It's an Honor Just to be Nominated...

  
Nominations are now being accepted for the Book Blogger Appreciation Week awards over at the My Friend Amy blog. There are 24 categories plus a write-in category. Is it wrong that we're begging for your nominations? Nahh... we're not proud. Here are a couple categories I, in my humble opinion, think we might be eligible for:

• Best General Book Blog
• Best Design
• Most Eclectic Taste
• Best Name for a Blog

You can nominate up to two blogs in any category (check out some of our bookseller friend blogs, listed in the right column, for some other worthy sites). Nominations need to be in by this Sunday, August 31 and you can email them here. Each category will be narrowed to the top five blogs by number of nominations received, so please be sure to write in! Starting on 9/15 you'll be able to vote!

As always, thanks for the tremendous amount of support you've given Ann and me since we started this blog and podcast. It's been wonderful to connect with so many great readers!

Books on the Nightstand Podcast, episode #12: It's All About You

Books on the Nightstand, Episode 12 (16:33)

(You can listen by using the player above. If you're using Internet Explorer, click twice to listen. If your browser does not support javascript, you won't see the player; click the link below the player to listen, or right-click to download the episode. If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the player at the bottom of the message, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to listen)

Today's show is just a little bit different. Michael is away, and Ann's going solo. Well, almost

• First, a word of thanks for your support. We are honored that you've chosen to read our blog and listen to our podcast, and we very much appreciate all of your comments and contributions.
  
  
• Next, we have some special guests! Five of you answered our request to call in with a book recommendation. Your messages are fantastic, and I can't wait for everyone to hear. Contributors to today's show::
  
  
• Elaine McCarty recommending The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney. You can find Elaine at Librarything.
  
  
• Amrita called in to tell us about The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston. Amrita's blog is at http://tinkutales.blogspot.com.
  
  
• Rebecca told us about Why We Hate Us by Dick Meyer. Read about more of Rebecca's reads at http://rjsbooklady.wordpress.com
  
  
• Amy Rea called in with a true favorite -- Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, which she's read 4 times (!). Amy blogs at http://www.flyover-land.com
  
  
• Christine, my good friend and reading buddy, left a wonderful message with several of her favorites (too many to list, but thankfully most have been discussed previously here at Books on the Nightstand. Christine can be found at Goodreads.
  
  
• As always, something that we can't wait for you to read. Today, it's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Don't miss this one!

Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. If you were too shy to call in, or missed the initial call, please leave your book recommendation here in the comments. We truly enjoy hearing about books that you love! We'll also be talking about this topics over on the Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads -- it's free to join; please come say hello!

photo credit:Jay Heaviside

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Wherever possible, titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, Simon & Schuster Trade Paperback, $13.50, ISBN 978141657130

The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston, W.W. Norton trade paperback, $14.95, ISBN 9780393331592

Why We Hate Us by Dick Meyer, Crown hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 9780375425035

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, Penguin Paperback, $16.00, ISBN 9780140169300
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, Knopf hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 9780307269751

(all information is the U.S. editions)

Want to be part of our next podcast?

Will you help us out?

We're about to record our 12th episode of the Books on the Nightstand podcast, and we'd like to turn part of the show over to you.

We'd like you to tell us about a book that you love.

It's easy to participate: just call our voicemail line at (206) 350-2932, and tell us about a book that you want to recommend to our listeners. It can be any book that you truly love, but please not one that you've written :). Please include your name and website or blog if you have one, so that we can link to you in the show notes. The message can be up to 5 minutes long. (sorry to those who tried earlier - I had a typo in the phone number!)

If you are a podcaster or otherwise technologically equipped, you may also send us an MP3 file to comments [at] booksonthenightstand [dot] com.

The deadline? Oh, yeah, that. Please call no later than Monday, August 25 at 11:59pm EST. Sorry for the short notice, but we need to edit and publish on Wednesday. I know, we should have thought of this sooner.

We reserve the right to edit your message for length if required. And we'll try to use as many of your messages as we can, but if we can't fit them all into this episode, we will incorporate them in future podcasts.

Thanks so much for your participation! I can't wait to see what books you have to tell us about.

Why Don't I Listen?

