EarlyWord

The significant change to this week’s NYT Graphic Books Best Seller lists is the arrival of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman Volume 2 at #3 on the Paperback list. The teaming of this particular writer and penciler signal a stellar graphic novel; readers immediately know that a title by the two of them will be popular and, while even great creators have off days, of high quality. Superman, while still in the top pantheon of superheroes, has recently been lagging behind Batman in popularity, and All-Star Superman, free of the dense continuity that keeps new readers away, has been a strong step in bringing Superman back to the forefront.

Morrison and Quitely first paired up to create the praised JLA: Earth 2 graphic novel, astonished readers with the grim, wrenching standlone We3, and then shook up the status quo working on New X-Men, reinvigorating what many saw as a tired parade of expected storylines. They are currently endeavoring to do the same with DC’s Batman and Robin series.

To give you a better sense of Quitely’s distinctive style, we’re running a larger than usual version of the book’s cover.

Many librarians don’t realize how many people contribute to making a graphic novel. There are some creators who do everything themselves, such as Art Spiegelman, Marjane Satrapi, Bryan Lee O’Malley, and R. Crumb (whose Genesis is currently number one on the Hardcover List). Most graphic novels, however, are identifiable by two main creators, the writer and the penciler, with strong contributions from inkers, colorists, letterers, and editors. In this field, it’s equally important to recognize the top-name authors and pencilers; they are the Dan Brown’s and Michael Connelly’s of the format.

Grant Morrison, one of the British invasion of comics authors that also brought in Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, is best known for his work on Batman: Arkham Asylum and various series including Doom Patrol, Justice League of America and the current All-Star Superman. He is hailed as one of the best writers in the business.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition) Grant Morrison Retail Price: $17.99 Paperback: 216 pages Publisher: DC Comics – (2005-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 1401204252 / 9781401204259

Pencilers, as the artists who set the style and tone for the look of a graphic novel, are just as important in a format where art and writing have equal weight in storytelling. Readers used to straight prose think first and often only of the writer, but in graphic novels, the pencilers and other artists involved, from colorist to inker, are invaluable. Their style and layout gain fans just as much as an elegant turn of phrase.

Frank Quitely currently holds a lofty position among the main pencilers, having won four Eisner Awards and one Harvey Award, and has his pick of projects.  He is noted for his inventive and compelling layouts, and while his substantial figures take some getting used to, readers are won over by his obvious skill with pacing, tone, and visual storytelling.

In upcoming posts, we’ll be writing about other important names in the field.

Two stellar reviews brought attention to Mark Mills’ third book, The Information Officer, propelling it to #79 on Amazon’s sales rankings.

The mystery is set in Malta during WWII. The L.A. Times calls it a “…novel so triumphantly old-fashioned, so double-upholstered with the stuff of classics, it reads like the story of Casablanca revisited, like a vanished Graham Greene.”

In the NYT BR, Marilyn Stasio says, “…the sense of immediacy Mark Mills brings to The Information Officer is so intense that this breathtaking novel reads more like a memoir than a wartime thriller.”

And, in fact, the book has its origins in a memoir, as the author reveals,

———————————-

The Information Officer Mark Mills Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Random House – (2010-02-02) ISBN / EAN: 1400068185 / 9781400068180

Blackstone Audio
Read by Robin Sachs; Unabridged

7 Tapes; 1441721259; $65.95
1 MP3CD; 1441721297; $29.95
8 CD; 1441721266; $100.00

Audio and ebook available from OverDrive

Chef Marcus Samuelsson  was born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, and is best know for introducing Swedish cuisine to Americans as the chef at Manhattan’s Aquavit.

In his 2006 book The Soul of a New Cuisine, he explored the cuisines of Africa. Recently, he has become interested in American regional cooking and plans to open a restaurant in Harlem which will focus on fresh local food, as featured in the NYT last month. According to the story, Samuelsson is “trying to become a brand in American popular food culture.”

And, what brands a chef better than a book and TV appearances? Samuelsson will appear on The Early Show (CBS) on Wednesday to talk about his latest book The New American Table.

New American Table Marcus Samuelsson Retail Price: $40.00 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Wiley – (2009-10-26) ISBN / EAN: 047028188X / 9780470281888

Breaking onto the 3/7 NYT Nonfiction Hardcover bestseller list at #15, after two weeks on the extended list, is The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It by Wall Street Journal reporter Scott Patterson

The title refers to quantitative strategists, who employed new financial techniques that made them incredible amounts of money, but also brought about several major meltdowns, including the credit crisis of 2007.

