New Fall Fiction

The Week magazine dated November 20, 2009 has book reviews on page 25 under the title, Fall Fiction: New Novels from Four Old Favorites. The four "old favorites" are Stephen King, John Grisham, Barbara Kingsolver, and Philip Roth.

The New Novels are Under the Dome by Stephen King, Ford County Stories by John Grisham; a collection of short stories, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingslover, and The Humbling by Philip Roth; referred to as "the most entertaining depressing book".

70 Years of Best Sellers 1895-1965

I am browsing a book by Alice Payne Hackett called 70 years of Best Sellers 1895-1965. The writer points out that best sellers does not refer to the best books but rather to the books that people love the best. The writer got much of the information from Publishers Weekly.

Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush by Ian Maclaren and The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope were bestsellers in 1895. That's the year that the first American Bestseller lists were published.

The Marriage of William Ashe by Mrs. Humphry Ward and The Gambler by Katherine Cecil Thurston were bestsellers in 1905 and Hackett says novels were beginning to write the new inventions into their plots: cars and wireless telegraphy.

An Austrian archduke was murdered in Sarajevo in 1914 and triggered a war in Europe and The Eyes of the World by Harold Bell Wright and Penrod by Booth Tarkington became bestsellers.

In 1940 the year Hitler and the Nazis attacked England, How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn and Country Squire in the White House by John T. Flynn were bestsellers.

Interesting 280 page book written by Hackett and published in 1967.

Andre Agassi's Memoir

Ah! The trials and tribulations of Mackenzie Phillps, Hulk Hogan, Valerie Bertinelli and Andre Agassi. I guess I won't be writing a memoir any time soon. I have nothing shocking to say.

Read about Andre Agassi's book appropriately called, Open: An Autobiography. I hope Chris Rock took note that Agassi was obsessed about his hair. I also like what he said in the interview in USA Today,

"The true Andre. I continually change and differ and grow, but this is my look at who I was and who I became. But it's ever-evolving".

We are all evolving. Good thing to remember when we come across some folks with whom we can not stand to be in the same room. When they evolve and change, you may want to have them back in your life.

New Cookbooks

I love to cook but I love to look at cookbooks more than I love cooking. From time to time I feature cookbooks in this blog. I am intrigued by the recipe in People Magazine, November 16 issue, for Comfort Meatballs taken from the book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I never thought of putting milk in meatballs or browning them then baking them. The book is by Ree Drummond and this is the link to her blog.

Some of the other books featured in People are The Pleasures of Cooking for One , Ad Hoc at Home, and Bubby' Brunch Cookbook.

Book Club Selections

We are flexible. We could make changes but right now these are our selections for 2010.

January 15

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba

February 19

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

March 19

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino