Grisham: Presidential primaries and elections can be bought

As fiction readers like me welcome the release of John Grisham's latest legal thriller, The Appeal (now in stores ) the best-selling author comments in a Q&A session where he suggests that the ongoing U.S Presidential primaries could be bought with over one billion dollars floating around the campaign. Read more here

The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about the U.S electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.

If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then Grisham might just be working on a future political thriller that cuts deep into a U.S presidential primary revealing the political-money-floating-around kind of plot on the road to the White House. In The Brethren, Grisham portrays a cynical view of presidential politics where he traces the rise of presidential candidate Aaron Lake, a 'puppet' created by CIA director Teddy Maynard to fulfill Maynard's plans for restoring the power of the agency.

I can see the title: The Candidate. That would be a large chunk to swallow! Can't wait...

Have You Taken The Books Quiz At Guardian Unlimited?

The Guardian Unlimited wants to know if you were paying attention to the news that made the year 2007 a busy one for books, authors and the like. Were you paying attention or just too busy to be in the know?

Why not take the definitive test and find out...

Personally, it was very tasking! When I scrolled down to see the nature of questions, I was intimidated. I had to start by answering the questions I knew and somehow did a bit of research for the ones I didn't know or wasn't too sure about. Here are my results of the book quiz.

I then received this automated response about my score as found below:

You scored 26 out of a possible 32
You’re disturbingly spot-on, and so cultured that you’re alienating your friends, frankly. You need to think about something other than books next year. Time to take up salsa dancing and start watching Big Brother.

That got me laughing! Indeed, the book quiz really helped me to keep myself up-to-date about what made the news around books and authors in 2007. That was time well spent researching!

If you are ready to take the book quiz now go to Guardian Unlimited.

Would You Like To Be A Book Critic's Critic?

Recently, I have found myself very interested in the reviews of book critics that I sometimes criticize some of their views and opinions. Most times I wonder their criteria for choosing the books they write reviews about. I am talking about full-time book critics of The New York Times.

Despite being immersed in books they find appealing, as the nearly 300 books chosen for the daily reviews in The New York Times have been culled from tens of thousands of volumes published each year, these critics acknowledge that their favorites meet criteria that any reader will recognize. They are books that are disappointing only because they have to end. They’re the ones they mention to friends. They’re the ones worth taking on vacation, and they are well executed, whatever their genre or subject matter.

The NY Times critics present their own favorite lists based on their own reviews published in 2007 as found in this article.

Review these lists and maybe you can be on your road to becoming a book critic's critic! Here are more lists in the NY Times 100 Notable Books of the Year and more here in the NY Times 10 Best Books of 2007.

Update: View more reviewer favorite's here.

Enjoy:-)

Photo Credits: Lars Klove for The New York Times

Why Books Are The Best Christmas Gifts

Christmas has become a time of the year when people share gifts to loved ones (amongst other things). For many the choice gift will be electronics such as digital cameras, mobile phones, computers, mp3 players, etc

As Christmas may be seen as an electric holiday with strings of blinking light bulbs adorning colorful displays and trees throughout the city and in many homes, people would naturally think of giving a gift that would serve to electrify their recipients. Makes sense doesn't it?

But while one could spend hours with these electronic gadgets, would it still be electrifying when you hit the off switch? Hmm, here comes that feeling of isolation. Then hunger for more! We can communicate and trade ideas easier and faster than ever, and do it across the globe, but this 'fast food' for the mind may sometimes leave us frustrated and isolated.

Now, don't get me wrong. I use electronic gadgets too, but ideally with moderation.

Books, on the other hand, are what I would call "the right mental cure for our technology-infested mind". Reading a good book leaves you satisfied and secure. Finishing a favorite book, is a lot like enjoying a holiday dinner. It’s the mental equivalent of being full.

In an article by TheMurfreesboro Post, you can find 10 reasons why a book makes a great gift as shown below:

1. With books, there are no sizes to remember. One size fits all.
2. Books are child friendly; there are no small, hazardous parts to choke on.
3. Easy to wrap.
4. Books have zero calories and no fat grams.
5. No batteries required.
6. Fit any budget.
7. Stories last forever.
8. Reading is relaxing.
9. Shopping in bookstores is fun.
10. Choosing the right book for someone is the height of thoughtfulness.

