Author Archives: David

Book Shopping at McNally Jackson

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McNally Jackson is best known for its excellent selection of literary fiction, especially its many shelves devoted to translated literature where books are separated by the author’s country of origin. What isn’t as widely known is their mystery section located downstairs. Among the crime novels are some great noir titles. Here’s what caught our eye:

Gabrielle:

Ever since Melville House released Derek Raymond’s Factory Series, five crime novels set in Margaret Thatcher’s London, they’ve been on my must-read list. Whenever I see their orange covers with their awesome images, I grab them off the shelf, read the jacket copy, toss them from hand to hand, and hold them up for another look.

Until now, I’ve let myself get sidetracked by other titles but the tipping point came this weekend when, on the most recent episode of the Three Percent podcast, New Directions’ Publicity and Marketing Director, Tom Roberge, mentioned he’d just read the first in the series, He Died with His Eyes Open. He said they are the “darkest noir novels he’s ever read” and that the first one was “pretty fantastic.”

He Died with His Eyes Open is an “unflinching yet deeply compassionate portrait of a city plagued by poverty and perversion and a policeman who may be the only one who cares about the ‘people who don’t matter and who never did.’” (Melville House)

David:

When I was in college my favorite literary palate cleanser was American noir fiction, and when I tired of textbooks and classics I would dig into the works of Chandler, Hammett, and others.

These days I am just as likely to the read modern literary noir of authors like Laura Lippman, James Ellroy, and Megan Abbott, but my favorite crime writer has long been George Pelecanos. Stephen King agrees, and has called him “perhaps the greatest living American crime writer.”

The Cut is the first novel in a series that features Iraq war veteran Spero Lucas, a conflicted and unlicensed private detective drawn in the spare, stark prose that has become a Pelecanos trademark.

WORD’s Jenn Northington and Stephanie Anderson on Book Clubs

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WORD BookstoreBrooklyn’s WORD bookstore is a vital part of the New York City literary landscape. Known for its innovative events and a carefully curated book collection that varies from children’s picture books to cookbooks to literary fiction, this store in the Greenpoint neighborhood is also home to several lively book clubs.

Upcoming book club meetings at WORD:

Music writing, Saturday, June 9th at 3pm
Wodehouse Sunday, June 24th at 3pm

We interviewed event coordinator Jenn Northington and former store manager Stephanie Anderson about the WORD book club experience.

What is the importance of book clubs?
We don’t always get time to gush (or rant) about books with other readers, so book clubs are a great way to carve some out.

Were you always a book club person?
Neither of us has ever been in a book group outside of the store, actually.

What made you start up a club at WORD?
It’s something Christine started when the store first opened, and we’ve been doing it ever since. It’s a cool opportunity to not only get the aforementioned rant/rave time, but to introduce customers to each other. It also helps us promote books that we love, that people might not pick up otherwise.

How many book clubs does WORD host?
Right now, there are four groups that meet at WORD. Two (our Book Group and Classics Book Group) are led by staff, and two (the Music Writing and Wodehouse book groups) are led by neighborhood folks/friends of the store.

What do you like best about hosting?
It’s really fun to hear everyone’s thoughts on a book — opinions often differ wildly, and both of us have been talking into loving a book more by club members. There are always surprises!

What can people expect when they come to your meetings?
Good conversation, well-read comrades, and often pastries!

Are there perks to joining your groups? (i.e. discounts?)
All our book group picks are 10% off the month leading up to their discussion.

What was the last book that went over well?
We had a great discussion about The Lifespan of a Fact; not everyone liked it, by a longshot, but there were so many different angles to examine it from, and everyone had a different take on the book’s message and intention.

Have any books not been a hit with the club? How do those conversations differ?
Actually, when people don’t like a book we have more to talk about it. There’s only so many different ways you can say “I loved it!,” but there are a million different ways to pick apart something you didn’t like.

How do you decide what to read next?
There is no method to our madness. Sometimes we literally walk around the bookstore looking at the shelves, asking each other “What about this one?” We do also have a list of things that are coming out in paperback, or things the groups have expressed interest in, but it’s often mere whim. Within the whims, we try to make sure we have an even distribution of genre, male vs. female authors, foreign authors, independent presses and big publishers, so that people get to pick up things they might otherwise overlook.

Book Stalker Julia Bartz on Literary Events in New York City

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Julia BartzJulia Bartz is a vital facet of New York City’s literary event scene as both blogger and reader. For over a year she has shared reading recaps, interviews with authors and event coordinators, and weekly literary listings on Book Stalker, her blog. She is also a fiction writer, and can be found at several literary events each week, as well as on Twitter.

What is Book Stalker? When and why did you start it?
BookStalker’s my blog, though I’m delighted that it has also become my second moniker (“Julia the Bookstalker”) and a verb (“I’ve been bookstalked!”). Back in February 2011 I was wracking my brains to come up with an exciting, somewhat unique blog idea. I wanted it to relate to my love of writing, but I thought it’d be boring to write about myself (“Wrote 1500 words today. Good day.“). It finally hit me that I should be writing about all the readings I was already attending.

