Charles Freeman's A.D. 381 in Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus reviews Charles Freeman's A.D. 381: Heretics, Pagans, and the Dawn of the Monotheistic State: "In 381, Emperor Theodosius decreed that all subjects of the Roman Empire were required to believe in the Christian Trinity. That same year, the First Council of Constantinople brought together Christian leaders to codify this belief in the Trinity as correct and accepted doctrine. Historians have taught for centuries that the Christian church harmoniously and all but simultaneously came to the decision that the Trinity was indeed true and orthodox belief, but Freeman (The Closing of the Western Mind, 2003, etc.) emphatically disagrees. Debate over the Trinity and over the nature of Christ was still quite alive during this period, he asserts Theodosius, largely for reasons of state security, squelched this debate through official edicts, overlaid with a veneer of doctrinal concord through the Council of Constantinople. The author frames his argument as being about the freedom of intellectual debate and the free exchange of ideas. Before 381, he avers, the Greek tradition of open intellectual discourse and the Roman tradition of religious tolerance marked the empire and, indeed, all of the Western world. After 381, both traditions would be extinguished for more than 1,000 years. “The tragedy of Theodosius’ imposition and its aftermath lay in the elimination of discussion,” writes Freeman, “not only of spiritual matters but across the whole spectrum of human knowledge.” He stops short of passing judgment on Theodosius or any of the other personalities involved in this lively period. Instead, he hopes to see them in context, rather than as the two-dimensional characters history has long depicted. Questions remain, but Freeman does a good job in forcing a reexamination of this crucial turning point."

Peter Quinn and Mick Moloney Pay Tribute to Danny Cassidy on March 3 in NYC

Overlook author Peter Quinn, author of Looking for Jimmy: A Search for Irish America, and legendary musician Mick Moloney salute the late pioneering wordsmith, Danny Cassidy (pictured above), with a night of music and memories on Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30pm at Lolita in New York City. Special guests include T.J. English, Malachy McCourt and Michael Patrick McDonald. This event is sponsored by the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

This very special evening pays tribute to the life of Danny Cassidy, musician, labor activist, writer, and author of the groundbreaking How the Irish Invented Slang: The Secret Language of the Crossroads.

Nahal Tajadod's RUMI: THE FIRE OF LOVE Featured in Rain Taxi Review of Books

Rumi: The Fire of Love, the internationally acclaimed novel by Nahal Tajadod, is reviewed in Rain Taxi Review of Books: "This book is the first comprehensive and authoritative historical novel in English about the life and mind of Jalaluddin Rumi, the 13th-century Persian mystic who is one of the most widely read poets in North America. Nahal Tajadod confesses that it took her several years to finish this book, during which her mother (a scholar of Persian literature who helped her to understand Rumi) died and Tajaddod gave birth to her first child (after ten years of trying). During those years, her husband would often inquire about her book on Rumi, and in reply Tajadod would quote from one of Rumi’s own poems: “For a certain time the book has been delayed.” One day, Tajadod writes, while breastfeeding her infant daughter, she opened Rumi’s book and found out that that particular poem continues like this: “Because it takes time for blood to become milk.” Its long gestation seems to have paid off, for Rumi: The Fire of Love is a delight to read."

Eric Simons, author of DARWIN SLEPT HERE, on NPR's All Things Considered

NPR's resident scientist Robert Krulwich speaks with Eric Simons, author of Darwin Slept Here: Discovery, Adventure, and Swimming Iguanas in Charles Darwin's South America, on "All Things Considered."

2009 is a double-anniversary year for Darwin: the 200th anniversary of his birth in February, and the 150th anniversary of publication of The Origin of Species. Following in Darwin's footsteps, author Eric Simon's new book is an innovative and thrilling new look at Darwin as a young naturalist in South America.

SIMA'S UNDERGARMENTS FOR WOMEN Launch in NYC

Overlook publisher Peter Mayer hosted a reception for author Ilana Stanger-Ross on Monday in honor of the publication of Sima's Undergarments for Women. Ilana and Peter are pictured here with editor Juliet Grames.

Ilana Stanger-Ross will read and discuss her new novel at McNally-Jackson in NYC on February 28 and Freebird Books in Brooklyn on February 29.