The article encouraged that while you’re powering up the electronics, don’t forget to power up your head by buying a book for yourself and for someone else this season.

What Did You Do This Christmas?

While millions around the world where busy celebrating Christmas, I spent most of the day alone reading and researching. Strange isn't it? Well, I wasn't the only one that skipped Christmas, so don't think I'm a weirdo.

Well, my research found this article on Christmas Classic Books which I decided to share on this blog. If you've read them, your comments about them could motivate others to read them.

Here they are:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Hands down, "A Christmas Carol" is the most popular Christmas classic, ever. Charles Dickens skillfully examines the spirit of Christmas. The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is haunted by three spirits: The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham - In this book, Luther and Nora Krank decided to skip Christmas and embark on a nice cruise instead. Their mission is simple: To avoid Christmas. They have had it with the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping. Author John Grisham, well known for works such as "A Time to Kill" and "The Firm" proves that he is also very skillful at holiday satire.

Murder for Christmas: 26 Tales of Seasonal Malice by Gahan Wilson - Tales of malice and murder are written by authors Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and others. This mystery presents an eerie "twist" to the usual yuletide joy. Mysteries make for good reading year-round.

High Heels and Holidays by Kasey Michaels - A romantic Christmas turns into a murderous Christmas. Death threats replace pretty ornaments and gift-wrapped packages. It's a story about several authors scrambling to solve a seemingly unsolvable case.

Christmas Beginning by Anne Perry - Start the holiday with a mystery. Olivia Costain is dead and an intense murder investigation ensues. The original Christmas story meets with murder and mystery.

Gaston, the Green-Nosed Alligator by James Rice - This story retells the traditional tale of Santa and his reindeer-driven sleigh - but these reindeer are replaced by flying alligators. This unorthodox Christmas takes place in Louisiana.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss - Dr. Seuss is a literary legend in children's fiction. Despite the plot of the Grinch to steal Christmas, this tale has a happy ending. The Grinch has stolen the hearts of children. It was turned into a film directed by Ron Howard with Jim Carrey as "Grinch" in 2000 and won an Oscar the following year.

Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz - A story to be read over and over again, Charlie Brown's Christmas is endearing. Children never tire of its cute characters and funny prose. Charles M. Schulz, writer and creator, charms us all. The TV animated version was directed by Bill Melendez.

The Christmas Story by Cathy Ann Johnson - The Books of Matthew and Luke help relate the story of the first Christmas ever. The birth of Jesus is celebrated among angels, animals and shepherds. Also you can read A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd, the book that inspired the hilarious classic 1984 film directed by Bob Clark.

The Night Before Christmas (A Visit From St. Nicholas) by Clement Clarke Moore - A classic poem that has been passed from adult to child. It is one of the most popular tales ever told, and one of the most memorized stanzas in the world. First published in 1823, the legend of St. Nicholas and his eight reindeer lives on in our memories.

Update: You might also want to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, a 1993 film produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick which follows Jack Skellington, the leader of a holiday-themed world known as Halloween Town, who becomes bored of his repetitive lifestyle and eventually stumbles upon the world of Christmas Town; interested in the new world's culture, Jack attempts to combine the two holidays, with unexpectedly disastrous results.

So if you have skipped Christmas like me why not relax and enjoy reading any of these books or watch the films with family and friends this season.

Could Any Spy Thriller Be Told Better Than "An Ordinary Spy"?

Perhaps the story of espionage will never be told better by anyone else except by an ex-C.I.A. agent. If that's true, then, Joseph Weisberg would be the master of spy thrillers. In a thrilling story of two CIA Case Officers whose lives are permanently changed by the agents they recruit and run, Weisberg spotlights the confusing but strangely bureaucratic world of the C.I.A in his new novel, An Ordinary Spy.

The author of the critically acclaimed novel, 10th Grade (2002, Random House), which was a New York Times Notable Book in 2002, Weisberg might have achieved his goal of writing the most realistic spy novel that had ever been written in this new novel.

The book is a chronicle of the mundanity of a spy’s daily routine - not just the surveillance-detection routes and cryptic cables to headquarters, but also the staff meetings, petty rivalries between colleagues and idle chatter about pension plans. Though some details that might be classified information are blacked out in the novel.

