Spies and Commissars in Robert Service's oppinion
19 Dec 2011 04:30:00
n our age of many so-called "revolutions", it is good to be reminded what a real revolution tastes like: not simply the removal of a ruler but the complete overthrow of the social, economic and political structures. Robert Service's new book revels in the sheer exuberance of the first months of Russia's 1917 upheavals, with the new leaders "cheerfully smashing institutions to smithereens". As he makes clear, these Bolsheviks were committed to the overwhelming use of force and terror in achieving... Read Full Story
Changes in John Kinsella's creation
19 Dec 2011 04:27:07
"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world," wrote Shelley in 1821. Now poet John Kinsella, who withdrew from the TS Eliot prize last week over its sponsorship by an investment firm, has laid out his own poetic manifesto, explaining why he believes that a poem "is an active, not a contemplative, entity" which "should channel disobedience".
Describing himself as an anarchist and a pacifist (and a vegan), Kinsella describes in the New Statesman how he practises "'linguistic disobedien... Read Full Story
Apple and Amazon - news
18 Dec 2011 04:29:22
For book publishers, Christmas will come twice this year. After the festive trade in hardback tomes, the celebrations will begin again on Boxing Day, as the millions who got Kindles from Santa go online to stock them with reading material.
Amazon already sells more ebooks than paperbacks. It claims sales of Kindle devices have reached 1m a week, while 13m iPads will find a home this quarter. Juniper Research forecasts 25m e-readers sales globally this year, and 55.2m tablet sales.
The British ... Read Full Story
Good quotes from good man
18 Dec 2011 04:25:55
"The four most overrated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics." – the New Yorker, 2006
"[George W Bush] is lucky to be governor of Texas. He is unusually incurious, abnormally unintelligent, amazingly inarticulate, fantastically uncultured, extraordinarily uneducated, and apparently quite proud of all these things." – Hardball with Chris Matthews, NBC, 2000
"'Bombing Afghanistan back into the Stone Age' was quite a favourite headline for some wobbly liberals. The slogan ... Read Full Story
Two words about Out of the Ashes David Lammy - review
18 Dec 2011 04:24:47
Recalling an encounter with Gordon Brown, he reveals the difficulties of getting across a troubling message from the grassroots. In 2008, the PM summoned him and other ministers to a breakfast meeting in Downing Street. They were invited to pitch any "thoughts, suggestions or concerns" they had. Given the reality of gang activity in Lammy's constituency – an area of north London with some of the highest levels of social deprivation in Britain – he told Brown he was "really worried about knife cr... Read Full Story
What will be with "Daughter of Smoke & Bone" ?
16 Dec 2011 01:56:45
The story by National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor centers on a 17-year-old art student who is raised by inhuman creatures. She eventually finds herself embroiled in a conflict between devils and angels.
The book was published this September by Little, Brown and is the first in a trilogy. The second entry is set for next September.
In a release touting the acquisition, Universal said the book has been included on a number of "best of" lists, including Amazon's Top 10 Books of 2011, Publisher... Read Full Story
Joe Simon dies
16 Dec 2011 01:53:19
Simon's family relayed word of his death Thursday, posting a short statement on Facebook and telling The Associated Press through a spokesman that Simon died Wednesday night in New York City after a brief illness.
"Joe was one of a kind," said Steve Saffel, of Titan Books, a Simon friend who worked with him on his recent autobiography, "Joe Simon, My Life In Comics."
Saffel said that Simon, born in Rochester, New York, in 1913, "lived life on his terms and created incredible things in the proces... Read Full Story
Soon the book called "American Idol" from Simon Cowell will l be published
16 Dec 2011 01:51:17
Ballantine Books announced Thursday that it will publish Tom Bower's "Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell" in the spring. According to Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., Bower has had "hundreds of hours" of access to Cowell. The book will also include "direct contributions" from Cowell's friends and foes.
The acerbic Brit was a judge on Fox's "American Idol" for nine seasons. He left "Idol" to launch his British-born hit series "The X Factor" in the U.S. It debuted on Fox ... Read Full Story
Vigilante: a Shane Scully Stephen J. Cannell
14 Dec 2011 01:49:25
The prolific writer (he also created or co-created more than 40 TV series including "The Rockford Files" and "The A-Team") gives his ace detective several juicy mysteries to solve.
Scully and Hitch have to find out who killed Lita Mendez, known for her hatred of the police and advocacy for Los Angeles gangs.
As if picking their way through an investigation of other police officers, including the woman who heads up internal investigations, isn't hard enough, they must also deal with "Vigilante TV... Read Full Story
Rob Lowe wants to be the best of the best
14 Dec 2011 01:46:57
"I'm hoping readers will think of the first book as a restaurant where they ate a good meal, and that they'll want to come back and try a new dish," said Rob said in a statement.
Simon & Schuster publisher Jonathan Karp said readers will love the actor's next work.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Easy-On-The-Eyes Leading Man — It’s Rob Lowe
"The first book proved that Rob Lowe is a great storyteller," Karp said in a statement. "The second book will prove that he can write about anything and continue to captiva... Read Full Story
New bookreader from Amazon
14 Dec 2011 01:45:25
Consumer complaints, such as the lack of external volume control and a slow touch screen, were recently validated by a post from "usability expert" Jakob Nielsen.
Nielsen wrote last week that the device would be a failure because of how poor the user experience is.
Part of the problem is its size. Nielsen remains unconvinced that 7-inch tablets will be as popular because they are too small. Magazine publishers and app developers need to design their products specifically for the smaller screen i... Read Full Story
"The Immortalists" by Kyle Mills
12 Dec 2011 04:14:59
Microbiologist Richard Draman needs to find a cure for progeria, a rare genetic disorder, especially of early childhood, characterized by premature aging. His daughter has progeria, and he must find a way to save her.
The husband of another scientist approaches Draman with a horrifying tale. He claims that his wife was murdered because she was close to a discovery that might stop the aging of cells.
Draman cannot pass up the opportunity to cure his daughter and discover the key to immortality. H... Read Full Story