More Praise for THE REPUBLIC OF VENGEANCE by Paul Waters

Historical Novels Review offers a glowing tribute to Paul Waters's new novel The Republic of Vengeance, just released this month: "In the late third century BC, Marcus, a 14-year-old Roman journeying to Greece with his father, is captured by pirates. His father is killed, but Marcus escapes. He becomes the friend of Titus Flamininus, and participates, under Flamininus’s leadership, in Rome’s fight to liberate her Greek allies from Macedonian rule, learning hard lessons about tyranny, democracy, and war. He falls in love with a young Greek aristocrat named Menexenos who has much to teach him about commitment and honor. Like Mary Renault’s classic historical, The Last of the Wine, this novel depicts the forging of a young man’s character in turbulent times, and posits a society in which homosexual love is completely accepted. Waters’s style is flawless. The voice of the first person narrator is absolutely believable. Few novelists I have read other than Renault bring the ancient world alive as well as Waters does here. Among the novel’s strengths are its vivid battle scenes and the restrained, tender love story. . . Paul Waters is an extraordinary new talent. An “epic series” is promised by the publisher, and I will be looking forward to the next book. Republic of Vengeance is a breathtaking trip to the past: moving, thought-provoking, and a literary treat."

Starred Review in Booklist for THE RISK OF DARKNESS by Susan Hill

Susan Hill's third mystery novel featuring Simon Serrailler and the English cathedral town of Lafferton, The Risk of Darkness, gets a starred review in the current issue of Booklist: "Hill is a prolific and gifted writer who has tackled multiple genres, but she may do her best work in crime fiction, as illustrated by her gripping series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler. In his latest outing, the enigmatic Serrailler faces his most challenging case yet when a young boy is kidnapped while waiting for the school bus. It’s as if the boy has vanished from the face of the earth – no one saw him being abducted, there are no clues, and eight months later, the case is still unsolved. Then another child vanishes in similar circumstances. But this time there is a witness who not only sees the make of the kidnapper’s car but also catches part of the license-plate number. As if the main story line isn’t gripping enough, Hill adds several riveting subplots that, rather than detracting from the main story, add to it. This is an outstanding crime thriller from one of Britain’s best writers. Taut, inventive, tragic, intriguing, and full of unexpected twists, it’s a must-have for all mystery collections.” – Emily Melton (starred review)

THE BALLAD OF BLIND TOM, SLAVE PIANIST in USA Today

Deirdre O'Connell's biography of Blind Tom Wiggins, The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist, is featured in USA Today's round-up of top new titles published this month for Black History Month. Critic Bob Minzesheimer notes: "The Ballad of Blind Tom Wiggins, Slave Pianist (Overlook, $24.95) by Deirdre O'Connell re-creates the life and times of a former slave who may or may not have been autistic. Wiggins, who died in 1908, performed throughout the world and was able to reproduce any piece of music after a single listening."

Charles McCarry's SHELLEY'S HEART Headed for the Big Screen

Variety reports that writer/director/producer David Koepp will adapt the Charles McCarry novel Shelley's Heart into a political drama called "Article II" that he'll direct for Columbia pictures! A new hardcover edition of Shelley's Heart will be published by Overlook in April.

Shelley's Heart was originally published in 1995 to great acclaim. The novel is centered on the first presidential election of the twenty-first century, bitterly contested by two men who are implacable political rivals but lifelong personal friends, is stolen through computer fraud. On the eve of the Inauguration, the losing candidate presents proof of the crime to his opponent, the incumbent President, and demands that he stand aside. The winner refuses and takes the oath of office, thereby setting in motion what may destroy him and his party, and bring down the Constitution. From this crisis, McCarry, author of the classic thrillers The Tears of Autumn and The Last Supper weaves a masterpiece of political intrigue. Shelley’s Heart is so gripping in its realism and so striking in its foresight that McCarry’s devoted readers may view this tale of love, murder, betrayal, and life-or-death struggle for the political soul of America as an astonishing act of prophecy.