In writing An Ordinary Spy, Mr. Weisberg, 42, used some of what he learned while training to be a case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency in the early 1990s where he claims he's no longer working. But it seems that Weisberg has some complicated views about the C.I.A. One of the reasons he left the C.I.A., he said, was because he did not want to recruit agents who might face retribution for their betrayal.

So what might the other reasons be? Well, let's act as if we don't care. But, I'm sure that folks that love espionage would be interested to spy that out.

Amazon Reveals Itself As J.K. Rowling's Fairy Tales Buyer

Two days ago I wrote a post about J.K. Rowlings Christmas Gift. Finally the 'Father Christmas' is unveiled! Amazon has revealed that it paid nearly $4 million for J.K. Rowling’s hand-written volume of the fairy tales of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is extensively illustrated and handwritten by the "bard" herself - all 157 pages of it. It's bound in brown Moroccan leather and embellished with five hand-chased hallmarked sterling silver ornaments and mounted moonstones. View images of the book here, here and here.

Amazon was represented by Hazlitt, Gooden and Fox at the Sotheby’s auction in London, and the e-commerce retailer has no intention of reselling the book. The proceeds of the book will go towards a charity co-founded by Rowling, called Children’s Voice. And in an effort to achieve some of the goals laid out by this charity, Amazon will be making sure that many people as possible get to experience the book, through public readings in schools.

The retailer has stated that its purchase of the book is a way of giving thanks to the author that sparked a reading frenzy in children and young adults across the world. Considering how many Harry Potter books were sold through Amazon, why wouldn't the company thank Rowling. No wonder, the announcement says:
Amazon.com to J.K. Rowling: Thank You

Maybe I should start posting fairy tales on this blog:) I might just have some luck, who knows!

Are You Planning On Skipping Christmas?

Each year's biggest season - Christmas is around the corner and this year, the book Skipping Christmas by John Grisham has been released in a mass market paperback at $6.99 just in time for the Christmas season. The book follows the story of two main characters, Luther and Nora Krank who simply were fed up with the chaos of Christmas. Read more here and here.

As the story unflods, the Kranks soon learned that their vacation away from Christmas wasn't much of a vacation at all, and that skipping the holidays has consequences they didn't bargain for. So if you're planning on skipping this year's holidays, first read the book and whatever you decide later, you're on your own:)

Click here to buy Skipping Christmas online

Read Chapter One. Read customer's reviews

10 Best Books of 2007 by The New York Times

As was promised, the New York Times has released its 10 best books of 2007. Earlier this week, it released the 100 Notable Books Of the Year which I reported on this blog on 25 November.

The 10 best books of 2007 which has Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas on top of the list will be published in the Dec. 9 print edition of the Book Review. View the 10 Best Books of 2006 here

This makes me wonder what the criteria is for determining the best books of the year. As curious as I was and given that I hadn't read any of the books, I read a review of Man Gone Down especially to see why it had to be the best book of 2007.

Thomas tells the story in the first person, narrating the events of four days and the troubled lifetime that’s led up to them. A story about a Boston-bred black man living in Brooklyn and struggling to write while supporting his blue-blooded white wife and their three children. One of the bigger questions posed by the novel is how to pursue the American dream and perhaps other dreams in a clash of race and color. Read more here

A Boston-bred African-American writer who lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their three children, Thomas seems to be writing what he knows best. But more than anything else, he knows why his "man" went down. Read the First Chapter of Man Gone Down



Click here to buy Man Gone Down online

Photo Credits: Design by Paul Sahre; photograph by Tony Cenicola
The New York Times

Khaled Hosseini: Medical Practitioner Turned Best-Selling Author?

Khaled Hosseini has showed strength as a successful writer and best-selling author. His first book, The Kite Runner has sold over four million copies. When he released his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, no one doubted that the book would get a lot of attention when it came out in May 2007.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the Best Book of 2007 by Amazon. A story of friendship between two women that complements the tale of two boys in his first book, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a compelling drama of personal and national tragedy weighted equally with despair and grave hope.

Watch Khaled Hosseini Introduce A Thousand Splendid Suns

With a background in Medicine, the author believes that he has no intentions of quiting Medicine for Writing, though he claims to have been a writer years before deciding to go into Medicine. But history has made us see best-selling authors like John Grisham (an ex-lawyer) quit their professions to become writers.

