Guess who's back? Back again? (It's us doing Odds & Ends, not Eminem, I'm sorry to say.) It would be ridiculously pointless for us to try to share fun news and links from the entire time we've been on O & E hiatus so everything that follows will be from the past week.
The biggest news of the past week is that Barnes & Noble CEO, William Lynch, resigned. Commentators seem to feel that this is a result of the failure of the Nook Media strategy, which Lynch headed up. I love the prices over at Amazon as much as the next reader but we need competition and I truly hope that however Barnes & Noble restructures their company or strategies in the coming months is effective. I am still mourning the loss of Borders. Speaking of the rise of digital media, Apple was found guilty of ebook price fixing this week in that case that has been going on for months and months. All the publishers involved in the case settled earlier and the damages Apple will be assessed have not yet been determined, but all parties will be forbidden from using any agency pricing agreements for two years. An Apple spokesperson said they will be appealing the decision.
The biggest news of the past week is that Barnes & Noble CEO, William Lynch, resigned. Commentators seem to feel that this is a result of the failure of the Nook Media strategy, which Lynch headed up. I love the prices over at Amazon as much as the next reader but we need competition and I truly hope that however Barnes & Noble restructures their company or strategies in the coming months is effective. I am still mourning the loss of Borders. Speaking of the rise of digital media, Apple was found guilty of ebook price fixing this week in that case that has been going on for months and months. All the publishers involved in the case settled earlier and the damages Apple will be assessed have not yet been determined, but all parties will be forbidden from using any agency pricing agreements for two years. An Apple spokesperson said they will be appealing the decision.
Lots of film news this week. That virginal hunk in Outlander by Diana Gabaldon has been cast for the television series, which is set to air 16 episodes on Starz in 2014. Sam Heughan will be playing Jamie Fraser and Gabaldon seems to be happy with that casting. The role of Claire is still up in the air but we'll keep you updated when that news is finalized. What do you think of the Jamie casting choice? We're happy he's at least Scottish. Also exciting is the news that Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone director Guillermo del Toro has commissioned Charlie Kaufman to write a screenplay to adapt the Kurt Vonnegut classic, Slaughterhouse-Five. By the way, if you haven't seen The Devil's Backbone and you like you be creeped out, go ahead and watch that movie alone in the dark and then come back and tell me if you kept your eyes open the whole time. The Weinstein Company is making a film version of Lois Lowry's The Giver, with Jeff Bridges as the outgoing Receiver and the main character will be played by Aussie actor Brenton Thwaites. In other YA movie news, were you aware that they already made a movie of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak? I wasn't! It's coming out in November. Arguably this summer's biggest literary hit, Gone Girl, will be directed by David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Se7en) and star Ben Affleck as Nick. Fun fact: We get several hits daily from people Googling "Did Nick kill Amy in Gone Girl?" And in lighter movie news, the first trailer for the rom-com Austenland, based on the novel of the same name by Shannon Hale, was released this week. Here it is:
It's this girl's opinion that it looks pretty cheesy but also fun and I really have no shame in admitting that I'll probably go see it. Will you? I think a lot of the demographic planning to see this movie will non-ironically enjoy this creepy Mr. Darcy statue that was erected in London's Hyde Park. Don't worry, it's glorious 12-feet of awkwardness will find a permanent home in Cheshire, where the movie was filmed. Let's all take a moment to realize that out there, somewhere in the world, someone got paid to go to work to make a huge molded Colin Firth. I wonder if he/she/they had brainstorming discussions about such heated topics as the length of his sideburns and just how low his v-neck peasant top should go. Speaking of hilarious jobs, Google has done all the muggles of the world a favor by adding Diagon Alley to its Street View. This next bit is absolutely unrelated to books, but did you know that if you zoom enough on Google Maps, you can see exactly which aisles are which at Home Depot?
