BookOpinion

Last week, we reported that Barnes & Noble would not distribute the O.J. Simpson “If I Did It” book that the Goldman family will now be publishing. “Our buyers don’t feel there will be enough of a demand to carry it in our stores,” Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating told The Associated Press. The bookseller has now changed its tune in light of sales estimates., and the book is currently available on both Barnes & Noble and Amazon, listed under nonfiction.

“We’ve been monitoring the pre-orders and customer requests and have concluded that enough customers have expressed interest in buying the book to warrant stocking it in our stores,” Keating told the Associated Press. “We do not intend to promote the book but we will stock it in our stores because our customers are asking for it.”

This is similar to the stance taken by the Borders Group Inc. last week.

The book, now titled “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer” by the Goldman Family is currently listed as No. 15 on Barnes and Nobles bestseller list. The book is currently at No. 52 on Amazon bestsellers and No. 15 on its list of new releases. The book contains 14,000 words of additional key commentary.

It is scheduled for release Sept. 13 and now available for pre-order.

Charlie Huston’s latest novel, “The Shotgun Rule,” lands in bookstores this week. The dark and often vulgar coming-of-age novel is set in Northern California. “Huston has the courage to both unsettle and entertain the reader,” Publisher’s Weekly writes, “and his story resonates long after its disturbing final scenes.”

BookOpinion has pulled together a video interview with Huston on the book, an excerpt from the novel and reviews.

Publishers Weekly summarizes The Shotgun Rule: “Four teenage boys, out of school and experimenting with drugs, booze and sex, find trouble fast when they break into the home of the notorious Arroyo brothers to retrieve a stolen bicycle. In the process, they stumble on the Arroyo family’s main operation, a meth lab. In a classic moment of naïve bravado, they steal part of the stash, setting off a downward spiral of events that will reopen the door to the town’s dark past, when an earlier generation of criminals, including one of the boy’s fathers, controlled the streets.”

E.W. also chimes in: “Ooo-wee, what a righteously nasty imagination Charlie Huston has,” says Entertainment Weekly. “If you don’t know this perfervid writer of thrillers (Caught Stealing) and comic books (Moon Knight), this stand-alone novel is a great place to start…The Shotgun Rule is wise about the way boys grow into men, and roots its violence in understandable emotion.”

Here’s a short video with Huston talking about The Shotgun Rule:

The following is an excerpt from The Shotgun Rule:

Piece of Shit Bike

It started with Andy’s piece of shit bike.

—What the fuck were you doing not locking it up?

—I just went in for a second.

—I just went in for a second. How long do you think it takes to steal a bike, dickweed?

—It was right next to the window.

—Yeah, that’ll do it; no one ever steals shit that’s next to a window. Numbnuts.

George is kneeling next to a bucket of water, submerging the half inflated innertube from his bike’s front wheel. He looks once at Paul, then back in the bucket.

—Don’t be such a dick, man, he lost his bike.

Paul picks up a rock from the huge pile that occupies half the driveway. He shakes the rock around in his hand.

—He didn’t lose his bike.

He tosses the rock, bouncing it off Andy’s back.

—He let someone steal it.

Andy feels pressure behind his eyes and fights it. Already cried once coming out of the store and finding the bike gone. Can’t cry again.

He picks up a rock of his own.
Continue Reading »

Find out the hottest books selling right now at Buy.com with this quick run down of their current bestselling books:

Order any of these books and more from Buy.com. New Buy.com customers can also save on their next purchase with this coupon:

Offer: $5 off $100 or more in ALL Stores
Expiration: Aug. 31, 2007
Coupon: Use this Link.

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: If you have read any Craig Parshall novels in the past, then you are going to be delighted with “The Last Judgment.” This is the final book of the Chamber of Justice series, and like Mr. Parshall’s previous novels, it is full of emotional conflict, conspiracy, violent upheavals and resolution.

The primary character, Will Chambers, is an attorney who has been hired by the foster parents of Hassan Gilead Amahn, an Egyptian by birth but raised by a Christian mother who was murdered in Egypt for her beliefs. The situation evolves after Gilead arrives in Cairo and has been preaching on the streets and is arrested. After Will pulls some strings in rather high places, Gilead is released and journeys on to Israel. When Gilead reaches Jerusalem in order to reach out to Muslims there with the love of God, he becomes unknowingly involved in a cataclysmic event…an explosion on the Temple Mount, demolishing the al-Aqsa Mosque and resulting in the death of hundreds of Muslims. It is believed that a group called The Knights of the Temple Mount is responsible for this crime and seemingly, Gilead is their leader.

Gilead is charged with the crime and incarcerated, and Will Chambers is approached again by the parents and requested to defend their adopted son. Will’s lovely wife, Fiona, pleads with Will to not accept the assignment but after researching the case, Will feels this is an opportunity not only to rescue Gilead, but to wreak justice upon a man named Warren Mullburn, a powerful figure who has put Will’s career and life in jeopardy in the past.

