right time when he landed his first job at Simon and Schuster. His qualifications for the position of editor? Avid reader. Gottlieb had the chance to work with Joseph Heller, coming up with the name "Catch-22," (as opposed to "Catch-11"), and became life-long friends with Toni Morrison. He was the first to tell the single mother of two that she could comfortably quit her day job as an editor at Random House.

He moved on to the venerable Knopf, editing several celebrity memoirs including those of Bill Clinton, Lauren Bacall, and Jessica Mitford ("The American Way of Death"). He never betrays his clients' confidences but generously praises their work ethic and impressively shares his own. This is a man who reads just about 24/7, eschewing Manhattan's social gigs, awards ceremonies, and evenings out. He prefers his wife Maria's home cooking and having friends in. Nora Ephron actually lived with them for a while (as did many others) after her high profile divorce from Carl Bernstein.

Book lovers can't help but fall in love with a fellow book lover. Gottlieb is effusive in his praise of literature, a voracious reader, and a brilliant craftsman. He'll fight his authors to the death over the placement of a comma or semicolon but forty years later they are still friends. His passion for music, the ballet, and literature shine through on every page. This book, which landed on the 2016 notables list for the New York Times, will fascinate readers, voyeurs, and those interested in the inner workings of the publishing industry.

Bright, Precious Days by Jay McInerney

Not all reviewers were equally smitten with Jay McInerney's third novel about Russell and Corrine Calloway. Reading between the lines, I gather that some may have found it too, well, precious. Not so for me. Because I haven't read the two previous works about this New York City power couple, "The Good Life," and "Darkness Falls," I came to them fresh, thanks to an advanced readers' copy from the publisher, Knopf. I really enjoyed this book. It's sarcastic, funny, poignant, biting, and honest.

Taking us inside the writing and publishing business right before the 2008 financial meltdown, McInerney drops so many literary names and references that some might accuse him of being pretentious. But I loved reading about the behind-the-scenes machinations that result in a published book. Especially well-done and realistic is Russell's discovery of a "fresh new voice in fiction." Jack is an unpolished kid from the south whose undisciplined work shone under Russell's editing, a young man whose success went to his head as quickly as his star faded.

McInerney says that New York is really just a small town where everyone knows everyone, and the city, from Soho to Harlem, is a major character in this book He conjures up the very essence of what it's like to live among, yet on the fringes of the 1%, the endless fund raisers, charity parties, openings, screenings, benefits. He pulls us into that life, shallow and exhausting, and mesmerizes us with the rich tapestry of lives lived on the edge of the precipice.

Yes, they made it through the sex, drugs, and rock and roll days, for which there's little nostalgia. Now, will they survive the indignities of middle age and the looming financial crisis? Obviously pulling on his own thoughts about aging, McInerney depicts couples in middle age, rethinking their marriages, contemplating (and often having) affairs, grasping at those last ditch efforts to stave off boredom even if it means downing a Cialis with your $1500 bottle of Bordeaux.

And yet, ever the generous writer, McInerney forgives Corinne and Russell, Washington and Veronica, Tom and Casey their vanities, their deceptions that mean so little in the overall scheme of things. There is much love and respect among these couples. They have histories that are worth preserving. There's a wonderful scene on the evening of the 2008 presidential election when the long time friends and their teenage kids sit together watching the news results roll in from the various TV stations, learning that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.

The champagne corks pop, the sense of hope in the future is palpable. We realize that these couples, these friends, will probably make it. I remembered my friend Don and I popping our own champagne that night here in Florida, calling my sister in Massachusetts, and I felt nostalgic for those bright, precious days. That's what a good writer can do for you.

Why isn't Everyone Talking about Harry Quebert?

I was going to be alone this past weekend and had planned nothing more ambitious than binge watching the last season of Downton Abbey. But, along came my neighbor with a book that she was returning to the library. She said it was her favorite so far this year. Well, the gauntlet was thrown. I snatched it up, got comfy in the swing, and burned through this six hundred page monster in three days. I didn't lose patience until about fifty pages from the end so I guess that's saying something!

And who is the author Joel Dicker anyway? Here's an into: http://joeldicker.com/ It's interesting to note that this novel was written in French and was a huge hit overseas. The book has taken a lot of negative hits on Amazon but I think the English translation is spot on and the plot is so convoluted that I defy you to tell me it doesn't hold your interest.

Book lovers will fall hard for this mystery which revolves around not one, but two writers - the most unreliable narrators in the world. (Remember that) Harry Quebert is the master, the teacher, who has written the "great American novel," and Marcus Goldman is the student who emulates him. Marcus has had an early success, much like his mentor, but is now plagued with writer's block. He decides that only Harry can help him overcome the stagnation and he happily accepts Harry's offer to come spend some time at Harry's home on the beach in New Hampshire.

Harry is an impossibly gullible and trusting man, supposedly so lonely that he'll open his home to anyone. It's not long before Marcus is snooping around and inadvertently comes upon a box laden with photographs of a young Harry with a much younger (under age) girl. Caught in the act, Marcus asks Harry to explain and then we're off and running. A doomed affair back in the summer of '75 has left Harry in relationship limbo for over thirty years.

Now, here is where you must simply give up all logic and go with the flow. It's well worth it, it's fun, and no sense spoiling the ride with those rude questions that deep readers ask, like, "how could this be?" Let's just say that a gardening project goes awry, a body is found on Harry's property and, lo and behold, the bones belong to the fifteen year old love of Harry's life, Nola. Harry is immediately arrested for Nola's death and Marcus becomes an overnight private eye sensation as he works to clear his friend's name.

Throughout the book, you'll meet a laundry list of absolutely crazy characters who certainly don't resemble anyone from my small New England town but, hey, who knows what goes on behind those closed doors? Oh, wait, now that I think about it....the police officer with the crush on the beauty queen who owns the diner, who had a crush on Harry and was thrown over for a fifteen-year-old. Then there's the kind minister, Nola's father, with the violent temper, and the disfigured chauffeur with a penchant for painting nude women. At some point each one of these folks will be a suspect.

When all is said and done, this is also a laughable send up of the publishing industry, the ridiculous multi-million dollar book deals, the press leaks, the pressure on young writers to live up to their own hype, and the back biting among agents, publishers, and those chomping at the bit for film rights.

Yes, it could have used better editing. Yes, there were points of repetition that got on my nerves, though I'll confess I thought it was done deliberately to make a point. Still, I could NOT put this book down until I had solved the mystery - and no, I never did. For pure camp, you really should give "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair" a go. Oh, and if you've already read it, drop me a line and let me know if I'm crazy to be touting it.