Josh Hanagarne's Blog, page 21

In the Just-Read Pile

I’ve been plowing through advance reader’s copies, drunk on the power of being able to get sneak peeks at books before they come out. I had hoped that I’d be a big enough man not to rub it in, but…here we are.

But to tide you over, here are a few teasers of the latest and greatest books that are coming out soon:

You by Austin Grossman

I think gamers are going to love this. Particularly those who grew up in the NES era.

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

If you like Gaiman, this book will thrill you, scare you, and make you mad that it’s so short. Sooooooooo good.  

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

So far, the least depressing of his books, and my least favorite.  Not to say it’s not good, it is.  But I really loved the other two.

Gulp  by Mary Roach

Gulp is a disgusting, fun tour of the zillion different things happening in our bodies at any moment.

There you have it.  Set your watches for the release dates.

TV, Beauty Balm, Interview With Lou Schuler, And Roughing It

Three things today:

1. I just finished my first TV thing this morning, a segment which will air on KSL here in Salt Lake in conjunction with the book release.  The tics were pretty bad throughout, but we got through it.  I was pretty nervous.  This morning I woke up, tried to shave with an electric razor, had a tic, and pushed the razor into my upper lip.  So I had this big stupid red line about the color of lipstick.  Happily, it was buried beneath a pound of makeup.  Also–should this happen to you, my agent says “beauty balm” is what you need.  I didn’t have any beauty balm.

2. Lou Schuler, one of my favorite fitness authors, just posted a Q&A we did on his site.  Read it here. Lou is a good friend and having his support has meant a lot.

3. I’ve been reading Roughing It by Mark Twain again.  Once again, the Slade section is my favorite.  I laugh every time, all the way through.

Who’s reading something good?

How Do You Define Success?

Yesterday someone asked me how I define success.  My first thought was to turn to the OED, which is what I use to define everything.

But then I heard myself say, “The people I love the most love me back.  That’s what I consider my success (or luck). Everything else seems trivial compared to that.”

Lucky or not, I’m grateful.

How do you define success?  (feel free to use the OED, the dictionary of the gods)

What Are You Reading Now? Book Giveaway

Hi all, there’s another chance to win a copy of The World’s Strongest Librarian  today.

Over on Twitter, please tweet to @gothambooks and answer the question, “What are you reading now?”

Use the hashtag #strengthandbooks

Winners will be contacted by the end of the day by the publishers.

Also, thank you for the big pre-order push last week, it was a huge help.  If you still haven’t ordered a copy, and you plan on getting one, pre-orders are currently the most helpful for me.

The buy links on this page will give you several options.

thanks!

Josh

 

I Just Got My Book!

It’s been four years in the making, but I’ve finally got it in my big clumsy hand.

It was worth every tic.

It was worth every setback.

It was worth every minute.

Thank you for being a supporter. You’ve helped change my life.

Josh

Two Guys With Tourette’s Walk Into A Library

Recently I met someone else with Tourette’s in the library.  It was pretty obvious that he had it, but I had to ask him to be sure, so that if anyone else complained about his noises I’d be able to explain it to them.

I sat in a chair across from this older gentleman and said, “Can I ask you something?”

In his eyes I saw the expression I’m sure I’ve given to many other people during many other, similar conversations.  It’s a look of fatigue and wariness mixed with what I hope is usually good-natured humor.

“Sure.”  He smiled, which was encouraging.  I spent a lot of bad years being defensive and it got me nowhere.

“Well, the thing is, I’ve got Tourette’s.  A pretty bad case, although you don’t see it here much because I have to grind down on it at work.  Do you have it too?”

“Yeah.” He smiled.  Then his head twitched up and back, and my head jerked to the side and we each made our own weird noise.  Then we laughed.

“Quite a pair,” I said.

He laughed again and we shook hands and that was it.

I felt better for the rest of the day, even though it was a rough one.  Until something like this happens, I always forget just how good it can feel to simply be in the presence of someone who understands you.

With Tourette’s, it usually doesn’t help for two people to get together, not in terms of symptoms.  It can actually make it worse, which makes support group meetings an ironic and lively experience.  But it does help just because someone else understands. The symptoms are almost irrelevant at that point if you have someone you can just shrug with and say, “Good grief, aren’t we are pair?”

I suspect we’ve all got someone who makes us feel this way.  I hope so.

 

 

 

 

 

A Personal Request Regarding My Book

Hi all,

I realized this morning that I’ve been blogging for almost four years.  A most enjoyable, surprising four years.

And now we’re entering an exhilarating and slightly unnerving new phase.

The publication date for The World’s Strongest Librarian grows ever nearer.  The publicity machine is cranking wildly and there are lots of great things happening behind the scenes that I’ll be able to share soon.