Warren Millburn, the owner of a small chain of islands in the Caribbean, has few friends but many allies in the shady world of political intrigue. And now, he is preparing his biggest coup ever — manipulation of events in the Middle East that will ultimately put him in control of a global empire unrivaled in world history.

How is Will going to achieve the release of Gilead considering the turmoil between the Israelis and the Muslims? With the press, President of the United States and the Muslim states screaming for Gilead’s blood, it seems an unlikely event. And behind the scenes, Warren Millburn is assuring his own future as well as Gilead’s death.

An impossible task: An American attorney defending a Christian in one of the most volatile areas of the world. Whichever way this case is resolved, it is going to change the history of the Middle East.

Well, Craig Parshall has done it again. “The Last Judgment” is well written, fast paced, highly detailed and electrifying. This is a must read if you are a fan of political intrigue or law based dramas. However, I highly recommend that you begin with the first book in the Chamber of Justice series, “The Resurrection File” in order to follow the sequence of events leading up to this final chapter of Will’s life.

– Elizabeth Channery

Alibris is offering BookOpinion visitors a coupon for up to $10 off their next purchase. The coupons are good for any purchase on books, music or movies.

Offer: Save $3 off your next purchase of $30 or more.
Expires: Sept. 15, 2007
Coupon Code: ALIBRISBOOKS3

Offer: Save $10 off your next purchase of $100 or more.
Expires: Sept. 15, 2007
Coupon Code: ALIBRISBOOKS10

Enter the coupon code in the promo field upon checkout. Click here to go to Alibris.

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Let me just say this right off the bat (in case you were unaware), Jane Austen is the greatest author of all time. I suppose some might dare to call that an opinion, but we Janeites of the world know far better. At this point, one or two of you might be thinking, “who the heck is Jane Austen?” or “Jane Austen - total chick writer.” If these sad thoughts are, in fact, running through your brain, please do go back to watching Orange County Choppers.

Anyway, naturally a movie about the world’s greatest author was bound to attract the attention of her most ardent fan (that would be me, by the way). Becoming Jane is a basically fictionalized account of Jane Austen’s early adulthood and her relationship with a young lawyer named Tom Lefroy.

The movie is controversial on two points, and I shall address each. Initially, there is some disagreement as to whether an American actress (Anne Hathaway) should portray England’s beloved Jane. Hathaway’s portrayal of Austen is entirely heartfelt, bringing the author’s warm, witty personality to life. Her accent was well done, a few misses to be sure, but overall quite believable. As an American, I contend I may be less particular on this issue.

The next issue hinges on the believability of the movie’s plot. No one knows for sure the depth of the actual relationship between Austen and Lefroy. The movie makes several leaps of faith, creating a deep love between the two main characters. There is, of course, little substantial proof that Austen and Lefroy were as close as the movie suggests. By her own account, she was fond of him, and the general consensus among Austen scholars is that Lefroy was the basis for Mr. Darcy (for those of you who continued reading up to this point instead of turning on The Deadliest Catch, Mr. Darcy is a hero of Austen’s classic Pride & Prejudice).

I, for one, refuse to dwell on these controversies. Anne Hathaway is lovely, gifted actress, and I am not so much of a purist that I can’t abide taking a few liberties with my beloved Jane’s life story. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie. You truly get a sense of Jane as a person, and it was obvious how much of her life inspired her work. Her relationship with her sister, Cassandra, was portrayed beautifully, the two clearly were the best of friends. After watching the movie, one feels a deeper understanding of her novels, and perhaps more importantly of the era in which she lived and the constraints placed upon women, especially, but also the men of the time. I encourage all Austen fans to partake of Becoming Jane.

And for the record, I love watching The Deadliest Catch. Those guys are awesome. I have a whole new appreciation for crabmeat.

For those unfamiliar with Austen’s work and wishing to procure an appreciation of this most wonderful writer, here are my suggestions in which order to read the books.

Pride and Prejudice - Read it first, because not only is it wonderful, it is her most famous book. In fact, truly one of the most famous novels of all time. The characters are so full of life, they very nearly leap from the page. This is especially true of the heroine, Elizabeth Bennett. For the best movie version, try the 1995 BBC epic with Jennifer Ehle (another American, no less) as Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as the quintessential Mr. Darcy.

Persuasion - In my somewhat humble opinion, this is her best book. I first listened to this one on CD (Juliet Stevenson is the goddess of Austen narrators, if you get the book on tape or CD, find one of her versions). There is a part of this book toward the end, where Anne Elliott, the protagonist, receives a love letter. It is not just a love letter, it is THE love letter. I pulled the car over, reversed the CD and listened again. So, I caused a seven-car pile-up, it was worth it. The 1995 movie with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is excellent.

Sense and Sensibility - I think this is her darkest book, but you’ll get a lot out of it. I see many parallels between this book and Becoming Jane. Elinor Dashwood is an exceptional heroine, her strength and resolve is inspiring. For a movie choice, I cast my ballot with Emma Thompson’s version. She takes some liberties with the stories, but good ones. She edited parts out with utmost care and added a bit here and there to enhance the audience’s understanding of this complex novel.

