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Books on the Nightstand published our final episode in July 2016. This is a place for listeners to find old episodes. 

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  2. BOTNS #225: Author Stalking

BOTNS #225: Author Stalking

Apr 8, 2013

A cool idea for a literary event; keeping up with your favorite author; Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and Ben Okri's The Famished Road

Short Story Salon

I recently attended a Short Story Salon hosted by Vanessa, one of our BOTNS listeners in Boston. Seven of us got together and each person brought a short story to read aloud.  It was so much fun; I can't wait to do it again.  For more details, including a list of the stories that everyone read, see "My week in short stories #13." My favorite story was Horton Hatches the Egg which, yes, is a short story. I chose to read Donald Barthelme's "The School." If any of you are in the Providence, RI area and want to give it a try, let me know. This evening was inspired in part by Four Stories, an occasional reading series in Boston where four authors read from their work.

 

Author Stalking

Over on our Goodreads group, Cathy asked for tips and strategies for keeping up with a favorite author. Michael and I brainstormed and came up with a few ideas:

  • Check publisher web pages. Many publishers will allow you to sign up for email alerts if an author has a new book, or for information about specific authors and categories. Not every publisher offers this, but do check and see if your favorite authors' publishers do.
  • AuthorTtwitter feeds
  • Author Facebook pages
  • Author websites - you can subscribe to RSS feeds (try Feedly in place of my dear departed Google Reader)
  • Google alerts for your favorite author's name
  • Authors' Goodreads pages
  • Librarything Local to find out which authors will be doing events near your location. There is an app called Readar to get this information on your iPhone.
  • Sign up for your local bookstores' email newsletters for information about new books and events
  • Don't be afraid to reach out to authors through their Facebook page or twitter feed if you have a question about their work.

 

Two books we can't wait for you to read

 

Sharp Objects   Famished Road

We both bring your attention to some of our old favorites this week.

Michael can't believe that he hasn't previously recommended Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects, her first novel. It's dark and creepy, maybe even darker than Gone Girl. It's the story of Camille, a reporter who is sent back to the small town where she grew up to investigate the murder of two teenage girls.

The Famished Road by Ben Okri won the Booker prize in 1991. I was reminded of this book when Chinua Achebe died last week and Emily Gatlin wrote a post for Bookriot about African literature. It's a magical realist novel based in an African myth, with stunning imagery, told from the point of view of a young boy who is a spirit child living in the real world.

Next week we'll have the final two author talks from Booktopia Santa Cruz, then we'll be back with a special episode on April 23rd that we think you'll enjoy.