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Greetings from The Book Snark. This site is devoted to book news, reviews, criticism, and celebration, all with a hefty dose of snark. For more riveting information on the BS, visit the About page. Happy reading, Snarkettes!

Book Booty Saved!

When New York’s famed Gotham Book Mark closed in 2007, its 220,000-piece collection – books, magazines, periodicals, posters, catalogs — went to a cold, dark place where literature goes to die: a Connecticut warehouse. But now the literary trove is getting a second chance at life: it’s been acquired by the University of Pennsylvania’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

The Library has begun the massive job of picking up the booty by using eight tractor-trailers for the 3,800 boxes of the collection. They will devote several years to evaluating and cataloging the goods, which are worth at least $4 million and have been anonymously donated to Penn.

The collection consists of first editions, experimental literary magazines, advance readers’ copies (ARCs) of famous books, and some 55,000 literary magazines that published early works by modernist 20th century authors. Nearly a third of the spoils can be deemed “rare books”. The subjects of the materials cover the gamut, including poetry and prose, art, architecture, photography, music, dance, and film.

Gotham Book Mart was founded in 1920 by Frances Steloff, and this impressive collection represents her life and work. A huge proponent of literary experimentation, Steloff both sold and published the work of major writers, including Eugene O’Neill and H.L. Mencken. Steloff died in 1989, at age 101.

But thanks to an anonymous donor (who originally bought Gotham’s collection for $400K when the store closed its doors) and the committed folks at Penn, her collection will live on.

Story Souce Yahoo | Image Source Word Pirates

January 14, 2009 | Filed Under Newsies | 1 Comment

Introducing Doc Snark, Book Therapist

This here is the inaugural post in a series I like to call The Doctor Will See You Now. In this series I will recommend three books on a common theme, thereby serving as your own personal, informal, unqualified book therapist. Consider this first installment a bit of an experiment. If it goes well, it will continue. If I fall flat on my ass(ets), then let’s just pretend this idea never happened.

Ladies and gentleman, Dr. Snark….

Now that we are approaching what many would call The Dead of Winter — a time when the absence of light and the plummeting sugar levels resulting from post-holiday lack of candy canes can cause even the perkiest reader to frown uncontrollably — how’s about a few light, fun books to lift the spirit? Here’s are my recommendations:

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris Sedaris’s latest collection of essays is another gem in the jewel-box of this brilliant humorist’s canon. Some of the subjects Sedaris tackles: purchasing a skeleton as a gift for his partner, dealing with crazy neighbors and landladies, getting a boil lanced off his butt, and, in my personal favorite, quitting smoking while vacationing in Tokyo. As with his previous books, Sedaris examines the most seemingly-mundane situations and flawlessly captures their absurdity and wit – and sometimes even a lesson or two.

The Alphabet Mysteries by Sue Grafton Kinsey Millhone is probably my favorite fictional P.I. She is a tough, no-bullshit kinda gal, but she’s also sensitive, sensible, and fiercely intelligent. Grafton’s series of Alphabet Mysteries (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse, etc.) is currently up to T, but Kinsey still entertains. The books are engaging page-turners, striking a perfect balance of mystery, suspense, humor, horror, and human drama.

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman OK, so it might be a tad on the dark side, but Hoffman’s The Ice Queen is a moving, powerful modern-day fairy tale like no other. The story revolves around a nameless woman, who, at the age of eight, makes a wish that alters the course of her life. She grows into an icy, remote adult, disconnected and cold — until one day, she’s struck by lightning. And the world as she knows it is forever changed. Eloquent, elegant, and unforgettable.

January 13, 2009 | Filed Under The Doctor Will See You Now | 6 Comments

NEA Study: “Reading on the Rise”

Or perhaps a better title for the study would be “Forced Reading on the Rise”.

The National Endowment for the Arts report, which is being issued today, states that over half of the people surveyed read some sort of literature last year. This conclusion is markedly up from 2002’s numbers of 46.7 percent. The study, which considers both online works and paper texts, also noted that reading rates increased for whites, blacks, and Hispanics; men and for women; and all education and age levels. Also, reading rates among 18-24 year olds jumped from 42.8 percent in 2002 to 51.7 percent last year.

Dana Gioia, NEA chairman, said the findings were “astonishing” and indicative of an “important new cultural trend.”

But the report is missing one key bit of information. There is a massive, oh-holy-crap drop among those who are not obligated to read. “Adults who read books of any kind — fiction or nonfiction, online or on paper — that were not assigned by a teacher or employer dropped from 56.6 percent of adults in 2002 to 54.3 percent last year. The fall was greatest among those younger than 55,” says Yahoo Books.

But Gioia, who is a published poet, is undeterred by the glaring gap in numbers between passionate readers and forced readers. It’s “just a hypothesis”, he says. “…We can’t expect to make permanent readers out of everyone.”

I certainly agree with Mr. Gioia on that. The great tragedy of our time is that so many people would rather watch grown adults on “reality” TV be petty, childish, and downright awful to one another for the sake of money than actually pick up a book and read. Which is ironic, because the most accurate depictions of reality I’ve ever come across have been in books.

I was also struck by the spike in numbers constituted by those “forced to read”. When I was in school, and we were assigned a book report, I never, ever read the book. It’s not that I didn’t love to read as a wee Snark; it’s that I didn’t want to be told what to read. I still can’t think of Lord of the Flies or The Outsiders without dry heaving. They are fine books, I’m certain; I just don’t want to be dictated to about what I must read. Just because a teacher liked The Scarlet Letter surely didn’t mean that I would. So I would just wing it…all the while devouring my copy of Fear of Flying.

Story Source Yahoo | Image Source The Martin Amis Web

January 12, 2009 | Filed Under Newsies | 8 Comments

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WHAT IS A SNARK?

The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.