Many thanks to Mr. Villarreal's 5th grade class from Chabot Elementary School (also known as "The Crazy Bald Guy Clones") for all their wonderful book reviews. Each student wrote a recommendation for a book they read this past year and helped us build a "School's-Out-For-The-Summer" Book Review display in our Oakland store. The class visited us last week to check out their handiwork--a great time was had by all!
The display will be up all month. Come by and see what all the hip kids are reading. |
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Short Story Month might be over, but that doesn't make short fiction any less sweet. Check out these links and keep up with shorts all year round. 1. Glimmer Train: Glimmer Train started in 1990 to publish great literary fiction by established and emerging short-story writers. They've launched many a career by paying unknown authors for their unsolicited stories. Subscribe. Submit. 2. HOOT: Hoot is a miniature literary review, featuring artwork, poetry, quotes, and works of fiction under 150 words on a postcard. You get a whole year's subscription for just $14. Order it for yourself or send it to a friend! 3. NYC Midnight: This organization hosts competitions for filmmakers, playwrights, and all manner of storyteller (they just finished their 2012 Short Story Writing Comp)--challenging them to produce original work under constraints of time and topic. The competition is fierce and the payout is pretty decent. Enter. 4. Coppyblogger: Here are the results of the Twitter Writing Contest, a challenge to tell a whole story in just 140 characters. If you have the gift of Tweet, consider entering next year. 5. Best American: You can scour the internet for great short stories, or you can put your trust in the people who do that sort of thing for a living. Last year's The Best American Short Stories , edited by Geraldine Brooks, is particularly stunning, featuring authors who are both masters and innovators. 6. The New Yorker: The other old stand-by, of course, is The New Yorker...and Harper's, and The Atlantic, etc...magazines with a commitment to great writing, the support of great authors, and the health of the literary community. Read this story from Maile Meloy and then renew your subscription. |
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World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. This year, it saw tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks. Below are some videos starring a few of the many people who came through to World Book Night at all three DIESEL Bookstores. Check 'em out! |
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Of all the arbitrarily assigned, date-oriented celebration-periods, Short Story Month is my favorite (except Talk-Like-A-Pirate-Day, which I think goes without saying). This is the month where we celebrate the short and sweet; those authors who possess great economy with words; those who waste not and, therefore, leave us wanting for nothing. I will not sully the concise spirit of Sho-Sto-Mo (better abbrv. forthcoming) by rambling on--instead I will share with you two of my favorite short-short stories: the first from Auguston Monterros and the second from Ernest Hemingway.
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For the month of April, we have created a video poem for each day. Spread the word and, most importantly, enjoy!
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1. Booksculpting. I recently culled a few bags of books from my collection; call it Spring Cleaning. They're now sitting by the front door, watching me as I come and go, accusing. It's very uncomfortable. I try to tell them that they're going to good homes--to be loved by good, careful readers. They say: "We do not want the mediocrity of the home-bookshelf. We want immortality!" So maybe I'll send them to Alicia Martin for one of her book installations. Books can be so pushy... especially fiction.
2. Fiction Addiction. "Brain scans are revealing what happens in our heads when we read a detailed description, an evocative metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters. Stories, this research is showing, stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life." Read the rest of this op-ed from the New York Times, which offers scientific evidence that reading fiction makes us better human beings.
3. The Conversational Stylings of Evison and Mohr. Jonathan Evision, author of West of Here, and Joshua Mohr, author of Damascus, came to Diesel, Oakland for a chat and I caught it on film at a rather odd angle. They cover such sundry topics as bodybuilding, Bigfoot hunting, and the health benefits of acid, so, maybe the camera angle is appropriate, I don't know.
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The staff over at Algonquin Books has picked seven of their favorite titles from past years and, until March 25th, are offering the e-book format for only $1.99. And did you know that you can buy your e-books through DIESEL, Online? Look at our list of all seven titles HERE.
Bonus: Two of my favorite Algonquin titles happen to be on the list. For non-fiction, I'd recommend Robert Goolrick’s memoir, The End of the World as We Know It. And, for fiction, The Resurrectionist by Jack O’Connell.
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2. Slate's Book Review. The folks over at Slate noticed that many news sources were cutting down on book coverage so, to be contrary, they decided to devote their home page to book reviews for the first weekend of every month. With its attention to diverse subject matter and reputation for quick, pithy reporting, I turn to Slate for 90% of my information anyhow. This is just going to make my morning web-surfing easier. Read more.
3. Author Drop-Ins. Sometimes authors stop by to sign books for us. Sometimes I embarrass them by taking photos. Left, Matt Ruff signing The Mirage and Richard Mason, right, with History of a Pleasure Seeker.
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1. Litstache. Authors have long been purveyors of style, one of the many responsibilities of those who cultivate culture. I would like to share a recent feature from HuffPo, which celebrates the facial hair stylings of several great authors. My personal favorite is William Faulkner's mustache (right), but check out the whole 
March: Time to fill out your brackets and trash-talk with co-workers. TIme to squish a you-shaped imprint in your side of the couch. Time to practice the rhythm of team cheer and the nimble acrobatics of creative insult. Time to wear that sweatband at the breakfast table. That's because it is time, once again, for The Tournament of Books! (What? Is there some other nation-wide competition in March?) You can (and should) print your own bracket HERE And these are your champions: Nathacha Appanah - The Last Brother All of these titles are available for purchase online through DIESEL or in any of our three locations! We'll be reporting on the tournament all month and would love to hear your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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