Bernadette Peters!!!!!

Bernadette Peters is GORGEOUS. She hasn't aged a day since "The Jerk". And she's brilliant, kind, funny... I could go on and on. Check out these pictures, taken by our equally beautiful customer Judy, and if you have kids or love dogs pick up her book "Broadway Barks".

Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock

If you know the film Gummo, you know the kind of world Donald Ray Pollock's "Knockemstiff" inhabits. If you don't know Gummo, then you're in for a treat. Knockemstiff, Ohio is a damned, doomed, deadend town, and it's inhabitants sling to their sanity in oddle touching ways (though you may have to reevaluate your definition of 'touching'). By turns ribald, disturbing, and hilarious (often simultaneously), Knockemstiff is fantastic new fiction.

-Manny

In this unforgettable work of fiction, Donald Ray Pollock peers into the soul of a tough Midwestern American town to reveal the sad, stunted but resilient lives of its residents.

Spanning a period from the mid-sixties to the late nineties, the linked stories that comprise Knockemstiff feature a cast of recurring characters who are woebegone, baffled and depraved—but irresistibly, undeniably real. Rendered in the American vernacular with vivid imagery and a wry, dark sense of humor, these thwarted and sometimes violent lives jump off the page at the reader with inexorable force. A father pumps his son full of steroids so he can vicariously relive his days as a perpetual runner-up body builder. A psychotic rural recluse comes upon two siblings committing incest and feels compelled to take action. Donald Ray Pollock presents his characters and the sordid goings-on with a stern intelligence, a bracing absence of value judgments, and a refreshingly dark sense of bottom-dog humor.

With an artistic instinct honed on the works of Flannery O’Connor and Harry Crews, Pollock offers a powerful work of fiction in the classic American vein. Knockemstiff is a genuine entry into the literature of place.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

David Benioff is one of the best writers working in Hollywood today. He published his first novel "The 25th Hour" seven years ago to much acclaim and made his Hollywood debut adapting it for the screen. Since then he's left the book world breathless with anticipation for a follow up while working on countless incredible films. The wait is finally over......

"As wise and funny as it is thrilling and original—the story of two young men on an impossible adventure

A writer visits his retired grandparents in Florida to document their experience during the infamous siege of Leningrad. His grandmother won't talk about it, but his grandfather reluctantly consents. The result is the captivating odyssey of two young men trying to survive against desperate odds."

The Unfortunates by B.S. Johnson

A gift "book in a box" by one of Britain's greatest modern writers.

One of the lost classics of the 1960s, and a legendary experiment in form, The Unfortunates is B. S. Johnson's famous "book in a box," in which the chapters are presented unbound, to be read in any order the reader chooses. It is one of the key works of a novelist now undergoing an enormous revival of interest.

A sportswriter, sent to a small town on a weekly assignment, finds himself confronted by ghosts from the past when he disembarks at the train station. Memories of one of his best, most trusted friends, a tragically young victim of cancer, begin to flood through his mind as he attempts to go about the routine business of reporting a soccer match.

The Unfortunates is a book of passionate honesty and dark, courageous humor: a meditation on death and a celebration of friendship which also offers a remarkably frank self-portrait of its author.

B.S. (Bryan Stanley) Johnson (1933-1973) was an English experimental novelist, poet, critic and filmmaker.

Frey - The Man - The Book - The Interview

James Frey has a new book out today -"Bright Shiny Morning" and the rants and raves have begun. Janet Maslin of the Times subjected it to the strangest review I've ever read.
Now, if you love the man or hate him you have to respect his resolve. By publishing this new work Frey has proved to everyone once and for all that he's an AUTHOR. That bruised and battered an driven from the public eye, he still can't help but do what writers do - write.

This Thursday night at 7:30pm James Frey is going to be at the Whisky on Sunset for what promises to be a wild night featuring music by Black Tide, photographs by Terry Richardson and with guest Josh Kilmer-Purcell. The night is our first, and hopefully not last, partner event with Vroman's Bookstore Pasadena. Mr. Frey was nice enough to answer a few questions in anticipation of Thursday. Enjoy. We hope to see you there.

Questions for James Frey
– from Vroman’s Bookstore’s Patrick Brown

PB- How long did it take you to write Bright Shiny Morning?

JF- It took about ten months. From October of 2006 until August of 2007.

PB- Were you living in LA during that time?

JF- No. I was living in New York City, and Amagansett, New York. I was in LA twice for about two weeks during the writing process.

PB- The novel follows four intertwining stories (as well as numerous other smaller stories). Which of the four main story lines came to you first? Was there ever a time when you thought you might follow only one story for the novel or did you always have an idea that there were multiple story lines throughout?

JF- I originally had six or seven narratives that I was thinking about, but decided that anything more than four would be too much, and would be too diluted. I chose the four that I did because I thought they were all different from each other, but were also very representative of Los Angeles as a city. Some of the others got folded into smaller pieces, or smaller stories, and some of them were discarded. I always envisioned the book as having multiple protagonists, as using multiple narratives.

