Archive: September 2010 (31-37 of 37)

Sep 7 2010 02:43 PM ET

Bob Woodward Announces Title of his Obama Book

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Tags: , , , Barack Obama, News

Obamas-WarsSimon & Schuster announced today that Bob Woodward’s 16th book, Obama’s Wars, will be released on September 27. The book will concentrate not on the economy but on the president’s foreign policy. The 441-page investigative work will show Obama “making the critical decisions on the Afghanistan War, the secret war in Pakistan and the worldwide fight against terrorism,” Simon & Schuster announced. An official with knowledge of the book says that Woodward finished writing three weeks ago and that the book will include little on the war in Iraq.

Since winning a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Watergate with fellow Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein, Woodward has remained an investigative force in Washington D.C., known for his access to top White House information. He wrote four best-sellers on the George W. Bush administration, focusing on foreign policy and the war on terror. As he did with those books, Woodward will draw upon internal memos, documents, and interviews with top sources–including President Obama–for this latest title.

The cover of Obama’s Wars was also unveiled in the Tuesday announcement, and prominently features a profile shot of Obama looking forward with a focused gaze, and key foreign policy players, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the bottom.

What do you think, Shelf-Lifers? Will you be reading Obama’s War?

Sep 7 2010 11:18 AM ET

Author Joe McGinniss decamps from next door to the Palins

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Sarah-PalinImage Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty ImagesGood fences make good neighbors, especially if your neighbor is a writer looking to get dirt on you and your family. When author Joe McGinniss moved next-door to Sarah Palin’s Wasilla, Alaska home three months ago in order to start gathering research for a new book, the Palins added an extension onto their fence to obscure his view. Apparently this didn’t deter McGinniss from getting what he needed: The AP is reporting that the author has finished his research and has packed up his perch, heading back to Massachusetts to start penning the book.

While the Palins understandably didn’t roll out the welcome mat, McGinniss found the people of Wasilla were extremely hospitable. “They started bringing me blueberry pie,” he told the AP. “I had many offers of handguns to borrow.” Additionally, McGinniss says that everyone was willing to talk to him, “with the single exception of that least Alaskan of all Alaskans, Sarah Palin.”

Sep 7 2010 11:17 AM ET

Shelf Life Book Club: 'Ape House,' the new novel from 'Water for Elephants' author Sara Gruen

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Given the positive feedback from the first installment of the book club–where we debated the merits of Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay–we’re moving forward. I heard from a lot of readers who thought that a weekly book club was simply too much, that given our busy lives no one has time to consume a book a week. We’re still going to have the club once every week or two, but to make it easier for everyone we’re going to do is post the book club schedule three or four weeks at a time. That way you can have plenty of advance notice and time to read.

So going forward, here’s where we stand:

Friday, September 24: Ape House, by Sara Gruen

Friday, October 1: Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen

Friday, October 8: Room, by Emma Donoghue

Most of you remember Gruen, whose 2006 novel Water for Elephants–the tale of a Depression-era circus–was a huge grass-roots hit, selling 2.9 million copies. (The movie version, starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, is now in post-production and due out next spring.) Though Ape House is the contemporary tale of a group of apes–bonobos–and their trainer, it has much the same feel as Water for Elephants, mostly because of Gruen’s ability to write animal characters that are as compelling (if not more compelling) than the humans who surround them.

So pick up a copy of Ape House, which goes on sale today, and come back on Sept. 24 for a rousing discussion of the book. But first things first: As part of the book club, Sara Gruen will be answering some of your questions. Is there anything you want to know from her? How she does her research, how she does chooses which animals to focus on, why it took her so long to write this novel? Tell us below.

Sep 3 2010 03:06 PM ET

Stephen Hawking gets Twitter to ponder the existence of God

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Stephen-HawkingImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.comTwitter isn’t usually the forum by which society ponders the fundamental questions of life, that is, unless you consider trying to decide what kind of panini to get for lunch a fundamental question. But as of today, the top trending topic is Stephen Hawking’s recent declaration that he will argue against the existence of God in his upcoming book, The Grand Design, and users on both sides of the debate and across the spectrum of grammatical ability are deliberating the origins of the universe.

