It’s a rainy Sunday here in Boston, bookworms – the perfect kind of day to curl up with a good book. Enjoy this week’s book news.
- The Millions blog compiled the best fiction of the millennium – so far. They counted down the top 20, with reviews going live each day this past week. #1 was revealed on Friday: Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections. A lot of great books are on the list, but it still seems pretty audacious to make a “best of the millennium” list when we’re only 9 or so years into it and we’ve still got about 990 more years to go.
- Like to read? Like to write? Like beer? Then this list of quotes is for you! The Inkwell Bookstore blog has cleverly created a list of great writing/drinking advice from a wide range of authors. When Ernest Hemingway tells you how to drink, you listen. The man knew what he was talking about.
- The future looks bleak for bookstores. Economic analysts say as many as 400 bookstores could close this year, a number that represents a 500% jump from last year. At this point, I’d probably praise libraries for offering an alternative, except they’re in danger as well from budget cuts and lack of funding. I may have to start hoarding my books.
- If you’ve already finished The Lost Symbol and are starting to exhibit withdrawal symptoms, try some of these books. They should hopefully keep you busy until the next inevitable Robert Langdon adventure makes its way to stores.
- Diablo Cody, of Juno fame is apparently writing and producing a silver screen adaptation of the popular tween/teen book series, Sweet Valley High. The series produced more than 150 books from 1983 to 2003. In Cody’s hands, there’s some real potential for the movie to be more than just sunny California fluff.
- Speaking of movie adaptations, the film version of childhood favorite Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is now in theaters. I won’t comment on the movie, which looks and sounds nothing like the book. However, if you do go see it, you might be interested to know that in Israel, the book and movie are known as “Rain of Falafel.” The title was changed to reflect regional diets.
- Watch out, Twilight fans – another popular Stephenie Meyer book is about to be transformed for the screen. Variety reports that producers have bought the rights to The Host, Meyer’s non-Twilight “adult” book. The story involves an alien invasion of Earth and centers on a love triangle that takes place in two bodies. No vampires need apply.
- And in other Meyer-related news, the New York Times has an article on the impact the popular series has had on a sleepy Pacific Northwestern town called Forks, WA. The town has seen tourism triple since the books were released and some local business owners are now catering to these tourists by offering Twilight-themed experiences.
