Book Review Bingo--Bring on the Cliches

This hilarious look at book review cliches goes beyond merely identifying a few--it makes a game of them. Namely, Book Review Bingo.

Now, you can have fun with such book review cliches as "gripping," "lyrical," "nuanced," "haunting," "tour de force" and "fully realized."

And, much to my shame, I'm guilty of actually having used some of these.

Paperbacks and Ebooks

This fascinating article about the creation and history of the paperback novel is a great illustration of how everything old is new again.

Note how the paperback was created to be affordable compared to hardcover books of its day. Also note how profit was made on these books based on sales volume.

Hmm ... anything sounding familiar here?

Decades later, we have ebooks being sold at lower prices than their print counterparts. The lower the price on fiction books, the better, though publishers are balking. However, low price and high sales volume are what publishers should shoot for.

Hey, if you don't believe me, check out my informal study on this matter.

Any questions? :)

The Bookstore of the Future?

I ran across this intriguing video, depicting what may be the bookstore of the future, in a blog post written by someone who feared bookstores would disappear as iPads and other devices supplanted the printed book. (The video and subtitles get cut off on the right, but it's pretty clear what's going on. However, if you'd like to see the full-screen version, just click on the link to the post.)



Interesting concept, isn't it? (And did anyone else notice the brief Harlan Coben product placements? Perhaps he was a silent partner on this project. :)) What's even more interesting is that the video shows bookstores and authors (as well as editors and reviewers) surviving, but mentions nothing about publishers. Hmm ...

Amazon Reviewers Can Be A Tough Audience

As an author who's actually suffered the heartbreak of a one-star Amazon review (ouch! was it really THAT bad??), I couldn't help but be somewhat heartened to see that classic books and authors have suffered at the hands of Amazon reviewers, too. (Of course, most of the authors are dead and don't care. Even so.)

And, OMG--check out this list. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is derided as "sappy" and "cliched." CHARLOTTE'S WEB is dismissed as an "[a]bsolutely pointless book to read," which "should be banned from every school, library, and bookstore in the Milky Way." (Jeez!)

Then the one for THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank--you'd think this was sacrosanct material here, but you'd be wrong--said: "I didn't like this book because it was boring. That's all that needs to be said. It was very very very very very very very very very very very boring. If you have to read this book shoot yourself first."

Well, damn.

There are even a few one-star reviews of THE BIBLE. Example:

"Man, this book is boring. All this weird stuff happens and it's harder to get into than Lord of the Rings. And what's up with the red writing and the LORD says stuff. All caps = rude, peter paul and mark, whoever the heck you are. And this is just badly written. James Patterson could do better. These apostles need to get a clue and hire a ghost writer. Even Miley Cyrus's manager was smart enough to do that. Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ, indeed."

The article ends on a downbeat note. However, I'm starting to feel a lot better about that one-star review.

'Russian Roulette' Will Spin You Around with Plot Twists

Review: RUSSIAN ROULETTE (Intrigue Publishing 2009)
Author: Austin Camacho

In RUSSIAN ROULETTE, Hannibal Jones is a private eye with problems. A Russian assassin named Alexandr Ivanovich is forcing Hannibal to work for him, by threatening harm to Hannibal's girlfriend Cindy if he doesn't comply. Hannibal takes the case – investigating the background of Dani Gana, an Algerian man engaged to Viktoriya Petrova (the love of Ivanovich's life).

Hannibal's efforts start with Viktoriya's mother, who seems happy with Gana (or, maybe, happy with his money). The closer Hannibal looks into Gana's life, the murkier matters become. Although, at first, Gana appears to be the man he claims to be, Hannibal runs across other sources who seem to suggest otherwise.

As matters progress, the story introduces more Russian characters than a Tolstoy novel. And sultry women who throw themselves at Hannibal from time to time. Complications pile up, and Hannibal must unravel each twisted new lead.

Ultimately, this leads to connections with the Red Mafiya. Things get messy when people start dying and Hannibal must figure out why.

Meanwhile, Cindy is looking at new houses (along with a male realtor who may or may not be trying to move in on her). This development gives Hannibal further incentive to solve the case, get all these Russians off his back and set things straight with his girlfriend.

Read the entire review at: http://detective-fiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/review-of-russian-roulette-a-hannibal-jones-mystery

Ebooks: I'll Miss the Book Covers

One nice thing about print books is they have covers. From a reader's perspective, it can lead to small, serendipitous encounters with people you see on public transit or reading in coffee shops. You see them reading a book you've read before and really liked. You might say something to that person like, "Isn't that a great book?" Or you might be the recipient of such a question.

Another person might have a book you've been thinking about reading. It might spark your interest to see someone (or someones) reading that book. From an author's perspective, it's free advertising. People see someone with your book, they ask about it, the reader gives their opinion (you hope it's a good one :)).

Anyway, covers seem to play a part in spreading word of mouth about a book. But ebooks don't have covers. So how much do people talk to each other about the ebooks they're reading? Frankly, this worries me. (Maybe they blog, Facebook or tweet about it instead? Plus there's online book review sites like GoodReads, Shelfari and Library Thing. Maybe people are posting their opinions to these places. A hopeful thought ... and not quite as casual and easy as simply seeing someone with a book and having a conversation about it.)

This concerns me from both perspectives. As an author, I'd like my books to be visible. As a reader, I like to know what other people are reading.

And then there's the whole author signing thing. What happens to book signings when ebooks become the norm? Not to mention book launches, a subject I've blogged about before.

Oh, brave new world that has such a lack of book covers (and pages to sign) in it.

iPad -- Is Anyone Using One?

Okay, speaking as a reader here, I'm wondering if anyone is even remotely interested in this iPad thingy Apple's come out with.

I realize there's interest in terms of media hype, which has gotten people's attention as it usually does.

But why would I want one? How is it better than a Kindle, for instance? I've got one of those and love it. It's user-friendly (even for a techno-idiot, like me). Awesome for travel.

I know the iPad has lots of bells and whistles (and apps--every gizmo has apps now). But if you need an iBook tour to understand it, I mean, jeez!

Call me a Luddite, if you like. Call me a stick in the mud. But do we really need another gadget? (And let's not even get into the environmental issues of creating more gadgets.)

If anyone's bought one of those iPad thingies and you really like it, please leave a comment. I'd just like an explanation. Why?