As of February 2010, The Book Case will now be published here.
Update your RSS feeds and bookmarks — we look forward to seeing you all at the new URL.
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Welcome to the Book Case. Here you’ll find news and thoughts on publishing and more from the editors of BookPage. Drop by anytime, and feel free to leave us a comment—part of the fun of blogging is connecting with other readers.
Current Contributors
Lynn Green, Editor
Trisha Ping, Web Editor
Abby Plesser, Fiction Editor
Kate Pritchard, Nonfiction Editor
Eliza Borné, Assistant Web Editor
The Book Case 
I just found this blog at BOOKPAGE. Really interesting. I am an American ex-pat, a geezer, living and writing in the Philippines so I appreciate the kind of information a blog such as this affords. Thank you. I like knowing about literary writing, not the crap cranked out by the Bigs in NYC. Do they think there are not intelligent book-buyer-readers? Or are they part of the conspiracy to continue dumbing America down, for what reason I cannot fathom?
Yes.
Reading for a Second Time
Back in the day, when I worked for Doubleday, we published a new, unheard of author named Stephen King. “Carrie” was a one day read; “Salem’s Lot” was great; “The Shining” was a knock-out; but “The Stand” grabbed me by the throat and would not let go. It was a must read…for the second time!
As soon the story started…not with Chapter One, but headed in an introduction called “The Circle Opens” and Charles D. Campion woke up his wife, then their daughter, took the grocery cash from the kitchen, and headed East, you knew something “really bad” was going to happen.
And when in Chapter One, Charles’ car careened off the highway into the gas pumps at a Texaco filling station in Arnette, TX, two hours from Houston, bringing to a stop the family fleeing an unknown biological tragedy at an military base in Nevada, you knew, oh you knew, that this wasn’t an ordinary story.
You could blame Charles for transporting his illness from Nevada to Texas if you wanted to, but the horror he carried would not be stopped. In just days the pandemic had spread world-wide.
Maybe it was the certainty that I, the reader, would have been one of the 2.7% of the world to survive, or maybe it was the gripping masterpiece of visions, dreams and nightmares driving the survivors across the world to either fates unknown, I could not stop reading “The Stand”.
The travelers were gripped by visions of a “dark man”, calling them to Las Vegas; or of an old black woman singing gospel hymns, sitting on her porch in the Mid-West, urging them to go to Boulder. A mighty clash of goodness and evil was being set up in an impossible to ignore story.
If you haven’t read “The Stand” I urge you to do so. And I dare you to ignore the calling to read this classic for a second time.
Dave Shepherd
I am fairly recent to this blog and would just like to
say thank you.
I have learned about so many interesting books.
I read “The shadow of the wind” and I am now reading The angel’s game, both by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
I also like Jennifer Donnelly books and am glad to see she has written another one to finish the series.
Thanks again for your reviews.
I first learned about you from Bookpage.
Thanks, Gail! We love Carlos Ruiz Zafon, too.
Hello!
My name is Hannah, and I work at Regal Literary, where we are helping to publicize Audrey Niffenegger’s next novel, HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY. We would like to send you a galley. If you’re interested, email hfs@regal-literary.com with your mailing address and we’ll have an ARC in the mail for you next week.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Hannah
I’d like to send you a review copy of my children’s and YA fantasy adventure “The Call to Shakabaz.” Please email me if you want a copy. Here’s a little about the book:
The Call to Shakabaz has received numerous regional and national awards, including a Mom’s Choice Silver Medal and an Indie Excellence Award. In The Call to Shakabaz, the recently orphaned Goodacre children travel with their pesky parrot to the distant land of Faracadar on a quest to retrieve the powerful Staff of Shakabaz from the evil enchanter Sissrath. When the young protagonists discover that violence is foredoomed to fail against Sissrath, they must use their wits and imagination to defeat him. Unusual for this genre, the book features all Black characters and is set in an African American cultural context. Rather than using a gory violent battle scene to resolve the central conflict, it demonstrates the fundamental principles of nonviolence. A terrific family read-aloud with cross-generational appeal, this book is a real page-turner that has the reader hooked right through to the unexpected, magical climax. If you like Harry Potter and the Narnia books, you’ll love The Call to Shakabaz.
