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Reach Out and Touch
...an Author
The
Goodreads Author Program is growing quickly. Best-selling authors such as Jennifer Weiner, Chris Bohjalian, and Laurie Halse Anderson are all active members of our community. Who do you want to talk to on Goodreads? J.K. Rowling? Stephen King? Help spearhead the effort to get your favorite authors on Goodreads. Join our
Goodreads Author Outreach Project to find out how!
Author Interviews—Goodreads Exclusives
Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard, grand master of sleazy characters and rapid-fire dialogue, is more than just a mind-blowing crime writer. He's an inspiration. After pioneering the western genre in the '50s and '60s, including the short story
Three-Ten to Yuma and the novel
Hombre, Leonard turned to a new arena with crime thrillers such as
Get Shorty and
Out of Sight and spurred countless movie adaptations of his books. What makes the former ad-man so distinctive? His character-driven style and lean, mean prose. Leonard talked with Goodreads about his new book,
Road Dogs, and explains why writing pads must be bought in bulk and how George Clooney needs some sweet talking.
Goodreads:
Road Dogs brings together characters formerly introduced in three separate novels that you wrote over the past 20 years (Jack Foley from
Out of Sight, Cundo Rey from
LaBrava, and Dawn Navarro from
Riding the Rap). What inspired you to bring these three together in one story?
Elmore Leonard: I remembered that I liked them. The most recent character was Dawn Navarro, and I thought I could do a lot more with her. I knew I was going to bring back Jack Foley for George Clooney, but he's now decided that he doesn't want to play another bank robber. I'll go to him again—maybe he'll be in a different mood. The third I remember liking, Cundo Rey, didn't have much of a part (he was the third male lead). But I thought he was killed, so I picked up my book again, and sure enough, he was shot three times in the chest—but it doesn't say he was killed. So I brought him back: He was picked up by emergency guys, taken to the hospital, and was in a coma for 30 days. He comes back and makes a lot of money.
Read the full interview »
Alexander McCall Smith
Zimbabwe-born British writer
Alexander McCall Smith has spent his career balancing a double life. A respected professor of medical ethics by day, prolific children's book author by night, his writing career fully blossomed at age 50 when his novel,
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, became an unexpected publishing sensation. McCall Smith went on to publish ten books about his Botswana-based heroine, Precious Ramotswe, which sold millions of copies around the globe and spawned a TV miniseries this spring. Now retired from academic work, he's knee-deep in four different series, two of which,
44 Scotland Street and
Corduroy Mansions, were originally serialized in daily newspaper installments. McCall Smith took a pause from his busy writing schedule to talk to Goodreads about his newest book,
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built.
Goodreads: The
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series has generated a lot of discussion about its presentation of Botswana, because it does not include considerable reference to the country's 25% HIV infection rate (one of the highest in the world). What is your response to criticism of this kind?
Alexander McCall Smith: There are many books that deal in more detail with the problems of Africa and, in particular, with the HIV/AIDS issue. I think it is important to remember that, in spite of illness, countries in sub-Saharan Africa keep going as best they can, and therefore we should not concentrate exclusively on writing about the bad things in Africa. There is plenty of good news, and there are many very good things happening there, so why should we not celebrate these?
Read the full interview »
Literature at Every Latitude
Looking for something outside the English-language canon? Great stories know no borders. Each month Goodreads brings you a new recommendation from a different country!
Budapest,
Hungary:
47° 28' 19" N
19° 03' 01" E
Metropole by Ferenc Karinthy
Often compared to
Franz Kafka and
George Orwell, Hungarian author Ferenc Karinthy crafted a claustrophobic urban nightmare that was first published in 1970 and is just now available in English. When a linguist named Budai arrives at what he believes to be the Helsinki airport, he accidentally chooses the wrong door and ends up in a crowded, unknown city with an unfamiliar language and seemingly no way out. Goodreads member
Wyatt says, "The cheap way of putting it is
No Exit meets
Metropolis, but this book stands on its own. It has the full value of an allegorical classic.
Metropole is far from being an Eastern European knockoff of anyone else's story ideas. There's a tiny tinge of comic absurdity, but I wouldn't call it a comedy. In its own way, it's terrifying." And
Gia says, "As it got closer to the climax, I couldn't put it down. Will he
ever get out of this freaky city?"
