Arthur Charles Clarke, 1917-2008

It was a sad day for science fiction fans yesterday. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, writer and thinker, died at age 90. Probably best known for his book, 2001: a Space Odyssey, Clarke also wrote over 100 other books on space, science and the future of humankind.
Read the obituary from The Guardian here.

The One-day-ness of History: Questions for Nicholson Baker

Good interview with Nicholson Baker; writer, archivist, satirist.
OMNIVORACIOUS: The One-day-ness of History: Questions for Nicholson Baker

The murky demimonde of Amazon's Top Reviewers

The murky demimonde of Amazon's Top Reviewers. - By Garth Risk Hallberg - Slate Magazine

Novel about painter wins PEN/Faulkner

Kate Christensen wins the PEN/Faulkner award for her novel, The Great Man. What a coup for Christensen! She wins $15,000 and the admiration of her writing peers. Her first novel, In the Drink, was considered to be chick lit (at best) and a trashy novel (at worst). I just finished reading her second novel, Jeremy Thrane, a few months ago and was impressed by her writing, although I did like In the Drink much better. She writes convincingly of celebrity, life in the city, and contemporary youth, but was able to connect with the reader more effectively in her first novel.
This promises more "great" things come from Christensen!

The designer library consultant

This article about using books as a design element in L.A. homes also features an interesting new trend in affluent Southern California - a paid "library consultant", who will come into your home, catalog your library collection, organize it, and create bibliographies based on your reading passion. Hmmm, southern California, rich people, beaches? Who wouldn't want that job!

L.A. Times Book Prize nominees announced - Los Angeles Times

Last Friday, the L.A. Times Book Prize nominees were announced. Maxine Hong Kingston won the Kirsch award, which, "...honors a living author with a connection to the American West whose works have made a substantial contribution to American letters."

My gal Harriet

Going through Bloglines today (over 3000 unread posts in my Books folder alone!!), I discovered this post on Kate's Book Blog about the children's book Harriet the Spy.
There is a link to an NPR audio "tribute" to the character of Harriet M. Welsch, child spy.
God, I loved Harriet when I was a kid! She was sarcastic, curious, and aspired to be a writer. So much fun spying on other people. This was one of my favorite books, I remember thinking about New York City and how much I, too, wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Harriet wasn't afraid to be herself, that is also what I remember liking about her character.