Book Thread. I have nothing good to read.

[dobrojim]

This is a really good read that I am almost finished with

What you are getting wrong about Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte

(from Amazon's page describing this book)

In 2016, headlines declared Appalachia ground zero for America's "forgotten tribe" of white working class voters. Journalists flocked to the region to extract sympathetic profiles of families devastated by poverty, abandoned by establishment politics, and eager to consume cheap campaign promises. What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia is a frank assessment of America's recent fascination with the people and problems of the region. The book analyzes trends in contemporary writing on Appalachia, presents a brief history of Appalachia with an eye toward unpacking Appalachian stereotypes, and provides examples of writing, art, and policy created by Appalachians as opposed to for Appalachians. The book offers a must-needed insider's perspective on the region.

Edit to add - this author really goes after Vance's Hillbilly Elegy in a big way. Eye opening.

[payitforward]

...supporting an independent bookstore? Like Powell’s out of Portland, or Kramerbooks in DC, or Left Bank Books in St. Louis, or Books and Books in Miami.

They’re all hurting. They need the support. Amazon and the internet are killing them and so much else that matters in the culture.

Too many people seem to think that all they’re there to do is sell product. They’re gathering places, community centers, cultural centers, places to hear ideas and be challenged.

If you are near Georgetown, try the excellent Bridge Street Books. On upper Connecticut, Politics & Prose is also really good. For used books, it's Second Story Books on P st. (& in Rockville). People also speak well of The Lantern for used books -- also on P street but in Georgetown.

[dobrojim]

FWIW, I have a good friend in Philly who runs a used bookstore that does pretty
well. It's in a very good location near U Penn. Buy books! Or at least read books.
It's good for the mind.

[Ruzious]

I could be wrong, but my impression of what's hurt book stores more than anything is Kindle and its copycats. I'm guessing the biggest impact is on the profits to the writers - and they're the people that really need to get paid. Then again, that does cut down on storage and printing costs. Libraries have had to become creative in being more than a place to look at books. Now, they don't anywhere near the book shelves, so they carve out areas for kids to play and adults to have coffee - and provide PC's - somewhat similar to what book stores have done.

[Maf]

Joseph Heller. Not just Catch XXII. I love Good as Gold even better. The other ones like God knows or Something happenned are good also. Just don't go with Picture this. I was bored whole book and read it only to complete my Heller's book collection.

[payitforward]

I could be wrong, but my impression of what's hurt book stores more than anything is Kindle and its copycats. I'm guessing the biggest impact is on the profits to the writers - and they're the people that really need to get paid. Then again, that does cut down on storage and printing costs. Libraries have had to become creative in being more than a place to look at books. Now, they don't anywhere near the book shelves, so they carve out areas for kids to play and adults to have coffee - and provide PC's - somewhat similar to what book stores have done.

Very few writers, extremely few, have ever been able to live on royalties from the sales of their books -- & even that was really only during the best years of mass distribution & only for authors of best-sellers or near. Mostly, writers have other jobs. Sometimes they get those jobs because they're writers -- e.g. Faulkner wrote for the movies, lots of novelists & poets teach in colleges/universities, etc.

Sometimes, OTOH, they have unrelated careers: Wallace Stevens was an insurance executive, William Carlos Williams was a pediatrician, etc.

Amazon has hurt bookstores, sure. But, independent bookstores were already complaining that Barnes & Noble hurt them. Bookstore owners are always complaining -- & they always have reasons to complain!

OTOH, the way the retail (new) book business works is unsustainable. Stores order more hard bound books than they'll need. Any they don't sell, they simply pack up & return to the publisher. Publishers routinely pulp large numbers of books that haven't sold as well as anticipated. The environmental & other energy costs don't work for the era we live in.

Amazon certainly hasn't hurt publishers. It lost the fight w/ New York publishing over how much ebooks should cost. These days, buying a kindle edition of a recently-published book costs as much or nearly as much as buying a hard bound printed copy. Any publisher would be delighted to sell more ebooks & fewer printed volumes! The difference in costs is monumental!! Not to mention that most of the revenue goes through to the publisher.

Long-term, ebooks will be good for writers financially, not bad for them. There are already a lot of writers who use ebook-publishing services (from Amazon & others) to cut conventional publishers out of the game -- after all, what value do they add for most writers? Very little. & once printing/distribution are removed.... (I speak from some experience: I was a trade book editor for a major NY publisher in my '20s.)