Twenty-two years ago, in his classic work A Brief History of Time, Hawking appeared to at least tacitly accept the possibility of a God, but the world’s best known physicist says his latest theories show an all-knowing deity to be “not necessary.” The Grand Design will be just the latest in a series of books supporting, and often advocating, atheism, the most popular of which have been Christopher Hitchens’ God Is Not Great and Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. Clearly, the magisteria are starting to overlap.

If all of this debate over the existence of God has stirred up such a Twitter hubbub, can you imagine the fracas if Hawking had said he had incontrovertible evidence disproving the existence of Justin Bieber?

Sep 3 2010 12:52 PM ET

Oprah will finally be choosing her new Book Club book. What do you think she should she pick?

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oprahImage Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesAlmost a full year after her last pick, and just in time to decidedly not choose the new Jonathan Franzen, Oprah Winfrey will soon be announcing the next inductee into that all-powerful pantheon of literature: Oprah’s Book Club. Now, there are two possible routes: She could pick a new work, like she did with, say, A Million Little Pieces, or she could go for the reconstituted classic like she did with Love in the Time of Cholera or East of Eden. Personally, I hope she does the former, if only to avoid the slightly saddening prospect of a sticker that reads “Crime and Punishment: As Seen on Oprah!”

According to the AP, the Queen of All Media—including books—will announce her latest Book Club pick live on-air on September 17, exactly 14 years after she announced her first choice, The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Since this is going to be the final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show, it’s unclear how much longer the club will continue, and this may even end up the last pick ever. What do you think Shelf-Lifers? Any ideas as to what you think Oprah might choose? Any books you hope she does?

Sep 3 2010 12:15 PM ET

Never judge a person by his or her memoir cover (unless that judgment is well deserved, of course)

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Bad-As-I-Want-To-BeIt’s a saying so old I probably don’t even have to write it. But I will anyway: Never judge a book by its cover. The powers that be have created this phrase in an effort to teach us to be open-minded about what we read. I’m not sure how well it has succeeded. I’ve chosen several books solely based on a well-executed cover design. (Yes, guilty as charged! Don’t act like you haven’t done the same.)

But memoirs are a whole different story. (No pun intended.) Memoir covers typically feature a picture of the subject. How hard can that be? There shouldn’t be a lot of quick judging, right? Wrong. As The Huffington Post reminded me with its photo gallery, a simple memoir cover can go oh-so-very wrong with one poorly chosen photo.

I have to say I’m a fan of the 11 book covers that made the cut. They’re all pretty awful. (And the Hoff made the list TWICE!) But my favorite has to be Dennis Rodman’s Bad As I Wanna Be cover. I have one word for you, Dennis. Ewww. (Judgement earned.)

Who you do think deserves an award for the WORST memoir cover ever? And what covers did the HuffPo leave off its list?

Sep 1 2010 03:56 PM ET

'Dancing with Stars' but not authors

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dancing-with-starsImage Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABCABC announced the newest cast of Dancing with the Stars Monday night, and today they released the couple pairings for the show’s 11th season. (At the time of this post, EW.com readers had voted Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough as the couple to beat! Fellow ‘stars’ watch your backs!)

Anyway, it has come to my attention that DWTS keeps neglecting one important genre of stars—authors! Author Ally Carter took to her blog to comment on this travesty. In 11 seasons with more than 100 stars, none of them have been authors. (This does not count the stars who have book deals, like reality mom Kate Gosselin.)

Even if you don’t watch the show, it’s hard to avoid the casting news each season. And if I’ve learned anything at all by watching week after week, it’s that the producers use the term ‘stars’ loosely. I get it. Dancing with the People You’ve Probably Heard About in the News, Regardless of Star Quality was never really a viable name choice. So I won’t hold that against the ABC powers that be. But I’m not sure I’m comfortable living in a world where Bristol Palin is considered a ‘star’ and a best-selling author is not. And that has nothing to do with politics.

Carter points out that this might be a mere coincidence and not a direct snub of the writers of the world. And she’s right. Maybe J.K Rowling has no interest. Maybe EW’s own Stephen King isn’t quite ready to break out his dancing shoes. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t change the fact that authors are very notably missing from each DWTS lineup.

What author would you want to see strut their dancing stuff in an effort to claim the coveted mirror ball trophy? And who knows? Maybe ABC will take note and make the “write” choice next season. (Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.) Head to the comments below!

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