PB- I don’t know if you’ve read it or not, but Bright Shiny Morning reminded me of John Dos Passos’ The 42nd Parallel in the way that it shifts between different narratives and includes sections meant to show a snapshot of life in the city. What books, if any, influenced this one? What were you reading when you wrote it?

JF- I know Dos Passos’ work. The influence from it, if there is any, was to try and break rules in how I structured the book, as he did, and to try to tell a vast story in an unconventional, but highly accessible way, which he also did. Ultimately, though, I tried to write a book that was unlike anything that has preceded it, that is devoid of any real influence, and that’s singular in its composition and voice, but also immediately recognizable as my work. I have tried to do this with each of my books. I want to tell stories in new, fresh ways. I want my writing to reflect the age in which we live, which is fast, contains vast amounts of information, and uses new ways to present the information. I always read while I write, but for pleasure, not inspiration or influence.

PB- At what point did those historical facts start coming into the narrative? How did the decision to include some “fake facts” come about? It reminded me a little bit of the Museum of Jurassic Technology (which is, of course, in Los Angeles), which plays with conventional notions of the museum. Is this playing with fact and fiction the result of what happened with A Million Little Pieces?

JF- In certain ways, the main character of the book is the city of LA itself, and in order to give a thorough treatment of it, I had always planned to include a history of the city in the book, and incorporate as much statistical and demographic information as I could without bogging down the narratives. Because the book is fiction, I felt like I had the liberty to present the history, and the statistics and demographics, in any way I saw fit. The decision was made during the writing process. I don’t remember with which fact, or supposed fact, but there came a point where I couldn’t find what I wanted, or needed, so I just created it. It is definitely a reaction to what happened with my other books. I feel liked doing it is a statement which I want to make it, which is that I make the rules about what is or is not appropriate in my work, and whatever rules people expect me to follow mean nothing to me.

PB- This is a popular narrative form for stories about Los Angeles. I’m thinking of movies like Crash, Magnolia, and even the film version of Short Cuts. What is it about Los Angeles (as opposed to New York or Chicago) that seems to inspire this multi-narrative form?

JF- I think it has something to do with the vast spread of LA. It’s a not a centralized city, and centralized, or single narrative stories, aren’t always appropriate for it. There is, however, one significant, important, and very deliberate difference between the narratives you listed, and the ones in my book. I’m not going into it, though. Would rather let people figure it out.

PB- I know you’re not big on revising, but I’m wondering how much of this was laid out in your head and how much was spontaneous? How much outlining did you do and how much did you just charge ahead?

JF- There was no outline. I had a list of things I wanted to write about, and when I got stuck somewhere, I’d look at the list and figure out what to use. Beyond that list, everything was in my head, written by instinct, by feel. I want the book to be unexpected, to feel unexpected. I never want the reader to know what’s coming next, which narrative, or whther it will be a narrative or something else. I never knew while I was writing what was going to come next.

PB- You live in New York now, and from this book, I would guess that you don’t like Los Angeles. Much of the book focuses on how so many people come here chasing their dreams, and most of them end up as waiters, gardeners, sex workers, or corpses. Yet I see in various interviews that you “love Los Angeles.” If that’s so, why focus on these specific stories? I’m not trying to deny the ugly or painful aspects of LA, but I am curious why these stories.

JF- I absolutely love LA. I think it’s a great great place, absolutely singular and unique. I think of this book as love letter to the city. Maybe not a fawning love letter, or one that’s been sprayed with perfume, but definitely a love letter. It’s the type you write to someone you love, but who’s faults you recognize, and whose faults you cherish. LA is a beautiful place and ugly place, an exciting place and a place filled with despair. There is no city on earth where more people comes to chase and realize their dreams, whether that dream is fame and fortune, or a green card and a job. The reality is that most of those dreams never come true.

PB- You once wrote “all writing is a form of autobiography.” Do you still believe that’s true and if so, how does the autobiographical aspect come out in this novel?

JF- I lived in LA for eight years. I would have never written the book, or conceived of it, without having had the experiences I had while I was there. I also tended to write about what I knew in LA: the places, neighborhoods, the types of people. The Venice narrative, in particular, is set in my old neighborhood. Like I said above, I love Los Angeles. This is my tribute to it, in all of its glory and all of its ugliness.

PB- What do you miss about living in LA? What don’t you miss?

JF- I miss the sun, the beach, the ocean. I miss the pace of life, which is slower and mellower. I miss hamburger joints on every corner, humungous grocery stores, the dread of the 405. I miss seeing the mountains in the distance. I miss my friends. It’s a complete cliché, but I don’t miss the traffic.

PB- Describe your ideal day in Los Angeles. What would you do? Where would you go?

JF- Wake up put on shorts walk down to the beach have coffee. Maybe go for a swim, maybe just sit and watch the waves. In-and-Out burger for lunch, go to a bookstore get a good book, sit on the porch of my old house and read for a couple. Either sushi or Mexican for dinner, definitely eat outside. Go to sleep with the sound of crashing waves.