Susan Hill's THE MAN IN THE PICTURE in Los Angeles Times

Nick Owchar's "Siren's Call" column in The Los Angeles Times features the unlikely pairing of Susan Hill, author of The Man in the Picture and the forthcomimg The Risk of Darkness and the great H.P. Lovecraft. Looking at Hill's rceent ghost story The Man in the Picture, Owchar asserts: "Hill's story is a clear descendant of Henry James' ghost stories and their familiar elements -- the narrator with an odd tale to tell, the English infatuation with Italy, even the hearth fire -- without feeling derivative; and the use of so many hoary, gothic cliches (a hidden painting whose image alters under a supernatural hand) is a cross between "Dorian Gray" and "The Twilight Zone."And yet the terrain feels fresh and all Hill's own. . . Hill is a successful mystery writer living in England who also owns a small publishing house. A writer noted for her psychological detective stories -- The Risk of Darkness, featuring inspector Simon Serrailler, will be published next month -- she seems the model of that writer who has a serene, bookish, rustic life (she and her Shakespeare scholar husband live in the North Cotswold countryside) while her prose is full of violent, unsettled passions and disturbing situations."

Jem Poster's RIFLING SHADOWS in Publishers Weekly

Jem Poster's new novel Rifling Paradise gets a positive nod in next week's Publishers Weekly: "Destitution and scandal drive 19th century British gentleman Charles Redbourne on a voyage to Australia in Poster’s atmospheric second novel. Charles hopes to collect specimens of rare wildlife, but his trip soon goes literally and figuratively offtrack. His stay with a family friend is unsettled by his host’s daughter, a volatile artist with a troubled past. Bullen, his expedition manager, clashes violently with their porter, Billy Preece, deriding the servant’s guidance, even though Billy’s Aboriginal heritage provides their only authentic connection to the untamed land they traverse. As the journey devolves toward danger and even death, Poster (Courting Shadows) evokes complex Victorian attitudes toward nature, culture, progress and science. Charles is a compelling portrait of a man moving uneasily among conflicting possibilities of his time."

Rachel DeWoskin, author of REPEAT AFTER ME, reading tonight in Boston

Rachel DeWoskin, author of the forthcoming Repeat After Me (May 2009) is reading her poetry tonight at Boston University along with Robert Pinsky and Charles Simic.

The event is free and open to the public. All are welcome!

ROBERT LOWELL MEMORIAL LECTURES
Celebrating the Legacy of Room 222

A reading by CHARLES SIMIC
with ROBERT PINSKY and RACHEL DEWOSKIN

Thursday, February 19, 2009 / 7:30 p.m.
Boston University Photonics Center
8 Saint Mary's Street, Room 206

Reception and Book Signing to Follow. Hope to see you there!

More Praise for SIMA'S UNDERGARMENTS FOR WOMEN

Ilana Stanger-Ross's Sima's Undergarments for Women is reviewed in Author magazine: "There are apparently numerous hidden stores strewn throughout New York’s boroughs. Deep in the basements of homes, men and women sell shoes, suits, and, as in the case of this book, bras and lingerie. This store, run for decades by Sima Goldner, sits in the middle of a thriving Jewish community. (With the action taking place almost exclusively in Sima’s shop and her apartment upstairs, the author generates an almost hot-house atmosphere. Every woman dreams of a finding a store with bras that really fit her, and when Sima interacts with her customers and displays her knack for helping them, the novel fulfills the promise of its title. Sima takes on a young seamstress, an Israeli girl fresh from her compulsory military service (another unexplored avenue), who’s in New York waiting for her boyfriend to finish his so that they can go traveling. As the novel progresses, Sima takes the girl on as the daughter she never had, and flashbacks slowly reveal the cause. Those looking for pathos and a well-drawn character study will be satisfied.”

