Wall Street Journal Launches Book Review Section

This weekend, the Wall Street Journal will introduce a standalone book review section, appropriately called Books. Robert Messenger, the new editor for Books,told Publishers Weekly that the loose format will include a lengthy main essay in the 1,800-2,000-word range, with room for other substantive essays that can run anywhere from 900 to 1,600 words. Messenger also said that Books will likely cover more nonfiction than fiction. Hardcovers will be the focus, but the paper will review original trade paperbacks and will look for books from independent houses. The bestseller lists, which the Wall Street Journal has traditionally run on Fridays in its Weekend Journal section, will now appear in Books. Books will be running six lists: fiction, nonfiction, business, a nonfiction gainers and losers, comparisons list, and (forthcoming) e-books.

2010 PEN USA Literary Awards Announced

PEN Center USA’s annual awards program, established in 1982, is a unique, regional competition that recognizes literary excellence in ten categories: fiction, creative nonfiction, research nonfiction, poetry, children’s literature, translation, journalism, drama, teleplay, and screenplay. Past award winners include Barbara Kingsolver, Maxine Hong Kingston, T.C. Boyle and Paul Thomas Anderson. Each fall, PEN USA calls for submissions of work produced or published in that calendar year by writers living west of the Mississippi River. Entries in the ten categories are reviewed and judged by panels of distinguished writers, critics and editors.
Winners of the 2010 PEN USA Literary Awards, which honor outstanding work by writers in several genres--including a new award for graphic literature--are:
Fiction: Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato
Poetry: Multiversal by Amy Catanzano
Creative nonfiction: This Lovely Life by Vicki Forman
Research nonfiction: Leaving India: My Family's Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents by Minal Hajratwala
Children's/young adult literature: The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman
Journalism: "Julius Shulman in 36 Exposures" by Mary Melton Translation: Fady Joudah for If I Were Another by Mahmoud Darwish
Graphic literature: Matt Fraction for his outstanding body of work
Exceptional first book: The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession along the Rio Grande by Angela Garcia
Drama: Tree by Julie Hebert
Screenplay: Up in the Air by Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Teleplay: House MD: The Tyrant by Peter Blake

Oprah picks Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

On Friday, September 17, 2010, exactly 14 years to the day of announcing her first Book Club pick, Oprah revealed the 64th Oprah's Book Club selection Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. She said, "From the very first chapter, I declared it a tour de force." Finding the book “exquisite,” Oprah called Franzen to ask him whether he would like to be the next book club pick, because, she said with a smile, “as you all know we have a little history. After careful consideration, he said yes.” Jonathan Franzen will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show in November.
Winfrey says her book club will go with her to the new Oprah Network: "I’ll continue to pick books all season long, and the book club will go with me to the Oprah Network.”

PBS Masterpiece Theater This Fall Presents

PBS Masterpiece features a literary and mystery theme this autumn, beginning October 3 with a new season of Wallander, adapted from the fiction by Henning Mankell. Deadline.com reported that "British critics have found series too relentlessly gloomy, although they couldn’t find much to criticize in the acting, stories or production design. The Sunday Times called it 'close to perfect' while the Telegraph called this new miniseries 'top-notch.' " On October 23, BBC’s modern-day retelling of Sherlock Holmes begins and will be aired for three consecutive weeks. Framed, which was adapted by Frank Cottrell-Boyce from his novel,premieres November 14 as a feature-length drama starring Trevor Eve. Flooding at the National Gallery forces the curator (Eve) to return the entire collection to the disused quarry in North Wales where the paintings had been stored during the Second World War.

September Book of the Month

This month's book will be the Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum. To discuss, simply comment below.