I’m trying to find Trisha’s e-mail address! Could she please e-mail me at:
bookingmama(at)gmail(dot)com
It concerns a guest post on book clubs!
Thanks!
Bravo Mr.Shepherd for giving “The Stand” a much needed shout out. What a fantasic book.
Hey guys! I just want to tell you about a novel that is building up a slow head of steam everywhere. It’s perfect for book groups, and when the paperback comes out, it will havegreat discussion questions included. My new novel, Americans in Space, was just released by St. Martin’s Press. (This is mysecond novel after Starting Out Sideways, which was released in 2007.)
Kirkus Reviews writes that Americans in Space “arrestingly depicts a family consumed by grief,” suggesting that its readers “[g]et out the tissues, but plan on reading this impressive, stirring novel straight through.”
Library Journal, in a starred review, renders its verdict that “Mitchell pitches life’s hardball themes of death, grief, and redemption with piercing clarity and magically interlaces romance and humor into her family saga. Highly recommended for contemporary fiction readers.”
Booklist says “Mitchell captures the mother-daughter angst to perfection, and Kate’s struggle to get on with her life with a frank and empathetic lens.”
And, in choosing it as an Indie Next selection for this month, the ABA reviewer writes that “Americans in Space will speak to all readers, especially to parents of teens.”
The book is a sleeper, but is available everywhere. And you can read the first chapter online at https://www.maryemitchell.com. If you like it, and want me to virtually attend your book club, just check out my Contact page and let me know!
[…] and consistent navigation to each page. However, a visit to the BookCase page and the other Blog pages will leave the visitor wondering if you left the site. For the BookCase page you will find the […]
This all looks interesting I will bookmark this page and read more at a later when I have a little more time
Hello,
I’m not very good at blowing my own trumpet, but as BookPage has been recommended to me on 3 separate occasions by different people, I’d like to suggest ‘Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools’ to you.
It is a true story, eccentric and a comedy. HarperCollins wrote: ‘laugh-out-loud funny…especially the Spanish women heckling over eggs from “The English”…hilarious…engaging… ‘
I’ve been astonished at how well it has been doing since its release in October and would like to suggest it for book clubs. If you’d like to view a copy, I’d be more than happy to send you one.
Victoria
I’m a huge fan of Book Page and used to do reviews in 1988 through the mid 90s when Ann Shayne was editor. It’s become an essential part of the publishing industry. Congrats!
I follow you on Twitter, of course. Compelled to write just now because I’m also obsessed with Cranford and like your comparison of Gaskell to Austen and Dickens: “the social satire of Austen with the social conscience of Dickens” seems spot on to me. My best regards to Michael Zibart, who was so kind to give me a chance to write early on.
I just read a book from the library (featured in Top Shelf Of Book Page) that I thought you would be interested in reading. It’s The Guardians: Loving Eyes Are Watching by Richard Williams. The author has been active in Christian Ministry for over 28 years. It’s a romance mystery where two people’s (a sister and brother) life is turned upside down and they find out where true help comes from. Two dogs will help them find their way back to the path of God’s love.
My local library had a copy of the Feb.2010 issue of Book Page. I had never seen it before, but will be looking for it every month; if thats how often it is published. I already am fascinated by the contents and know I will find new authors and stories, that I would never have discovered. Thanks so much. This will definetly bookmarked on my computer.
Thanks, Ginny! We love hearing from readers like you. 🙂
Hi Guys… would it be too much trouble to update me in the blogroll? Book Chatter and Other Stuff is now called BOOK CHATTER and can be found at https://bookchatter.net.
Thanks so much!! Happy reading 🙂
Hi Ti, it is done! Thanks for letting us know and congrats on the new site!
Y1FEfS Excellent article, I will take note. Many thanks for the story!
HI,
Inquiring about guest blogging. How does one go about submitting a post for the blog?
Thank you,
Sherrill Bland