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![Cover Image of House of Sand and Fog [Unabridged] by Fontaine Dollas Dubus, Andre Dubus III published by HarperCollins](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0694525790.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg "House of Sand and Fog [Unabridged] by Fontaine Dollas Dubus, Andre Dubus III published by HarperCollins") 
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LATEST Feature Articles
J.K. Rowling Donates $15.5M to Multiple Sclerosis Research
by - Thursday, September 02, 2010
J. K. Rowling is 45, the exact age her mother died of complications due to Multiple schlerosis (MS), a debilitating neuro-degenerative disease that strikes between 2 and 150 per 100,000 population depending on your genetic background. Research shows that people of Scottish descent have the highest incidence of this disease, so it is fitting that the money is going to the University of Edinburgh, Rowling's home town, and will be named "The Anne Rowling Centre for MS Research. Significant donations like this, with the celebrity power behind it, is a medical researcher's prayer answered. It takes away the burdon of tedious and time-consuming annual grant applications for dwindling government funding sources, and most importantly, it brings the disease and disease sufferers to the forefront of public awareness. J.K. Rowling became a billionaire off the royalties of her now famous children's Harry Potter book series, and she is at the point of giving back to society some of that bounty. "I cannot think of anything more important, or of more lasting value, than to help the university attract world-class minds in the field on neuroregeneration, to build on its long and illustrious history of medical research and, ultimately, to seek a cure for a very Scottish disease," Rowling said. There are around 100,000 MS carriers in Britain, and Scotland has one of the highest rates in the world. The new center will also look into other degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntingdon's disease, which like MS are neurogenic, progressive and incurable.
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LATEST Author Interviews
Author Podcast: Peter Carey
by - Friday, August 20, 2010
For this week's BookBuffet podcast we got to thinking about the subject of democracy. World news reports failing economies, scam elections and repressive fanatical regimes. Whatever happened to the temple of democracy? Shockingly the bastion countries around the world that we consider exemplars of this form of government are themselves facing a decline on the "Democracy Index" compiled bi-yearly by the Economist magazine research arm. It's not because of any new ultra right or left wing parties gaining power; it's due public apathy [in the UK and USA] over their democratic rights: the right to vote as well as the "homeland security" initiatives instigated by both countries in response to terrorism. You will now be photographed over 1,000 times a day on the streets of London by closed circuit cameras, and despite President Obama's efforts to reverse the Bush administration's executive infringements to the civil rights act, a dappled cloud of paranoia remains. Since we are a literary site, we wanted to take a look at who has been writing novels that deal with this topic. I had to look no further than two-time Booker Prize winner Peter Carey. Peter talks about his latest novel Parrot and Olivier in America published by (Knopfdoubleday, 2010) which is based on Alex De Tocqueville's classic tomb on democracy, In America, which Carey says, "All my clever friends quote Tocqueville and pretend to have read all the way through America in high school or college, but they've really only skipped through the good bits. If you read through it, you see how a man of Tocqueville's background dealt with the times and reasoned how this form of government would fare through to the future." Parrot and Oliver is a riff on Tocqueville wrapped up in an imagined love story. Watch this excellent interview with GRANTA editor John Freeman. And don't forget to browse our previous podcasts, both homegrown and borrowed.
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Feature Articles >>
20 Writerly Questions Series: Camilla Gibb
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Monday, August 30, 2010
The "Writerly Questions Series" is brought to you courtesy of Random House Canada who partners with BookBuffet. Look for this feature each Monday. The idea is we ask different authors the same set of questions designed to give readers a glimpse into the lives and writing mechanics of authors. It is fascinating to compare and contrast when you check the list to date at bottom. Today's author is Camilla Gibb. Camilla Gibb is the author of four novels: Mouthing the words, Petty Details of So-and-So Life, Sweetness in the Belly and the forthcoming The Beauty of Humanity Movement—as well as numerous short stories, articles and reviews.
She was the winner of the Trillium Book Award in 2006, a Scotiabank Giller Prize short list nominee in 2005, winner of the City of Toronto Book Award in 2000 and the recipient of the CBC Canadian Literary Award for short fiction in 2001. Her books have been published in 18 countries and translated into 14 languages and she was named by the jury of the prestigious Orange Prize as one of 21 writers to watch in the new century.
QUESTIONS:
1. How would you summarize your book in one sentence?
It’s a story about the intersection of the lives of three very different people in Vietnam and how those relationships allow them each to reconcile themselves with aspects of the turbulent past
2. How long did it take you to write this book?
Two years.
3. Where is your favorite place to write?
At the kitchen table on a sunny day.
4. How do you choose your characters’ names?
I choose ordinary names appropriate to the culture or context. Extraordinary names draw too much attention to themselves and disrupt the reading.
5. How many drafts do you go through?
Countless. Maybe 25?
