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The nominees for the 2007 Oscars have been
announced (see the full list here.)
Even if the writer's strike means you can't
stay up late watching the ceremonies, you can
still plan to settle in for an evening with
one of these Oscar-nominated books.
 No Country for Old Men by
Cormac McCarthy received eight nominations,
including best picture, best director (Ethan
and Joel Coen), best supporting actor (Javier
Bardem) and best
adapted screenplay. Upton Sinclair's novel Oil
is the basis of Paul Thomas Anderson's movie
There Will Be Blood, which also garnerered
eight nominations, including best picture,
best actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), best director
(Paul Thomas Anderson) and best adapted
screenplay. Atonement, Ian McEwan's
novel-now-movie, was nominated for seven
awards, including best adapted
screenplay. Jean-Dominique Bauby's
inspiring book The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which he
wrote by blinking his eye after a massive
stroke left him all but paralyzed, is up for
both best director and best adapted screenplay. 
And finally two last mentions: Charlie
Wilson's War (Philip Seymour Hoffman,
best supporting actor) and Into
the Wild (Hal Holbrook for best
supporting actor). |
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The release of the paperback edition of
Joshua Ferris' first novel Then
We Came to the End has been moved
forward. The book will now go on sale
February 26.
Then
We Came to the End tells the story of an
ad agency circling the drain as its demise
draws ever nearer. Nick Hornby called it
"The Office meets Kafka. It's
Seinfeld rewritten by Donald Barthelme."
O Magazine called it, "Wonderfully
comic. He knows, like other masters of the
form, that great comedy has a hard bite."
Stephen King, writing in the New York
Times Book Review, said it is "Hilarious
in a Catch-22 way, but with an
undercurrent of sadness that works
counterpoint to all the absurdity."
Decide for yourself when the book comes out
in paperback later this month. While you're
waiting, you can cyber-stalk Ferris at gawker.com.
They write about him an awful lot.
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 From the good folks at Dwell
magazine comes this five-minute video profile
of the most famous book cover designer going
(how's that for faint praise?), Chip Kidd.
Hear him opine on Batman, visit his
apartment, hear him sing. And if you
that's not enough for you, you can hear Mr.
Kidd discussing his latest novel at the
Minneapolis Public Library, on Wednesday,
February 27, at 7:00pm. Details are here.
Talk of the Stacks is a reading series at the
Minneapolis Central Library exploring
contemporary literature and culture. Readings
are held at the Minneapolis Central Library,
Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.
The programs are free with open seating to
the public. Book sale and signing follow
presentations. Call 612-630-6174 for more
info or visit their
website.
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Here are four great (and free) events coming
up this month. Get out of the house and
expand your horizons.
Friday, February 15, 7:30pm, at Magers and
Quinn--Poet
Li-Young Lee reads from his new collection Behind
My Eyes
 "[Lee's
work] has a disarming
modesty about it that turns out to be the
foot in the door of a whole range of sad,
strange, and even monumental
experiences."-New York
TimesCombining sensitivity and eloquence with a broad appeal, Li-Young Lee walks in the footsteps of Stanley Kunitz and Billy Collins as one of the United States's most beloved poets. Playful, erotic, at times mysterious, his work describes the immanent value of everyday experience. Straightforward language and simple narratives become gateways to the most powerful formulations of beauty, wisdom, and divine love. Monday, February 18, 7:30pm, at Lyndale United Church of Christ, 801 W 31st St (at Aldrich S.), Minneapolis--Michael Oren discusses the updated paperback of his book Power, Faith, and Fantasy  This best-selling history
is the first fully comprehensive history of
America's involvement in the Middle East from
George Washington to George W. Bush. As Niall
Ferguson writes, "If you think America's
entanglement in the Middle East began with
Roosevelt and Truman, Michael Oren's deeply
researched and brilliantly written history
will be a revelation to you, as it was to
me."--Niall Ferguson"A landmark achievement."-Walter Russell Mead "Mr. Oren handles ... complexities with admirable clarity."-Martin Peretz, Wall Street Journal "Elegant and engaging. ... Had George W. Bush been able to read this magnificent book before he launched Operation Iraqi Freedom ... he might well have realized just how dangerous it has been to shoot first and ask questions later in the Middle East over the past 200 years."-Douglas Little, Foreign Affairs "A tour de force, brilliantly researched and written, and extremely interesting as well as informative."-Henry A. Kissinger This event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC). Wednesday, February 20, 7:30pm, at First Universalist Church, 3400 Dupont Ave. S, Minneapolis--Jim Wallis discusses his new book The Great Awakening  Jim Wallis is a bestselling
author, public theologian, speaker, preacher,
and international commentator on religion and
public life, faith and politics. His latest
book is The
Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in
a Post-Religious Right America. His
previous book, God's
Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the
Left Doesn't Get It , was on the New
York Times bestseller list for 4 months.
He is President and Chief Executive Officer
of Sojourners; where he is editor-in-chief of
Sojourners magazine, whose combined
print and electronic media have a readership
of more than 250,000.Thursday, February 21, 7:30pm, at Magers and Quinn--Manil Suri reads from his new novel The Age of Shiva  Following his
spectacular debut, The
Death of Vishnu, Manil Suri returns with
a mesmerizing story of modern India, richly
layered with themes from Hindu mythology. The
Age of Shiva is at once a powerful story
of a country in turmoil and an extraordinary
portrait of maternal love.Manil Suri's first novel won the 2002 Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. He lives in Maryland, where he is a mathematics professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. |
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Random House has announced that Salman
Rushdie's next novel, The
Enchantress of Florence, will be
published on June 3.
According to Publishers
Weekly, "Florence is a historical
novel based on seven years of research set in
Renaissance Florence and the court of the
Mughal Empire. Random House says the book
mixes political intrigue and high drama,
romance and magic and reflects on the dangers
of intertwined fantasy and reality."
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The next meeting of the Twin Cities' most
unusual and interesting book club is Tuesday,
February 12. Books & Bars meets at
Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake Street, in
Minneapolis. Doors open at 6:00pm; the
discussion begins at 7:00pm.
 January's book is The
Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. The novel
blends humor, religion, and science fiction
in a fascinating story that will provoke a
lot of discussion.Books &
Bars is not your typical book club. We
provide a unique atmosphere for a lively
discussion of interesting authors, fun
people, good food and drinks. You're welcome
even if you haven't read the book.
PS: Check out the StarTribune's
article
about Books and Bars. They loved it!
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There's always something new at Magers & Quinn. Stop in today or check our inventory on our website any time. We'll be back next month with more book news.
Until then,
David Enyeart
Magers and Quinn Booksellers
Write us:
info@magersandquinn.com
Call us:
612/822-4611
Or visit our website:
http://www.magersandquinn.com
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