[Ruzious]

I could be wrong, but my impression of what's hurt book stores more than anything is Kindle and its copycats. I'm guessing the biggest impact is on the profits to the writers - and they're the people that really need to get paid. Then again, that does cut down on storage and printing costs. Libraries have had to become creative in being more than a place to look at books. Now, they don't anywhere near the book shelves, so they carve out areas for kids to play and adults to have coffee - and provide PC's - somewhat similar to what book stores have done.

Very few writers, extremely few, have ever been able to live on royalties from the sales of their books -- & even that was really only during the best years of mass distribution & only for authors of best-sellers or near. Mostly, writers have other jobs. Sometimes they get those jobs because they're writers -- e.g. Faulkner wrote for the movies, lots of novelists & poets teach in colleges/universities, etc.

Sometimes, OTOH, they have unrelated careers: Wallace Stevens was an insurance executive, William Carlos Williams was a pediatrician, etc.

Amazon has hurt bookstores, sure. But, independent bookstores were already complaining that Barnes & Noble hurt them. Bookstore owners are always complaining -- & they always have reasons to complain!

OTOH, the way the retail (new) book business works is unsustainable. Stores order more hard bound books than they'll need. Any they don't sell, they simply pack up & return to the publisher. Publishers routinely pulp large numbers of books that haven't sold as well as anticipated. The environmental & other energy costs don't work for the era we live in.

Amazon certainly hasn't hurt publishers. It lost the fight w/ New York publishing over how much ebooks should cost. These days, buying a kindle edition of a recently-published book costs as much or nearly as much as buying a hard bound printed copy. Any publisher would be delighted to sell more ebooks & fewer printed volumes! The difference in costs is monumental!! Not to mention that most of the revenue goes through to the publisher.

Long-term, ebooks will be good for writers financially, not bad for them. There are already a lot of writers who use ebook-publishing services (from Amazon & others) to cut conventional publishers out of the game -- after all, what value do they add for most writers? Very little. & once printing/distribution are removed.... (I speak from some experience: I was a trade book editor for a major NY publisher in my '20s.)

Good info - thanks. I just assumed the cost of "buying" a book on Kindle was very small, but you educated me on that. Personally, I'd much rather read a real book than read it on Kindle.

[payitforward]

Me too. I have a Kindle but barely ever use the thing.

[dobrojim]

Recently went to Dave Mason/ Hot Tuna at the Warner.

Mason gave a gentle plea towards the end of his show to visit the merch table
and said he would go there himself.

I bring all this up because he also said he makes as much from selling one T-shirt
as from several thousand Spotify streams. So there is another place high tech
and concentration of commercial success has damaged the producers ability to
be compensated for their product.

This is also not far from some of the non abortion related talk in the politics thread.
There is clearly a concentration of power and wealth that is not making it easier
to achieve success.

[dobrojim]

Recently finished reading Kendi's How to Be an Anti-Racist.
Very challenging read in some ways but very thoughtful and
I would say valuable although the people that should read it
probably won't or won't get it if they did.

[payitforward]

Escapist reading...

I assume everyone has read all the Reacher novels by Lee Child. If you haven't... what fun awaits you! Great storyteller & a great character.

Equally strong recommendation for Andrea Camilleri's series of detective novels set in a fictional town in Sicily featuring Inspector Salvo Maldonado. They're terrific. Very light touch with a comedic edge, great characters, endlessly entertaining.

The Rome Sub Rosa series by Stephen Saylor is a set of "detective" novels set in ancient Rome -- end of the Republic from about 40 BC. They're very well done.

My favorite author of detective novels is Lawrence Block (enough so that I may have written about him here already). He has 3 series that are great. One is classic in that it's about a private eye who is an ex-cop, has a drinking problem, etc. Matt Scudder -- there are a dozen or more of them all set in New York. If you want to get hooked immediately, read When the Sacred Ginmill Closes.

Block's 2d series are the Bernie Rhodenbarr novels -- Bernie is an antiquarian bookseller & a burglar. They're set in NY as well. Tend to be funny rather than heavy.

His 3d series are about professional hit man named Keller. The first one is just called Hit Man. These are also outstanding. Block is great.