Patterson was interviewed on Fresh Air last month (listen here), along with the “godfather” of quantitative finance, Edward Thorp, who first used the theory to win at blackjack.

The book is also reviewed the current issue of Business Week.

The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It Scott Patterson Retail Price: $27.00 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Crown Business – (2010-02-02) ISBN / EAN: 0307453375 / 9780307453372

Random House Audio; ABR; 9780739385067; $32eBook and Unabridged audio available from OverDrive

Next week is filled with new books about dogs.

One Good Dog Susan Wilson Retail Price: $22.99 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Press – (2010-03-02) ISBN / EAN: 0312571259 / 9780312571252

Macmillan Audio; UNABR; 9781427209238; $22.99
BBC Audio; 9780792770312; $74.95
Audio available from OverDrive

Wilson, known for her romantic fiction, here turns to the love story of an unlikely couple; a man who has fallen off the corporate ladder and a dog from a homeless shelter. The story is told in alternating chapters from each of their points of view. All four prepub reviews were strong, with only Kirkus adding a sour note; “irresistible, if one dimensional.” It’s an Indie Next Pick for March.

————————————-

Love Is the Best Medicine: What Two Dogs Taught One Veterinarian about Hope, Humility, and Everyday Miracles Nicholas Trout Retail Price: $23.99 Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Broadway – (2010-03-02) ISBN / EAN: 0767931971 / 9780767931977

Random House Audio; UNABR; 9780307707420; $30
Audio available from OverDrive

Veterinarian Trout follows up his successful Tell Me Where it Hurts with a story about what he learned from two of his patients.

————————————-

Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills Carol Bradley Retail Price: $21.99 Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Howell Book House – (2010-03-01) ISBN / EAN: 0470447583 / 9780470447581

eBook available from OverDrive

People magazine usually sticks to books from major trade publishers, so something special must have brought their attention to this book by niche pet book publisher Howell (now owned by Wiley). Not only do they review it in the new issue, they give four of four stars to this “scorching investigations of puppy mills,” which follows the rescue of Gracie, a sickly dog that would otherwise have been forced to breed until she died.

—————————–

But cats may have the last laugh; Oscar lands on the 3/7 NYT best seller list at #14 after some media attention, including strong reviews in USA Today and People and even a mention on Saturday Night Live, a sure sign of making it into the pop culture lexicon.

Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat David Dosa Retail Price: $23.99 Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: Hyperion – (2010-02-02) ISBN / EAN: 1401323235 / 9781401323233

Blackstone Audio

5 Tape; 9781441721174;$54.95
1 MP3CD;9781441721211; $29.95
6 CD; 9781441721181;$76.00

Of the books being published next week, the likely sleeper is the debut novel Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. It’s the #1 Indie Next Pick for March. The NYT‘s Janet Maslin was charmed; she already jumped the gun with a review on Monday, and compared it to Alexander McCall Smith.  Following in the tradition of British novels about village life, this book has a modern twist. The gentlemanly Major Pettigrew falls for a lovely Pakistani widow who runs the local tea shop. All four prepub reviews were equally smitten.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand Helen Simonson Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Random House – (2010-03-02) ISBN / EAN: 1400068932 / 9781400068937

Random House Audio; UNABR; 9780307712844; $40
Audio downloadable from OverDrive

Other Fiction with Buzz Coming Next Week

Hardly a sleeper Jodi Picoult’s House Rules is showing it has the highest number of holds of titles coming next week. Libraries have anticipated the demand, so average ratios are less than 2:1. The new issue of People magazine gives it their highest rating, 4 out of a possible 4 stars. Entertainment Weekly is more luke warm, giving it a B. They describe the plot this way,

Emma, a single mother, copes just fine with her teenage sons — until the day Jacob is arrested for the murder of his tutor. Jacob has Asperger’s, and the cops confuse his symptoms — such as avoiding eye contact — with guilt.

They say the book “loses points for ruining what could have been a riveting mystery by establishing Jacob’s innocence at the outset.” However, People says, “Picoult weaves a provocative story in which she explores the painn of trying to comprehend the people we love.”

Entertainment Weekly reserves their highest rating this week, an A-, for Sam Lipsyte’s The Ask, a black comedy about a middle aged man who is fired from his job as a college fund raiser. What resonates is a “dazzling prose style that doesn’t so much run across the page as pick it up and throttle it.” Prepub reviews were mixed; LJ thinks its brilliant writing never comes together as a coherent novel, while Kirkus calls it the author’s most brillant work to date and Booklist starred it.

