Atonement, by Ian McEwan

I bought a copy of Ian McEwan's award-winning book about 6 months ago, and it sat on my bookshelf, gathering dust, until I read an article in The New York Times in early December. The article was a column in the "Week in Review" section of the December 3rd paper, written by Charles Isherwood. McEwan has been accused of plagiarizing sections of the acclaimed novel, using 'experiences' based on romance novelist Lucilla Andrews' own life as a nurse in a London hospital during World War II. Isherwood's tongue-in-cheek column lashes out at those "plagiarism furies" that were unleashed on McEwan, who has been defended by the likes of Thomas Pynchon and Zadie Smith. I picked up the book as a curiosity, to see what all the "fury" was about -- and was astonished by the beautiful writing. McEwan is a writer I have been meaning to read for years (Enduring Love has been sitting on my bookshelf for at least 6 or 7 years!) and now I wish I had read him before. Atonement begins in 1935, set in the English countryside on the Tallis family estate. Briony Tallis, 13 years old, helplessly imaginative and creative, is beginning rehearsals for her play, The Trials of Arabella, in honor of her older brother, Leon, and his visit home. Meanwhile, older sister Cecelia is engaged in an innocent flirtation with Robbie Turner, the charlady's son and protege of Cecelia's father. When Briony witnesses this seduction, what ensues is a novel of misinterpretation, calculated deceit and a crime which changes all of the characters' lives forever. The novel is a metafictional narrative and the characters are so vividly drawn, you can't help but be engaged and captured from the moment you first encounter them.

100 Notable Books of the Year

100 Notable Books of the Year - The New York Times Book Review - New York Times
Another list!! This time, the top 100 of the year...

Another list...

The 10 Best Books of 2006 - New York Times
A year-end list this time from the granddaddy of all newspapers, The New York Times...

Judging a Book by Its Cover: The Best of 2006

Bookslut | Judging a Book by Its Cover: The Best of 2006
I am always a sucker for these end-of-the-year "Best Of..." compilations!
This one from Bookslut is no different...

L. A Confidential Sequel in the Works

Mystery Books: News: L. A Confidential Sequel in the Works
Awesome! LA Confidential is one of the best films of the nineties, based on an excellent noir novel. Can't wait to see the sequel...

William Styron dies at 81

Styron: A shining author with a 'dark view of life' - USATODAY.com
The author of Sophie's Choice and The Confessions of Nat Turner has passed away...

Desai wins 2006 Man Booker Prize

Independent Online Edition > News
The 35-year-old Indian writer Kiran Desai is the latest recipient of the coveted Man Booker Prize...

Finalists named for Governor General's Awards for literature

CBC.ca Arts - Finalists named for Governor General's Awards for literature
Canada's most prestigious book award announced the finalists for the $15,000 prize in seven categories...

Great bookmod: encyclopedia into scrapbook

Boing Boing: Great bookmod: encyclopedia into scrapbook
What a gorgeous idea! Take your falling apart books and make a scrapbook for that family album you've always wanted to create...

Turkish Novelist Orhan Pamuk Wins Nobel

Turkish Novelist Orhan Pamuk Wins Nobel
Controversy isn't new to this novelist, but Orhan Pamuk has caused a stir in his homeland by becoming the latest recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature...

Fall's release of short story collections

USATODAY.com - Roundup: Short stories
Collections by Margaret Atwood and Mary Gordon headline a plethora of wonderful short story collections this fall, including the perennial favorite, Best American Short Stories 2006.

Books on the American civil rights movement (kottke.org)

Books on the American civil rights movement (kottke.org)
Jason Kottke solicited contributions to his list of books on the American Civil Rights movement. Lots of worthy titles to read here. I highly recommend Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch. Its the second of his MLK jr. trilogy and it is an absorbing and fascinating book -- go get it.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize

The Scotiabank Giller Prize
Canada's prestigious literary award announced its 2006 shortlist today...

Some "more" on Alan Moore's controversial new work

Independent Online Edition > Features

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis

Independent Online Edition > Features
Graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi is interviewed by the U.K.'s The Independent...

The New York Review of Books: Books@Google

The New York Review of Books: Books@Google
A plethora of Google books are, or have been, published...

Richard Ford review

Independent Online Edition > Reviews
Any reviewer talking about Richard Ford and Richard Yates has got my attention...

Book blues

This cassette tape image generator I found over on Boing Boing today is cool! Generate any hit band and album name you want...

A Moment With ... Jack Prelutsky, America's first children's poet laureate

A Moment With ... Jack Prelutsky, America's first children's poet laureate
Prelutsky is THE pre-eminent wacky children's poet, now that Shel Silverstein has passed on. His book, A Pizza the Size of the Sun, is one of my favorite children's book.

Murakami wins the world's richest short story prize

Guardian Unlimited Books | News | Murakami wins the world's richest short story prize