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Movers & Shakers
This month is chock-a-block with new releases from big-name authors, including
The Winner Stands Alone by Brazilian sage
Paulo Coelho,
Pygmy by master-of-subversion
Chuck Palahniuk, and
Being Nikki by chick-lit queen
Meg Cabot. There are even two notable posthumous publications:
This is Water, a moving commencement address given by
David Foster Wallace, and
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, a never-before-published work by
J.R.R. Tolkien. Here are some other noteworthy titles that have been racing up our most popular charts this month.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by
Alan Bradley
In 1950s England, precocious 11-year-old Flavia is a budding scientist whose hobbies include chemistry (brewing poisons), riding her bike named Gladys, and tormenting her sisters. When a dead body appears in the cucumber patch and her father is arrested for murder, she decides to solve the mystery before it is too late.
David says, "The narrator-protagonist is one of the cleverest, liveliest, most entertaining characters I have had the pleasure to meet in many a year. I laughed aloud many times and couldn't wait to get back to reading this gem."
Columbine by
Dave Cullen
After ten years of research,
Salon journalist Cullen has finally published his tour de force analysis of the Columbine High School shootings of 1999. Delving into the psychology of the killers and providing vivid details, right down to slices of pizza floating in the flooded library, Cullen attempts to provide an explanation for the tragedy.
Tamora says, "It debunks the jock revenge and heavy metal theories that the media generated in the information vacuum after the shootings. Cullen has done an absolutely masterful job with a painful subject." And
Brandon says, "There's a sadness in every aspect of the book, but there's also a tremendous sense of hope."
Genesis by
Bernard Beckett
On a remote island in a post-apocalyptic, near-future world, Anax must endure a lengthy examination to join the Academy, a governing organization of philosopher rulers straight out of
Plato's Republic. But everything she knows about her society may be false in this engrossing exploration of what makes us human and the prospect of artificial intelligence.
Amy calls it "an intensely cerebral read. I lay awake in bed pondering its mysteries and dreamed of it when I fell asleep." And
Charli says, "After sitting there in stunned silence for about 10 minutes, I turned to the beginning and started all over again."
The Weight of Heaven by
Thrity Umrigar
While grieving for the loss of their 7-year-old son, American couple Frank and Ellie move to India to start again. As Ellie assimilates smoothly into a new community, Frank becomes increasingly alienated until he befriends Ramesh, the young son of their servants.
Will says, "Umrigar shows us the intersection where East and West meet, on a painfully personal level. Larger issues are brought to the fore as well, conflicts between tradition and modernity, between globalization and local values, between haves and have nots." And
Diane says it "forces you as the reader to take stock of your life, and to think about the things that really matter most."
The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the Worldby
Michelle Goldberg
After traveling the world researching reproductive rights, journalist Michelle Goldberg argues that strengthening the position of women internationally will help eliminate poverty and overpopulation in the Third World. She also analyzes the political and social forces against that agenda.
Jeff calls it "a bold and vital book," and
Katharine says, "This book is phenomenally well researched and written. Regardless of your position on reproductive rights/abortion, this book is an absolutely necessary read."
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by
Carrie Ryan (Goodreads author)
Vampires are over—bring on the zombies! In this young-adult fantasy, Mary's village is an isolated holdout, bound by a chain-link fence designed to keep out the ravenous living dead. How much is Mary willing to risk to find a better life?
Angela says, "This is a zombie novel, yes, but it's an oddly haunting and lyrical one." And
Saundra says, "It pulsed and pushed relentlesssly, capturing big ideas about faith and free will in a tight, raw story. There were moments of perfect revulsion and horror, moments of heartbreaking humanity, moments of absolute calm and revelation."
"In Bed" with Sarah Dessen
Young-adult novelist
Sarah Dessen doesn't sugar-coat her fiction for her audience. Coming-of-age problems, all too familiar to high school girls, such as teenage pregnancy in
Someone Like You, the death of a parent in
The Truth About Forever, and abusive relationships in
Dreamland, are presented in accessible prose. First published after graduating from the University of North Carolina in her hometown of Chapel Hill, Dessen has gone on to publish nine novels. Her newest book,
Along for the Ride, follows a young girl's lonely journey after her parents' divorce. In honor of strong, fascinating female characters, Dessen shares her favorite books with young heroines.