Meet the author at these upcoming events:

NEW YORK: February 24th, Cocktails & Book signing, Bra Smyth, 2177 Broadway (at 77th), 7pm
PHILADELPHIA: February 25th, signing & reading & corset party, Delicious Boutique & Corseterie, 1040 N. American St. #901, 7:30pm, RSVP
WASHINGTON D.C.: February 26th, Book signing, Jaryam Boutique, 1631 Wisconsin NW Ave Georgetown, 7-8pm
NEW YORK: February 28th, Reading, McNally Jackson Bookstore, 52 Prince Street, 4 pm
BROOKLYN: March 1st, Reading, Freebird Books, 123 Columbia St, Brooklyn, 7-8pm

Milton Glaser's DRAWING IS THINKING in Sacramento Book Review

Drawing is Thinking by Milton Glaser is reviewed in the new issue of the Sacramento Book Review: "If you don’t recognize the name of Milton Glaser, you defi itely would recognize some of his commercial work—probably the most widely known one is the I love NY logo. Drawing is Thinking is a collection of his art, none captioned or explained, just there to be experienced. The introductory interview between Glaser and Peter Mayer explores some of Glaser’s thought process and his belief that “art is aform of meditation for both maker and witness.” For the viewers of Drawing is Thinking, there are many hours of reflection ahead. The art ranges from black-and-white pencil and ink work to full color completed designs. There are several pieces that are shown in stages, from sketch to fi ished work. Usually, when you have a collection of an artist’s work, there is extensive commentary about each piece; here, you are left to ponder the what Glaser was thinking as he drew them. And, that is the point. Interesting, thoughtful, and, as he says, meditative."

M. Gigi Durham Talks to Dr.Phil About THE LOLITA EFFECT

M. Gigi Durham, author of The Lolita Effect, will be appear on the Dr. Phil show today! In a show called "Growing Up Too Fast," Dr. Phil talks with parents who say it’s difficult to raise their teen daughter in an oversexed, celebrity-obsessed, cosmetic surgery-seeking society. Check your local listings for the time and channel, or go online to find about more about today's provocative show and The Lolita Effect.

SMOGTOWN Named One of the Top Ten Books on the Environment by Booklist

Booklist, the book review arm of the American Library Association, has announced the ten best books on the environment this year and Smogtown, by Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly, has made the list: "A fun book about smog? Jacobs and Kelly capture the aura of 1950s sci-fi movies in this lively history of Los Angeles’ monstrous smog." Smogtown was also recently featured in Capitol Weekly magazine. For all the latest news on this fascinating history of pollution in Los Angeles, check out the Smogtown blog.

Celebrate DARWIN DAY with Eric Simon's DARWIN SLEPT HERE: Discovery, Adventure, and Swimming Iguanas in Charles Darwin's South America

Today is Darwin Day, a global celebration of science and the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and events are being held all across the world. Overlook is celebrating Darwin Day with the publication of Darwin Slept Here, by Eric Simons, a vivid portrait of the scientist as a young man while he traveled through South America in the 1830s.

Early Raves for Max Frei's THE STRANGER

The buzz is building for Max Frei's international bestseller The Stranger, which will be published in April 2009. Kirkus Reviews offers some early praise: "If Harry Potter smoked cigarettes and took a certain matter-of-fact pleasure in administering tough justice, he might like Max Frei, the protagonist of this fantasy novel. Author Frei is a Russian whose books have been bestsellers in his homeland for the last dozen years. Frei, this novel's protagonist, is something of a dissolute slacker who once spent his nights smoking, eating and loafing, his days sleeping. When Sir Juffin Hully (who looks like Rutger Hauer's older brother, though, Frei suggests, "try to augment his striking image with a pair of light, slightly slanting eyes") comes into Frei's life, he acquires a new sense of purpose. Frei has always been a dreamer, and now he has reason to wander between Worlds and see what kind of mischief he can find. Hully is a masterpiece of Potterian eccentricity, and then some, and the tone of the book often has a Potterian charm, though there's an undercurrent of post–Cold War espionage in the mix; indeed, Frei, a onetime resident of the backwaters of empire transposed to the Heart of the World, reminds us that the barren borderlands house "the most diverse, sometimes extraordinarily powerful people, and not just wild barbarians," which seems a very Russian thing to inject into the proceedings. Inspired by such characters as the Master Who Snuffs Out Unnecessary Lives, a survivor of the Troubled Times, a habitu of places like the Murky Market and the House by the Bridge, and familiar with the deleterious effects the Elixir of Kaxar has on his countrymen, Frei does his bit to keep the world safe from malevolent magicians and conspiratorial spirits. And if the book is more talk than action, that talk is reliably entertaining, frequently double-edged and nicely idiosyncratic ("I'm off to do something meaningless, as you suggest. That's what I do best"). Well-written, well-paced grown-up fantasy with a strong dose of reality.

