BQ:
When Bob Dole retired from the Senate last year, he bid farewell with a sudden burst of eloquence, thanks to Mark Helprin's speechwriting skills. It was a truly wonderful speech, we must say, and brought a tear to our jaded eye; it's too bad Helprin couldn't jumpstart the poor fella's presidential campaign.
Now that the former candidate is off doing Visa commercials, Helprin is back at work at his day job: writing actual books. We're hearing that he's at work on a collection of short stories, due from Harcourt Brace who knows when.
BQ:
It's hard to imagine that Susan Howatch would write another book about the ecclesiastical life, after writing six (hefty and acclaimed) novels about the Church of England. That is the case, however -- "The Wonder Worker" is coming in November from Alfred A. Knopf. This time Howatch writes of a small church in London and a minister who has remarkable powers of healing.
BQ:
Regarding the hyperelusive Harper Lee, the most recent we've heard was in a nice May "Southern Living" magazine article by novelist/Alabama native Mark Childress. He went looking but had no luck swapping words with her. We'd point you to the article on the Web, but it's just not there.
(We must say that reading "Southern Living" for its book coverage is like reading "Playboy" for the interviews.)
BQ:
It means they cut out all the good parts.
Actually, audio publishers leave out the bad parts. According to our longtime audio reviewer, Sukey Howard, some subplots and detail are cut to make the typical three- to six-hour-long audio versions. The good news: Virtually every audio abridgment is approved by the author. Check the back of the audio -- most indicate whether it's author-approved. Thrillers and mysteries survive abridgment best, but with literary stuff, longer tapes are better.
What happens when an aspiring writer makes one terrible choice after another? He turns it into a book. Yet, unlike some recent incendiary literary tell-alls, Auster's reveals no appalling past experiences (apart from a strange interlude with a couple in Paris). He tells the story of his down-and-out youth in an elegant, artful way. It's funny too.
And short. Fully two thirds of the book is appendix -- various writings including the rules to Action Baseball, a card game he invented in a desperate attempt to hit it big.
We read it on our way home from last month's BookExpo America convention in Chicago. (Can we say the sad truth we avoided saying all weekend? A book convention isn't a book convention without at least one overwrought party theme. The closest attempt was the high tea for Kitty Kelley's next dish, "The Royals." And we did get a glimpse of Time Warner honcho Larry Kirshbaum in a gimme cap featuring James Patterson's forthcoming thriller "Cat and Mouse." But that's it.)
Dear Sirs:
Please, recommend me a recent book or books with information on the so-called International Standard Book Number, ISBN.
Manuel Mendes de Carvalho
Portugal
Please, readers, help us help others. We have run out of steam.
Wondering why your favorite writer doesn't call, doesn't write anymore? Want to send us e-mail no. 9,001 about Jean Auel? Inquire with us, and we'll try to find out what's up: Burning Questions, 2501 21st Ave. South, Suite 5, Nashville, TN 37212. Or better yet, e-mail us at Burning_Questions@bookpage.com.
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