My review of I Live Here

My review of the extraordinary I Live Here runs in this week's San Antonio Current.

Celebrity philanthropic efforts often center around a few photo opportunities showcased to further a career. These usually well-meaning events generally turn a fleeting spotlight on the truly needy, such as the numerous Africa plights, conquered Tibet, or the disaster relief du jour. With I Live Here, Mia Kirshner (The L Word) shines an unwavering, informative light on important and troubling non-U.S.-centric issues in a truthful and often disturbing manner. She elevates celebrity philanthropic efforts to an extraordinary new level of sophistication in content and style.

Kirshner visited four ravaged areas, conducting interviews with the women and children most affected. I Live Here compiles her encounters in Ingushetia, Burma, Ciudad Juárez, and Malawi in a graphically intense series of four oversized, thin paperbacks wrapped inside a hardcover case. Each book also contains a graphic novella, and two of the volumes offer related short stories.

Be sure to check out the book's incredible site.

Borders Considers Sale

From Publishers Weekly, March 19:

The possibility that Borders may one day be for sale has been discussed in publishing circles for several years, but that chance became more likely with the early morning announcement from the bookstore chain that it had hired J.P. Morgan Securities and Merrill Lynch to help it explore strategic alternatives. Those options, Borders said, include the possible sale of the company and/or some of its divisions.
Continued...

This could be terrifying news for the American book industry. What happens if Barnes & Noble buys Borders? Or if Borders is chopped up into smaller companies?

Imagine the megalithic Barnes & Noble tromping throughout the US with no stiff competition? Sure, Amazon offers some resistance but online has yet to replace the neighborhood book store.

What happens if B&N decides to not carry an author or title? With no Borders, publishers will have little recourse.

What's worse than two gigantic book chains? There being only one...

To write books is easy, it requires only pen and ink and the ever-patient paper. To print books is a little more difficult, because genius so often rejoices in illegible handwriting. To read books is more difficult still, because of a tendency to go to sleep. But the most difficult task of all that a mortal man can embark on is to sell a book.

from a poem by Felix Dahn, paraphrased by Sir Stanley Unwin

(Thanks to Jeff VanderMeer for the link and for offering a unique solution)

Someone's Gonna Get Fired

Normally, I decry the publication of special "gift editions" of books already long available in paperback. But every once in awhile, someone gets it dead right, creating an actual work of art that enhances the book. Of course, they will be immediately fired for getting it right.

Take a look at that beeeeyoutiful copy of Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. Look at those rounded edges and gilt-edged pages. Look at the shiny, shiny gold on the cover. There's even a red ribbon marker to hold your place. It's brilliant, people!

The book arrives in stores this fall, just in time for Christmas. Moore is in the process of writing a new book, so he won't be touring. But he will sign copies that you can pre-order from Books, Inc. in California.