For the longest time, friends were telling me how great NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" was. It wasn't until last year that I finally gave the Wait, Wait podcast a try. It was love at first listen. Now, I can (and often do) have 200 podcasts on my iPod but I will ignore them all if there's a new episode of Wait, Wait.

In the book world, I was always a little ashamed that I had never read Maus, despite all of the raves,  accolades and recommendations from friends. Maybe I thought it would be too heavy or that I wouldn't be able to get through it. I was wrong on both counts. It was heavy, yes, but not too heavy. And I read both volumes in two days.

I am amazed at how well Art Spiegelman was able to balance the past with the present, giving you not only the story of his father during WWII, but also in his later years. Though the story was by no means light or happy, neither was it overly dark or depressing. It was real. And anyone who thinks a "funny book" is incapable of telling a moving, important story has never looked at this book.

Now I know why it won a Pulitzer, why it is taught in schools and why it may just be the most important graphic novel ever published.

What books have been recommended to you over and over, yet you still haven't read them? Don't worry, I won't judge.
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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

Maus: A Survivor's Tale Vol. 1: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman,

          Pantheon trade paperback, $14.95, ISBN 9780394747231

Maus: A Survivor's Tale Vol. 2: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman,

          Pantheon trade paperback, $14.95, ISBN 9780679729778

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

Seeing the book that has yet to be written

My friend Amrita has a mission: to make art approachable.  She has recently opened Tinku gallery in Toronto with the goal of creating a space that takes the intimidation factor out of buying art.  I have been reading her blog for a little while, watching as she builds the story of her gallery through her posts.  But a few weeks ago, when I clicked onto her blog, I gasped aloud.  I fell complete and instantly in love with this painting:

Needle in the Hay, Andy DeCola
Oil on wood panel, 18" x 24"
$900

I didn't think too much about why I was drawn to the painting, but I found myself going back to that blog entry multiple times. I thought about the painting when I was not at my computer, fantasizing where I would hang it if I found $900 under the sofa cushions (which is the only way that I could justify the purchase).

Finally, I showed it to my husband.  He didn't care for it. I was surprised.

"I love it," I said.  "It would look great in my office."

"Of course you love it," he replied, with a smirk. "It looks like a the cover of a book, but without any text."

He may be right -- that could be part of the attraction.  I admit that I am slightly book-obsessed.  But instead of putting me off, his comment opened up other possibilities.  Now I'm not thinking just about the painting -- I'm thinking of the book that it would represent. 

I'm imagining that it's the story of a family -- one of those quirky but sweet families..  Maybe they own a traveling carnival. The teenage daughter desperately wants to be a normal kid, but the family business makes that impossible. The son just wants to play the saxophone.  They have a crazy dog.  Who wants to write it for me?

That is the power of art -- everything else that it can inspire. This work obviously fits into my life.

Unfortunately, there's only crushed Cheerios under the cushions. But now I have this image here, where it will serve until I get to Toronto.

What about you?  What does art inspire in your life?  Do you ever see connections between visual art and literature?

My One-Month Reading Plan (and a Giveaway!)

In a recent post, I talked about my inability to get into a new book. Things have improved a little. I'm reading Made to Stick and agree with Ann that it's an amazing book for everyday life, not just for business folks. I should finish that within the next day or two (have I mentioned that I read at a snail's pace?). I'm also reading an older book: The Know-It All by A.J. Jacobs. You may remember this book: he committed to reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z. I'm enjoying this book, but I'm not in any rush to finish it. It's a great book to read in fits and starts because it's broken into "entries."

Both of these books are non-fiction, informational type books; I'm still in a fiction rut. I keep looking at the big stack of graphic novels next to my bed. So here's what I'm going to do. As a birthday present to myself (yes, I'm a year older), I'm going on a one-month graphic novel reading spree. I embarrassed to say that there are still several classic graphic novels I've never read (Persepolis, Blankets, Maus, V for Vendetta). I want to read those, plus a few superhero tales. I hope it will be a palate-cleansing (thanks to Laura for the reminder of how necessary this is). I'm not saying graphic novels are any less worthy than traditional prose novels. It's just going to be a nice block of something different! And, I'm not ruling out any "regular" novels... if something comes along that I absolutely must read now, I will.