R. Scott Bakker Talks to SciFi Wire About THE JUDGING EYE

R. Scott Bakker is profiled in SciFi Wire: "Fantasy author R. Scott Bakker says that his latest novel, The Judging Eye, is epic fantasy, but that it avoids many of the traps of the genre. "Long epic series notoriously suffer from the 'bushing effect,' where writers continue to multiply viewpoint characters and so transform initially clear narrative arcs into thickets of parallel action," Bakker said in an interview. At a certain point, Bakker realized that he had fallen into the same trap. "Even though my readers only spend a few hours with my main characters, I spend thousands of hours with them, which makes the temptation to 'freshen things up' with new viewpoints well nigh irresistible," he said. "Luckily I caught myself, scrapped everything and started afresh, this time faithfully sticking to my original cast."

The Judging Eye is part of an epic fantasy sequence, which began with The Prince of Nothing. It tells the story of Kellhus, who can manipulate men the way men can manipulate children, and his brutal and troubling rise to mastery over the Three Seas—all in the name of saving the world. "In The Judging Eye, his power is complete, and he at last embarks on his great military expedition to prevent the destruction of the world," Bakker said. The central protagonist is a broken-down sorcerer named Achamian, who used to be Kellhus' tutor but has since become his sworn enemy. "Achamian has spent years sifting through his dreams of the First Apocalypse, looking for clues to Kellhus' origins," Bakker said. "In The Judging Eye he enlists a company of Scalpers, half-mad men who make their living hunting Sranc in the northern wilds, to help him find the secret birthplace of the Aspect-Emperor."

Eric Simons, author of DARWIN SLEPT HERE, Profiled in San Francisco Chronicle

Eric Simons, author Darwin Slept Here, is profiled in today's San Francisco Chronicle: "When Eric Simons grew tired of larking about on a glacier in Tierra del Fuego, it was snowing hard, so he found a shop with books in English, bought a copy of "The Voyage of the Beagle" by Charles Darwin and read the naturalist's charming prose. Simons, 24 then and 28 now, was hooked. He'd had a rigorous grounding in biology from his Castro Valley high school teacher and in evolution from his undergraduate days as a science major at UC Santa Barbara. He'd served a stint writing for a couple of small Bay Area newspapers, but now he was footloose and adventure-hungry at the bottom of the world, where Darwin - seasick aboard the Beagle - had once sojourned briefly. The result of that chance and chilly encounter with history was a quick flight home, a decision to retrace at least some of the naturalist's path, and a twice-over-deeply self-study of Darwin's seminal "On the Origin of Species," plus all the other Darwin writings Simons could lay his hands on. Then came the footsteps: "I wanted to capture his adventures," Simons says. "I wanted to share his experiences and feel the same feelings he must have had because everything in the Beagle book told me Darwin was so joyful, whether he was saddling up with gauchos in Patagonia, or climbing a mountain in Chile, or kicking his heels in the air while he was lying down with a herd of inquisitive camel-like guanacos in a field near Buenos Aires." Simons graduated from UC Berkeley's journalism school last year and his first book is just out. It's called Darwin Slept Here, subtitled "Discovery, Adventure, and Swimming Iguanas in Charles Darwin's South America," published by Overlook Press."

Adam Victor on THE ELVIS ENCYCLOPEDIA

Adam Victor, author of The Elvis Encyclopedia, talks about the making of the most comprehensive work ever assembled on the life and times of Elvis Presley:

Q: What inspired you to tackle such a labor intensive research project on both of these figures, and what made the Elvis Encyclopedia in particular an even more Olympian task than the Marilyn project?

A: In 1996 I was approached to do the Marilyn Encyclopedia by Peter Mayer of Overlook, and was happy to say yes. If I had known how much work the project involved, I might not have taken on that book, but once I plunged into her exceptional life, I vowed to keep going until I produced an encyclopedia worthy of its subject. After Marilyn, I promised my wife that I would not do another icon encyclopedia. Initially, I declined my publisher’s suggestion to take on Elvis. In the end, I acquiesced because I figured that I already had a method, that my personal approach to putting together this kind of reference work had an appreciate audience, and that I knew how much work would be involved. Once again, to borrow a phrase, I mis-underestimated.

