Omnivoracious' Amazon Blog

Welcome once again to Friday Night Videos, where we usually match up book-related videos against each other in mortal combat--to satisfy the blood-sport instincts of rabid bibliophiles.

This Friday, though, something a little different. With the forthcoming release of the Bluesman graphic novel by Rob Vollmar and Pablo Callejo, the book's publisher has created a book trailer that gives readers a great idea of what to expect from this highly lauded project. But, since the trailer is silent, I've added a second video below it as a soundtrack. Just start both of 'em going at the same time and you've got yourself a nice little one-two punch. A kind of YouTube mash-up.

Don't say we never supersaturate your senses here at Friday Night Videos!

Programming note: FNV will be taking a break next Friday and returning on May 30.

It seems like every other week I write a parenthetical here about how much I love the brilliantly curated New York Review Books reprint series, which has yet to steer me even close to wrong. So I wanted to note the passing this month of two NYRB authors, both of whose cult-favorite books have been on my bought-but-not-read pile (aka, my house) for some time:

Elaine Dundy, 1921-2008
Terry Teachout, on About Last Night, spent much of the past couple of weeks waiting around for the New York Times to get around to noticing the passing of Dundy, who died at the age of 86 on May 1. Finally they did on May 10, but before that the LA Times and the Guardian had written appreciations, as did Teachout himself. He also wrote the introduction to Dundy's novel, The Dud Avocado, when NYRB brought it back last year and made a bit of a hit out of it almost a half-century after it had become a surprise international bestseller, as a charming, semifictional account of her madcap life as a young American in Paris. As all the obits point out, her life was at least as dramatic as her fiction: she married the legendary critic Kenneth Tynan and, as the LA Times puts it, "in between the beatings and arguments was a charmed life amid the literati and Hollywood and theatrical elite, including Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Laurence Olivier, Gore Vidal and Orson Welles." She wrote two other novels as well as a "frothy" late memoir, Life Itself! (will the NYRB bring this back next?), and turned to biography, including, somewhat improbably, Elvis and Gladys, an account of the King's relationship with his mother that the Boston Globe apparently called "nothing less than the best Elvis book yet," even though Dundy claimed to have been ignorant of Presley and his music until after he died.

Oakley Hall, 1920-2008
Hall wrote over a dozen novels, but became perhaps better known as a writing teacher and a presiding figure in the world of Western letters. As a director of the Cal-Irvine writing program for two decades he mentored, among others, Michael Chabon and Richard Ford, and he cofounded the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley writers' conference; he also wrote two writing guides, How Fiction Works and The Art and Craft of Novel Writing. Fine. But if someone was writing my obituary (or at least my Wikipedia entry) and they included only this single sentence, that would be more than enough: "In Thomas Pynchon's introduction to Richard Fariņa's Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me, Pynchon stated that he and Fariņa started a "micro-cult" around Warlock." Here's the full Pynchon quote, thanks to Search Inside:

Also in '59 we simultaneously picked up on what I still think is among the finest of American novels, Warlock, by Oakley Hall. We set about getting others to read it too, and for a while had a micro-cult going. Soon a number of us were talking in Warlock dialogue, a kind of thoughtful, stylized, Victorian-Wild West diction.

Uh, what more could you ask for than that? --Tom

Rick Perlstein should not be surprised by the reaction of many contemporary conservatives to Nixon (and Nixonland). In his post, he mentions David Frum, the former Bush speechwriter and Canadian champion of all things American and conservative. I discovered when doing my research for Conservatives Without Conscience the sort of reaction that Rick finds striking is, in fact, the nature of the authoritarian personalities who are now the core of the contemporary conservative movement. This is not a pejorative judgment on my part, rather it is fact; it has surfaced from a half-century of social science studies undertaken without a partisan agenda. Authoritarian conservatives have a wonderful facility for denial, justification and rationalization. David Frum is a prefect example of this conservative proclivity. Take David;s boastful pride in developing Bush's militant label for Iran, Iraq and North Korea--"the axis of evil"--as part of his justification for his terroristic war on terrorism. This is the way they think in Nixonland and it does not appear David is interested in traveling beyond its shores. I don't know Ross Douthat's work, who Rick also mentioned, but after eight years of Bush and Cheney, Nixon surely looks better to everyone.