A couple of days ago I asked you to please ask your local libraries to order the book.  I’ve already received many responses from readers who did it.  Thank you!

Today I have a more personal request.  Lots of people are asking me questions like, “What can I do to make sure you get the biggest royalty per copy?” or, jokingly, “How can I call Oprah and tell her to pick you?’   These are good questions from kind folks, but it’s too early for either of them.

Right now, here’s what I need more than anything

If you ever plan on getting my book, the most helpful thing for me right now is if you can pre-order it.  This week.  We are all hell-bent on getting a bestseller out of this book and this will go a long way to making it happen.

So if you plan on getting a copy, but were going to wait until launch date, I’d like to personally ask you to pre-order a copy instead.  And sooner is better.  Any of the buy links on this page will have the same effect.

If you do this, and you’re willing to mail your book to me, I will happily sign it and send it back to you.

Thank you.  Seriously, thank you!

Josh

 

 

 

 

 

Who’s Up For A Caffeine Fast?

Associates,

It’s a sad day, but one I knew was coming.  I’ve got to take a break from caffeine.

1. I’m annoyed at how much I’m spending on it

2. Caffeine (and other stimulants) are highly associated to more frequent and more severe tics from Tourette Syndrome.  This doesn’t seem to be the case with every Touretter, but it’s definitely the case with me.  Usually it’s worth the trade off.  Right now, I think the potential relief from the symptoms will outweigh the pouting because I can’t have my diet Mountain Dew.

Not that there aren’t a million other reasons to dial back soda consumption, regular or otherwise.

So starting today, I’ll be taking at least a week away from caffeine.  Then I’ll evaluate and see if the experiment needs to be tweaked, extended, or abandoned.

If you’ve been trying to convince yourself to curtail your caffeine madness, feel free to jump in with me.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & The Prison of Belief

Going Clear is the only book that has ever given me recurring nightmares–a friend who shall go unnamed but knows who she is

When I saw that Lawrence Wright was writing a book about Scientology I got excited.  Since the Pulitzer-Winning The Looming Tower, Wright has been my guiding star when it comes to reporting.

I’d been interested in Scientology before, but it was tough to find something not written by an advocate of Scientology, or by someone with an obvious ax to grind.  So my knowledge didn’t extend much beyond the Wikipedia entry, Dianetics sales figures, rumors about John Travolta, and that South Park episode about Tom Cruise.

I’m happy to tell you that Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & The Prison of Belief might now my favorite book of non-fiction.  Despite the Church of Scientology’s secretive structure, it’s hard to imagine someone compiling a worthier, better researched chronicle of the religion than Wright has written for us.

The first half of the book focuses on Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard.  After he dies (or does he? I found the church’s explanation of his earthly demise as given to scientologists to be as hilarious as it was creative), the remainder of the book follows the individuals who continue to grow the church.

Also covered are the many scandals the church has faced, the church’s focus on celebrity recruitment, its punitive nature as it lashes out against critics and apostates, and much more.  I found the church’s battle with the IRS, and the mutual loathing between the two organizations, to be particularly fascinating.

My goal is simply to pique your interest here.  It’s a big book that deserves an enormous conversation and I can’t do it justice with a brief review.  If you’re at all interested in the Church of Scientology, but aren’t ready to go in for auditing,  Going Clear is a perfect starting point.  Wright tells this story so well that it’s unnecessary for him to draw conclusions for the reader.  Whether you view the story with horror, disbelief, admiration, or outrage, I’m confident than you will react. 

In my opinion, the greatest question the book answers is the one that many readers will certainly have: How could anyone actually believe that?

The “prison of belief” from the subtitle is real, it is methodically constructed, and it is chilling. 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Brilliant, Recently-Read Kid’s Books, And A Library-Related Favor

Hi all, it’s about six weeks until my publication date.  I’ve heard from a couple of people recently that they’ve been able to ask their libraries to order The World’s Strongest Librarian, and they’ve been able to do it.

If you’re a library user–I know most of you are, because you’ve told me–and you’re feeling generous, I’d appreciate it if you’d ask your local library to buy a copy.  Just about every library has a website now, and the requests can generally be made through the website.  Thank you!

Now then, I’ve got a five year old who is in the throes of story mania.  If you have kids who are picture-book age, here are a few of our recent favorites.

1. Ugly Fish by Kara Lareau

2. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (this is my favorite)

3. Boot And Shoe by Marla Frazee

4. Jake Goes Peanuts by Michael Wright

5. Who Ate All The Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont

6. Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers At The Piddleton Last Chance Dog Pound by Berkeley Breathed

These have all been a lot of fun.  They make me wish I understood art better, but right now all I can say is “I really like the art in these books, not sure why.”

Anyone discovered anything new recently?

Josh