Some Member Book Selections
|
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
LATEST Feature Articles
BookBuffet Partners With WGBH, Boston a Public Broadcasting Station
by - Tuesday, November 11, 2008
WGBH in Boston is the public television network that has provided outstanding programing for over 35 years. They're the folks who bring us, among other incredible programing, the series Masterpiece, which features the finest classic and contemporary works interpreted by the world's foremost actors. For years Masterpiece Theatre was hosted by the late and beloved Alistair Cooke. This January-May 2009 WGBH is airing a new series of films, adapted from four works of the classic Victorian novelist, Charles Dickens. It has been ten years since the last Dickens series was produced by Masterpiece. It featured such luminary actors as: Charlotte Rampling, Ian McKellen, Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, and HARRY POTTER's Daniel Radcliffe. WGBH's educational outreach department contacted BookBuffet to help promote the 2009 series to our members, as part of their Book & Film Club.
"This is a fabulous opportunity for BookBuffet members who are already familiar with our "books to film" feature articles to get a head start on reading or re-reading the most classic of all British authors - Dickens," says BookBuffet Founder, Paula Shackleton. "I'm dying to see who is cast in the new series, and who produces and directs it," she adds. BookBuffet members who join will receive a compliment of resource information to go with the series and a chance to discuss it online. In addition, BookBuffet will be producing our own podcast series interviewing people associated with the production and distribution, and our own book group pages. Here's how you can participate... ...More >>
LATEST Author Interviews
Author Interview: Katie Hafner
by - Monday, November 03, 2008
Join me for this week's BookBuffet author interview with Katie Hafner, as we discuss her fifth book, A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano (McClelland & Stewart 2008, Canada; Bloomsbury in the USA and the UK) The quest for perfection is always a fascinating story - and here you have three stories in one. Katie Hafner is a journalist and author who's been known to write about technology and its effect on social behavior. Inspired by the idea of "writing a story through the prism of an inanimate object," she came upon CD318, a concert grand piano crafted by Steinway. What was so special about this piano? What were the demands of its owner, and who were they both reliant upon? Hafner tenderly unveils this three-pronged mystery for you today. Meet Glenn Gould, renowned Canadian pianist and one of the most complex, brilliant artists of the twentieth century. Famous for his bizarre habits, Hafner describes Gould's obsessive quest to obtain the perfect sound. Meet the blind Saskatchewan piano tuner, Verne Edquist, who labors with CD318 to produce her exquisite tone and responsiveness.
...More >>
Feature Articles >>
BiblioBurro: A New Take On The Mobile Library
by
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Each weekend Luis Soriano gathers his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto and loads them with books that he takes to villages in nearby towns in Columbia. “I started out with 70 books, and now I have a collection of more than 4,800,” says Mr. Soriano, 36, a primary school teacher who lives in a small house here with his wife and three children, with books piled to the ceilings.His project has won acclaim from the nation’s literacy specialists and is the subject of a new documentary by a Colombian filmmaker, Carlos Rendón Zipaguata. This kind act has made Luis the best-known resident of La Gloria, a town that was the inspiration for the setting of the epic novel of Luis's more famous countryman Gabriel García Márquez, author of “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
....More >>
Book Reviews >>
Jack Kerouac Isn't The Only Author Calling For
by
Monday, November 17, 2008
There have been many books about the value of a good road trip. From Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (P.S.) where the author finds spiritual enlightenment to his troubles and which has been a manuel to people since, to Jack Kerourac's, On the Road(Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) from the 60s Beat generation when wanderlust was a Life Skill 101 class field trip and required reading. A new book has emerged to join them. Written by Doreen Orion Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own (Broadway Books, New York 2008) pretty much says it all. And BookBuffet reviewer Dee Raffo reports that it is "One of the best feel good books [she's] read all year." So if the financial crisis has got you down and you can't quit your job because that mortgage underwater, pick-up a little escapism and start planning your next - ROAD TRIP!
....More >>
Publisher News >>
NYRB Is Having A Sale
by
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The New York Review of Books (NYRB) is moving offices from their current location to Hudson Street in Greenwich Village. Take advantage of the 40%-60% discounts on excellent titles not often available at these prices. Sale ends March 9th. Just browsing the list of fiction, translated fiction, essays and criticism along with other genres, I have pulled a few titles from my own shopping list. Aside from personal reading interests, it's always nice to have a few extra books on hand for gift occasions in the coming months; these are books suitable for most everyone. Learn more about this important literary and publishing force in America.
