The Long Book Haul

My family moved around a lot. My father, a book dealer, had to move his books whenever we moved. My mother, an antiques dealer, had to move her antiques. Me, as a youngster, a collector of bottle caps and TV Guides, had to move my stash as well. My sisters, keepers of records, clothes, and cats, had to move their stuff, too.

Of all of us, my dad had it the hardest. With his sheer tonnage of books, he was constantly in a state of packing and unpacking boxes of books. He had a series of shelves which could be broken down and reconstituted in a matter of hours. He had this system down. But the actual moving of books was by far the most trying task due to their weight and volume.

Here I present to you an original copy of my father's short short on the chaos and mania he felt moving his books from New Jersey back to Cape Cod in the late '60s. I give you, The Long Book Haul.

Sexy Fun Time (for book lovers)

Nice to know there are still plenty of books in the world. If you love to look at books--on voluminous shelving, displayed in funky store windows, as part of art exhibitions, in massive libraries, or shown off in quirky personal spaces--then head on over to Bookshelf Porn where you can peruse through hundreds of photos of books on shelves of all shapes, dimensions, and sizes.

They post one photo a day. You can see the books from famous locations such as the British Library, the Anthony Burgess Museum, and bookshops from Salem to Melbourne City.

Meanwhile, here are some photos from my own collection:

An Evening with Randy Susan Meyers

An excellent time was had by all who gathered this past Thursday at Bella Luna restaurant in Jamaica Plain to see Randy Susan Meyers read from and sign her brand-spanking new hardcover The Murderer’s Daughters.


The back room of Bella Luna (the Milky Way) was packed with well wishers, friends, family, and fellow writers. Jenna Blum was on hand to introduce Randy to the crowd. Randy read a riveting section of her book, which is about two girls, Lulu and Merry, who witness the murder of their mother at the hands of their father.

After the reading, Randy signed copies of her book available for sale on-site courtesy of Newtonville Books. Not only that, all proceeds of the evening's book sales were donated to The Home for Little Wanderers' Harrington House.


A collection of some of the foreign covers for The Murderer's Daughters:

Proud book owner:

Many writers were spotted throughout the night, including Chris Abouzeid, Christiane Alsop, Nichole Bernier, Cecile Corona, Kathy Crowley, Ginny DeLuca, Stephanie Ebbert, Chuck Garabedian, Andrew Goldstein, Iris Gomez, Leslie Greffenius, Eric Grunwald, Javed Jahangir, EB Moore, Henriette Lazaridis Power, and Becky Tuch.

Here I am, chatting up a few lovely ladies of lit, including Stephanie Ebbert, Agent Stéphanie Abou, Jenna Blum, and Henriette Lazaridis Power:

It was a successful evening, and a great kick-off for Randy and The Murderer's Daughters.

Special thanks to Liz for being my personal photographer for the evening.

October is Book Festival Time

If it's October in New England, than it's time to get your literati on. This Saturday October 24 marks the first Boston Book Festival, held from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm in and around Copley Square. It's free, man. What could be better? Rain or shine (and the weather's leaning more on the rain side--so bring your rubbers). There will be 90 authors and presenters, events, a street fair, music, contests, exhibitions, and book signings.

The line up of authors is damn impressive: John Hodgeman, Elinor Lipman, Anita Diamant, Chris Castellani, Robert Pinsky, Orhan Pamuk (keynote speaker), Ken Burns, Anita Shreve, Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo, Alicia Silverstone (huh?), Richard Russo, Stephen Carter, Andre Dubus III, Ben Mezrich, Tom Perrotta, and many more. Check out the schedule for event times and locations.

At least one event ain't free: Boston Noir Launch. 6-9 at Boston Public Library Rabb Lecture Hall. $15 per ticket, and still available as of this post. "Celebrate the launch of the new fiction collection Boston Noir (Akashic Books) with contributing author and master of the art of noir, editor Dennis Lehane. From Dorchester to Southie and from Beacon Hill to Brookline, Boston Noir features 11 Boston neighborhoods and nearby communities in stories by contributors including Brendan DuBois, Dana Cameron, Jim Fusilli, Lynne Heitman and Russ Aborn, who will attend the launch event. Expect a dynamic, drama-filled presentation." Okay.

Things actually get underway Friday night at Trinity Church where "Robin Young, the host of Here and Now on WBUR, will emcee the evening’s festivities, beginning with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s reading of a passage from his favorite book." Then, Livingston Taylor performs and discusses songwriting.

