Collected Miscellany

Writing for Google Since 2003

Archive for the 'Books: News' Category


Little Brown Blog Talk Radio

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 1st December 2008

Cover of

Cover via Amazon

The folks at Little Brown are using this new media stuff.  There is still some time left in their Blog Talk Radio live interview with Marie Phillips.  (My review of God’s Behaving Badly is here.)

I am looking forward to the show with Laura Miller on Wednesday.  I am reading here The Magician’s Book right now.

Now I just need to finish so I can ask some good questions . . .

Posted in Books: Interviews, Books: News | No Comments »

Coraline the movie

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 1st December 2008

I am not usually one to enjoy books turned into movies, but this one looks very interesting:

My review of the book is here. YouTube via Educating Alice.

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A Whole Lotta Links

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 18th November 2008

A bunch of links to note so I decided to put it here rather than the sidebar.

–>Let’s start with National Review:

Book cover of

Book cover via Amazon

–> Speaking of interviews, This year marks the centenary of G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy.  Christianity Today editor at large Collin Hansen has an interview on Chesterton’s legacy with Lyle Dorsett, the Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School.

–> While you are there, check out Casey Rath’s review of Marilyn Robinson’s latest novel Home.

–> And last but not least, James Mustich, Editor-in-Chief of Barnes & Noble Review, talks with John Barth.

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Richard Belzer on Barnes & Nobles Tagged

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 11th November 2008

I haven’t had a chance yet to read Richard Belzer’s I Am Not A Cop (it is in the TBR pile) so I thought I would share this video segment from Barnes & Noble to pique your interest for my eventual review:

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Christmas in October

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 30th October 2008

Guess what I just got in the mail?  Only the hot new book from one of my favorite authors - due for release in March.

There are some benefits to this book blog.

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Anne Rice on Called Out of Darkness

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 30th October 2008

John J. Miller has a new Between the Covers podcast up.  This one is with Anne Rice:

. . . on her new memoir about returning to the Catholic Church after many years away from it. This is an important public conversation—first and foremost, it’s an embrace of faith and a rejection of atheism. From looking through her book, it’s clear that Rice has some liberal theological views (ordination of women, for instance), but this is a footnote compared to the larger point. Her belief is deep and compelling.

In the podcast, we discuss why she left and then came back to Catholicism, what she now thinks of Interview with the Vampire and her other novels, the portrayal of Christians on TV and in the movies, and what book she recommends for Halloween.

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Corduroy Mansions

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 29th October 2008

Just found out about this interesting literary experiment:

Alexander McCall Smith is writing his first ever online novel Corduroy Mansions exclusively for Telegraph.co.uk. A new chapter will appear on this page each weekday for the next 20 weeks. The best-selling author welcomes your suggestions as the story unfolds.

You can read or listen to the serialized novel online as well as via email and RSS feed.  You can also get updates through Twitter.

Seems like a good use of technology to both deliver content, capture readers, and increase the profile of an author.

What do you think?  Is this kind of thing likely to be more prevalent in the future?

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Lunchtime Links

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 16th October 2008

A couple of links for your lunch hour:

–> Penguin UK is offering 20% off econ related books:

Short-selling, bank nationalization, liquidation, recession, boom and bust. These are all terms that most of us may not have heard for a decade or so, and for some, even in a lifetime. Yet whether browsing the web, reading a newspaper or watching the television, one is inundated with this financial newspeak. To help make sense of it all, we have come up with a list of some of our most accessible and insightful books on the economy.

–> John J. Miller has a short conversation with Claire Berlinski, author of There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters at Between the Covers.

UPDATE:

–> Forgot this one.  Mr. birnbaum talks with Amy Bloom.

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Christopher Buckley Links

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 7th October 2008

I am a big fan of the whole Buckley family.  Unfortunately, I have been falling behind in my reading of all things Buckley.  It doesn’t help that Christopher cranks out satire faster than I can read it.  His thirteenth novel, Supreme Courtship, has recently been released.  For those interested, here are a couple of useful links:

–> Cheryl Miller has an interview/review mix over at Culture11:

But what’s fiction and what’s not isn’t really the million-dollar question, anyway. Buckley’s books are more about how fiction and reality have melded into each other, how, in the case of Supreme Courtship, politics and TV programming have become all but interchangeable.

–> And Buckley’s long time friend Peter Robinson - Buckley helped Robinson get a job as a speechwriter for VP George H.W. Bush which led to his work with Ronald Reagan - has an multi-part video interview at Uncommon Knowledge.  Episode one and two are up so far.

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CM now available on your PDA

Posted by Kevin Holtsberry on 4th October 2008

In case any of you wanted to read this fine blog while out and about with your PDA or smart phone, I have installed a WordPress plugin that simplifies the theme for these type of browsers to make it easier for you to do just that.

So if you are stuck in a meeting, waiting for someone, or using public transit point your PDA/Smart phone browser at Collected Miscellany and enjoy.

Posted in Books: News | 1 Comment »