[gambitx777]

If you've ever listened to some modern reads of call of Cthulhu it's well worth the listen

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using RealGM mobile app

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

The best part of the Wiz sucking donkey balls the past couple of years is that I’ve had more time to go on a reading bender.

Loved: Jennifer Eagan’s Manhattan Beach
Liked a lot: The Topeka School; Fourth of July Creek
Liked: A Visit from the Goon Squad

Devoured the entire oeuvre of Ron Rash.

As you can see, I love Americana.

[bsilver]

Heartily agree with PIFs recommendation of Lawrence Block. Block wrote lots of others besides the 3 series mentioned under his and other names. He also dabbled in porn with the Chip Harrison series. By chance I was in Kansas City for work in 1995 and saw a bookstore sign that Block was there to hawk his latest book. So I have a signed copy of The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart.

I recommend a fictional historical detective series based on a real person - John Fielding. Fielding, a half brother of Henry Fielding, was a blind magistrate in 18th century London. In the series, Fielding adopts an orphan who appears before him court. Together, with the young boy being his eyes, they solve murders in an 11 book series. The author is Bruce Cook writing under the pseudonym, Bruce Alexander. The first book is Blind Justice. These books are adult level, but great for younger readers. I first found them because I was looking for adult books for my 12 year old that didn't have excessive sex and violence.

Another series good for adults and advanced teens is the Dortmunder series of comic capers by Donald Westlake.

Also by Westlake, writing as Richard Stark, is the hardboiled Parker series. Rather than being being a detective, Parker is a career criminal. This series may be my favorite of all.

[payitforward]

I've also met Block, bsilver -- at a similar event for a different book & at the mystery book store on connecticut ave in DC (store is gone).

Have you read his relatively recent novel, Getting Off -- A Novel of Sex and Violence? It's great. One of his very best. His post 9/11 novel Small Town is also great.

He does a very interesting email newsletter -- check lawrenceblock.com -- lots of interesting stuff. Btw, I do know the Chip Harrison books -- & so much else. But, as you are a fan, the 2 I mention above get my absolutely highest A+ recommendation.

Along with my 3 favorite Matt Scudder books -- The Devil Knows You're Dead, When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, and Everybody Dies.

[bsilver]

I've also met Block, bsilver -- at a similar event for a different book & at the mystery book store on connecticut ave in DC (store is gone).

Have you read his relatively recent novel, Getting Off -- A Novel of Sex and Violence? It's great. One of his very best. His post 9/11 novel Small Town is also great.

He does a very interesting email newsletter -- check lawrenceblock.com -- lots of interesting stuff. Btw, I do know the Chip Harrison books -- & so much else. But, as you are a fan, the 2 I mention above get my absolutely highest A+ recommendation.

Along with my 3 favorite Matt Scudder books -- The Devil Knows You're Dead, When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, and Everybody Dies.

I haven't read his latest books, but I'll look for them. I love libraries, and admit I'm cheap when it comes to buying books. That worked out OK when I lived in Fairfax County where the library system had just about everything. Now living in New Haven for the last 3.5 years, the library book selection is limited.

[bsilver]

Just read the Bishop's Pawn by Steve Berry. It's a pretty standard thriller except that the backdrop is the assassination of Martin Luther King. It's fiction, but there's a lot of true information.

The official result of congressional investigations is that James Earl Ray was the killer and acted alone. Does anyone actually believe that given the racial climate at the time, and the hatred J Edgar Hoover had for MLK and everything he did to try to destroy him?

[dobrojim]

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown.

[payitforward]

A few things:

1. Charles Finch -- a series of detective novels set in Victorian London. The detective, Charles Lenox, is a "gentleman," but the plots range throughout the social classes. They are really outstanding.

2. Sci-Fi -- the great Samuel R. Delaney. Anything he writes -- & not all of it is sci-fi, btw. He was the first black Sci-Fi writer to gain a lot of commercial success. Started publishing novels at @20 years old. Won his first Nebula at 26. I think he's one of the best writers of our time.

3. Joseph Kanon -- lots of them set just post-WWII in interesting places (Istanbul, Venice...).

4. I hope some of you have watched the terrific first season of His Dark Materials on HBO. If not, don't hesitate! Adapted from the novels of Philip Pullman, which are fantastic!

[doclinkin]

bump