Khaled Hosseini’s novels have offered a potent combination of a setting in an exotic land - Afghanistan - that has taken on increasing importance to Americans in the last several years with a compelling human drama. If he can continue (as he has with A Thousand Splendid Suns) to join those elements in his future work, his readers are likely to remain loyal for many works to come.

But the question is: Will Khaled Hosseini keep 'flying the kite' and quit medicine?

Buy A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini at Amazon

New York Times Notable Books of The Year 2007

The New York Times has released the 100 Notable Books Of the Year which will run in the Dec. 2 print edition of the Book Review. The list which comprises Fiction & Poetry and Nonfiction books includes J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Graham Robbs' The Discovery of France.

The 10 Best Books of 2007 will be released on the Web on Nov. 28. So watch out for this space! View the 10 Best Books of 2006 here

Do Authors A-u-t-o-B-i-o-G-r-a-p-h in Fiction?

You know, I kind of believe that writers, if not all, have written something about themselves in their books without giving themselves credit for it. From my research, I've seen a link between the past of some authors and their works and as a writer, I wouldn't be surprising myself if I write something about my past in one of my books.

For an author whose works often examine the link between past and present, it's hardly surprising that Elizabeth Hay, author of the novel Late Nights on Air, had a flashback to her childhood when she won The Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's premier prize for fiction.

When she was about 5, she won a doll as a prize at a movie theater and the next day wrote her name in big, ballpoint letters around the doll's neck. Now, 51 years later, Hay took to the Giller stage to sign an enlarged copy of her book cover and reminded herself of the time she signed her doll. If only that prize-winning doll knew that her owner now has an award-winning "doll".

A former radio broadcaster, Elizabeth Hay describes the lives of a cast of characters at a small radio station in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories in her book which was inspired by Hay's own experiences living in the north when she was a radio broadcaster - all in a way to take her small life and put in fictional use - for something larger.

Hay's works have a distinctive Canadian feel, particularly because of their geographical settings. Her debut novel, A Student of Weather, which was nominated for the Giller in 2000, follows a family from a farm in Saskatchewan to urban Ottawa. Hay also documented her exploration of the country's cultural identity while she lived in New York in the non-fiction work Captivity Tales: Canadians in New York.

Elizabeth Hay's award-winning novel Late Nights on Air was No. 2 on the Globe and Mail newspaper's bestseller list for fiction for the week of November 17, and has been difficult for stores to keep in stock since it won the Giller.

Are Authors 'Writing for Pizza'?

I'm amazed at authors' attraction for I-t-a-l-y, I mean Italy - the FIFA 2006 World Cup Champions. I recently wrote a novel synopsis that has a lot of Italian presence, though based on an African plot. Because of my other projects, I've really not settled down to developing this story, but hey, I might just start working on that project soon.

I've just read an article in Reuters UK that reports the number of books by foreign authors set in Italy has exploded this decade, according to a survey, with best-selling author John Grisham, no doubt, following the wave.

It's been a centuries-old love affair between writers and Italy and this love may be deepening as the century drags on. Since 2000, 274 novels by foreign authors and set in Italy have been published, more than twice the number in the 1990s as a whole, according to a study of book reviews by Italy's International Tourism Exchange, an industry group.

John Grisham showed his love for Italy when he wrote The Broker (2005), set mostly in the city of Bologna, and has publicly confessed that 'he adores Italy and all things Italian'. Hmm, who wouldn't love Italy - the land of opera, fine wines, romance, food and Football Americano. This love gave birth to Playing for Pizza in 2007, a novel about a disgraced NFL quarterback who heads off to Italy to play for the Parma Panthers in Italy's American football league.

Italy has long served as a setting for writers ranging from Thomas Mann, Stendhal, Edith Wharton and Henry James to Robert Harris, Ernest Hemingway and Patricia Highsmith. Though John Grisham doesn't have an Italian origin, it's reasonable to think that some American authors (with Italian origin or not) would set their books in Italy in order to learn more about their ancestral home.

So where does that leave me? With absolutely no trace of Italian blood in me, why would I want to write a novel with a strong Italian presence? Well, that might have something to do with my origin too:-)

Will the Kite keep flying for "The Kite Runner"?

