Monday, March 29, 2010

2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction . . .

goes to Sherman Alexie for War Dances - "a collection of stories on the themes of love, betrayal, familial relationships, race, and class." I didn't really enjoy his 2003 collection of short stories Ten Little Indians. Is this one worth a try?

A challenge?

Could I read all of the selections and vote? Time is tight!

The Lost Man Booker prize of 1970

Would I want to?

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Top Selling Hard Covers of 2009

Publisher's Weekly has published a list of the top-selling books of 2009.

Top 5 Fiction

The Lost Symbol: A Novel by Dan Brown (Doubleday)
The Associate: A Novel by John Grisham (Doubleday)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn)
I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
Ford County by John Grisham (Doubleday)

Top 5 Non-fiction

Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin (Harper)
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think about Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey (Harper)
Arguing with Idiots: Hoe to Stop Small Minds and Big Government by Glenn Beck (Threshold)
Liberty & Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin
True Compass: A Memoir by Edward M. Kennedy (Twelve)

How many of these have you read? I have only read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, which I very much enjoyed.