For hundreds of years people have documented their existence, passing on messages, history, and ideas through print form. Now the crumbling economy is threatening to make printed news a thing of the past...



Just recently the New York Times announced that they are facing dire circumstances and "that it is possible that The Times and other newspapers will have to move to digital-only distribution."(read… Continue

I found this article on The New York Times Fiction Reading Increases for Adults

After years of bemoaning the decline of a literary culture in the United States, the National Endowment for the Arts says in a report that it now believes a quarter-century of precipitous decline in fiction reading has reversed.

The report, “Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy,” being released… Continue

Well, Barbara has once again picked a winner in Beat the Reaper: a debut by Josh Bazell



Not only is this First Mystery Club Pick getting rave reviews:

"I didn't want to like it. I mean, a doctor writing a novel is kind of obnoxious. What, you don't have enough to do already? But maybe that's me. Anyway, I didn't want to like BEAT THE REAPER, but I did; I loved it. It is completely original, an utter page-turner, bold,… Continue

I found this call for entries on the USA Book News site:

The National “Best Books 2009” Awards are specifically designed to garner SIZZLING MEDIA COVERAGE & BOOK SALES for the winners & finalists throughout the 2009 holiday retail season and 2010! Winners & finalists will be announced October 2009.

They are celebrating their 6th Year of Honoring Outstanding Mainstream & Independent Books!

Last years… Continue

When Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co announced a freeze on the purchase of most new manuscripts (story here) and Harper Collins and Pearson, parent company of Penguin Group (USA), announced they were freezing wages and considering layoffs (story here), we knew times were tough.

The bad economy… Continue

The Dilys Award has been given annually since 1993 by the IMBA to the mystery titles of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Dilys Award is named in honor of Dilys Winn, the founder of the first specialty bookseller of mystery books in the United States.



Last years winner was William Kent Kruger with Thunder Bay. The nominees were: Rhys Bowen, HER ROYAL SPYNESS (Berkley), Lisa Lutz, THE SPELLMAN FILES (Simon & Schuster), Deanna Raybourn, SILENT IN… Continue

There has been some interesting buzz on the net about Herman Rosenblat's memoir, Angel at the Fence, being canceled(Click here to read story) after receiving information that the story was made up. Oprah had Rosenblat and his wife, Roma Radzicki Rosenblat on her show.… Continue

David S

1. Adiga, Aravind. White Tiger

2. Wrobleweski, David. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

3. Greer, Andrew Sean. The Story of a Marriage

4. Bommersbach, Jana. Bones in the Desert

5. Lamb, Wally. The Hour I First Believed

6. Harrison, Jim. The English Major

7. O'Flynn, Catherine. What Was Lost

8. Estleman, Loren. Frames

9. McMahon, Jennifer. Promise Not to Tell

10. Burke, James… Continue