The book, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini became a runaway best-seller in 2003 based largely on positive word-of-mouth among readers throughout the world. But can the Hollywood movie persuade fans of the book to see the film?

That's the intriguing question facing Paramount Vantage, the art-house arm of Paramount Pictures, after it embarked on an unusual marketing strategy to develop awareness of The Kite Runner movie among the novel's many fans.

The Marc Forster-directed film, which opens in Los Angeles on Dec. 21, tells the story of an emigre who, after spending years in California, returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his boyhood friend's son, who is in trouble. The film depicts Afghanistan as ruins where savages live and only the Johnny Walker drinking rich class who moved to the US deserves any sort of sympathy.

All around the United States, several "Kite Runner Clubs" are being set up as part of the marketing effort for The Kite Runner. Clubs with 200 members will receive copies of the book signed by the author, Khaled Hosseini and 100-member clubs will attend advanced screenings of the film in their hometowns along with family and friends.

Is Harry Potter the most re-read book?

As we eagerly wait for this year's top most re-read book to be announced later this month, many wonder if the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowlings (currently on top of the shortlist ) would be the most re-read book. Last year, it was Stef Penney's The Tenderness of Wolves, which also won the Costa Book of the Year Award 2006.

A recent survey revealed last Friday showed that nearly 80 percent of Britons have re-read a book, with the Harry Potter series the most likely to be picked up again. People said they returned to the same books because they are fantastic stories of which they never tire, they find something new in each reading, it is comforting, they can relate to the characters and it cheers them up.

The current shortlist includes JRR Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" as well as Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code".

Graham Robb discovers France in new book

France is not what it seems, at least to its own citizens. A survey carried out in the 1790s revealed that French, the language of civilized Europe, was spoken by no more than three million people, or 11 percent of the population, in France itself. More than six million French citizens spoke no French, and an equal number could barely sustain a French conversation. A century later, only about a fifth of the population said it was comfortable speaking French.

The Grand Canyon of the Verdon (Grand Canyon du Verdon in French), a deep, narrow incision in the Alps of Provence, is one of the great wonders of France. The Verdon River, a 175km long river in between limestone cliffs flows into the Lac de Ste. Croix, a delight for thousands of kayakers, hikers and camera-toting tourists. Yet until 1905, this natural wonder, located only 60 miles from Marseille, was known only to a few local woodcutters who descended into the canyon on ropes to cut boxwood, which they carved into high-quality balls for boules. Somehow the second-largest gorge in the world managed to hide in plain sight until the age of the automobile.

Graham Robb, a British author discovers France in his new book The Discovery of France - a land of secrets slowly divulged, a nation in name only for most of its history, fragmented by mutually incomprehensible dialects and deeply rooted regional cultures. France, in this brilliant work of history or biography if you like, dissolves under close inspection into a vast cabinet of curiosities, an endless series of counterexamples to the myth of a culturally unified nation and people.



Robb, the author of biographies of Hugo, Rimbaud and Balzac, writes in his introduction that he traveled 14,000 miles by bicycle all over France in the course of researching his book. Having reintroduced France to its citizens, it now owes Robb a fortune. Frankly!

Grisham's next legal thriller - The Appeal

John Grisham's readers would be waiting eagerly for Grisham's next legal thriller (with a political twist) after The Broker coming out January 29, 2008. The book, The Appeal will be Grisham's 20th work of fiction. Here's the storyline:

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.

The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.

Grisham's work inspires me to write

I've been reading John Grisham's novels for some years now and have come to admire his style of writing. On my reading list, I have: The Client (1993), The Street Lawyer (1998), The Brethren (2000) The Summons (2002),and The Last Juror (2004). That's not really bad for a dude who does more of writing than reading:-), even if I wish I could devote more time to reading all of his 20 books to date.

Recently, I started reading The Broker (2005), his most recent legal-thriller. In this book, Grisham tells a story of Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years in solitary confinement at a Federal Prison. In his power broker days, Backman it seemed, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system and was seen as dangerous to national security.

With enormous pressure from the CIA, the outgoing President of the United States pardons Backman and within hours he is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA leaks his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis.

With it's twists and turns, the book leaves the reader wondering who really will kill Backman. Reading this book has given me an idea of a good story to develop and I've been working my brain for results:-)

A compelling read!