Alex C. Telander's Blog, page 67
January 16, 2013
BOOK REPORT: Print Lives, Barnes & Noble Dies? And More!
The Bestselling Books of 2012
Publisher’s Weekly
brings us the bestselling books of last year; prepare to be shocked and outraged.
Don’t Burn Your Print Books
Wall Street Journal on why print books are here to stay.
The Wheel of Time: The Last Chapter
Tor.com presents a YouTube video on the end of the Wheel of Time series.
Reading the Final Scene of the Wheel of Time
Brandon Sanderson on the end of the series.
January 14, 2013
Bookbanter Column: “The Book Dump, or What People Are Reading”
From February through July of this year, a good solid six-month period, I worked in the book department at Dimple Records in Sacramento. Most of my job consisted of unboxing, sorting and shelving thousands and thousands of books that had been purchased for the company through their used book buyback program, available at all of their retail stores. There were literally boxes and boxes of books coming into the warehouse each day from the various stores, and it was my job to organize them and get them put on the shelf in the right sections.
Another warehouse consisted of many rows of shelves all sectioned and organized by subject and genre. For the first few months I quickly filled up these shelves, and then when they were full and all set to go, the books and shelves were taken to the Citrus Heights store location, which was remodeled and organized to accommodate all these new books. There were approximately 15,000 used books made available at the Citrus Heights store.
And then my work began again from scratch, as I began filling up all news shelves for what would eventually become the first (of hopefully many) Dimple Books book stores which opened its doors in July. At this store there were over 30,000 used books. In my time with Dimple I sorted through and organized over 50,000 books.
January 11, 2013
Books Read in 2012
It’s the beginning of a new year — 2013 — which means it’s time for a round up of what books I read over the course of the twelve months of 2012. My annual goal was to read 100 books, be they print, ebook, audio or graphic novel, and I was delighted to achieve this goal, totaling up at 107. Below you will find the complete list. For books read in 2011, go here.
NUMBER
TITLE
AUTHOR
GENRE
EDITION
1
The Death of King Arthur
Simon Armitage
History
2
Hex
Allen Steele
Science Fiction
Audiobook
3
Wintertide
Michael J. Sullivan
Fantasy
ebook
4
Spontaneous
Joe Harris
Graphic Novel
5
The Last Unicorn
Peter S. Beagle
Fantasy
Audiobook
6
Percepliquis
Michael J. Sullivan
Fantasy
7
Crucible of Gold
Naomi Novik
Fantasy
8
Hood
Stephen Lawhead
Fantasy
Audiobook
9
Lucky Bastard
S. G. Browne
Fiction
10
Scarlet
Stephen Lawhead
Fantasy
Audiobook
11
Death of Kings
Bernard Cornwell
Fiction
12
1Q84
Haruki Murakami
Fiction
13
Tuck
Stephen Lawhead
Fantasy
Audiobook
14
The Crack in Space
Philip K. Dick
Science Fiction
15
The Once and Future King
T. H White
Fantasy
Audiobook
16
A Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
17
A Sign of the Four
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
18
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
19
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
20
Hound of the Baskervilles
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
21
Throne of the Crescent Moon
Saladin Ahmed
Fantasy
22
Valley of Fear
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
23
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
24
His Last Bow
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
25
Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Mystery
Audiobook
26
Winter King
Bernard Cornwell
Historical Fiction
Audiobook
27
Enemy of God
Bernard Cornwell
Historical Fiction
Audiobook
28
Excalibur
Bernard Cornwell
Historical Fiction
Audiobook
29
The Kingdom of Gods
N. K. Jemisin
Fantasy
30
The Penultimate Truth
Philip K. Dick
Science Fiction
31
1491
Charles C. Mann
History
Audiobook
32
Triggers
Robert J. Sawyer
Science Fiction
33
Forest Laird
Jack Whyte
Historical Fiction
34
The World Without Us
Alan Weisman
Anthropology
Audiobook
35
The Warded Man
Peter V Brett
Fantasy
Audiobook
36
The Maze Runner
James Dashner
Young Adult
Audiobook
37
A Bridge of Years
Robert Charles Wilson
