The Boca Raton Public Library will be opening a new 40,000 sq. ft. library in the western part of the community in January 2008 and will be starting construction to replace its existing Downtown Library in a year.
The International Coalition of Library Consortia is crying foul over the American Association for the Advancement of Science's removal of its premier publication, Science, from JSTOR.
Random House lucked out: the AP reports that a little more than 1700 buyers of James Frey's semi-fictitious best seller, A Million Little Pieces, have opted for a refund.
The New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels, F. Paul Wilson is on a roll: his 11th "Repairman Jack" adventure, Bloodlines, is earning solid reviews and steady sales; June 2008 marks the debut of a YA series based on Repairman Jack's early adventures; and progress is finally being made in the 12-year effort to bring Repairman Jack to the big screen. This is in addition to a continuing series of Borderlands Press deluxe editions, and the popularity of a newsletter and website. Christopher Ryan spoke with him about what makes his best-known character so appealing, his fans, and why he fought pleas for more Repairman Jack novels for so long. So, what makes this character so popular with thriller/horror readers?
In creating Repairman Jack, I took every cliché about the loner hero and turned it on its head. Jack is closer to the reader than, say, Ludlum's Jason Bourne. You know, trained by the government, still somewhat connected to the government; that super-confident, kind of bigger-than-life character. I wanted a guy who was self-taught and feeling his way forward. And people love that. They could never be Jason Bourne; they have a better chance at being Jack. He's a very regular guy; people can see themselves having a beer with him.
But you knew people loved Jack from his debut in The Tomb. Why did you resist writing additional adventures for 14 years?
Honestly, Jack wasn't intended as a series character. I wasn't interested in doing a series at the time. I wanted to finish "The Adversary Cycle" (an eight-volume series including The Keep, The Tomb, The Touch, Reborn, Reprisal, and Nightworld). I had other books I wanted to write. I am surprised [by Jack's enduring popularity]. I didn't think it would go on this long. But I have been able to do what I wanted to do: an H.P. Lovecraftian haunted house story (The Haunted Air), a drug tale (All the Rage), a fish out of water story (Gateways).
Readers interested in reviewing materials on all aspects of literature, including anthologies, literary criticism, biographies, and memoirs, are invited to send a résumé and two writing samples to Mirela Roncevic at mroncevic
St. Martin's. Nov. 2007. c.500p. ISBN 978-0-312-26251-8. $27.95. F
It's always a risky proposition for a writer to take a classic novel beloved by generations of readers and spin their own interpretation. The results can range from the sublime like Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys's haunting answer to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, to the ridiculous like Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley's 1991 Gone with the Wind sequel, which had Margaret Mitchell's memorable heroine gallivanting around Ireland in her quest to get Rhett Butler back. Although Ripley's bodice ripper was roundly panned, it was a profitable best seller for the Mitchell literary estate. In an effort to gain literary respectability (as well as earn more money), the Mitchell estate has now authorized historian and respected novelist McCaig to pen a new novel based on the 1937 Pulitzer Prize winner. At first glance, it seems a promising project: Virginian McCaig is author of a critically acclaimed Civil War novel, Jacob's Ladder, and his intriguing premise takes a fresh look at the events of GWTW through the eyes of the dashing but enigmatic Butler, drawing on hints Mitchell dropped in the original. The result is an entertaining but decidedly mixed bag, as both a prequel and a sequel.
Going places? LJ seeks to identify rising stars among librarians, support staff, vendors, and others in the library field for inclusion in the next Movers & Shakers supplement. Note that due to technical difficulties, if you submitted your applications prior to Nov. 5, 2007, please RESUBMIT (sorry about that). The submission deadline has been extended to November 28.
Experimentation with radical research methods to walk in students' shoes has University of Rochester librarians drawing new conclusions about undergrads' library use.
