I seem to be behind the Grammar Girl curve. I recently discovered GG’s straight-forward advice on correct construction when I googled my bête noir, “affect vs. effect.” Turns out GG is one of iTunes’s 100 most popular podcasters (she’s at #8 today, right up there with This American Life, Dilbert Annimated Cartoons and Shark Week).

As a podcaster, she was covered by the New York Times (a fascinating story about her releasing a quickie audiobook to take advantage of an appearance on Oprah}.

She recently made the move to old media and her book just moved up to #40 on Amazon. I can see why, her tone is perfect for those who wish to be grammatically correct; she has high standards but is forgiving of us lesser mortals.

Unfortunately, some of you have not been listening to GG; several libraries own neither the book nor the audio, which would make Grammar Girl sad. For those that do have GG on order, reserves are reaching a level that would make her smile.

Fogarty’s book tour has been generating press coverage, including The Arizona Repulic (her home town is Gilbert, AZ), and The Atlanta Journal Constitution (she appeared at the Decatur GA Public Library).

Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Mignon Fogarty

• Paperback: $14.00
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (July 8, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0805088318
• ISBN-13: 978-0805088311

On today’s show, Oprah will launch, the “O Ambassadors” program.

The program was created in conjunction with the Free the Children organization, a network of children helping children. Brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger began the organization in 1995. Their 2006 book, Me to We, released earlier this year in paperback, explains the brothers’ philosophy of volunteerism and has been featured on the show before, putting it on the New York Times bestseller list for one week last year. The book’s current Amazon sales rank is #195,319 (we’ll check in after the show airs, to track its rise).

Coincidentally, an article in today’s New York Times notes that Oprah’s ratings have declined and suggests that “her crown is beginning to look a bit tarnished.” Oprah’s people vehemently deny this (she was traveling in South Africa last week and was unavailable for comment). The president of Harpo Productions says, “Any drop in her television ratings can be traced to general weakness in the overall television audience.” The article acknowledges that Oprah still is a major influence on book sales. Her latest book club pick, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle:

sold faster than any of the previous 60 selections of “Oprah’s Book Club.” But it also has attracted some criticism for Ms. Winfrey on her Web site, where some of her fans have said that the book’s spiritualist leanings go against Christian doctrine.

The article notes that, among other projects, Oprah is planning a spinoff talk show featuring Dr. Mehmet Oz (co-author of You: The Owners Manual and other titles in the “You” series) to launch in 2009.

Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World

Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger

• Paperback: $14.00
• Publisher: Fireside; Reprint edition (March 25, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0743294513
• ISBN-13: 978-0743294515

• Audio CD: Abridged, $29.95
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; (November 28, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 0743566610
• ISBN-13: 978-0743566612

Just appearing on the Amazon bestseller list at #25 earlier today (it’s now at #39) is the new edition of Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix. None of the libraries I checked have it on order. All of them have the previous 2001 edition and some are showing holds on those copies.

Getting the Love You Want, 20th Anniversary Edition: A Guide for Couples
by Harville Hendrix

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; Revised and Updated edition (December 26, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0805087001
• ISBN-13: 978-0805087000

• Audio CD: Unabridged, $44.95
• Reader: Jack Garrett
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Dec., 2007)
• ISBN-10: 1-4272-0240-0
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4272-0240-6

Below is the publisher’s description of the new edition:

The 20th anniversary edition contains extensive revisions to this groundbreaking book, with a new chapter, new exercises, and a foreword detailing Dr. Hendrix’s updated philosophy for eliminating all negativity from couples’ daily interactions, allowing readers of the 2008 edition to benefit from his ongoing discoveries during his last two decades of work.

While we’re waiting for official news that we’re in a recession, the Amazon bestseller list shows that Americans are trying to solve their own economic crises. Three of the titles in the top 6 offer ways to make money in today’s economy.

Hitting the list at #1 today:

Multi-Family Millions: How Anyone Can Reposition Apartments for Big Profits

by David Lindahl (Author)

• Hardcover: $27.95
• Publisher: Wiley (April 25, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0470267607
• ISBN-13: 978-047026760

Lindahl does seminars on real estate investing. Wonder what his advice is on getting loans to buy those apartment buildings? The book has not been reveiwed pre-pub and is not owned in libraries.

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At #4 (went on at #2 last Thursday and has stayed in the top 5)

The One Minute Entrepreneur: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business

by Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson, Ethan Willis

• Hardcover: $19.95
• Publisher: Doubleday Business (April 29, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0385526024
• ISBN-13: 978-0385526029

• Audio CD: Unabridged $19.95
  
• Publisher: Random House (April 29, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0739329057
• ISBN-13: 978-0739329054

The One-Minute Entrepreneur is owned in small quantities in the libraries I checked.

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#6 (went on at #15 earlier today)

The Demise of the Dollar…And Why It’s Even Better for Your Investments

by Addison Wiggin

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; Rev Upd edition (April 4, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0470287241
• ISBN-13: 978-0470287248

This new edition of the 2005 title is not owned in the libraries I checked, but they have the previous edition. Wiggin is being quoted in media coverage of the falling dollar.

It’s common to parse a first novel to see if it’s based on the author’s life. Now it seems we have to do the same with memoirs. Today’s New York Times reports that Margaret Jones has admitted that her memoir of life as a gang member, Love and Consequences, is fabricated.

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Riverhead/Penguin (February 28, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1594489777
• ISBN-13: 978-1594489778

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged; Unabridged edition (February 28, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 1423360575
• ISBN-13: 978-1423360575

The book received a starred review in LJ (no fault there; it’s not up to the reviewer to determine if a memoir is what it purports to be). The review said “This conversationally written, exquisitely detailed book is as close to a living experience of the American ghetto as one can get.” Most libraries have both the book and the audiobook, from Brilliance, on order. Riverhead/Penguin is recalling the book and canceling the author’s book tour.

The NY Times gave the book a strong review and profiled the author last Thursday. The Times reports that the author’s sister saw the article and called publisher with the news that Jones (real name: Seltzer) did not grow up in a gang, but with her family in a middle-class section of LA.

Libraries that have received the book may be wondering if they have to return it. This isn’t quite like a meat recall. While the publisher might prefer that the book is not in circulation, libraries who hang on to it are not risking law suits.