Book News, In Brief

Publisher's Weekly has a brief interview with Walter Mosley (Devil In A Blue Dress, Maximum Fantastic Four) about his new Easy Rawlins novel, Blind Faith. One question that's asked, but never definitively answered: Is this the end of Easy?

An old library copy of the the first edition of the first Harry Potter book is going up on the auction block. Although the book is being described as having "a few minor defects," estimates for the final price range from the ridiculous $15,000 to the ludicrous $20,000. Interested children are advised to get a cash advance on their allowance, a reeeaaally profitable paper route, or immediate adoption into the Jolie-Pitt family.

Martis Amis put both of his handmade, Italian leather loafers into his mouth recently with a few less-than-loving comments he made towards the Muslim community. Amis apparently called for strip-searches for people who "look like they're from the Middle East," and constant 'suffering' until they "get (their) house in order."
As-Salāmu `Alaykum, you ignorant bastard.

This is why I only ever send anonymous, an**rax tainted letters to politicians: A book of over 300 fan letters written to Hitler is being published this year in Germany. Yikes. Can you imagine the questions you'd have to answer in the office if your dad or granddad ended up having one of their gushing missives to Der Fuerhrer published for all the world to see? My sister used to dress like Boy George back in the eighties, and I'm still trying to live that down.