Helping me fill out the TBR list for the month ahead is a new book I just got: 500 Essential Graphic Novels: The Ultimate Guide. I've tagged several things I want to check out. I even found a bunch of the more obscure ones in my local library system and they are on their way to my local branch as we speak!

Now, on to that giveaway I mentioned... I have an extra copy of 500 Essential Graphic Novels that I'd love to send to a fellow graphic novel fan or to someone who's not a fan yet, but wants to dive in. Everyone who leaves a comment on this post will be entered to win. On September 1st I will post a comment here announcing the winner, so be sure to check back then! (If, for some reason, you want to weigh in on this subject, but don't want to be entered into the giveaway, note that in your comment.)

So, what genre of book cleanses your reading palate?
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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, Random House hardcover, $25.00, ISBN 9781400064281

The Know-It All by A. J. Jacobs, Simon & Schuster trade paperback, $15.00, ISBN 9780743250627

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Pantheon trade paperback, $12.95, ISBN 9780375714573

Blankets by Craig Thompson, Top Shelf trade paperback, $29.95, ISBN 9781891830433

Maus 2 volume boxed set by Art Spiegelman, Pantheon trade paperback, $29.90, ISBN 9780679748403

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, DC Comics trade paperback, $19.99, ISBN 9780930289522

500 Essential Graphic Novels  by Gene Kannenberg, Jr., Collins Design trade paperback, ISBN 9780061474514

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

Podcast, Episode 11: Clueing You In

Books on the Nightstand, Episode 11 (17:57)

(You can listen by using the player above. If you're using Internet Explorer, click twice to listen. If your browser does not support javascript, you won't see the player; click the link below the player to listen, or right-click to download the episode. If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the player at the bottom of the message, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to listen)

Today's show is all about mysteries.

• First, we solve a common mystery: is that book a mystery, or is it suspense?
  
• Next, we talk about three great mysteries that will keep you guessing:
• Black and White and Dead All Over by John Darnton is set in the newspaper world, and teams up a young cop with a rebellious reporter to find out who killed a high-powered editor.
• In Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, a newspaper reporter must return to her hometown to write about the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of another; meanwhile, she must face some demons from her past and dig up some family secrets.
• Mind's Eye is the first book in Hakan Nesser's series featuring Chief Inspector Van Veeteren. One morning, Janek Mitter wakes up surrounded by empty wine bottles, and finds his wife dead in the bathtub. Did he murder her? Van Veeteren is on the case ...

Lastly, two new books we can't wait for you to read: Tethered by Amy MacKinnon, and Still Waters by Nigel McCrery. Listen in to hear why you should search out these new mysteries.

Please share your thoughts about this episode with us in the comments. Do you make a distinction between mystery and suspense? Tell us about some of your favorite mysteries. We'll also be talking about these topics over on the Books on the Nightstand group at Good Reads -- it's free to join; please come say hello!

photo credit:Jay Heaviside

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Wherever possible, titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

Black and White and Dead All Over by John Darnton, Knopf hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 9780307267528

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Crown trade paperback, $14.00, ISBN 9780307341556

Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser, Pantheon hardcover, $22.95, ISBN 9780375425035

Tethered by Amy MacKinnon, Shaye Areheart hardcover, $24.00, ISBN 9780307408969

Still Waters by Nigel McCrery, Knopf hardcover, $23.95, ISBN 9780307377036

(all information is the U.S. editions)

Yes, I'm trying to be sticky

Today I am recommending a book that everybody can use. If you are alive, you need water. If you communicate, you need this book.

Whether you are a teacher, a parent, an employee, or the CEO of a corporation, you need to read this book.

Of the 42 books I've read so far this year, Made to Stick is the most useful. My copy has several dog-eared corners, and a bunch of purple Post-It notes sticking out of the top.

I bet you try to peel

First, the cover of the book. I defy you NOT to try and remove the tape. It looks and feels like there really is a piece of duct tape on the jacket. Whenever I set this book down on the table, one of my kids starts playing with it. It's the Pat the Bunny of business books.

So do you want to know what it's about?

What makes ideas "sticky"? Why do we all know the story about the man who woke up in a hotel bathtub filled with ice to find out that his kidney had been stolen? How do you get people to go along with your ideas? The Heaths describe the 6 traits that you can use to help people grasp what you want them to know or to do what you want them to do.

