Read Chapter One Of Murakami's Upcoming Novel...Today!

The good folks at Random House have posted the first chapter to Haruki Murakami's newest quirky & existential novel, After Dark, on their website. Read it now, and get excited for the book's May 8 release.

via: bookslut.com

Name the Nuisance

edu says:
"I apologize in advance if this somehow exemplifies my ignorance: Is there a name for the people who sit on the floor of the graphic novels aisle in bookstores (who invariably read manga)? I tried 'manga hobos' but it doesn't sit right. I don't mean to criticize: those books can be pricey. But they're always in the way!"

If you have a better name for these folks, post a comment in edu's Flickr site.

(They ended up choosing 'hobotaku'!)

via: boing boing

Psst!

There's nothing like the powerful influence of friends and relatives. They seem to have an opinion about all topics under the sun (and everywhere else, for that matter). Whether it's what movie you should go see, what sort of person you should date, what your career should be, where you should live, how you should wear your hair, what you should invest in...There are always going to be those friendly dictators in life who are determined to "gently suggest" or "nudge" us in one direction or another.

I usually stand firm when those "you should" people start to slyly introduce such commands-- I mean suggestions-- and politely say something to the effect of "Go fly a kite!"


When a truly friendly suggestion comes along, however, perhaps pertaining to books and music, my mind and ears are always gladly open. Obviously, the great thing about knowing a large bunch of people is that you are inevitably going to become inducted into a variety of worlds...Different cultures, different interests, tastes, smells, sights, philosophies, beliefs, etc...Such marvelously human attributes will come flooding into your world, expanding its already bright and diverse spectrum.

When your friends and relatives really take care to know who you are, and are genuinely interested in contributing to your individual world, it is a delight. This past weekend, for example, a friend and I went on a long drive and began to discuss books. We shared our favorite stories, characters and authors. We made lists of our favorite novels and children's books. We recommended titles to each other, focusing on our favorite genres and writing styles.

I even managed to sell a book to my friend! She had just finished Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and was searching for something to fill the void that appeared upon its completion. I told her that if she loved Jonathan Strange, she would undoubtedly enjoy Freedom & Necessity, which is a book that I am rather obsessed with. My friend took my suggestion and I was so elated! That is the sort of friendly give and take that I adore. It's kind of like that movie with that creepy Haley Joel kid...The one who looks like someone stuffed two pale blue marbles into his face and mistook them for eyeballs...You know...What is the name of that film...? Oh, I think it's called "Pay it Forward". Anyway, it's a cheesy movie and Kevin Spacey's face is as crispy as a toaster strudel, but the basic concept is true: to be able to give something to another and receive so much in return is rather incredible. Even if it's something small, like making someone a CD filled with music you think he or she may enjoy...It's marvelous! I want to recommend books, etc. more often than I already do!

Chef Neil Connolly Kennedy Kitchen Event

Last Wednesday, April 18th, the Inkwell hosted award winning chef Neil Connolly for a talk and book signing. We had a great turnout with more than 40 people, and completely sold out of his book, In the Kennedy Kitchen. The audience listened to Neil's stories of life and cooking on the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, where he was the personal chef for Rose Kennedy for twelve years. Neil brought samples of his recipes (brownies and cookies) for the crowd to nibble on, and signed personal inscriptions in each book. Click here to read Neil's interview in the Cape Cod Times. We would like to extend thanks to Neil and his wife, Neil's media consultant Virginia Bride, Williams Sonoma, and Rachel Kempster publicist for DK Publishing for helping to make our event a sweet success!

In Defense of Independents

Jacob Bricca directed a documentary about the fight for the survival of the independent bookstore. Indies Under Fire: The Battle for the American Bookstore is the result of six years of research and filming, and is the first documentary to look in depth at the issues surrounding the growth of "super-chain" bookstores. Click here for the NPR article and interview with Jacob Bricca about Indies Under Fire. Also featured in the podcast are Connecticut booksellers, Stu Hecht, owner of The Book Vault in Wallingford, Ct; Cliff Simms, owner of Labyrinth Books in New Haven, CT; and Sarah Bedell, owner of Bookworm in West Hartford Center, Connecticut. The in depth coverage of the topic is not only relevant to bookstores, but to all small businesses. Click here to view the trailer of the documentary.

Books to Beguile

Political books are hot, but are they just spin? In the April 22 New York Times, Michiko Kakutani wrote, "Most books by politicians are, at bottom, acts of salesmanship: efforts to persuade, beguile or impress the reader, efforts to rationalize past misdeeds and inoculate the author against future accusations. And yet beneath the sales pitch are clues — in the author’s voice, use of language, stylistic tics and self-presentation — that provide some genuine glimpses of the personalities behind the public personas."