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 Weekly Words about Books
June 22, 2014
Rowling Caught in the Crossfire, But Indies Deliver
 
 Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling). This second in a planned series of mysteries featuring private detective Cormoran Strike has received a lot of pre-publication attention as the centerpiece in a high-stakes blackmail scheme perpetrated by Amazon. The internet Goliath has been trying to extract better deals for itself with one of the major New York publishers, Hachette. When the publisher balked at demands that were unprecedented and potentially ruinous, Amazon upped the pressure by delaying delivery times of many Hachette books and refusing to accept pre-orders for upcoming big-name titles. While that hardball tactic had an impact on Hachette's sales figures, it also drew the attention of some of the  publisher's high profile authors. One of them, Steven Colbert, has delivered withering criticism of Amazon on The Colbert Report and encouraged viewers to buy his and other books elsewhere - notably independent bookstores.

One of the books caught in the crossfire was Silkworm, whose high profile was assured once it was revealed that J.K. Rowling was writing the series under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith (the first book, The Cuckoo's Calling, is now in paperback). Even now, with the book released and in stores, Amazon's web site shows a delivery time of 2-4 weeks. But why wait - indie stores have them on hand right now.

And Silkworm looks to be a great summer read, as London P.I. Strike, his career rejuvenated after a successful case, is hired by the wife of missing novelist Owen Quine to find him and bring him home. Aided by his resourceful assistant, Robin Ellacott, Strike soon discovers that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring nasty portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives - meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. And sure enough, someone did. Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, and Strike is off on a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer.  
Two New Arrivals
Of Note
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. Just out in paperback, this sprawling family saga from the author of Eat, Pray, Love
focuses primarily on Alma
Whittaker, daughter of the richest man in early 1800s Philadelphia. Alma becomes a distinguished botanist who devotes her time to the development of her mind and the study of the natural world, then falls in love with Ambrose Pike, an artist attracted to the spiritual and the magical. That unlikely relationship leads Alma into new worlds of discovery and, eventually, on a worldwide odyssey.

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner. She's the best-selling author of several books - her most recent was The Next Best Thing - but Weiner has also made a name by speaking out about what she believes is a male bias in publishing. In 2010, she told The Huffington Post, "I think it's a very old and deep-seated double standard that holds that when a man writes about family and feelings, it's literature with a capital L, but when a woman considers the same topics, it's romance, or a beach book - in short, it's something unworthy of a serious critic's attention."

However Weiner's writing style is described, she knows how to tell a story and is a bright light in contemporary women's fiction. In her latest, she tackles prescription drug addiction through her protagonist, Allison Weiss. All looks bright for the typical working mother - great job, handsome husband, adorable daughter - but appearances can be deceiving. Hubby is distant, daughter is a brat, aging parents are losing it, and suddenly the website she developed takes off and demands time she doesn't have. Thank goodness the painkillers she has for a back injury make everything better...until they don't. Will an unsparing stint in rehab lead to redemption? Weiner will make you hope so.

WHERE TO FIND 
AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
Many of you already have a favorite local bookstore, but for those of you without such a relationship, this link will take you to a list of Northern California indie bookstores by region.
 
If you live or work elsewhere, you can click here to find the nearest indie bookstore by simply entering your postal code. 

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A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
My name is Hut Landon. I'm a former bookstore owner who now runs the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) in San Francisco.

My goal with this newsletter is to keep readers up to date about new books hitting the shelves, share what booksellers are recommending in their stores, and pass on occasional news about the book world.

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