Lit: Uniquely Portable Magic

The New York Times had an interesting article last week essentially contending that Bret Easton Ellis' controversial American Psycho has turned out to be prescient of our current climate. Patrick Bateman, Ellis' first-person narrator is filled with bloodlust, is materialistic (well, of course he is, this was written in the 80's), and, surprise!, obsessed with a certain Donald J. Trump.

James Patterson has recently announced that he wants to make more money put books into the hands of people who have abandoned reading by introducing Book Shots which will be published by Little, Brown. These will be books of no more than 150 pages, costing less than $5 a piece, plot driven and, eventually, sold in nontraditional locations. Patterson will write some of the novellas, his team will write others and he will handpick the rest. What are your thoughts about this? I'm kind of for anything that puts books in people's hands.

Writer Ann Patchett is co-owner of a book store in Nashville, called Parnassus, which has just started sending a book mobile around town to food truck rallies, farmer's markets, and outside restaurants. Parnassus on Wheels has it's own web page and Twitter, updating readers as to where they can find the van as it moves about. I'd be so excited if I found a book mobile to explore when I was at the farmer's market! "In Greek mythology, Mount Parnassus is the home of literature, learning, music, and, I think, a few other valuable things," said Patchett, explaining the name of the bookstore.

Have you been keeping up with The Morning News' Tournament of Books? Care of Care's Books and Pies has been working her way through all of the books and I'm thoroughly enjoying reading her opinions of the books in the running.  

Also, in case you missed it, the Once Upon A Time challenge, hosted by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings, has begun. I'm looking forward to getting back to my fairy tales!