Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers - from the trusted experts at the American Library Association

Still catching up with my blogging backlog. Bloglog? Backblog? First the current stuff… The good news: the NEA believes that, for the first time in a quarter century, grown-ups are reading more fiction than they used to (“Fiction Reading Increases for Adults,” by Motoko Rich, New York Times). “There has been a measurable cultural change [...]

Oh, for Christmas’ Sake! More false memory: best-selling author Neale Donald Walsch (Tomorrow’s God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge) has admitted that he is not the author of a heartwarming Christmas story he posted on Beliefnet.com (“Christmas Essay Was Not His, Author Admits,” by Motoko Rich, New York Times). The real author is Candy Chand, who first published [...]

More catching up. The feel-bad publishing story of the season (or feel-good, if you are prone to schadenfreude) concerns another case of false memoir. Berkeley Books no longer plans to publish Herman Rosenblat’s memoir, Angel at the Fence. Rosenblat now admits that he did not meet his wife, Roma (nee Radzicky) at Buchenwald, but rather [...]

It’s going to be tough to catch up with the last few weeks’ worth of links, but I’m resolved to do it. First, the financial crisis and its effect on the publishing industry…. Publishers are tightening their belts (“Puttin’ Off the Ritz,” by Motoko Rich, New York Times). Goodbye Four Seasons, hello sack lunch–at least for now: [...]

In case you missed it, the 2008 Editors’ Choice and Top of the List lists have been posted on Booklist Online. And, this afternoon, the 21st edition of REaD ALERT will hit your in-box. (Haven’t signed up yet? Go for it! Then sign up for Booklist Online Exclusives, which makes its debut next week.) Have [...]

The Costa Awards announced winners in the individual awards categories. Lifetime free coffee refills went to: First Novel The Outcast, by Sadie Jones (HarperCollins) Novel The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry (Viking) Biography Somewhere Towards The End, by Diana Athill (Norton) Poetry The Broken Word, by Adam Foulds (Jonathan Cape) Children’s Book Just Henry, by Michelle [...]

I know I said I wouldn’t post anything until next Monday, but this is too good to wait that long. Just before Christmas, Craig Johnson, author of the very fine Walt Longmire series (Another Man’s Moccasins, 2008), gave a great gift to everyone on his mailing list: an original short story, “Slick-Tongued Devil.” I planned to link to it, but the busy [...]