Q: Elvis is altogether a larger, more present figure than Marilyn – the only other comparable twentieth-century icon. The reason?

A: Well, in terms of compiling the Elvis Encyclopedia, apart from the general fact that music is a more pervasive presence in people’s everyday lives than movies, Elvis sang a thousand songs, gave thousands of concerts, starred in more movies than Marilyn, and has had an official body (the Elvis Presley Estate) looking after and developing his image and generally taking care of business for the last thirty years. If writing the Marilyn Encyclopedia was an Olympian task, the Elvis Encyclopedia was a Sisyphean one: a great many rocks needed to be rolled up the hill.

Q: While reviewers commented on your “insanely detailed” work and your lack of humor about Elvis, they all consistently admired the illustrations and photographs, the cross-referencing and your balanced reporting. What do you feel are the strengths of your encyclopedia?

A: I actually took the “lack of humor” comment as a compliment. I wrote an encyclopedia, not a joke book! In my final draft of the book, I actually weeded out the more flippant comments.
I’m gratified that reviewers found the book to be even-handed. Enough people have expressed their opinions on every possible facet of Elvis’s life and work; there was little need for me to add my two cents’ worth. This, I believe – along with its exhaustiveness… I prefer exhaustive or comprehensive to “insanely detailed” – is the strength of this book. Plus, it’s got heft. How many books out there weigh 6 pounds?

Q: What can even moderate fans or even a new generation that knows nothing about Elvis garner from an encyclopedia versus, say, the Life Magazine biography?

A: Once again, my hope – we’re dealing with authorial intention here, which does not always coincide with readers’ impressions – is that the Elvis Encyclopedia offers a kaleidoscopic view of the man, his life and his work. I made great efforts to include a balanced and varied selection of comments on Elvis’s life. Neophytes, and younger people still discovering the topography of modern music, may also appreciate entries on the background to Elvis’s life and times, broad-stroke entries on things as varied as “Rock ‘n’ Roll”, “Gospel”, “Memphis”, “Youth culture” etc., all of which have a bearing on or help to illuminate the subject of the book. There’s a lot of words in a 600 page encyclopedia, but in the end Elvis was about music—he was also about many other things, but really it was his unique voice, his compendium of music styles and trademark songs like “Hound Dog” that keep someone like myself returning to him as an artist, even as I must push aside the public kitschy archetypes of him to get to that original musician.

Q: What are your favorite Elvis songs and why? When did you first remember listening to Elvis? Do you still listen to Elvis? Indeed, did you ever listen to Elvis while working on the encyclopedia? Do you think Elvis will remain relevant for this next generation?

A: Yup, a nail-on-the-head statement if ever I’ve heard one. Elvis is, first and last, about music. A unique voice, a unique talent, a unique ability to touch people with his singing... I listened to Elvis constantly while I worked on the encyclopedia, and I continue to listen to him today. One of the greatest pleasures of doing this book was the opportunity to listen to songs I knew I loved, and to discover hundreds of Elvis tracks I had never heard. Then, when I’d gone through pretty much his whole vocal oeuvre, I started in on the outtakes, the alternates, the jam sessions – the things that fans treasure. I wish I had a favorite Elvis song or two in answer to this question, because it’s the one question I am always asked. I have Elvis periods that I listen to more frequently: his early years, of course; a great favourite of mine is the jam session at Sun Studio from December 1956, when he sang for hours with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and (though there is some controversy about this) Johnny Cash; I love the incredible urgency and power of Elvis in 1968 and 1969 – I find myself returning again and again to the material he recorded and rehearsed for his NBC TV Comeback Special, and the work he did at American Studio with Chips Moman for the albums he recorded immediately after that. The thing about Elvis is that because he effortlessly delivered such emotion and intensity in practically every song he performed or recorded, there are gems to be found even on his more forgettable albums. Unfortunately, I was too young ever to see him perform live; just watching DVDs of his performances shows what an incredible hold he had on an audience."