Science Fiction
38
The Scorch Trials
James Dashner
Young Adult
Audiobook
39
The Twenty-One Balloons
William Pene du Bois
Middle Reader
40
Poisoner’s Handbook
Deborah Blum
Science
Audiobook
41
The Beasties
William Sleator
Middle Reader
42
Furies of Calderon
Jim Butcher
Fantasy
Audiobook
43
The October Country
Ray Bradbury
Short Stories
44
Academ’s Fury
Jim Butcher
Fantasy
Audiobook
45
After the Quake
Haruki Murakami
Short Stories
46
Cursor’s Fury
Jim Butcher
Fantasy
Audiobook
47
Game of Thrones
Daniel Abraham
Graphic Novel
48
Captain’s Fury
Jim Butcher
Fantasy
Audiobook
49
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Haruki Murakami
Short Stories
50
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Haruki Murakami
Fiction
51
First Lord’s Fury
Jim Butcher
Fantasy
Audiobook
52
Feed
Mira Grant
Horror
53
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall
Nancy Kress
Science Fiction
54
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
Science
Audiobook
55
Over the Edge of the World
Laurence Bergreen
History
Audiobook
56
Princep’s Fury
Jim Butcher
Fantasy
Audiobook
57
A Game of Thrones Graphic Novel
Daniel Abraham
Graphic Novel
58
Deadline
Mira Grant
Horror
59
Patient Zero
Joe Ledger
Horror
Audiobook
60
A Princess of Mars
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Fantasy
61
Prague Winter
Madeline Albright
Biography
62
The Illustrated Man
Ray Bradbury
Science Fiction
63
The Wind Through the Keyhole
Stephen King
Horror
64
The Great Influenza
John M. Barry
History
Audiobook
65
Demonologist
Andrew Pyper
Horror
66
Kill Decision
Daniel Suarez
Thriller
67
Redshirts
John Scalzi
Science Fiction
68
Bloodline
James Rollins
Thriller
69
The Hollow City
Dan Wells
Thriller
70
Arkham Asylum
Grant Morrison
Graphic Novel
71
Walking Dead 15:We Find Ourselves
Robert Kirkman
Graphic Novel
72
Libriomancer
Jim C. Hines
Fantasy
73
2312
Kim Stanley Robinson
Science Fiction
74
Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
Science Fiction
Audiobook
75
Legion
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
76
When Will You Rise?
Mira Grant
Horror
77
Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Diaz
Fiction
Audiobook
78
Ashes of Honor
Seanan McGuire
Fantasy
79
V Wars
Edited by Jonathan Maberry
Horror
80
Red Rain
R. L. Stine
Horror
81
A Book of Horrors
Edited by Stephen Jones
Horror
Anthology
82
Mortality
Christopher Hitchens
Biography
83
Little Star
John Ajvide Lindqvist
Horror
84
The Secret of NIMH
Robert C. O’Brien
Childrens
85
Good Omens
Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Fantasy
86
Rainbows End
Vernor Vinge
Science Fiction
87
The Fifty Year Sword
Mark Z. Danielewski
Fiction
88
Bad Glass
Richard E. Gropp
Horror
89
The Passage
Justin Cronin
Horror
90
The Twelve
Justin Cronin
Horror
91
The Emperor’s Soul
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
92
I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus
S. G. Browne
Horror
93
Penny Arcade 8: Magical Kids in Danger
Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik
Comic
94
Revenge
Yoko Ogawa
Short Stories
95
The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula LeGuin
Science Fiction
96
Pirate Cinema
Cory Doctorow
Young Adult
97
The Hobbit
J R R Tolkien
Fantasy
98
Diverse Energies
Tobias Bucknell
Science Fiction, Anthology
99
This is How You Lose Her
Junot Diaz
Fiction
100
A Fit of Shivers
Joan Aiken
Young Adult
101
The Blood Gospel
James Rollins
Mystery
102
The New Deadwardians
Dan Abnett
Graphic Novel
103
Spunik Sweetheart
Haruki Murakami
Fiction
104
Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland
Bill Willingham
Graphic Novel
105
Fairest
Bill Willingham
Graphic Novel
106
1356
Bernard Cornwell
Historical Fiction
107
Anomaly
Skip Brittenham
Graphic Novel
January 9, 2013
BOOK REPORT: Book News for the Week of Janaury 6th
Wattpad Revolutionizes Storytelling
Have you heard of Wattpad? I hadn’t either until I read this great article from Publishers Weekly.
New 1984 Edition
Penguin is releasing a new edition of George Orwell’s 1984 with a censored title and author.
Great Season for Indies
A number of independent bookstores are reporting they had one of their best holiday seasons ever.
Weak Nook Sales
Barnes & Noble did not have a good season, neither in their stores nor with their Nook ereader sales.
