Image: Gizmodo
The Book Booth is a weekly feature at The Political Carnival, relating news, notes, and reflections from the world of books and publishing. It is written by @SeattleDan and SeattleTammy, operators of an on-line bookstore (which you can find here) , who have been in the book business since shortly after the Creation, or close to 6000 years now.
The Book Booth: Summer Breezes Edition
When it does get hot here in our little town, it doesn't fool around. But we are close to the ocean shores and, man, those Pacific breezes feel so good. The forecast is for rain, which is not unusual for us in June. By the fourth of July, though, it will get plenty warm.
I was reminded of the breezes by this essay by Darryl Pinckney about his days as a young man, working around Manhattan as a handyman, including among his clients, the great and reclusive American writer, Djuna Barnes, author of Nightwood.
Sweet Evening Breeze
Meanwhile, Lit Hub has initiated something new in literary criticism with something called Book Marks, which grades novels, sort of like a Rotten Tomatoes for books. I don't know if these works are graded based on the curve or not. In any event, Alex Shepherd at the New Republic examines the new site and the state of the lit-crit biz these days here.
A New Site for Lit Crit
With sadness, we note the passing of Muhammad Ali from our midst. Though I am not a pugilism enthusiast, I admired the man and what he accomplished. How many of you know that he once fought Superman? It was a huge comic book event in the late 1970's and io9 has the story of its making.
Superman Fights Muhammad Ali!
The Greek poet Sappho remains a mystery to us 2500 years after her life. So it is interesting that astronomers have tried to date her Midnight Poem for her description of the night sky all those millenia ago.
Sappho's Midnight Poem - Where Were The Stars When She Wrote It?
The young adult novels from the Fairyland series by Catherynne Valente began as a crowd-funded web series in 2009. A much different world that Sappho wrote her work in, no doubt. Stephen Burt examines both the process and the books themselves for the New Yorker.
Crowd Funding Your Book - How It Worked for Catherynne Valente
The Film Society of Lincoln Center has this fascinating idea of pairing up a book with a film that is not an adaptation. They have author Lydia Millet's Sweet Lamb of Heaven paired with a showing of the Japanese horror film Ringu. Alison Nastasi at Flavorwire had some other suggestions for book/film pairings.
Book and Film Pairings
Game time! Can you guess the book title when all the vowels from the title have been removed? You've got four minutes to complete the quiz from Mental Floss.
Cn Y Gss Ths Bk Ttls? (Mental Floss Book Title Quiz - No Vwls!)
And it is time to start thinking about summer reading. Nothing like sitting outside, book in one hand, a cool libation in the other and indulge. Buzzfeed wonders what summer reading sins you engage in.
Summer Reading 'Sins'
Here's that you can start your reading outdoors this weekend while a cool breeze wafts by. And please do let us know what books you are enjoying!