National Geographic Traveler Picks THE REPUBLIC OF VENGEANCE and DARWIN SLEPT HERE as "New Books to Transport Readers"

National Geographic Traveler includes two new Overlook titles in their March round-up of "New Books that Transport Us:" Darwin Slept Here, Eric Simons's travelogue retracing Darwin's steps through South America, published in time to mark the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, and The Republic of Vengeance, Paul Water's historical novel set in third-century B.C. Greece.

Top Grade for SIMA'S UNDERGARMENTS FOR WOMEN in Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly's Kate Ward gives an "A" grade to Sima's Undergarments for Women, by Ilana Stanger Ross: "Despite the excitement of owning her own lingerie business, Sima's childless life seems an empty shell -- until an Israeli woman named Timna walks into her Brooklyn shop and becomes the daughter (and seamstress) she never had. Timna soon becomes an object of obsession for Sima, who tries to control the love life of her new employee as she reflects on her own. Sima's Undergarments for Women 's conclusion is frustrating -- you'll wait for a juicy revelation about Timna that never arrives -- but no matter. In Sima, Ilana Stanger-Ross has created one of the most painfully realistic characters in recent memory, making Women more delicate and refined than the silkiest of nighties. A- "

Kris Saknussemm's PRIVATE MIDNIGHT Receives Starred Review in Publishers Weekly

Kris Sakussemm, author of the acclaimed sci-fi smash Zanesville, is back with a new novel, Private Midnight. This sexy, seedy look at the underbelly of life is crime noir for a new generation, and Publishers Weekly has given Private Midnight a starred review in next week's issue: "James Ellroy meets David Lynch inthis addictive mix of noir and supernatural horror from Saknussemm. Det. Birch Ritter investigates the suspected suicide of California real estate magnate Deems Whitney, who apparently doused his Mercedes with gasoline and died in the resultant explosion a day after changing his will to benefit his trophy wife and disinherit his grown children. Before the cop can interview Whitney’s widow, Ritter receives a cryptic message from his ex-partner that steers him to the enigmatic Genevieve Wyvern. Wyvern, who disconcerts Ritter with how well she knows his past, plunges him into a surreal world of bondage, domination and mind games. Despite being humiliated by Wyvern, Ritter finds himself unable to stay away from her lair. An unexpected and bizarre twist well into the novel jolts the fairly standard plot off the rails, but the powerful narrative voice will compel readers to follow."

OLIVER TWIST on Masterpiece Classic February 15

Masterpiece Classic begins an extraordinary celebration of Charles Dickens with a bold adaptation of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist on February 15, and continuing on February 22. Hosted by Laura Linney, Masterpiece Classic will also air new productions of Little Dorritt, The Old Curiosity Shop, and an encore of David Copperfield. As the perfect literary companion to these Dickens classics, we recommend The Nonesuch Dickens editions!

New in Paperback: A. Merritt's THE MOON POOL

Available in paperback this month is a new edition of the science fiction classic, The Moon Pool, by A. Merritt. First published in 1918, The Moon Pool is widely considered to be the inspiration of the popular ABC series Lost. In an introduction written especially for this edition, Dr. Lynnette Porter comments: "Ever wonder what might have inspired the TV series Lost? Long before Jack or John Locke began to explore their mysterious tropical island, A. Merritt created a seemingly innocent island with sinister undertones, a mysterious hidden society of other-worldly inhabitants, and characters who debate the wisdom of faith versus science. Sound familiar? A trip to The Moon Pool takes you from Merritt's adventure into a new way to get Lost."

Rachel DeWoskin, Author of REPEAT AFTER ME, Featured in Publishers Weekly

Rachel DeWoskin, author of Foreign Babes in Beijing and the forthcoming Repeat After Me, was recently featured in Publishers Weekly's cover story, "The Second Time Around." Tom Rob Smith profiles ten authors who are coming out with their second books, including Rachel DeWoskin, who will be publishing her first novel Repeat After Me in May.

Born: Kyoto, Japan; now lives in Manhattan.

Favorite authors: Anna Akhmatova, James Baldwin, Alison Bechdel, Anne Carson, Emily Dickinson, Tony Kushner, Annie Proulx, Leo Tolstoy, Chris Ware.