Olivia by
Ian Falconer
"I read a lot of books with my toddler daughter, and this is hands down my favorite. Olivia is loud, dreamy, loves art and books and wears everyone out. She may be a pig, but she's a great role model for little girls."
To Kill a Mockingbird by
Harper Lee
"Lee's timeless narrator, Scout, is technically a child as this book begins, but her awakening throughout the story shows the fragile line we all have to cross as we enter adolescence."
Sloppy Firsts by
Megan McCafferty
"This is actually the first of a five-book series. McCafferty's Jessica Darling is the perfect high school protagonist in the first book, and you get to grow up all over again with her."
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by
Fannie Flagg
"A story about a girl from a small Florida beach town, surrounded by an eccentric family, who dreams of becoming Miss America. This book made me want to be a writer. Plus, it's hilarious."
Fair and Tender Ladies by
Lee Smith
"Told in letters, this amazing novel follows Ivy Rowe, a tough girl growing up in a rural setting, from childhood to old age. Reading this book is like listening to an amazing oral history. The voice is that strong, the story beautifully written."
Find Great Books on Listopia!
On
Listopia, you tell us what's good. Goodreads members already create and vote on lists like
Science Books You Loved,
Best Books on Rock and Roll, and even
Books for a Pandemic. It's also the perfect place to find the next great book to read, browse thousands of books categorized in every way imaginable, and spread the love by
voting for your favorites.
Goodreads Poetry Contest!
Want your words to reach 2 million people? Goodreads and the
¡ POETRY ! group have partnered to host an ongoing poetry contest. Submit a poem here for consideration, or you can join the
¡ POETRY ! group to vote for your favorite each month from among the finalists. The winning poem will appear in our newsletter. Here is our May winner!
Jaybirds Feeding on Robins
by Trish Lindsey Jaggers
They are at it again. Momma
robin tears through the trees to save
what's left of her babies. One lies
twitching on the ground, its eye socket
emptied by a jay. I can't bury it
until it's dead, and I can't kill it,
so I sit by it
beneath the screaming nest in the sugar maple
as rain drops sizzle through hot leaves.
It's June, and it's supposed to be like this,
daylong heat frying up evening
thunderstorms. In the west, new cumulonimbus
stretch their gargoyle heads, growl long and low.
If it were dark, I could see lightning
ricochet from cloud to cloud. Thunderheads,
Daddy called them.
Four summers ago, a palm reader
told me that a man I love
is slipping away,
a dandelion letting go of its seed,
the seed grasping the stalk in the west wind.
Daddy was afraid of leaving
for anywhere not close to home.
He always wanted to swim
in the ocean, but I went first,
came back thanking him
for my life. Last time I dragged
myself home from the white edges of Georgia,
past the palm-reader's house just outside
of town, past the lily—
pad-covered swamps, past tired cattails
fuzzing out seeds,
he'd bought a van, "Next year
we all can go, and you can drive."
The reader said that I pass many
but travel alone because
I'm afraid of loss, of being left.
I closed my hand to this fool before she took
any more of my money
or my palm.
The twitching stops. The rain runs
down my face, tugs free of my chin.
The earth is dry
beneath the bird. I triangle—
fold it into one of his old hankies,
lift a corner just before the earth goes in.
I want to be sure.
The wedge of its beak is cold,
arrowed like the sharks' teeth
I found on San Fernandina beach.
He'll be dead four years this August.
Above me, in a high fork
of the sugar maple he planted
twenty-six years ago,
the screaming has stopped.
Three years ago, we sold the van.
He'd parked it in the sugar maple's shadow,
the grass pale and stiff when we moved it.
Today I leave for Georgia.
In the west, the thunderheads shake
out their dark fur; the wind rakes
rain and leaves from the trees;
years of roots and worms and earth
steam from the ground. I pat it down, make a cross
with rocks like we did when I was four.
"Why do jays do that?" I asked.
"It's their nature," he said.
All rain runs to the ocean.
I still taste salt
in the back of my throat.
I stand, drag my muddy hands across my jeans;
if I hurry, the storm will be behind me as I drive.
Read more poetry »
With love,
Jessica, Elizabeth, and the Goodreads Team
Watch for the #1 International Bestseller The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, the author of The Shadow of the Wind, coming June 16th, 2009. Visit www.theangelsgame.net to watch the trailer, listen to the soundtrack composed by the author and read the first chapter. 
Finish the following quotation from 1984:
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