I find literary events fascinating, especially those involving authors I’ve already formed a picture of based on their writing. Plus, there’s always the potential for weird stuff to happen—awkward questions, public urination, etc. I thought that people who couldn’t make certain events (for scheduling and/or geographical reasons) might enjoy experiencing them second-hand.

What makes a literary event attractive to you?
A talented upcoming or established writer. A fun, interactive crowd. A reading or discussion that makes time fly by. And, uh, free beer and wine.

What has been your most memorable event?
In February I celebrated BookStalker’s one-year anniversary by sharing ten of my most memorable literary moments. It’s tough to pick one, but the event with Emma Straub shifted my perspective from seeing authors as distant, public figures to friendly people who might live in my neighborhood. Plus, Emma’s parents signed my book, so that was cool.

What event do you still kick yourself for missing?
I try to mentally block out all that I’ve missed, as I inevitably miss a lot. A week or two ago I missed Lauren Groff, Patti Smith, Sugar of The Rumpus and Cheryl Strayed, all in one week. I always tell myself I’ll see them the next time around.

Favorite venue(s) and reading series? Why?
I feel so lucky to have access to well-established indie bookstores that pull in big authors but also offer quirky panels and debut launch parties. I love them all, but a few that I can always rely on for good times are WORD, McNally Jackson, Housing Works Bookstore Cafe and Community Bookstore. There’s also 192 Books, Center for Fiction, Book Thug Nation and Bluestockings for cool and often specialized events.

I also appreciate reading series for their relaxed and convivial atmosphere. Some of my faves include Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Largehearted Lit, Mixer Music and Reading, Freerange Nonfiction, Pete’s Candy Store and InDigest.

Who do you wish would come around to read?
I adore A.S. Byatt. What a brilliant woman! I’m hoping she tours for her next book.

Why did you start interviewing authors?
In meeting local authors and other literary folk I’ve heard some hilarious behind-the-scenes tales, and I wanted to share them with my readers. I have an upcoming BookStalked post that involves an Estonian performance art group taking a chainsaw to a shrine of books (that incident happened at Book Thug Nation). It’s also just really fun for me—recently I interviewed a close friend, Phil Edwards, by pretending to be an obnoxious, possibly drunk audience member peppering him with questions.

Who would you love to interview but are afraid to approach?
Margaret Atwood springs to mind. I saw her read last fall (she also gave a Powerpoint presentation of her childhood), and she was really funny and sly. But when I got my book signed, she didn’t even look up at me. I felt I’d missed the chance to bond with one of my biggest heroes. I should probably just tweet at her.

You recently read at a Vol. 1 Brooklyn event. How was it being on the other side?
Every reading I’ve done this year has started with me worrying I’m going to pass out. It’s getting easier, but I still have great appreciation for authors who not only read, but who really kill it—Ann Patchett and Colson Whitehead come to mind.

What was the last great book you read?
Recently I’ve been alternating classic and current works. I became pretty obsessed with Sentimental Education, not least because angsty Frederic seemed like someone I could run into in modern-day Brooklyn. And as for new fiction, I just finished Leigh Stein’s The Fallback Plan, which had me chuckling on literally every page. She captures parent/adult child relationships perfectly.

Event Coordinator and Literary Publicist Lauren Cerand on Upstairs at the Square and Author Events

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Lauren Cerand is a literary publicist extraordinaire and the event coordinator behind one of New York City’s most talked about reading series, Upstairs at the Square, held monthly at Barnes & Noble’s Union Square store.

She can be found at her website, blog, and on Twitter.

At the next Upstairs at the Square event on Wednesday, February 15th, author Edward St. Aubyn will read from his new novel At Last and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur will perform, and both will be interviewed by Katherine Lanpher.

What makes the Upstairs at the Square event special?

I always describe it, for people who haven’t been to one, or done one before, as a live talk show in a perfect world where the most talented people in society appear on television in prime-time. Like France. Also, we have room for you and your friends, and it’s free. If you miss a show, you can watch them a few days later when they’re posted at www.bn.com/upstairs or get the podcast at iTunes.

What qualities do you look for in authors and musicians for this event?

Katherine has an illustrious background in radio and impressed upon me the importance of being a “good talker.” It’s more than a mini-concert or a very well-curated reading, or an interview, although it is all of those things. People game to try out the concept, even if it’s a new format for them. No divas, ever. The staff work too hard to deal with that after a long day.

What can we expect from Edward St. Aubyn & Joseph Arthur on Wednesday?

I’ll be a surprised as you, honestly. It’s a live show! I did tell my boss at B&N today [Brenda Marsh, head of author relations] that when Joseph sings, she’ll totally get it as a fan of Edward. That confluence of creativity is always the goal.

You are both a publicist who books authors for reading events as well as a literary event coordinator. What advice would you give publicists who are adding events to their authors’ calendars? Advice for event coordinators?

Be exclusive. Book the biggest show you can. Nobody enjoys doing ten appearances with ten people at each one –– not the stores, not the organizers, and especially not the talent. For event coordinators, be clear and concise about what you expect, and understand that anxiety is a natural part of life, even when it manifests itself in confounding ways. Be nice.

photo courtesy of laurencerand.com