January 7, 2013
Bookbanter 2012 Year in Review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 20,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 5 Film Festivals
Click here to see the complete report.
January 4, 2013
BOOK NEWS: Book Report of the Week of December 30th
The Year Indies Finally Got on Top
2012 was a seminal year for self-publishing; who knows what 2013 shall bring.
Book Sales Had Strong Christmas Week
Contrary to popular belief, this was a good Christmas for book sales in general.
Penguin V-P Self-Publishes Interactive Novel
Jeff Gomez, v-p, online consumer sale and marketing for Penguin USA is self-publishing his interactive novel, Beside Myself.
Women to Watch Out for in 2013
Cheryl Morgan presents some women to watch out for in 2013.
January 2, 2013
“The Fifty Year Sword” by Mark Z. Danielewski (Pantheon, 2012)
From the bestselling author of House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski presents a chilling Halloween story as told third hand through characters in their own specific way with special language and diction. The Fifty Year Sword is a relatively quick read featuring a story that leaves a lasting impression.
Chintana is a local seamstress who finds herself at a party where her nemesis is about to enjoy her birthday at the strike of midnight. Not hoping for much, she enjoys a drink and before she knows it, finds herself in charge of five young orphans. Unsure what to do with them, she finds a surprising answer when a stranger arrives with a very special story to tell, one about a long journey to a creator of swords, swords named for the ages in how they work. It is a story that captivates the orphans, as well as Chintana, reaching a climax with the big black box and what resides within it.
The Fifty Year Sword, like Danielewski’s other works, employs a unique form of storytelling and book design, featuring words on the left page, and ornate needlework and cotton and wool swirling on the facing page, making designs and patterns, occasionally linking with the story. While the idea is an interesting one, the overall effort comes off as over exaggerated and at times unnecessary. Danielewski’s use of language, however, is an enjoying read, as he uses the language and vocabulary of his seamstress to weave and captivating tale.
Originally written on November 10, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of The Fifty Year Sword from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
December 31, 2012
“The Twelve” by Justin Cronin (Ballantine Books, 2012) [BOOKBANTER BOOK REVIEW #700]
It is finally here: the anxiously awaited sequel to the bestselling The Passage. Justin Cronin does a great job of not just presenting a number of different situations of survival in his post-apocalyptic world, but also goes back to pre-apocalypse times with some pivotal characters, exploring the roles they will play in this story.
In the present day, there are three characters who will play an important position in this world’s future: Lila, a doctor who is pregnant and due soon, even as the world is falling apart around her; a man known as the “Last Stand in Denver” who has been blogging and reporting about what is really happening; and April, a teenager fighting to keep both herself and her brother alive. Then we cut to the post-apocalyptic world of groups trying to survive against these horrific vampires; the night is now a terrifying time. But one little girl, Amy, has the hopes of many, and the ability to forge forward and give this world a chance.
While The Twelve at times becomes somewhat predictable, like many other dystopian books, it still takes one to interesting and new places, with its unusual characters, keeping one hooked until the end.
Originally written on December 4, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of The Twelve from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
You might also like . . .
December 28, 2012
“The Emperor’s Soul” by Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon Books, 2012)
In another release from bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor’s Soul, he takes the concept of forgery to a whole new level, blending a world of magic and fantasy with something quite simple.
Shai was caught trying to replace the Moon Scepter with a forgery and now she’s a prisoner. Her ability is she can forge just about anything, whether a work of art, a vase, or even a wall. The key is to make the forging stamps as detailed and perfect as possible, then the forged object will look exactly as it is supposed to. Her most prized possessions are her soul stones that when stamped upon her will change the person she is to a warrior, merchant, or whoever she wants to be. But her prisoners have a job for her freedom: Emperor Ashravan was almost killed by an assassin and has been left without consciousness. Shai must forge a soul for him so he will once again be the emperor.
The Emperor’s Soul is a great example of riveting story and enthralling fantasy, a perfect example of why Sanderson is one of our best fantasy writers writing today.
Originally written on December 4, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
To purchase a copy of The Emperor’s Soul from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.
December 26, 2012
BOOK REPORT: Book News for the Week of December 23rd
This is Why We Need Bookstores
The picture says it all.
The Robert Jordan Story
A fan-made video on the story of Robert Jordan.
Investigation Kindled by Amazon’s Chinese E-Store Launch
Amazon is being investigated in China after their e-store launch was not done with a correct license to sell ebooks.
Top 10 Bestselling Books of 2012
Amazon has released its top ten bestselling books of 2012.
