Feb 22, 2012
Apologies to Stephen King; the publishing industry goes Downton Abbey crazy; and we share our love for Stay Awake by Dan Chaon and King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels.
An Open Letter to Stephen King
For many years I thought Stephen King was not an author I would enjoy. Of course I've heard the raves and accolades, but something kept me from picking up one of his books. I'm thrilled to say that I finally now know what all of you Stephen King fans have been raving about. I listened to the audio of 11/22/63. It was an amazing audio production of a stellar book. The story was captivating, enthralling and kept me listening for all 31 hours. Mr. King, I'm sorry I ever doubted you were an author I would love!
The Books of Downton Abbey (5:30)
The second season of Downton Abbey just finished here in the States, and it has been hugely popular. Bookstores everywhere have created DA displays, using some official books and some books that take place in the same period. This is by no means a comprehensive list (in fact, please add your suggestions to the comments below!), but here are some of the most commonly displayed books:
- Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon
- The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes
- The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton
- What the Butler Winked At by Eric Horne
- The Decline and the Fall of the British Aristocracy by David Cannadine
- Parade's End by Ford Maddox Ford
- A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
- The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
- Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read (14:43)
Dan Chaon, author of the amazing novel Await Your Reply, is back with a new collection of short stories called Stay Awake. These stories haunted me in every sense of the word; they are filled with horrors of the human condition and the supernatural world. Ann's book for this week is the true story of an American secretary who receives a phone call informing her that she has been named the new king of her ancestral village in Ghana. In King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman, Peggy soon realizes that even a small village on the coast of Africa can be rife with corruption, and she's expected to clean it up.