Career arc: “Received Hello Kitty! diary. Wrote poems. Read. Wrote. MFA. Taught, wrote, addressed, stamped. Fat rejection folder.”

Plot: Aysha is a 22-year-old New Yorker, teaching English to foreigners and putting her life back together after a nervous breakdown when Da Ge, a young Chinese student, walks into her classroom. Their exhilarating romance offers a glimpse of life and loss between languages.

Author's toughest challenge: “Spending decades in the bat cave revising is often a horror for me. But beautiful books, writers and my students keep me engaged. Writing lines is fast work; getting them right takes a lonely forever. When the words say just what I mean to have said—I'm ecstatic.”

Publisher's pitch: “Funny, irreverent, and touching, Repeat After Me is a manic story of love and misunderstanding, of fantasies and frenzied cities,” according to publicist Francesca Sacasa. “A prize-winning poet, DeWoskin is a sharp new voice among female writers: witty without being dry, emotionally stirring without being sentimental.”

Opening lines: “I met Da Ge on a Tuesday afternoon in the fall of 1989. New York was orange and confident then, leaves breezing the curbs and towers poking above the skyline. I was teaching English as a second language when he arrived two weeks and fifteen minutes late.”

PICKING UP THE REINS by Norman Moss in Kirkus Reviews

Norman Moss's study of America and Britain in the Postwar years, Picking Up the Reigns, is reviewed in the current issue of Kirkus: "Journalist and historian Moss examines the years 1946-49, when the United States assumed the role of world leader. The end of World War II brought about many significant questions. Would Britain remain a world power? Would the Russians, America's uneasy wartime ally, remain friendly? Would Europe, devastated in nearly every way, simply go belly up? Would Germany revert to its warlike ways? Would America return to its traditional isolationism? We know now that the answer to all these questions was a resounding "no," but at the time the contours of any new world order remained unclear. Moss's nutshell version of the creation of the postwar world includes all the major events and cites all the crucial players. Though he alludes to other global episodes that played a role—Mao's assumption of power in China, the Soviet acquisition of the nuclear bomb, the fighting in Palestine between Arabs and Jews—the author focuses on Europe and the transfer of power from Britain to the United States. Moss offers a close-up view of the ravaged British economy, the war weariness of the people and the initial reluctance, then resignation, with which Britain, loath to think itself so weak, passed the baton to the Americans. Against the backdrop of the nascent Cold War, through the Marshall Plan and NATO and out of motives both humanitarian and self-interested, America inserted itself into European affairs with characteristic enthusiasm and cultural insensitivity. Moss adroitly conveys the mixture of relief, resentment, awe and dismay that this shift engendered, noting that while U.S. military, cultural and economic dominance abides, the mantle of global leadership still rests uneasily on American shoulders. A handy guide to the creation of a world order that remains, in many respects, undisturbed."

THE BALLAD OF BLIND TOM, SLAVE PIANIST Reviewed in LA Times

The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist is reviewed in The Los Angeles Times by R.J. Smith: "The name Blind Tom means nothing today, but in Civil War-era America, he was one of the greatest music stars going. Sightless, African American, he was born into slavery and was probably autistic. . . The question is: was he responsible for what he did? And was he responsible for what he made listeners feel? Both Mark Twain and Willa Cather testified to his talent as a musician. Tom's is a story with bottomless complexity, touching on race and sanity and slavery and art. But ultimately, his life makes us think about what it means to be human. Such material is catnip for a theory-driven writer. Thankfully, Deirdre O'Connell isn't one. In The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist she lays bare the ambiguities and leaves most of them at that. Few books ask as many questions, yet while too many questions can leave us begging for resolution, O'Connell mostly gets out of the way. She airs the unknowable stuff -- but then gets on to the next chapter of this all-but-forgotten mystery man's brilliant career. . . We'll never know what Blind Tom really sounded like; he died in 1908, just as recording was beginning to emerge. Tom had been thought dead before; in 1889, he was erroneously reported as a casualty of the Johnstown flood. When he was put in the ground 19 years later, there were those who argued the body was not his. As O'Connell notes, he might be buried in Brooklyn, or maybe Columbus, Ga. In either case, the questions live on."