Use it on your kids

You'll probably find this in the business section of your bookstore. While there are immediate applications for people who do presentations and write papers, I see a lot of value in this book for parents and teachers. It's prescriptive -- there are specific things that you can do immediately to implement the ideas in this book. When I help my daughter with her homework, I am often struggling for ways to explain a concept that she doesn't understand. Now that I've read this book, I think I have the ammunition to better help her. I plan to use the ideas in this book to make "you must clean your room" into a sticky idea. I'll let you know how it goes.

Did I mention that it's fun and entertaining?

I know, you think business books are dull and boring. I used to think that, too. But lately there has been a movement to publish business books that people will actually want to read -- think Freakonomics, The Tipping Point, anything by Seth Godin. And to that end, I am happy to say that Made to Stick can be placed on that list. I even curled up with this book at bedtime -- it's that engaging.

What I want you to do

I want you to read this book. (Chip and Dan say that concreteness helps to make an idea sticky).

If you still feel that you need more information, visit the book's website to learn more about the authors, read their blog, and see what other people have said about it.

Then, go to your bookstore, get it from your library, borrow it from a friend. Read it. Then tell someone else about it. And see if you can do it in a way that is sticky.

If you've already read it, or have anything to add, please leave a comment here. I'd love to know what you think.

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, Random House hardcover, $25.00, ISBN 9781400064281

(all information is the U.S. editions)

Reader's Block

reader's block (rē'dərz blŏk) - n. 1. a usually temporary condition in which a reader finds it impossible to get into a new book. This affliction is most common after the reader finishes a book they loved.             see also: nothing stacks up.

 

I've got a problem, and I'm guessing you can probably figure out what it is from the title of this post and the handy definition I've included. I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and was absolutely blown away by it. It will probably end up being in my Top 2 or 3 for the year. (Seriously, go out and read it right now.) I followed that up with an amazing memoir that Bantam Books will publish in January 2009 (more on that as the date gets closer). That one-two punch of wonderful books has so spoiled me that nothing else is holding my attention.

This is a common problem for me and is the price I pay for reading a great book. It in no way says anything about the quality of the books that come after. They just suffer by proximity. So, I skim, trying lots of different books.

I actually just reorganized several of my precariously leaning piles of books and came away with 8 possible contenders for the position of "next book." Happily, I also came away with 4 books to donate to my local library. I have finally accepted that I'll never read them. Before any of you gasp and say, "You're giving away books you haven't read?!" don't worry. I've still got around 3000 to choose from...

I'll let you all know of any of the 8 contenders qualify!
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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski, Ecco Hardcover, $25.95, 978-0-06-137422-7

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

When quiet is a good thing

You may have been thinking that it's been a little quiet around here in recent days -- and you'd be right. Part of our summer tradition is the week that my daughters get to spend at their grandmother's house, no parents in site. They love it ... and so do I. My husband and I got to spend some quality time together, had lovely late dinners, heard some great live music ... and I got lots of reading time.

Yes, I have had some delicious, quality time with a wonderful book. It won't be out until 2009, and I can't tell you what it is quite yet. And I'm less than halfway through, but I already know that it will be a favorite book of 2009. I promise I will spill the beans as soon as I can.

In the meantime, I wanted to take a minute to tell you about the Indie Next list. Michael referred to it a few times in our latest podcast episode, and I neglected to link to it in the show notes.

Indie Next is a monthly list of books that have been recommended by independent booksellers across the United States. Booksellers submit their nominations along with a short writeup, and the top books make it onto the monthly list. The #1 book for August is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Also appearing on this month's list: The 19th Wife, and The Gargoyle (all books that we talked about in our last podcast), along with many more books that are worthy of your consideration. One that I have in my to be read pile is The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, which has been getting a lot of buzz on book blogs.

So check out the list and see what many of our favorite independent bookseller friends are recommending. I'll be back when I finish this amazing book that I can't yet tell you about.

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary An Shaffer and Annie Barrows, Dial Press hardcover, $22.00, ISBN 9780385340991
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, Random House hardcover, $26.00, ISBN 9781400063970
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, Doubleday hardcover, $25.95, ISBN 9780385524940
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, Harper Collins hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 9780061624766

(all information is the U.S. editions)