May 7, 2012
Announcing our Booktopia:Santa Cruz author lineup, book snobbery, The Man Who Planted Trees, and a new novel from Toni Morrison.
(Apologies for the less-than-stellar sound this week. Our recording conditions were less than optimal.)
We're finally back, recovered from the glory that was Booktopia Vermont. Thank you to all BOTNS listeners who joined us in a magical, bookish weekend. Extra-special thanks to our lovely authors, whom I now all count as friends.
Today we announce our author lineup for Booktopia:Santa Cruz, happening in October. This event is sold out, but you can sign up for the waiting list.
Our Booktopia partner Bookshop Santa Cruz is offering BOTNS listeners the opportunity to receive 10% off and free shipping when you order our Booktopia authors' most recent books, through this special page on their website. If you are attending Booktopia:Santa Cruz, please use this to order any books that you know you will want to buy that weekend. You can specify that they be held for you at the store. In this way, the store will be sure to have enough copies on hand. If you are NOT attending Booktopia, you may order your books and ask for them to be held for Booktopia weekend. At that time, we will have the authors sign the books, and then they will be shipped to you.
If you've been
watching any media whatsoever, you've probably heard about the
phenomenon that is Fifty
Shades of Grey by EL James. Millions of readers have
discovered these sexually-charged novels, and many women point to
the series as having sparked their love of reading. Meanwhile, some
have criticized the novels or even had
them pulled from library shelves. I was honored to stand next
to EL James at her Connecticut event, and I witnessed for myself
the hundreds of women who said that they hadn't read a book in many
years prior to Fifty Shades of Grey. This led Michael and me
to ponder "book snobbery," and to make a new vow: don't judge a
book until you've read it, and don't judge a person for what they
read. Care to join us in our vow?
Two books we can't wait for you to read:
This week, Michael recommends The Man Who Planted Trees by Jim Robbins. This book follows David Milarch, a man obsessed with saving the planet through the preservation and cloning of the world's oldest trees.
Home by Toni Morrison is a spare and powerful story of a war veteran who returns home from Korea to find a place different but no less brutal. We move back and forth in time, learning about Frank and his sister Cee, and their cruel childhood that has had lasting impact on their lives.