Grub Street is a partner, and as such they are offering some free workshops, including:

- Jumpstart Your Writing (writing exercises with mini-lessons on craft) taught by Grub instructors Stace Budzko and Grace Talusan
- Writer Idol (a chance to get the first page of your book heard and critiqued by a literary agent or editor), judged by agents Esmond Harmsworth, Janet Silver and Eve Bridburg, and editor Helene Atwan
- Guided Open Mic with Hank Phillippi Ryan (a traditional open mic with lessons on how to perform your work). I attended this session when Hank offered it at this year's Muse and the Marketplace. If you ever read your writing in public, this event is a great primer for how to do it right, without putting your audience to sleep.

Wait, that's not all. Starting this Thursday, October 22, and running until November 8, it's the return of the Concord Festival of Books. 18 days, over 40 authors, 22 events. Most events are free. So, unlike the Boston Book Festival which delivers the goods in one day, the Concord festival spreads the love out over two and a half weeks. There will be discussions, readings, and talks. For example, on Monday, October 26th you can catch Larry Tye talking about Satchel: The life and times of an American legend, and Dick Lehr discussing The Fence: A police cover-up along Boston's racial divide. Other authors include Howard Dean (opening day speaker), Chris Bohjalian, Gregory Maguire, Katherine Howe, Jessica Shattuck, Fred Marchant, Mitchell Zuckoff, and lots more.

While this is a Concord, MA-based festival, as in years past some events are held in Lowell, at locations like the Pollard Library, Comley-Lane Theater at UMass, and Wannalancit Mills. A couple years ago Liz and I went to see John Elder Robison and his brother, Augusten Burroughs, speak at UMass as part of the festival. It was a great evening, where the audience heard touching, enlightening, a little horrific, but mostly hilarious stories about Robison's experiences understanding and accepting his Asperger’s Syndrome. Here's Liz getting her book signed afterwards by Augusten:


A big shout out to Rob Mitchell, an all-around great guy who founded the festival in 1993 and still directs the whole she-bang.

Unlike a writer's conference, these book festivals are geared more toward readers and book buyers than to writers. Attending a book festival as a writer, it'll be a relief not to have to worry about getting a manuscript critique or running into an agent I might have had an awkward interaction with last year (I suppose that could still happen...).

I wish the Boston Book Festival a great inaugural event, while also anticipating another successful year for the Concord (and Lowell) Festival of Books.

Vacation Reading

While I pack to go on vacation this week, I’m deciding what books to take. Liz and I are visiting my parents and sister in Florida, and there should be plenty of quiet time to read. Currently, I’m reading Chinese Takeout, a novel by Arthur Nersesian. It’s about the adventures and loves of a struggling young artist in New York.


But, what if I finish Chinese Takeout and want to read something else? In that case I need to bring a backup. So, I’ve decided to bring along The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Lots of short sections, so I can read a page, put it down, then pick it up later without losing the thread. I know the subject matter isn’t light (post-apocalyptic America, and whatnot) but if I plan on seeing the movie based on the book this summer, then I need to finish the book first.

But why stop there? I’ll also bring some entertaining non-fiction, Sex, Stupidity, and Greed, by Ian Grey. It’s a scathing look at Hollywood. This came out in 1997, so references to Titanic (which hadn’t been released yet) and Waterworld mark this as out of date. But the stories this guy tells are great, and his interviews with screenwriters, directors, and various anonymous studio people are priceless.


I’m also bringing the latest Esquire. You might remember Megan Fox on the cover. This issue features articles about this summer’s movies, including The Road. If that’s still not enough, I can also sit for hours and scan my father’s New Yorkers. They come every week! Or browse through his hundreds of books. He’s a dealer of collectable books and ephemera, and whenever we visit there is always a great and curious selection. I’m not even taking into consideration books I might buy while I’m down there at tasty yard sales and thrift shops. Last year I accumulated so many during my stay that my father had to mail them north for me. Hopefully this year I won't leave Florida with more than I arrive with.

What books are you reading on vacation?

Books in My Lobby 5

It's been months since somebody left a book in my lobby. Finally, this morning on my way out I saw this gem sitting there as if no time had passed. David Baldacci's The Whole Truth. Something tells me this is a legal thriller. But what do I know? Maybe Mr. Baldacci's website can set me straight:

"In this terrifying global thriller, ...characters’ lives will collide head-on as a series of events is set in motion that could change the world as we know it. An utterly spellbinding story that feels all too real, The Whole Truth delivers all the twists and turns, emotional drama, unforgettable characters, and can’t-put-it-down pacing that readers expect from David Baldacci -- and still goes beyond anything he’s written before."

Sounds scary. Unfortunately, I'll never find out because the book was gone when I came home this afternoon. I guess I missed my chance. Damn you lobby, damn you to hell!!!

David speaks: