Michael Janairo

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Author: Michael Janairo

  • Join me in welcoming Eli Hetko

    The Times Union books blog has a new contributor, Eli Hetko, a senior at Shaker High and an intern at the Times Union. Keep an eye out for his posts!

  • What does Colson Whitehead eat?

    I’ve always enjoyed Colson Whitehead’s novels — Intutionist, John Henry Days and Apex Hides the Hurt. But knowing what he ate for a week may be a little TMI, courtesy New York Magazine (though it does give a hint of what his next novel will be about — “a teenager who subsists on TV dinners and toils at an ice-cream parlor”)

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  • Happy Birthday, William Kennedy!

    billkennedy.jpgI’m sure the entire Capital Region and beyond will join me in saying happy birthday to William Kenndy — and many more!

  • Story Prize announces its finalists

    The annual Story Prize, awarded to a collection of short fiction, is in its third year and has recently announced its three finalists: Rick Bass, Mary Gordon (who has appeared at NYSWI) and George Saunders (who teaches at Syracuse).

    (more…)

  • What are library patrons reading?

    salslogo.gifSara Dallas, the director of the Southern Adirondack Library System has been generous enough to share with the Books Blog the most circulated items from the libraries in the Southern Adirondack Library System (34 libraries in Saratoga, Hamilton, Warren and Washington counties) and the Mohawk Valley Library System (14 libraries in Schenectady, Fulton, Montgomery and Schoharie counties), which share an online database. The following are the most circulated items.

    1. Cross by James Patterson,

    2. Judge and jury by: Patterson, James

    3. Motor mouth by: Evanovich, Janet.

    4. Dear John by: Sparks, Nicholas.

    5. Twelve sharp by: Evanovich, Janet.

    6. The innocent man : murder and injustice in a small town
    by: Grisham, John.

    7. Consumer reports – the magazine.

    8. My sister’s keeper : a novel by: Picoult, Jodi

    9. Hundred-dollar baby by: Parker, Robert B., 1932-

    10. Angel’s fall by: Roberts, Nora.

    11. H.R.H. by: Steel, Danielle.

    12. Santa cruise : a holiday mystery at sea by: Clark, Mary Higgins.

    Most requested DVD’s

    1. The Da Vinci Code by: Howard, Ron.

    2. Over the hedge by: Johnson, Tim

  • Events on Sunday, Jan. 14

    “Challenges and Rewards of Writing a Memoir About Raising an Adopted, Disabled Son”

    When: Sunday, January 14, 1:15 p.m. Where: Sage College of Albany – Room 224, Campus Center

    Cost: Free

    Contact: 533-2666
    With Donna Miller, president of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild. Presented by the Capital District Humanist Society.

  • Events on Saturday, Jan. 13

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    At the Schenectady County Historical Society, Nancy L. Todd, author of New York’s Historic Armories: An Illustrated History, [SUNY Press] will be giving a presentation on armories, their architecture, and their military function. The talk is scheduled for Saturday, January 13 at 2pm. Books will be available for sale and the event is free. The SCHS is located at 32 Washington Avenue (in the Historical Stockade), Schenectady, NY. Please call 518-374-0263 for more information.

    For a detailed description of New York’s Historic Armories, please click this link to the SUNY Press website: http://www.sunypress.edu/details.asp?id=61348

    Meanwhile, Francine Prose reads from her latest book “Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them,” followed by a Q&A and book signing, Saturday, January 13, 2 p.m. Route 23A, Hunter NY.

  • Intrigue with CIA, Valerie Plame book?

    Media Bistro blog has an interesting update on the ongoing Valerie Plame affair. Here’s the link:
    http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/publishing/plame_memoir_blocked_by_cia_50641.asp

  • “Children of Men” Wins 19th-Annual USC Libraries Scripter Award

    Yes, that’s right, the screenplay based on the area’s own Steven Millhauser didn’t win.

    You can read the full story here.