It may have been the year of Stieg Larrson, as Publishers Weekly declared, but at local bookstores throughout the country, quirks of readership and authorship skewed bestseller lists.
Last week Watchung Booksellers announced its 2010 Bestsellers, which included seven Baristaville authors. The most popular of our home-grown are: Debra Galant, Cars From A Marriage, Dorothea Benton Frank, Lowcountry Summer, Dana Jennings, What A Difference A Dog Makes, Jim Gorant, Lost Dogs, Ian Frazier, Travels in Siberia, Jonathan Alter, The Promise: President Obama, Year One and Dewar MacLeod, Kids of the Black Hole.
We congratulate all our local authors and wonder whether you follow the local literary scene. Are you more likely to read a book by a neighbor, or hide when that invitation for a book party or reading comes?
I enjoyed Debbie’s book very much and the only other book on this list of whcih I am familiar is Ian Frazier’s book, “Travels in Siberia.” I read excerpts from the book in the New Yorker and was spellbound. He’s an excellent story teller and I plan to buy this book.
As for reading books by my neighbors, it depends. If I’ve read their work before and liked it, of course, or if it’s a topic that appeals to me (dogs!), I will check it out.
I have my fave genres (Gothic southern writers, true crime, mysteries, historical novels) but I will give a read to anything that’s well-written and craftily constructed.
I think it was Ian Frazier who wrote a very quirky New Yorker article about walking from Montclair to Manahttan on Route 3. I will have to wait until I get home tonight to check, but I think he started out around Grove Street and walked all the way in. Probably faster than driving it at rush hour or in a snowstorm. 🙂
I’ve read Dana Jenning’s book “Sing Me Back Home: Love, Death and Country Music” and look forward to his newest book!