Are we still, as Rick states in his post, living in Nixonland? Since the protagonist of his historical travelogue is not Nixon, rather the warring partisan whom Nixon made his legacy--those who are now described by the news media as red states and blue states--clearly many Americans are still living there. But Nixonland is a state of mind, and as such, it is a shrinking. Republican (and conservative) ranks are dwindling. Ranks of those who call themselves "independents" (voters with no party affiliation) are growing, the conservative movement is fractured, so Nixonland is changing. While Rick's book describes where many Americans have lived, and too many still reside, I left Nixonland many years ago, and I do not miss it. Rick's work reminds why it is good to be away from this place, but for those unfamiliar with Nixonland, I urge you to explore its horrors so your can recognize them if they appear at all appealing from afar.

Speaking of exploring, I am hoping Rick (who is out book promoting) will share a bit about his voyage to Nixonland: What drew him to make the trip?  How did he find his way around? What did he find most striking in his travels? --John Dean

Every Friday, Omnivoracious will turn the spotlight on one or more graphic novels, with future installments also including news, relevant links, and interviews. You can let me know who or what you'd like to see featured by commenting on this post.

Last week, a reader asked for more information on manga and anime. We're going to restrict ourselves to books in this column, but in terms of manga, anyone who wants to learn more might consider referring to the interview with and guest column by Robin Brenner at Bookslut (she also has a great website).

Little Lit TOON Books for Younger Readers

The classy Little Lit gang has come up with something new, TOON Books, which they describe as "the first high-quality comics designed for children ages four and up. Each book in the collection is just right for reading to the youngest but, perhaps most remarkable, this is the first collection ever designed to offer newly-emerging readers comics they can read themselves. Each TOON Book has been vetted by educators to ensure that the language and the narratives will nurture young minds."

The first volumes in this hardcover series are Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons by Agnes Rosenstiehl, Benny and Penny in "Just Pretend" by Geoffrey Hayes, and Otto's Orange Day by Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch. Silly Lilly is the least kinetic of the three, using a deliberately flat style and even tone to provide a primer on the four seasons. Benny and Penny, on the other hand, features two bickering mice who fight over the reality of a pirate ship. Otto's Orange Day uses exaggeration and good-natured banter to establish its mood. All three are note-perfect for what they're doing.

Two for Kids and Adults

Julian Rodriguez: Episode One, Trash Crisis on Earth by Alexander Stadler and Dungeon Monstres: Vol. 1: The Crying Giant by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, John-John Mazan, and Jean-Christophe Menu fall into two categories of illustrated narratives suitable for both adults and children. Stadler's lively, clever tale of an extraterrestrial genius trapped in the body of an eight-year-old boy is the kind of story that adults will enjoy reading to their kids. Reminding me in tone of Nickelodeon's Invader Zim, although not as dark, Julian Rodriguez uses a simple line-drawing style combined with spot color throughout to create his witty and dynamic narrative.

The latest Sfar/Trondheim Dungeon, on the other hand, is the kind of story that adults will pick up whether they have kids or not, but the kids will enjoy the heck out of it as well. This volume contains two stories by guest artists, which may diminish the appeal, especially since the beloved characters of previous volumes only have cameos. Still, despite the lesser nature of these adventures, it's worth your time and money, especially if you've already become hooked on the series.

Fantastical Craziness

The Super Scary Monster Show (featuring Little Gloomy) by Landry Walker and Eric Jones delivers on its promise, with a bevy of wonderful creepy-funny monsters, and adventure galore. It includes takes on the classic Universal Monsters and, in addition to the human girl who lives amongst these creatures, Carl Cthulhu, who just happens to love bunnies. I have to say that the drawings of Carl, with a kind of squidular head, are particularly wonderful. It's snappy, savvy fun.

The ubiquitous Kazu Kibuishi has launched a new anthology series as a companion to Flight. This one, Flight Explorer, is aimed at children, and features the same marvelous fantastical approach to comics, albeit for a younger audience. You'll find a lot of favorites here, including work by Kean Soo, who created Jellaby. Cute, clever, and timely, Flight Explorer is genuinely kid-friendly, like the TOON books, and provides yet another outlet for imaginative, sometimes surreal comic creators.

Programming note: Graphic Novel Friday will be taking a break next week and returning on May 30.

