The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling is OUT, in case you haven't noticed the intense media coverage of this event. The reviews so far have been pretty meh - both from professional critics and regular reviewers who complain about poor quality and high prices ($17.99!) of the ebook version and are also disenchanted by the novel's very dark and crass content. Entertainment Weekly helpfully supplies examples of crassness here, proving that the intended audience of Harry Potter books should definitely stay away from Rowling's latest.
Here you can read some more additional info from J.K. Rowling herself. The most interesting part of this post is that the auth0r considered publishing her adult novel under a pseudonym, but then changed her mind, saying - “But in some ways I think it’s braver to do it like this." However, here is a question, would The Casual Vacancy have received as much attention and, let's be frank here, a sure bestselling status without Rowling's name attached to the project? Bravery vs. definite financial success? Here is some food for thought.
In other news, book bloggers are ruining LITERATURE (and here we thought that we, adult YA- and genre fic- lovers, have ruined literature for everyone already), as lamented by Booker head judge and proud reader of 20 books a year, Peter Stothard. One might wonder, why is Mr. Stothard so concerned? It's not like we are taking bread out of his mouth reviewing the high-brow lit that he seems to cherish. Surely people interested in shortlisted Man Bookers and Pulitzers know not to check The Readventurer for opinions? Plus, someone has to give attention to the "low-brow," readable books he and people like him would never touch, right?
Positions such as Stothard's always bring to light the ever-going-on debate about worthiness of literary fiction and worthlessness of any genre fiction (and, consequently, the importance of the professional criticism of literary fiction over pedestrian reviewing of everything else). A few articles this week touched upon various aspects of this issue of literary snobbishness:
Book View Cafe had not one, but two articles that explore the relationship between literary and genre fiction:
“Oh, but *I* write literature . . .” (why is literary considered to be better than any genre fiction? when does "literary" become just another genre category? and does "literary" categorization guarantee longevity in literary history?) and Distinguishing Between Literary and Other Genres (what makes a book "literary" and why?)
Over at Salon Jeffrey Eugenides, a beloved darling of literary critics, gave an interview in which he briskly dismissed any concerns of gender bias in the world of literature. NPR cleverly dissects his responses on the subject here.
In random news, Penguin sued several prominent authors who failed to deliver books for which they received hefty contractual advances. It's an interesting article and it can get one thinking - with quite a few YA authors receiving massive 6- and 7-figure advances these days, what happens if their novels just don't sell as well as expected? Do the authors have to return their advances?
Here you can read some more additional info from J.K. Rowling herself. The most interesting part of this post is that the auth0r considered publishing her adult novel under a pseudonym, but then changed her mind, saying - “But in some ways I think it’s braver to do it like this." However, here is a question, would The Casual Vacancy have received as much attention and, let's be frank here, a sure bestselling status without Rowling's name attached to the project? Bravery vs. definite financial success? Here is some food for thought.
In other news, book bloggers are ruining LITERATURE (and here we thought that we, adult YA- and genre fic- lovers, have ruined literature for everyone already), as lamented by Booker head judge and proud reader of 20 books a year, Peter Stothard. One might wonder, why is Mr. Stothard so concerned? It's not like we are taking bread out of his mouth reviewing the high-brow lit that he seems to cherish. Surely people interested in shortlisted Man Bookers and Pulitzers know not to check The Readventurer for opinions? Plus, someone has to give attention to the "low-brow," readable books he and people like him would never touch, right?
Positions such as Stothard's always bring to light the ever-going-on debate about worthiness of literary fiction and worthlessness of any genre fiction (and, consequently, the importance of the professional criticism of literary fiction over pedestrian reviewing of everything else). A few articles this week touched upon various aspects of this issue of literary snobbishness:
Book View Cafe had not one, but two articles that explore the relationship between literary and genre fiction:
“Oh, but *I* write literature . . .” (why is literary considered to be better than any genre fiction? when does "literary" become just another genre category? and does "literary" categorization guarantee longevity in literary history?) and Distinguishing Between Literary and Other Genres (what makes a book "literary" and why?)
Over at Salon Jeffrey Eugenides, a beloved darling of literary critics, gave an interview in which he briskly dismissed any concerns of gender bias in the world of literature. NPR cleverly dissects his responses on the subject here.
In random news, Penguin sued several prominent authors who failed to deliver books for which they received hefty contractual advances. It's an interesting article and it can get one thinking - with quite a few YA authors receiving massive 6- and 7-figure advances these days, what happens if their novels just don't sell as well as expected? Do the authors have to return their advances?
As you know, Flannery and Catie and very fond of attending and covering various author events, but how do authors feel about participating in such events? An interesting perspective here. Poor authors!
And, in conclusion, a couple of links about our favorite authors:
Stephanie Perkins (cryptically) answers questions about her much anticipated third novel Isla and the Happily Ever After.
EW reveals the cover and offers an excerpt from Gayle Forman's upcoming Just One Day. If you are lucky, you might be able to snag an eARC of the book on Edelweiss.
And, in conclusion, a couple of links about our favorite authors:
Stephanie Perkins (cryptically) answers questions about her much anticipated third novel Isla and the Happily Ever After.
EW reveals the cover and offers an excerpt from Gayle Forman's upcoming Just One Day. If you are lucky, you might be able to snag an eARC of the book on Edelweiss.