Mansfield Park - The heroine of this novel is the subject of much debate among Austen fans. Some find Fanny Price tepid and dull, but I believe that to be a low estimation of her worth. If you really give this an honest and thorough read, you’ll find Fanny to be a wonderful character. True she isn’t as flashy and fun as Elizabeth Bennett or Emma Woodhouse, but we can’t all be lively and vivacious. This is a great book about morality and honor and discretion. I have no movie recommendations for this one. The 1999 version with Frances O’Connor was cast with some fine actors and the art direction and cinematography were first rate, but this heavily rewritten version is almost an insult to what Austen was trying to accomplish with her wonderful novel.

Emma - I place this one near the bottom, not because it is so unworthy (I named my lovely daughter Emma, in fact), but because it seems so different from the above mentioned titles. Emma is a flawed character, more than most of Austen’s heroines. But still I love Emma, she learns so much about herself, and longs to become a better person. Don’t we all, I ask? As for the movies, I personally love Gwyneth Paltrow’s Emma, although they cut out a few parts. Kate Beckinsale did a nice Emma, but they added some stuff I could have done without. Even the silly, but sweet update, “Clueless,” is worth a look. Alicia Silverstone is so very Emma.

Northanger Abbey - This is just a fun read, I laughed more reading this one than most of the other books. It is one of her earlier works, so it lacks some of the depth of the other five novels, but is definitely worth a read. There are no movie versions I care to recommend.

As a side note, ITV recently produced several of Austen’s novels into TV movies. I have not seen any yet, as they are not readily available in the United States.

In addition, whilst sacrilegious it may be to mention, several people have tried to imitate Austen’s style, writing sequels and prequels of her works. Obviously, this is just for fun and one can’t expect these books to be as exquisite as the real thing (or even close for that matter), but I have enjoyed a few.

One I recommend is Presumption: An Entertainment by Julia Barrett. It is a cute sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of what happens to Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana.

Sanditon by Jane Austen and “Another Lady,” is another interesting example. The first 11 chapters of the novel actually were written by Austen shortly before her death. The remainder was added on by the other lady. The first section is, without a doubt, the best part, but the rest is a fun read. The “other lady” does an admirable job of finishing up what promised to be another great Austen novel.

There are countless other imitation books, countless books about Jane, more Austen movies to discuss, and I could go on nearly forever about all of it, but I am far too busy listening to my CD of Piano Classics from the World of Jane Austen and preparing a special white soup from my Jane Austen Cookbook to take the time to type more.

I tease, but on a serious note, all that you really need to know, you can find in Jane Austen’s works. They aren’t just silly little romances (not that there is anything at all wrong with a silly, little romance), but commentaries on the human condition, packaged with humor and vivid characters.

Anyway, to sum it up, the movie was really good.

– Jane Leisteiner

A new poll of America’s readers — or non-readers, depending on your spin — was just published. One in four adults (actually 27 percent) confess they have read no books in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. This shouldn’t come as a shock. In fact, I’m almost surprised that three-fourths of the population do read one book a year.

But why didn’t the AP report it that way to begin with? In the same article, they write, “In 2004, a National Endowment for the Arts report titled ‘Reading at Risk’ found only 57 percent of American adults had read a book in 2002, a four percentage point drop in a decade. The study faulted television, movies and the Internet.”

So, isn’t the AP now reporting that 73 percent of American adults read a book in the past year…compared to another study a few years ago where only 57 percent had read a book? What am I missing? Why the spin?

It’s not like book sales are in decline and there aren’t new opportunities to reach an audience with the booming sales of iPods and portable players, but you wouldn’t know it from the article. More from the Associated Press:

“I just get sleepy when I read,” said Richard Bustos of Dallas, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool.

That choice by Bustos and others is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely. Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well-established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.

Sounds like doom and gloom for the book industry. But the same article later states:

The publishing business totaled $35.7 billion in global sales last year, 3 percent more than the previous year, according to the Book Industry Study Group, a trade association. About 3.1 billion books were sold, an increase of less than 1 percent.

Of course, this isn’t what has everybody’s feathers ruffled. It’s the polling results that say liberals and moderates read more than conservates. The AP-Ipsos poll found 22% of liberals and moderates said they had not read a book within the past year, compared with 34% of conservatives. “Among those who had read at least one book,” the AP goes on, “liberals typically read nine books in the year, with half reading more than that and half less. Conservatives typically read eight, moderates five.”

Of course, Pat Schroeder, president of the American Association of Publishers (hardly an unbiased source), immediately jumped on this. She announced that this proves something about conservatives. Conservatives countered back that they read more factual stuff than liberals. And that the study was only a small sampling of 1,003 people with an error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. In the Washington Post, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Schroeder was “confusing volume with quality.”

And so it goes…

I’m sure this isn’t the last we hear from either side. Unfortunately.

Incidently, of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices…which might explain why religious fictional novels seem to have been gaining in popularity.

People from the South read a bit more than those from other regions, mostly religious books and romance novels. Whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many as those who attend frequently, according to the AP poll. 

What can you take from all this?

Apparently, whatever you want…

– D. Barry