The Observer asked 74 writers and “other cultural figures” what books they enjoyed most this year. View the article here - and don’t forget that there’s a second page.
Full list of writers and cultural figures who contributed:
Excellent sci-fi news and fiction site Futurismic has launched a weekly roundup of free and legal science fiction and fantasy reading on the internet. Their latest Friday Free Fiction post features Karl Schroeder, Rudy Rucker, Cory Doctorow and other great authors.
Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing writes:
Award-winning sf writer Karl Schroeder has just released his debut novel, Ventus under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial- NoDerivs license, meaning that you can download it, share it and copy it as much as you like. Karl’s one of my favorite writers in the field, and has been a pal of mine since I was a teenager — he’s always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else (he was the first person to use the word “fractal” in conversation with me). It’s an indication of just how far ahead he is that this seven-year-old book still feels like it’s on the cutting edge, with its object-oriented sapient planet, bizarre copyright wars, and assorted grace-notes. Link
Another author goes Creative Commons. SF author and blogger Cory Doctorow writes:
Lewis Shiner has begun to post all of his short fiction online for free, under a Creative Commons license. Lewis Shiner is one of the great science fiction writers of the last 30 years, author of the World Fantasy Award-winning novel Glimpses (a book I’ve re-read 10 times, which haunts me every time I hear a Beatles, Beach Boys, Doors, or Jimi Hendrix song). Unfortunately, all his novels are out of print (the exception being a new audiobook, which I just ordered). He also edited a seminal anti-war science fiction anthology, When The Music’s Over that I read until it came apart. Shiner was also an early cyberpunk, who had two stories in Bruce Sterling’s ground-breaking anthology Mirrorshades
Shiner posted his fiction along with a manifesto about the collapse of short fiction markets and the importance of short fiction as a way for writers to experiment and for readers to discover new writers. He calls the project the “Fiction Liberation Front.”
As the end of the Harry Potter series approaches this July, publishers and booksellers are stepping up the search to find a new big hit to fill the coming hole in their profits. Tunnels, by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, is one of the latest candidates.
Interestingly, Tunnels was originally self-published; then went on to be picked up by one of the stars of the publishing business.
The latest candidate arrives under the aegis of the man who, as an editor at Bloomsbury, was the first to spot Potter’s potential, and who has gone on to publish the popular Cornelia Funke books. Barry Cunningham is now tipping a fantasy tale about a boy archaeologist, who discovers a world of thrilling adventure after digging a hole, as the next enormously big thing.
Cunningham found the first of the books, Tunnels, after its joint authors Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams pooled their resources to self-publish a deluxe edition. The first print run, sold through Gordon’s local bookshop in Norfolk, apparently sold out within hours - a sensational success for a self-published book - and word reached Cunningham.
With the backing of Cunningham - a man considered something of a magician himself in the publishing world - the book has gone on to sell pre-publication rights in 15 languages around the world, securing advances totalling more than £500,000. Cunningham is currently in Hollywood, in discussions to sell the film rights.
Link to the full Guardian article
From The New York Times:
We asked a handful of writers what books they’ve enjoyed most over the last few months, and why. Their choices — from best sellers to poetry collections to a philosophy of science — are idiosyncratic and instructive.
Writers contributing to the article include Stephen King and Ursula Le Guin. View full story here.
Today is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, celebrated by authors giving away free, professional-quality work online in a reference to author Howard Hendrix’s controversial “webscabs rant”
You can observe it by listening to this special episode of the Time Traveler podcast on the subject of giving away your writing for free, or by downloading and reading Charlie Stross’ novella Missile Gap, released in honor of the occasion (via BoingBoing).
Previously:
April 23: International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
Edit: More great fiction up! Here and here are two free audiobooks (via BoingBoing) and here’s a list of other free fiction released for the occasion (via Futurismic).
Edit: Find more fiction released for IPSTP Day on the official blog or on author Jo Walton’s blog posting.
Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday picked Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” as her next book club selection, a nod bound to launch a sales boom for the American writer’s dark tale of a post-apocalyptic father-son journey.
Winfrey called the book “haunting and inspiring” with a lasting affect on the reader. “It is a quick read and a journey well worth taking,” she added.
In the past, Oprah’s book club picks have pulled obscure books onto the best-seller lists, bringing publicity to previously unknown authors. In this case, though, McCarthy is already a fairly widely-read and award-winning author (other works include All the Pretty Horses and Blood Meridian).
Oprah’s previous selections have ranged from Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” to Elie Wiesel’s “Night.” Her most recent selection before Wednesday’s was actor Sidney Poitier’s “The Measure of a Man.”
Not all of her picks have been on target. Her selection of James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” got caught in a controversy after the author admitted making up key parts of his best-selling drug and alcohol memoir.
Link to the Yahoo News article
Previously:
Oprah chooses Sidney Poitier memoir
Oprah to announce new book club title
