Posts made in April, 2009
Orange Prize for Fiction 2009 shortlist announced
The Orange Prize for Fiction has announced its shortlist! They are:
- Scottsboro, Ellen Feldman
- The Wilderness, Samantha Harvey
- The Invention of Everything Else, Samantha Hunt
- Molly Fox’s Birthday, Deirdre Madden
- Home, Marilynne Robinson
- Burnt Shadows, Kamila Shamsie
Go here.
Read MoreDan Brown to Publish New Novel
Dan Brown, undoubtedly the most discussed of all authors in recent times (at least in the circles that we swim in anyway), is slated to publish his long-awaited novel, The Lost Symbol. The novel is a sequel to The Da Vinci Code, and from the article:
Inevitably, it involves a global cult and a race against time to unlock a secret formula.
Details of the plot are likely to remain fiercely guarded until much nearer the publication date of September 15, but intrigue centres on whether Brown’s vast and conspiracy-crazed international fanbase can divine any clues about the novel from its title: The Lost Symbol.
Also, something to send fans screaming in delight, or detractors screaming in anguish for sullying bookstores with future copies of the book:
Jason Kaufman, Brown’s US editor, said: “From the first page, Dan’s readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. The Lost Symbol is full of surprises.”
Read about it in the Times here.
Btw, I loved this quote from the Times:
His books have antagonised Christian groups and upset sensitive lovers of fine English prose but their protests have been drowned out by record-breaking sales.
Absolutely neutral, that one. 
RIP, JG Ballard
Various sources around the internet reported on the death of JG Ballard, author of books such as Empire of the Sun and Crash.
Such was his influence that the adjective ‘Ballardian’ has made it to the Collins English Dictionary:
defined as “resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in J. G. Ballard’s novels and stories, especially dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments”
Read it from BBC here.
Update: Boingboing has a host of links related to Ballard’s death. Go here.
Read MoreBritish Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Award winners announced!
The British Science Fiction Association has announced the winners of their annual BSFA Awards.
They are:
- Best Novel: The Night Sessions, Ken MacLeod
- Best Short Fiction: “Exhalation”, Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
- Best Non-Fiction: Rhetorics of Fantasy, Farah Mendlesohn
- Best Artwork: Cover of Subterfuge (ed. Ian Whates), Andy Bigwood
(Thanks to Science Fiction Awards Watch)
Read MoreBookbabble Episode 31: Do Critics and Reviews Influence Our Reading
Bookbabble Episode 31: Do Critics and Reviews Influence Our Reading
Recorded 11 April 2009
Babblers: Bjorn, Gem, Donny
Synopsis:
The babblers talk about reviews, regardless of whether they are from well-known, highly regarded professional critics or your average blogger. What is the difference between the two, and how either affects our reading selection.
Oh, and Gem didn’t like Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Show Length: 59:25 mins
Authors mentioned:
Links:
- Harold Bloom (Wikipedia)
- Michiko Kakutani (Wikipedia)
- Palimpsest Forum
- World Literature Forum
- Literary Saloon
- Dagensbok
Download the show here.
Read More