I love Mondays...

...because that is when my New York magazine is delivered! This week's issue contained the culture awards for 2008 .... movies, art and .... BOOKS! They have their top 10 lists on the website. Here are the best books of 2008 and here are the best graphic novels.

Zelda, Benjamin and Olaf van Schuler

I keep stumbling onto tiny, hardcover books that pique my interest. Of course, I have to take them home immediately because they are so cute and bite sized ... surely I have time for just one more. Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain is a collection of related short stories by Kirsten Menger-Anderson. It begins with Doctor van Schuler coming to New Amsterdam (New York) in 1664 with a bag of medical instruments and a mad mother. Each story then follows a different van Schuler physician - from phrenologists to psychosurgeons. Menger-Anderson writes: "We are all limited by the sophistication of our tools and the generally accepted theories of our times."



The next book I grabbed is actually a short story, but it has also been released as a tiny, 54 page book. It is the Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald and it is the basis for the new movie of the same title. This is the story of a man who was born old and became younger as time passed. Everyone around him ages normally and he requires assistance as an old man (just born) and an infant (at the end of his life). We shall see how the movie adapts this concept, but I'll put my money on Fitzgerald doing a better job in 54 pages than Hollywood does in 2 hours.



Finally, my small pile of books is topped with Once Again to Zelda by Marlene Wagman-Geller. This is a groovy collection of the stories behind 50 famous book dedications from Frankenstein, Alice in Wonderland and Peyten Place to Eat, Pray, Love, The Bell Jar and The Satanic Verses. Not only is this an adorably small book, but each story is short and concise. You can leave this on your coffee table or in your car and read it bit by bit.



All of these books are at your local library, but if you are looking for stocking stuffers, these mini books are surely at your local independent bookstore, too!

Forget Rolling Stones ... this is the Times!

Amazing review - bordering on retrospective - of Alison Bechdel's Essential Dykes to Watch Out For in the New York Times.

I love when the authors come to me!

Not only did I get to meet Paula Uruburu yesterday, but it was in my beautiful library! Mrs. Uruburu is professor and writer, the author of American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, The Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century. It is what we call "nonfiction that reads like fiction", meaning it is pure fact but still a fun, fast read because it is written like a bestselling novel. This is a book for anyone interested in New York City history, sensational trials, architecture, crime, rags-to-riches stories, pop culture and society during the turn of the century or well written books.

Needless to say, I was a bit excited about the author visit. I was able to sit with Mrs. Uruburu beforehand and I asked her about what she was working on now. She is writing a book on Lizzie Borden (and recently stayed in the house where the murder took place) and a book on Emily Dickinson. I can't wait to meet Lizzie and Emily through Mrs. Uruburu's thorough research and skillful writing. Her talk on Evelyn Nesbit was fascinating and patrons really enjoyed it - asking questions, buying copies of the book and lining up to talk to Mrs. Uruburu after. She is a brilliant woman; I wish I had brought a paper and pen because she was mentioning so many books and people and events! From Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow to Shakespeare's Sister by Virginia Wolfe. And of course I got my book signed! It is a lovely inscription.

Here is an interview with Mrs. Uruburu from May 2008 New York Magazine.

I'm sorry I still have no author horror stories. One of these days I'll meet a real jerk!