....More >>
Whistler Reads >>
Whistler Reads November Pick: A Romance On Three Legs
by
Sunday, September 28, 2008
What has 88 keys, is tuned by a blind man, and played by an obsessive compulsive genius? Answer: The object of desire in Katie Hafner's new biography A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano (MCcLelland & Stewart). Meet CD318. A concert grand piano hand-made by Steinway; she's a little old, a little battered and almost forgotten when she's discovered at the back of the Eatons flagship store showroom in Toronto back in 1960 by the young iconic Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould. The third "leg" of the story comes from Verne Edquist, the near-blind Saskatchewan farm boy who possessed the ear and training to meet Gould's demanding standards. All three combined to produce the sound that would be recorded for posterity in the famous sessions of Gould's most productive 10 years of life before his untimely death. Join me Thursday November 6th, 7:30pm at the Whistler Public Library in discussing this three-pronged tale. You don't have to be a Canadian or a particularly sophisticated music lover to enjoy this story. I've just completed the author podcast, which we'll debut at the next Whistler Reads book club meeting. If we have sufficient early interest, we will bring the author herself to speak to us. I'll let you know when the first 20 people sign up to attend. As well, we'll view segments of a related film documentary and hear expert guest speaker Paula McLaughlin, Professor of Music from UBC. Visit Katie Hafner's website.
Locals can stop into Armchair Books in the village where we have reserve copies for WR members at 10% discount. Get your $15 ticket now. (Your receipt is your ticket.) Tickets purchased at the door are $20. WR is a proud partner of the Whistler Public Library.
Wine & Book Club >>
Wine & Book Club Pick November
by
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
You'd be forgiven if you thought Hot, Flat, and Crowded is a nightmare vacation experience instead of the title of Thomas Friedman's latest book published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and rate #19 on Amazon. But if we don't all read this book, we may be in for conditions like this world-wide, and sooner than we think. This month BookBuffet's Wine & Book Pick is a departure from our usual leaning toward a recent fiction title. Instead we hope you join us in tackling a serious discussion on the material brought forward in Friedman's book. The Boston Globe writes, "A compelling manifesto that deserves a wide reading, especially by members of Congress and candidates for President." To go along with this book pick we've scoured the organic wine industry and offer a few brands to choose from that should be available in your area.
....More >>
Author Interviews >>
Author Interview: Joshua Henkin
by
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Edith Wharton satirized New York carriage society's attitudes to love, marriage and fidelity at the turn of the century in her novel, The Age of Innocence (Oxford World's Classics). Richard Yates captured married life in the bedroom communities struggling outside of New York in the '50s in his novel, Revolutionary Road. In this week's BookBuffet podcast interview we speak with best-selling author Joshua Henkin who tells us about his second award winning novel, Matrimony: A Novel recently published in paperback by Vintage, 2008. Matrimony: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) captures contemporary couples dealing with the complexity of relationships in today's age. Julian, Mia, Carter and Pilar meet in an East coast liberal college and the book follows their lives for the next twenty years as they navigate adulthood and the most important aspects of life: love, friendship, careers and commitment. If you love Wharton and you know Yates, then you'll enjoy meeting Henkin.
....More >>
Technology Corner >>
Couric Coverage of the Election: Embedded Live Video
by
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
For the first time in election history, a major television news network produced a widget that could be embedded on any person's website or blog which viewers could watch any place there is internet. I for one benefited from this as I have no cable or satellite TV where I happened to be on election night, and so I was thrilled to find live streaming video of the election online. It meant I could watch the election results on my computer screen. It was a "power to the people" sort of media move that was supported entirely by INTEL. (Intel of course being the computer chip found in virtually all computer technology.) This is another aspect of the success of people who embrace technology - as demonstrated by the campaign strategists in Obama's team. From the grass-roots fundraising campaign to the use of internet to distribute information and gather support, it represents a powerful message about the value of technology in media and politics.
....More >>
Events >>
Whistler Forum Hosts International Coalition
by
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
William Roberts is the founder of the Whistler Forum for Leadership and Dialogue and his connections to political, civic and humanitarian think-tanks run deep. Modeled on the Aspen Institute, the Whistler Forum just completed a weekend retreat with an interesting array of participants. The purpose was to discuss the current geo-political environment in the new Obama reign, and come up with a position paper that recommends how Canada needs to approach relations with our giant neighbors south of the 49th parallel. Participants asked the questions: What are Canada's values? What are the trends in the geo-politics? What should our priorities be in positioning ourselves in today's world? Issues of political stability and terrorism came up, as did the importance of global warming and development in the third world. Read more about the participants and the points they discussed. We'll see where it all goes.
....More >>
MASH UP >>
Loading
Some Member Book Selections
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
|