We've all heard about authors who talk about their characters "coming to life" during the writing process, but multi-talented filmmaker-author Miranda July takes things to an entirely new level. In this exclusive video for Amazon.com, July  shares a kitchen-table "Book Talk" she recently had with the brand-new paperback edition of her very own story collection, No One Belongs Here More Than You.

--BTP

Asimov's SF Magazine recently joined the growing number of mags available through Kindle, and editor Sheila Williams is pretty happy about it. "We've been number one for the past 18 hours or so--we've been duking it out with Newsweek for the past three or four days!" Using Kindle is in keeping with Williams' latest forward-thinking push for the one of science fiction's most venerable publications. Asimov's also has a website with fiction and nonfiction. The online forum in particular is very lively.

Check out the wide range of magazines you can put on your Kindle, including other SF pubs, like Analog.

This week on Amazon Wire we're talking to author Richard Price about his new book, Lush Life.

A common challenge for authors who portray urban life in their writing is how to capture the gritty reality of the streets. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, American novelist and screenwriter Richard Price has earned himself extensive literary acclaim for doing just that.

Price’s most recent urban crime novel, Lush Life, is set in Lower East Side Manhattan. The story begins with a seemingly random act of violence, but the book’s twists and turns lead readers to an unexpected climax. The author recently spoke to Amazon.com Books editor Tom Nissley.

I could go on about Ian Frazier. Do you know who he is? Do you know him for Great Plains, his travel book from twenty-plus years ago, which first appeared in vast excerpts in the New Yorker where it blew out the doors with the most bravura opening in the magazine's history of bravura openings ("AWAY to the Great Plains of America, to that immense Western short-grass prairie now mostly plowed under!...") and then didn't let up for 200 more pages? Or do you know him for On the Rez, his more recent bestseller about the Pine Ridge Reservation and actual--gulp--heroism? Or maybe for a fantastic New Yorker article you remember from some time ago on Canal Street or fishing or--most likely--plastic bags getting stuck in trees? Or--only if you're a geek like me--for an immortal sentence he wrote in 1974 for an unsigned Talk of the Town bit on Joey Heatherton: "She is a pert engine of destruction." Or perhaps for a piece he had in The Atlantic a few years back whose very long title you can't remember but some of whose lines have stuck in your head ever since, maybe because you had it up on your fridge for a lot of that time?

That last is the reason we're here today: it's called "Laws Concerning Food and Drink; Household Principles; Lamentations of the Father," and it's the title piece (sort of) for his new collection of humorous (how that word chills) essays, Lamentations of the Father. We've been Frazier fans in my family for a long time (my sister, I will confess for her, once actually looked up where he lived in Missoula when she was passing through that town and parked across the street from his house and then was sort of embarrassed and creeped out at herself when he actually pulled up in his truck and parked and went inside the house), but "Lamentations," with its steel-hulled comedy that is never ever ever not hilarious, made him a household god of the stature of Charles Darwin or Juan Dixon. My parents and sister were visiting a few weeks ago when I got to interview Mr. Frazier, and the night before we took turns reading aloud yet again from the text. Everyone has their favorite punch line--mine is "And now behold, even as I have said, it has come to pass"--but happily The Atlantic has just put their last dozen years online for free, so you can read it all yourself.

I'll pause right now while you do that.

Pretty good, huh? Lamentations of the Father has three dozen of his funny pieces, the best of which--"Tomorrow's Bird," "Researchers Say," "Chinese Arithmetic"--can play in the big leagues with the title essay. Here's a bit from my (second) favorite, "The American Persuasion":

Subtle, flirtatious, and amusing (as well as honest and upright), George Washington led the colonists' war against the British with all the wiles at his command. Contemporaries marveled at the flexibility of his methods when pursuing a much desired goal. It was perhaps a lucky accident of history that his cause was aided by patriots nearly as nuanced as he: in Boston were Paul Revere and John Hancock and the Adamses, noted voluptuaries and lovers of pleasure, easily distinguished in a crowd by the rich, ambergris-based New England bath oils in which they drenched themselves.

