Book News: Karen Abbott Is Everywhere & Other Tidbits From the Book World

I first read about Karen Abbot's new book on Joshilyn Jackson's fabulous blog Faster Than Kudzu. Then the Book Lady was asking her about her favorite books. Now NPR has gotten into the mix, with two different interviews in the past few weeks. I'm constantly discovering new ways to use my Christmas-gift-iPod, and one of those has been to listen to stories using the NPR app and their "Playlist." Basically, all stories on NPR are saved on their website for future listening purposes. On the iPod NPR app, these can be saved to a Playlist and then listened to in an iTunes-like format. My Playlist regularly has 30 to 40 items, and in the last week I have listened to both the On Point interview with Karen Abbott and the Weekend Edition story and interview. 

Abbott's new book is American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare -- The Life and Times Gypsy Rose Lee. It relates the story of performer Gypsy, who was born Rose Louise and later changed her name for show business. Gypsy was no stranger to fame, both in her lifetime and after. She wrote her own biography, Gypsy, A Memoir, which was later developed into the long-running Broadway play and film Gypsy.

Abbot's book has also been reviewed by the NY Times, the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the LA Times, and many more. Have I read American Rose yet, you might ask? No, but I plan to. I picked up Abbott's first book Sin in the Second City earlier this week, and it's my plan to read it over the weekend.

Also in the book headlines this week:

• Amy Chua's book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, excerpted in the WSJ and the cause for much controversy on the internet & on television, was released in China under a very different title and premise. TIME magazine broke the story this week that includes China's reaction and the book cover for the China release. Also interesting: what book critics are saying about the book itself (not the excerpt printed with the eye-grabbing headline "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior").
• Independent bookstores are struggling in this new economy and also with the constant rise of new technology. The NY Times explores the changes independent bookstores have been making in order to hold their own in this new decade. No one is aware of this issue more than Nashvillians and middle Tennesseans who were devastated by the closing of Davis-Kidd, Nashville's favorite bookstore, in December 2010.
• American Idol is back on television for a new season, complete with new, superstar judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. What does that have to do with books, you might ask? A new book has been released about the long-running musical contest that gives the low-down on Idol gossip, but not much else. Find out from the review in the Wall Street Journal whether or not you want to read the book, or just continue to watch the show. Never a fan, I have been watching this season -- especially as they traveled to Nashville and held auditions in the Ryman Auditorium on last night's show!

Happy reading this weekend! I will probably be diving into several good reads. For starters, I'm finishing off those Pretty Little Liars novels like they're ice cream cones on the verge of melting. Fast, shallow reads that almost seem sinful -- but VERY entertaining! I'm currently on the third book, Perfect. Also, as I said above, I'll be taking a first look at Karen Abbott's writing talent in Sin in the Second City. I'll probably also continue the Laura Lippman novel I'm reading (Tess Monaghan series novel Another Thing to Fall).