All three of us Readventurers are newly fanatical about graphic novels so it makes us happy to report that comic and graphic novel sales are up 15% in the past year and remaining steady. This is so exciting because it will hopefully translate to more being published and a wider variety of stories. Amazon, of course, has jumped on the bandwagon by opening Jet City Comics, their own comics/graphic novel imprint, which will release comics from Neal Stephenson, George R.R. Martin, and Hugh Howey, among others. New to graphic novels but grew up in the 80s or 90s? Well, NBC Universal and Lion Forge Comics have teamed up to release graphic novel versions of several shows from that era--namely Saved by the Bell, Knight Rider, Punky Brewster, Miami Vice, and Airwolf--so that might be a good place to start. But seriously, if you need a recommendation for a graphic novel, just ask! We've also read a huge number of short stories lately so we're excited to mention that the 2013 PEN Literary Awards shortlists were announced this week. I hope to get my hands on each of the nominated shorts:
All three of us Readventurers are newly fanatical about graphic novels so it makes us happy to report that comic and graphic novel sales are up 15% in the past year and remaining steady. This is so exciting because it will hopefully translate to more being published and a wider variety of stories. Amazon, of course, has jumped on the bandwagon by opening Jet City Comics, their own comics/graphic novel imprint, which will release comics from Neal Stephenson, George R.R. Martin, and Hugh Howey, among others. New to graphic novels but grew up in the 80s or 90s? Well, NBC Universal and Lion Forge Comics have teamed up to release graphic novel versions of several shows from that era--namely Saved by the Bell, Knight Rider, Punky Brewster, Miami Vice, and Airwolf--so that might be a good place to start. But seriously, if you need a recommendation for a graphic novel, just ask! We've also read a huge number of short stories lately so we're excited to mention that the 2013 PEN Literary Awards shortlists were announced this week. I hope to get my hands on each of the nominated shorts:
A Land More Kind Than Home (William Morrow), Wiley Cash
A Naked Singularity (University of Chicago Press), Sergio de la Pava
My Only Wife (Dzanc Books), Jac Jemc
Happiness Is a Chemical in the Brain (W.W. Norton & Co.), Lucia Perillo
Battleborn (Riverhead Books), Claire Vaye Watkins
A Naked Singularity (University of Chicago Press), Sergio de la Pava
My Only Wife (Dzanc Books), Jac Jemc
Happiness Is a Chemical in the Brain (W.W. Norton & Co.), Lucia Perillo
Battleborn (Riverhead Books), Claire Vaye Watkins
A group called Geeks OUT is calling for people to boycott Ender's Game, which comes out on November 1st. The reasoning, it will come as no surprise to find out, is author Orson Scott Card's notorious and public anti-gay stance. Card issued a public statement on the matter, saying,
Ender’s Game is set more than a century in the future and has nothing to do with political issues that did not exist when the book was written in 1984.
With the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot. The Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution will, sooner or later, give legal force in every state to any marriage contract recognized by any other state.
Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute.
LOL, my sides. First, potential boycotters don't care whether the political issues are in the book or in the movie, they care whether millions of people will go consume a product whose profits will go into the pockets of a person who actively advocates against their civil rights. Secondly, very few issues are ever "moot," and I love the idea that OSC claims that all is said and done on the matter. Remember when every single Supreme Court decision was still 100% valid and never reinterpreted? Yeah, neither do I. But very well then, I guess we can take that to mean that spending even one dollar of his future earnings on any campaign, lobby, etc. that would try to overturn the ruling won't be happening since the issue is moot and doing so would be pointless. By the by, here is Lionsgate's public statement on the matter.
Here's a few extra notable links from the week:
Here's a few extra notable links from the week:
- A New York school district sent home an error-riddled summer reading list.
- An Indian author was given a 1.7 million dollar advance in 1993. He’s being asked to give it back after not producing the book.
- A new Humble Bundle of ebooks was released! You can buy it here, and it includes works from authors including Lois McMaster Bujold, Cory Doctorow, and Peter S. Beagle, who did an AMA on Reddit to promote it.
- A rare collection of over 10,000 African American historical books, films, etc. was thrown out in Highland Park, Michigan. The books were found and people are now protesting the school board.