(You also find out the name of Benjamin Franklin's favorite scent: "Quaker Moonlight.") Despite the fact that talking about comedy is a recipe for disaster, I leapt at the chance to interview Frazier, and you can hear the results below. Please shut your ears or hum while I go all Terry Gross in the introduction--before long we get to these more interesting subjects:

• The history and philosophy of the New Yorker "casual"
• Growing up as a writer in the Shawn era, and the relationship between passive-aggressiveness and magazine greatness
• Why Russia is the funniest country
• Siberia, the Great Plains of Russia (and the subject of his long-awaited next book, Travels in Siberia, out--we hope--next year)

--Tom

Fans of both the Iron Man comics and those who love the crazy-successful Iron Man movie but haven't encountered the superhero before should consider picking up the compact but comprehensive Iron Man: Beneath the Armor by Andy Mangels.

If you've been living beyond the reach of modern technology for the last six months and missed out on the fun, Iron Man is, as the jacket copy goes, "the ultimate smart weapon: man and machine combined for maximum impact. He’s Iron Man, AKA millionaire industrialist and visionary genius turned superhero Tony Stark."

This new book detailing the history of Iron Man includes a brief introduction to the movie and copious panels/covers from the comic book, as well as extensive commentary. It also has an overview of the armor's design evolution throughout the years--something to warm the cockles of our little geek hearts--and provides a complete background of Tony Stark and such classic sidekicks as Virginia “Pepper” Potts and James Rhodes/War Machine. Villains like Mandarin and Crimson Dynamo also get their due respect.

Del Rey has put together a sharp, crisp package that doesn't seem like just an attempt to cash in on the movie version. Check it out!

I just completed my only two Canadian dates on the book tour and am heading home towards New York City, with a short stop and talk in Chicago. There are already 20 American dates behind me all along the West coast, the Midwest, the South and the East coast. Having previously talked to a couple of authors that traveled from afar only to wind up stuck in a Borders with 8 people attending and 4 more browsing nearby--unsure if they actually should sit down--I paired our publisher with the American Institute for Graphic Arts, whose local chapters organized the events. Thus we wound up with mostly sold-out auditoriums, holding between 200 and 1,000 people, which made the entire endeavor infinitely more pleasurable.

My book Things I have learned in my life so far has been out for about two months. During that time, it has been the bestselling art and design book on the Amazons of the world (.com, .de, .co.uk), and I am still not very happy.

This unhappiness stems in large part from the feature Customers who bought this item also bought, which in my case shows that they all bought other design books, hence all my buyers are other designers.

As a designer, I spend a lot of time around other designers, and I get rather self-conscious about becoming somebody who designs for his peers. I have always felt that art for other artists and music for other musicians can become quite self-referential and incestuous. While some of it is necessary to bring the profession forward, the larger part often presents a rather narrow, insular worldview, and the results are often boring.

So if you yourself are NOT a designer, please do look at my book's Amazon page (and right afterwards, check out The Complete Guide to Home Plumbing). It would make me feel so good.

I run a design studio in New York, and among many other things (we used to concentrate on the design of album covers for bands like the Talking Heads and the Stones), we design books.

This turns out to be mostly picture books, mostly because we get to design the entire thing--the cover, the spine, all the pages inside, the flaps.

Fiction and nonfiction books are often designed by different designers: one does the cover, and other the interior pages.

Within the world of graphic design, these tend to be satisfying jobs because we deal with engaging content, get to meet interesting people, design something that is not immediately thrown away, and after a lot of hard work wind up with a neat, compact object that remains as an artifact of that process.

Here is an example:

We were asked to design Worldchanging, which reports about new, positive developments in science, engineering, architecture, business and politics affecting and changing this world. Through the die-cut holes of the slipcase, the (recycled, of course) paper on the cover yellows significantly over time, allowing the sun to imprint (and change) the book cover itself.

We designed this book to appeal not just to a core, green audience, but to a wide spectrum of the general public. It went well.

The following criteria were important to us during the design process:

We wanted this to be positive. We also wanted something innovative, that does not just talk about change but proofs it in the concept (the book cover changes with the power of the sun, the sun designs our cover). We wanted something that allows the reader to browse intuitively, quickly finding the subject he/she is looking for, without having to learn a new finding system. We wanted something that looks and feels authoritative, yet is pretty enough to be left out on a coffee table, without winding up with a coffee table book. The usability needed to be versatile, so that it can be browsed on a desk, leafed through in bed, or checked out on an airplane.

And I admit that I came up with some of these criteria after we designed it all.