We love seeing good things happen to good books. Chris Cleave’s Little Bee, just out in trade paper, has landed at #3 on the 3/7 NYT Paperback Best Sellers Trade Fiction list. USA Today includes it in today’s “Book Buzz” column; it enters their new list at #22.

Exactly a year ago today, we posted a heavy holds alert on the book, shortly after its release in hardcover.

USA Today notes that the author, who is from London, is currently on a 20-city tour of the US. One of those stops was Santa Monica, which chose the book as their CityWide Reads program.

It’s a nice full-circle for EarlyWord; Robert Graves, Public Services Librarian at Santa Monica Public Library generously credits EarlyWord as being the first place he heard about the book. Graves says the library was thrilled when they discovered that the trade paperback edition of Little Bee notes that it is the “Santa Monica Citywide Reads 2010 selection.”

The program with Cleave, was held this past Saturday. Graves says it was a “smash hit,” with a capacity crowd of over 150. All week, people have been “coming by in droves to say how much they enjoyed it.” As part of the program, the library produced a staged reading, with two actresses portraying the “Voices of Little Bee.” The library also hosted several book discussions, including a live call-in show on the local CityTV, which aired in both Santa Monica and L.A. (for more details, see Graves’ post on the Citywide Reads site; also check out the library’s beautiful resource guide).

Cleave is clearly an enthusiastic speaker:

And, by the way, libraries are still showing holds on the book, although they’ve added copies since we first wrote about it.

Little Bee Chris Cleave Retail Price: $14.00 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster – (2010-02-16) ISBN / EAN: 1416589643 / 9781416589648

The audio, from Tantor, was on the “Best Audiobook of 2009” lists from both Library Journal and AudioFile.

Trade; 9781400111718; 9 Audio CD; $34.99
Library; 9781400141715; 9 Audio CD; $69.99
MP3; 9781400161713; 1 MP3-CD; $24.99

It’s a book that couldn’t have come at a better time. Marilyn Johnson’s This Book is Overdue is giving the media an opportunity to take a new look at libraries.

Thursday’s USA Today publishes a photo of a Carroll County (MD) librarian setting up for a Rock Band 2 video game session as part of a story about the book. Johnson explains that libraries are crucial to everyone in the current climate, “The middle class is squeezed and needs libraries more, information is multiplying at an alarming rate so we need librarians more, and the jobless are streaming to libraries in droves.”

Carroll County library director Lynn Wheeler adds, “The demand for technology access and the teaching role for librarians will only continue to grow.”

The public is showing strong interest in the book; it rose to #130 on Amazon this week, putting it ahead of some titles on the NYT best seller lists, such as The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova and Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich. Holds are heavy in many libraries; as high as 89 on 7 copies in one large library system.

Publisher HarperCollins has created a “Browse Inside” widget that librarians can add to their sites:

——————————————-

This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All Marilyn Johnson Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Harper – (2010-02-01) ISBN / EAN: 0061431605 / 9780061431609

Audio: Tantor; 2/22/10
Trade: 9781400116348; 7 CD’s; $34.99
Library: 9781400146345; 7 CD’s; $69.99
MP3: 9781400166343; 1 MP3-CD; $24.99

A book by the son of one of the founders of Hamas is making headlines around the world. Published by the Christian press Tyndale House, the book is coming out next week in the U.S. Libraries have not ordered it.

Mosab Hassan Yousef claims in his memoir, Son of Hamas, that he was a top informant for Isreal, and helped prevent dozens of suicide bombings by providing classified information. The author was interviewed in Isreal’s newspaper, Haaretz, on Wednesday, but made no comment to other reporters.

The story is being covered in newspapers internationally, including the  Washington Post, The New York Daily News, The Toronto Star as well as on TV (CNN and ABC News).

The book rose to #14 on Amazon’s U.S. sales rankings.

Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Mosab Hassan Yousef Retail Price: $26.99 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Tyndale House – (2010-03-02) ISBN / EAN: 1414333072 / 9781414333076

Tyndale Audio; 3/2; 9781414333090; $29.99

Coming in March is a ten-part HBO series, The Pacific, the follow-up to Band of Brothers. It debuts on March 14th, continuing on Sundays through May 16. Like Band of Brothers, it is produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

The series interweaves the stories of real-life Marines who were involved in various parts of the war and is based on two first-person accounts; Robert Leckie’s Helmet for My Pillow and Eugene B. Sledge’s With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. A companion book, The Pacific: Hell Was an Ocean Away, is coming out on 3/2.