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Book Reviews >>
The House of Special Purpose
by
Thursday, August 12, 2010
From the author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas comes a new historic fiction. John Boyne’s seventh novel, The House of Special Purpose (Doubleday, 2009) transports you back in time to a fractious Russia in the early 20th Century. Two worlds are at war; the Tsar’s days of lavish enjoyment run alongside a rebellious populous. Boyne’s talent is that when faced with a story that has death, tragedy and loss at its centre, he manages to find light in his characters that make his novels so compelling.
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Publisher News >>
TOR Books: 30 Years of Fantasy Can't Be That Bad For You
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Thursday, April 01, 2010
To celebrate its 30th anniversary—and have a little April Fool's Day fun—Tor Books recently took a tongue-in-cheek staff picture in front of its offices in the Flatiron Building, NYC. President and publisher Tom Doherty is in the center of the shot. We assume the flying saucer and serpent demon are photoshopped in. Are you surprised by the number of staff required to be a publisher? Those people are the reason why Tor has won the Locus Magazine poll for best science fiction publisher every year since 1988, and as of early 2009, they have produced 157 prize-winning novels. BookBuffet went online to learn more about this successful niche publisher. Fantasy and Science fiction are not just the reading fodder of teenaged boys. With a stable of over 100 authors they represent such notable writers as Cory Doctorow, Steven Erikson and Kathleen Ann Goonan. There are 15 editors on staff to keep up with the job of reviewing manuscript submissions, selecting and working up properties suitable to the house. Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, based in New York City. They also publish mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint.
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Whistler Reads >>
Whistler Reads: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and the biography of Harper Lee, UP CLOSE
by
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
It has been 50 years since Harper Lee's novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" came out and rocked our world. The reclusive author almost never gave interviews or speeches to accept her awards, including the Pulitzer Prize she was given in 1960. She did form a lasting relationship with actor Gregory Peck who played the lead figure, Atticus Finch in the film version of her book, a character modeled on Lee's own father who was a newspaperman and former lawyer of the highest moral standard. (Gregory Peck's grandchild is named Harper Peck Voll, in tribute to Harper Lee.) A new biography has come out on Harper Lee, written by Kerry Madden, a Professor at the University of Alabama, titled Harper Lee: Up Close. This biography and Mockingbird itself, will be the Whistler Reads September picks for discussion. Look for event details to include: screenings of the film, discussions with Kerry Madden as well as 1, possibly 2 writing workshops with Kerry; one for youth and one for adults.
Harper Lee, now 86, declined to be interviewed for her biography. She feels biographies are for dead people. As Madden discovered from her ample research of Lee, who despite her age, remains incredibly active; she golfs every week claiming the walk gives her time to think, and her 90-plus year-old sister still works as an attorney in town.
"Madden draws on extensive research—including trips to Monroeville, Ala., and interviews with classmates, colleagues and town residents—to explore how Lee’s life and times inspired her masterpiece. To Kill a Mockingbird has sold 30 million copies in 40 languages and continues to sell 10,000 copies per year, and Lee is 'one of the authors most read by [North]American students.' ...This biography will appeal to fans of the novel and to newcomers. Readers will find a fascinating portrait of an independent young woman stubbornly going her own way to become the one thing she wanted to be: a writer. Extensive source notes and an excellent bibliography round out this superb biography, one of the best in the Up Close series." Get your copy of Harper Lee: Up Close by Kerry Madden—Kirkus Reviews
Purchase both the novel and biography and re-visit this classic novel while learning about the author whose story shaped our views of racism and injustice. If you are in Whistler, get your copy from Armchair Books. WR members receive a 10% discount. Treat yourself to The Guardian's round-up of pics of the author. ....More >>
WGBH Boston >>
Masterpiece Mystery: Agatha Christie turns 120
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Tuesday, July 06, 2010
BookBuffet is helping to spread the word about this July’s premiere of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, which headlines a trio of new Poirot mysteries on PBS MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! This long-awaited adaptation is preceded by a one–hour special taking viewers on a present-day journey aboard the iconic train. (The documentary, David Suchet on the Orient Express, airs Wednesday, July 7, 2010 on PBS.)
2010 actually marks Agatha Christie’s 120th birthday! Agatha Christie is the world's best-known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 45 foreign languages. She is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.
MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! is celebrating Christie and her suave Belgian detective with activities of interest to fans: a Q&A with David Suchet at pbs.org/masterpiece/poirot a live Twitter event during the July 11 broadcast of Murder on the Orient Express. Experts from Mystery Readers International, Mystery Scene and The Strand magazines will be tweeting. Join them and tag your posts with the hashtag, and then visit us on TweetGrid at TweetGrid, or use your own favorite aggregator.
