The quirky, silly, and insanely entertaining Mr Gum children’s books, written by British author Andy Stanton, have been re-styled in audio format by Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet. The series of chapter books, geared toward grades 3-6, detail the devilish dealings of Mr Gum, the hometown baddy in the charming English town of Lamonic Bibber. Combine that villain with a bathtub fairy that doles out wacks with a frying pan, a gingerbread man named Alan with electric muscles, and throw in a few trolls and witches to get an idea of the creative meanderings on which this series takes young readers. Stanton himself had previously recorded audiobook versions of his series, but Winslet has done new audio readings of four installments. The new recording include: You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum!, Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire, Mr Gum and the Goblins, and Mr Gum and the Power Crystals. Read more…
Comedian Steve Martin stopped by NPR’s Morning Edition program last week to talk about his latest book The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits Of Very Organized People. Make That Ten., inspired by his Twitter feed. Martin did not join the Twitter universe until 2010, when friend Tom Hanks encouraged him to try tweeting for promotional purposes. “…I thought, well that’s interesting, because I was growing frustrated that when you do a movie or a record, that you have to promote it. I was going on television [and] playing to an audience of 4 million, for example, and maybe only 400 of them were interested in my so-called product. And I thought if I had a Twitter feed and say I had a following of a 100,000, that means 100,000 of them would be interested in my book,” the funny man explained.
“It was logical, but it didn’t turn out to be true. It turned out if I had a Twitter feed of a 100,000, four of them were interested in my book. So, tweeting is really only good for one thing — it’s just good for tweeting … It is rewarding, because it’s just its own reward. It’s sort of like heaven.” Read more…
Mark Twain has still got it. One hundred years after his death, the author has achieved a spot on the bestsellers list with the recently released Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 (University of California Press, 760pgs), the first in a series of three volumes. At the age of 74, just four short years before he passed away, Twain used his oratory and storytelling skills to dictate the majority of the 500,000-word autobiography to his personal secretary Isabel Van Kleek Lyon and several stenographers. According to an article in USA TODAY, “Twain ordered that the full, unexpurgated text, marked by rants against Wall Street and U.S. foreign policy, not be published until 100 years after his death.” Read more…
Amy Sedaris, sister to humorist David Sedaris, brings her own brand of comedy to the crafting world with her new book Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People (Grand Central Publishing, 304pgs). This tome, along with her previous title, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, establishes Sedaris as a sort of lifestyle maven for the warped home-maker. “Crafting, or ‘making things,’ has always been a delightful pastime of mine because it requires putting common elements together in order to achieve a lovely something that nobody needs,” she states in the book. The crafting guide blends a mixture corniness and odd practicality with a dash of the truly strange to create unique projects such as a doll wig doorknob and a miniature cardboard ghetto for a dying mouse. The projects are divided into nutty sections like “Knowing Your Knack for Knickknacks”, “Sausages” and “The Joy of Poverty”, and are peppered with photographs of Sedaris as various characters that tie in with the crafts. Read more…
by Jeff Kinney
Amulet Books | 224pgs
Release Date: October 12, 2009
Tweens and adults will delight in the fourth installment of Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Middle Schooler Greg Heffley has planned the perfect summer vacation: playing video games all day long, with the curtains closed. What could be better? Unfortunately, his mom has other ideas. Will her plans of outdoor activities (gasp!) and family bonding ruin Greg’s ultimate vacation? Readers will have to pick up the new book to find who wins this battle of the wills.
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