Official Web site: HBO.com/The-Pacific

———————————

Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific Robert Leckie Retail Price: $16.00 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Bantam – (2010-02-02) ISBN / EAN: 0553593315 / 9780553593310

Trade; 9781400110506; 9 Audio CD; $34.99

Library; 9781400140503; 9 Audio CD; $69.99

MP3; 9781400160501; 1 MP3-CD; $24.99

eBook available from OverDrive

———————————

With the Old Breed E.B. Sledge Retail Price: $16.00 Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Presidio Press – (2007-05-01) ISBN / EAN: 0891419063 / 9780891419068

ebook available from OverDrive

An earlier paperback edition notes in a burst on the cover that it was “used by Ken Burns for The War on PBS.”

———————————

The Pacific Hugh Ambrose Retail Price: $26.95 Hardcover: 512 pages Publisher: NAL Hardcover – (2010-03-02) ISBN / EAN: 045123023X / 9780451230232

———————————

In addition, two new titles have been published about the third major figure in the series, John Basilone.

Hero of the Pacific is the final book by James Brady, known for his books about the military, who died shortly after the book was published. Basilone, “Manila John,” is from Raritan, New Jersey where the library has a small museum honoring Sergeant Basilone. Library Director Mary Paese told Wiley Public Library rep Trudy Lindsey (who writes the newsletter Trudy’s News and Views) that the author did some of his research there. HBO will hold a special screening of the series at the libray.

Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone James Brady Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Wiley – (2010-01-07) ISBN / EAN: 0470379413 / 9780470379417

Oasis Audio; UNABR; 9781598595970; $29.99
Audio and ebook available from OverDrive

———————————

In addition, St. Martins is publishing an authorized biography of Basilone. The  Web site outlines his short and amazing life,

Sgt. John Basilone held off 3,000 Japanese troops at Guadalcanal after his 15-member unit was reduced to three men. At Iwo Jima he single-handedly destroyed an enemy blockhouse, allowing his unit to capture an airfield. Minutes later he was killed by an enemy artillery round.

I’m Staying with My Boys: The Heroic Life of Sgt. John Basilone, USMC Jim Proser, Jerry Cutter Retail Price: $14.99 Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin – (2010-02-02) ISBN / EAN: 0312611447 / 9780312611446

———————————

The series is likely to bring interest in other books about the war in the Pacific. Newmarket is re-releasing one about the sinking of the Japanese battleship, the Yamamato, told from both the American and the Japanese points of view.

A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the Battleship Yamato Russell Spurr Retail Price: $16.95 Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Newmarket Press – (2010-03-09) ISBN / EAN: 1557049130 / 9781557049131

The current edition of my new favorite column, Newsweek‘s “We Read It [So You Don’t Have To]” doesn’t live up to its name. It features The Poisoner’s Handbook and, rather than serving as a substitute for the book, it makes me want to get my hands on it as soon as possible.

In most libraries, that will be a while, since holds are heavy.

By Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer, Deborah Blum, The Poisoner’s Handbook is about the dawn of forensic chemistry in New York City in the 1920’s (when, as the author says, “a wealth of modern poisons [created] new opportunities for the clever poisoner.”) Kirkus called it “caviar for true-crime fans.”

The Sunday Washington Post calls it “immensely entertaining.” and recommends it for fans Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Jefferson Bass, and forensic TV shows.

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York Deborah Blum Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The – (2010-02-18) ISBN / EAN: 1594202435 / 9781594202438

Large Print, Thorndike; 9781410425126; $30.95

Audio; Tantor; UNABR; Available now

Trade; 9781400115501; 8 Audio CD; $34.99

Library; 9781400145508; 8 Audio CD; $69.99

MP3; 9781400165506; 1 MP3-CD; $24.99

Trade 9781400115501 8 Audio CD $34.99Library 9781400145508 8 Audio CD $69.99MP3 9781400165506 1 MP3-CD $24.99

This year’s Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalists include a list of five graphic novels, a first in the award’s thirty year history.  The inclusion of graphic novels is highlighted enthusiastically in their announcement, and rightfully so.  The five finalists represent a strong selection of titles, from journalistic nonfiction Joe Sacco’s Footnotes in Gaza to the fan-favorite Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe.