PB- Have you considered writing a memoir about the aftermath of A Million Little Pieces?

JF- I’ll never publish anything classified as a memoir again. If I do it, I’ll call it Memoir, make sure it’s factually and sourcebly accurate, and publish it as fiction.

PB- What should we expect from the event on the 15th at the Whisky?

JF- Some good words, some cool pictures, and some heavy metal music that absolutely fucking rocks.

Tribute to Juliette Greco (Again)

"Paris canaille"


Singing Gainsbourg's great "Les Amours Perdues"


"Saint Germain-des-Prés"


"Si tu t'imagines"

Review: Northline by Willy Vlautin

In May 2006 Guillermo Arriaga was at Book Soup to present his newly translated novel "The Night Buffalo", which is incredible in a raw/sexy/hungry way few novels these days are, and when quizzed on what he had been reading he recommended "The Motel Life" by Willy Vlautin. And the book was great---Is great.
Vlautin's second novel, Northline, comes out today with a limited edition CD sountrack written and performed by Willy Vlautin and Paul Brainard. And it's wonderful.
In a new American fiction scene dominated by clever McSweeney's hipsters and polished Iowa Writers Workshop grads Willy Vlautin stands apart as an imperfect writer with heart and hope and a genuine love of&for humanity.
His two novels look like kitchen sink realism in fiction. Like a Nevada drifters "The Bicycle Thief."
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone looking for something different in the new fiction scene.
Bring on the New Realism.

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW:
Fleeing Las Vegas and her abusive boyfriend, Allison Johnson moves to Reno, intent on making a new life for herself. Haunted by the mistakes of her past, and lacking any self-belief, her only comfort seems to come from the imaginary conversations she has with Paul Newman, and the characters he played. But as life crawls on and she finds work, small acts of kindness start to reveal themselves to her, and slowly the chance of a new life begins to emerge. Full of memorable characters and imbued with a beautiful sense of yearning, Northline is an extraordinary portrait of contemporary America from a writer and musician whose work has been lauded as "mournful, understated, and proudly steeped in menthol smoke and bourbon"

The Mayor's Tongue by Nathaniel Rich

Riverhead Books Strikes Again!!!!

Just when we thought this was going to be a bleak year for books "The Mayor's Tongue" arrived. This was the most refreshing read I've had in a long while. Here's Stephen King's great and true review:

"I read The Mayor's Tongue with ever-increasing delight, rooting with all my heart for the young protagonist on his near-mythic quest. This is an elegantly-structured, brilliantly-told novel, by turns terrifying, touching, and wildly funny, and always generous and magical. The Mayor's Tongue is about how we talk to each other and how make-believe helps us get on with our lives; most of all, it's about love. Kudos to Nathaniel Rich, who has created a brave book, a novel brimming with brio." -Stephen King

Book Review - The Dead All Have the Same Skin

The wait is finally over.
For the next week Book Soup is the only retailer in the world where you can get this smoking new Vian translation.
Our man from Long Island Brian wrote a colorful review, posted below, that I'll recommend with the same warnings as the book: Not for the faint of heart, politically correct, morally rigid, old, young, conservative or liberal. Enjoy---

The Dead All Have the Same Skin is a nasty piece of work. vile. depraved. disgusting. rape. murder. racism. immorality. amorality. seedy. sleazy. blood. semen. shit. piss.

The book floats around New York city bars and bistros and pool halls and tenements and back alleys. And dan parker... he's a bad bad man. bangs prostitutes two at a time behind his wife's back, beats up mucho people (particularly black people, he hates black people), hates his wife, hates himself... it's pitch perfect noir. And then it flips off into rod serling territory. goddammit, when parker's knocking around manhattan looking for a black chick to bang ("a fat, sweaty one"), to test himself, to try and understand the 'feral' attraction, and why white wimin just ain't doing it for him no more... well, it's just too much. you see... dan parker is half black. and been passing as white for years. and his long lost brother is gonna 'out' him. not good. dan parker goes apeshit. totally fucking crazy. two black chicks at the same time in a seedy steamy harlem bar, thinking about bashing in their heads, thinking about his white body sandwiched between their dark bodies. wild and weird shit. and then the cops are after him... and that ending. that ending. vian had balls bigger than my head. that this comes out of the 40's? from a guy who had never been to new york and who wrote under an alias as a black american? i don't know. i just don't know. read this shitstained cumspot of a book and meet a man who has forfeited his soul to fear and racism, and watch as it all comes full circle. read this madhouse. but beware.

Book Soup (well, most of us at the very least) loves Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith about the sexual nature of Tom Ripley


Patricia Highsmith on Capital Punishment and ... murder


Patricia Highsmith on Tom Ripley's guilt


Patricia Highsmith on murder


Patricia Highsmith on the development of the character Tom Ripley