She's not Jane Austen

Since we're long time Jane Austen fans, my sister gave me Death Comes to Pemberly as a Christmas gift. P.D. James is certainly not Jane Austen, in any way that I can see. This turned into one of those books that I just kept reading to see how she was going to resolve things, not because I thought it was a great read. And I can't say that her resolution was particularly satisfying.

The Amazon Ploy

Let's see. How can we get other people to do the heavy lifting, and then swoop in and take the sale? Let's give people money for doing their research in someone's store, and then buying from us online! What could be the problem?

Amazon strikes again! While the bricks and mortar stores in your town support the local economy and invest in the local community, Amazon just wants your money--thank you very much. Let us hope that you never need to buy something, right now, right here, in your hands immediately, after all the stores on your Main Street have been driven out of business.

Richard Russo discusses Amazon's latest move in the New York Times, read his column here

Nashville Tennessee gets a bookstore

NYT today has a story about Ann Patchett partnering to open an independent bookstore in Nashville. The store is named Parnassus, purportedly in honor of the Greek site. It appears that Ms Pratchett and her partner Ms Hayes are either woefully oblivious to the Parnassus bookstore of Christopher Morley's novels, or coyly not making that reference obvious.

Story here

Hooray for Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak has written a new book, but he doesn't care what you think and he may never write another. Who knows? What he does want to do at this stage of his life is read. Interview with him in the Globe and Mail

"Oh, screw the world. Why should the dumb world know what I think?"

Beecher-Stowe Descendant finally reads THE BOOK

NYT has a commentary by a descendant of Harriet Beecher Stowe in their Disunion section that is following the developments of the Civil War. link here

Very Cool Mark Twain Project

A new CD to benefit the Mark Twain boyhood home in Hannibal is being released next week.

http://www.prescriptionbluegrassblog.com/2011/09/new-cd-gives-life-to-mark-twains-words.html As picked up from the prescription bluegrass blog.

Stories by Twain with musical additions. I think Sam would have been proud.

Terry Pratchett and Death

Death is a character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, and he's also a reality that Terry finds the need to contemplate. Pratchett has early onset Alzheimer's. He has continued to work, "writing" his books by means of a computer voice to text program. But he realizes that his time of coherency is limited. Assisted death has become a cause that he advocates, traveling to Switzerland to be a part of a recent documentary on the process. This morning on NPR there was an interview with him aired, which will be available as an audio file on the site. HERE

As a reader who thoroughly enjoys the Discworld books, I anticipate the upcoming release of Snuff, but I regret the winding down of a creative spirit.