It is particularly pleasing to see Taiyo Matsumoto’s GoGo Monster on the list, as often manga is left off of U.S. awards lists unless recognized in a separate category.  The mix of publishers, from the more independent comics publishers like Fantagraphics (Luba) and Oni Press (Scott Pilgrim) to the mainstream book publishers like Random House’s Pantheon (Asterios Polyp), also represents the diversity of current graphic novel publishing.  Noticeably absent are any mainstream comics titles from any of the major publishers including Marvel or DC Comics.

A graphic novel also appears in the Young Adult category; Shaun Tan’s Tales from Outer Suburbia.

Luba (Love and Rockets) Gilbert Hernandez Retail Price: $39.99 Hardcover: 608 pages Publisher: Fantagraphics Books – (2009-06-23) ISBN / EAN: 1560979607 / 9781560979609

————————–

GoGo Monster Taiyo Matsumoto Retail Price: $27.99 Hardcover: 464 pages Publisher: VIZ Media LLC – (2009-12-08) ISBN / EAN: 1421532093 / 9781421532097

————————–

Asterios Polyp David Mazzucchelli Retail Price: $29.95 Hardcover: 344 pages Publisher: Pantheon – (2009-07-07) ISBN / EAN: 0307377326 / 9780307377326

————————–

Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe Bryan Lee O’Malley Retail Price: $11.95 Paperback: 184 pages Publisher: Oni Press – (2009-02-18) ISBN / EAN: 1934964107 / 9781934964101

————————–

Footnotes in Gaza: A Graphic Novel Joe Sacco Retail Price: $29.95 Hardcover: 432 pages Publisher: Metropolitan Books – (2009-12-22) ISBN / EAN: 0805073477 / 9780805073478

————————–

Tales From Outer Suburbia Shaun Tan Retail Price: $19.99 Hardcover: 96 pages Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books – (2009-02-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545055873 / 9780545055871

When was the last time you heard the Boston Public Library’s “Statement of Purpose” quoted on TV?

For us, it was Monday night on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (see below; if you want to skip ahead to the specific section, it’s 2:30 minutes into the piece).

Sadly, the Boston Public Library is currently facing budget cuts and may be forced to close ten branches.

“Ripped from the headlines” is a book publicist’s cliche, but Adam Haslett’s debut novel Union Atlantic goes one step further; it actually predicted the headlines.

On NPR’s Morning Edition today, Lynn Neary says the book,

…sometimes reads as if Haslett was listening into the private conversations that led to the economic collapse and the bank bailouts that followed.

Yet the remarkable fact is that Haslett finished the novel well before the real-life events took place. In the late ’90s, Haslett was reading about the Federal Reserve and some of the economic problems that were just beginning to stir.

Listen to her interview with Haslett here.

Also, on NPR’s All Things Considered Monday night, reviewer Alan Cheuse paired Union Atlantic with Jonathan Dee’s The Privileges, as “Two Novels That Are On The Money,” calling them both “terrific reads.”

Union Atlantic Adam Haslett Retail Price: $26.00 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Nan A. Talese – (2010-02-09) ISBN / EAN: 0385524471 / 9780385524476

———-

The Privileges Jonathan Dee Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Random House – (2010-01-05) ISBN / EAN: 1400068673 / 9781400068678

e-book available on OverDrive.

Several new books about Barack Obama are in the works, in addition to the just-announced Bridge by New Yorker editor David Remnick (Knopf, 4/6/10) — see earlier post.

Coming a few days before Remnick’s bio, is a book by Robert Kuttner, co-founder of the liberal magazine The American Prospect and author of Obama’s Challenge. Libraries we checked are not showing it on order.

A Presidency in Peril: The Inside Story of Obama’s Promise, Wall Street’s Power, and the Struggle to Control our Economic Future Robert Kuttner Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing – (2010-04-02) ISBN / EAN: 1603582703 / 9781603582704

Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter’s The Promise: President Obama, Year One will be published in May (most large libraries have it on order in small quantities). Alter also wrote The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope, 2006, which got a boost in sales when Obama himself said he was reading it prior to taking office.

The Promise: President Obama, Year One Jonathan Alter Retail Price: $28.00 Hardcover: 464 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster – (2010-05-18) ISBN / EAN: 1439101191 / 9781439101193

S&S Audio; UNABR; 9781442334458; $39.99

According to USA Today, other books by presidential biographers are in the works. David Maraniss, whose account of the early Clinton years, First in his Class, is considered, “a standard text for the early life and political rise of the 42nd president” is at work on a “long-range project” about Obama.

And, Robert Draper, (Dead Certain: The Biography of  George W. Bush) is working on a book that considers Obama “in the context of the civil rights movement.”