FDL Book Salon With Gov. Madeleine Kunin

FYI/ Tracy Russo is hosting a book Salon today over on Firedoglake w/former Governor Madeleine Kunin. The book is Pearls, Politics and Power.

If you have not participated in one of these salons yet, I highly recommend it. Very interesting and informative. It is a good use of blogs and technology in general to bring our progressive community together.

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On Air Thursday Afternoon

Well, the big bad four are all in one place at the same time! Great to see all the GNB founders here together. (I love tagging along on this ride) Had a fabulous lunch and shared a "ridiculously great brownie" with Mrs. R.

Howard Dean had a rally outside. We are all so grateful to him for his 50 state strategy and the people powered movement he helped get started.

I volunteered at the Progressive Book Club table this morning and met Mr. "Nixonland" Rick Perlstein himself. Very impressive fellow-- lots of big brains here at the Austin convention center.

We are now working on signal flow with Tokyo Terri who is getting ready to start filming folks for her Unofficial Netroots Nation Podcast

More as we go along on this crazy big show.

P.S. HS and LM are very funny. I mean it, very funny.

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GNB Reading Room; What Are You Reading Now?

I know some of us are still slogging through Nixonland. (a worthy but weighty read) What else are folks reading. AND what is on your TBR pile? (To-be-read)

What do you recommend for a leisurely day on the beach or by the pool (hooshing it up or not as the case may be)?

What do you recommend for my gazillion hour flight next week to Netroots Nation?

What do you recommend to view this year's election in an historical perspective?

also- Anything we should avoid? Read any disappointments lately that are a "can/should be passed by?"

P.S. those going to Austin, I went to a good bookstore there when I was last in town, BOOKPEOPLE. I''ll be stopping in there for sure again next week.

P.P.S anyone from the area? I hear there are great used bookstores too-- any recommendations complete with addresses please?

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Catherine Banner, The Next J.K. Rowling?

There is a young woman from Cambridge making a bit of a buzz in the publishing world.

She started writing her novel at the age of 14, scribbling down sentences as she sat at the back of the classroom. Five years on, Catherine Banner is being tipped as the new JK Rowling. Now 19, Miss Banner is celebrating the publication of her work, The Eyes Of A King. The fantasy novel - the first in a trilogy - hits the shelves today and there is already talk of a film version. - Beth Hale

Lauren Buckland, Miss Banner's editor at Random House Children's Books, said: "She is a remarkable talent and definitely a writer to watch. "She has created a brilliant book - it's got pace, great characters, and a real sense of adventure which leaves the reader wanting to know more. "She may even take on JK Rowling."

About the book;

Leo North lives with his younger brother, Stirling, and his grandmother in Malonia, a world parallel to England. His life is dismal: his family is extremely poor and it is not known if his parents are still alive. His only future prospect is to become a soldier, something Leo does not look forward to.

The steady routine of his life is broken when, one day, he finds a blank book lying in the snow. He takes it home and, magically, writing appears in it, telling him about Aldebaran, a magician, Ryan, the exiled prince of Malonia, and an English girl named Anna. From a book that his father has written, Leo learns how King Lucien came to power, and how the Golden Reign ended. Mysteriously, it all ties in with Leo's life.

Tragedy soon descends upon Leo, and he turns his back on politics and magic, retreating inside himself. But he cannot escape from the story of Aldebaran, Ryan, and Anna, and soon his world changes in a way that he would never before have thought possible.- Mrs. Magoo Reads, Book Blogger

Catherine seems like a creative young woman with a ton of talent, and a good head on her shoulders. And I was in the market for a fun summer book to supplement all of the somewhat stressful reading in what is likely to be an intense political season.

Has anyone read this one? What other fun summer books do you recommend? What's on your to-be-read pile, or your in your beach bag?

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My Favorite (Living) Science Fiction Writer

Daniel Keys Moran is God

And he blogs.

If you're not lucky enough to have read the writings of Daniel Keys Moran, wow... lucky you.

As a serious science fiction reader since age seven or eight when I first figured out that the rocket ship on the end of the library book meant good reading, usually, and who grew up on Robert Heinlein and other greats, I'm here to tell you...

I believe Daniel Keys Moran is the greatest science fiction writer alive today.

Yes, I know some people will say it is John Varley, just on the strength of The Persistence of Vision with the novelette by the same name, which I at least feel is the greatest novelette I've read in my life, just as I think Of Mice and Men is the greatest novel, and The Sandman as a whole, is maybe the best literary work as a whole I've ever read. And I include all those great Russian novels and the boring English ones. And even Steinbeck whom I love so much, such as The Winter of our Discontent, and the brilliance of Shakespeare. (I'm talking here strictly about the written versions -- movies are a different deal.)

Daniel Keys Moran is something else.

Yes, I know you have your opinions. You should post them in comments.

I recommend you start with The Long Run, followed by The Last Dancer. Then go back and pick up The Armageddon Blues and the minor works, which I hesitate to call minor -- really I should say shorter -- as some of them haunt me to this day.

(Yes, I do mean Realtime.)

Who do you think is the best living science fiction writer? And why? What one or two books should people new to this author read to best learn to love her or him? What is a great short story by them on line we might read?

And yes, okay fine... you can include fantasy as well. Just so we don't get into that old argument. *grins*

Be polite to each other please. Even if they are obliviously (also obviously) dumber than dirt and know nothing about real science fiction, and you are showing them the greatest writer in history, if the dumb fools would only listen!

If they won't get it... move on.

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Book Thread, Bitches!

Okay, so Doc' posted up the books he currently is working on getting through below. I just finished reading Juan Coles' book Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East and really enjoyed it. A great read and stunning how the Bush administration has fallen into some the exact same traps that Napoleon did more than 200 years ago. Highly recommended.

These other books were written some time ago but I enjoyed them a lot and also recommend you read them, if you haven't already.

This is about a Leo Marks' experience with the SOE during the war. I liked this book so much I have actually read it 3 times.

John McPhee has alot of books Uncommon Carriers and Founding Fish are just 2 recent ones. My introduction to McPhee was the 1990 title "Looking for a Ship" which is about the U.S. Merchant Marines.

oh, and although I can recommend one of the books Doc is reading "The Zen of Fish". I found "Sushi Economy" interesting but more a collection of magazine articles than a book.

Anata wa? (and you?)

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