Finally, we have a free supply of paperback copies of Murder on the Orient Express for distribution to readers. Contact us at paulas [at] bookbuffet.com ....More >>
Wine & Book Club >>
Wine and Book Club Pick For Aug-Sept
by
Friday, July 30, 2010
My girlfriend was excoriating me the other day for not having read any novels by Swedish blockbuster crime writer, Karl Stig-Erland Larsson. On and on she went about the gripping plot, the insights into Swedish history, politics and culture. The sordid scandals and speculation over the author's sudden death at age 50. (Was it a heart attack or murder? Had he been offed by a Swedish right extremist group?) Then the fact that the first two books in the trilogy have been made into foreign feature films, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo starring a cast of people with an impossible number of consonants in their names. I admitted my guilt. I begged off with vague references to... something I refer to as "The Dan Brown Phenomenon"; as soon as I see a blockbuster novel/movie, I run the other way. I do anything I can to avoid exposing myself to mass culture and hysteria. I'm still receiving therapy over Da Vinci Code, truth be told. Then I looked up Larson's book sale statistics: He was the second best-selling author in the world in 2008, behind Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, who admittedly I enjoyed. His Millennium Trilogy Bundle, : The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, has sold 27 million copies in more than 40 countries. And the English language version of the "Tattoo" is currently under production starring Daniel Craig, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgård scheduled for release in 2011. So, in deference to my dear friend who is trying to save me from turtling into an elitist literary shell, I thought I'd place the last of Larsson's trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest up for our Wine & Book Club pick over the summer. After all, don't we all love a good hornet's nest during a summer picnic? I bought the 3-book pack and my husband bought the audio book and we've been listening to it here at the ranch after our work day, with great anticipation. For all you book and wine people, we recommend some cool Ice Wine from Sweden to accompany your meeting.
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Author Interviews >>
When Are Literary Guys Funny?
by
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
OK, you guessed it. I'm back at the farm slacking off (working my fingers to the BONE) and so this week's author podcast does not derive from moi. It is a hilarious riff from Russian born American writer, Gary Shteyngart. Who is Gary Shteyngart you ask? Well if you crossed Woody Allen with Pushkin, I think you'd be close. To prove my point, just watch this "serious video" from Random House introducing Gary's new book, Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel (Random House, July 27th 2010). It's fiction. It's a whopping 352 pages, and the video has real authors going with the schtick [including Edmond White, Mary Gaitskill, Jeffrey Eugenides.} Gary lives on the Lower East side of Manhattan and teaches at Columbia University, Princeton University and Hunter College. Check out his new book, but don't take MY word for it! Wikipedia (the source of all good journalist's information) wrote this: "Absurdistan: A Novel was chosen as one of the ten best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review and Time Magazine, as well as a book of the year by the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications. The Russian Debutante's Handbook won the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction, the Book-of-the-Month Club First Fiction Award and the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. It was named a New York Times Notable Book and one of the best debuts of the year by The Guardian (UK).
Technology Corner >>
Technology Corner: Jailbreaking Your iPhone, iPad
by
Thursday, July 29, 2010
People "Jailbreak" their iphone when they want to buy or use applications not sold via Apple's App store. They can also use their phone as a "tether" to their home computer and access it remotely, access files on their home computer remotely using their phone, etc. What's wrong with that? Well, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 says it's illegal. But aspects of the DMCA changed today. Need a little background? Wikipedia describes it thus:Jailbreaking is a process that allows iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users to run third-party unsigned code on their devices by unlocking the operating system and allowing the user root access. Once jailbroken, iPhone users are able to download many extensions and themes previously unavailable through the App Store via unofficial installers such as Cydia. A jailbroken iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch is still able to use the App Store and iTunes. Jailbreaking is different from SIM unlocking,
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Events >>
The New Yorker Festival Oct 1st-3rd
by
Monday, August 16, 2010
If you are like me and you anticipate the moment when you turn the key on your post box, open the door to find your copy of this week's New Yorker teasingly folded over so that the new cover illustration and lineup of feature articles written by informed, entertaining and intelligent writers addressing today's events around the globe are revealed, then you won't want to miss the next New Yorker Festival. What goes on at the Festival? Well, the full program will be announced Sept 6th and tickets go on sale Sept 10th but I can tell you that your favorite staff writers and contributors will be on stages discussing their work, debating the issues, and entertaining you live. Go to newyorker.com/festival<. To stay updated the New Yorker staff, such as the popular Malcolm Gladwell, will be live blogging during the festival. Come watch intelligent speakers talk about cool things. Even the speakers lament not being able to attend a session of the Mad Men creative team because they're been simu-scheduled to speak on forum next door. As one writer-speaker aptly put it, "It's wonderful to have the veil removed between you and your reading audience. To actually get meet your readers, who remarkably have really been paying close attention to your writing, and to hear their questions and opinions... " Satisfying all around!
....More >>
MASH UP >>
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Some Member Book Selections
 
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