Archive for September, 2006
Tuesday, September 19th, 2006
With sadness: Gotham Book Mart in trouble
It looks like Gotham Book Mart in New York is in trouble once again. This is my favorite store in the country, and I hope something can be done to keep the store open.
From the New York Times story today:
In the last six months, the owners of the building have moved to evict [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Books, General, Save Kepler's by Rick
Monday, September 18th, 2006
Indies Under Fire screening September 30
Kepler’s is sponsoring a screening of the film Indies Under Fire about the decline of independent bookstores in America. The screening will take place at 7:30 pm on September 30 at 700 Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park.
If the film’s trailer is a good indication of its actual content, it looks like the documentary is [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Books, General, Save Kepler's by Rick
Monday, September 18th, 2006
Kristof on Easterly, Sachs, et al
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has an article in the current New York Review of Books that reviews four fairly new books on development aid. He devotes most of his coverage to Bill Easterly’s book The White Man’s Burden. I read Easterly’s previous book, The Elusive Quest for Growth, and found it to be [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Books, General by Rick
Sunday, September 17th, 2006
Artforum covers Zidane: un Portrait du 21e Siècle
Zidane appears on the cover of the current issue of Artforum. The issue contains essays by Tim Griffin and Michael Fried on Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno’s film Zidane: un Portrait du 21e Siècle. Fried, who situates the film in the modernist tradition of photography, writes:
. . . the viewer’s conviction of the great [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Books, General by Rick
Monday, September 11th, 2006
Daniel Mendelsohn on the 9/11 films
Daniel Mendelsohn is right in form in his review of Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center and Peter Greengrass’s United 93 in the New York Review of Books.
The pretty much exclusive emphasis thus far on the “good”—the heroism and the bravery of ordinary Americans—in these entertainments is noteworthy, because it reminds you of the unwillingness [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Books, General by Rick
Sunday, September 10th, 2006
Susan Sontag is King Kong
The New York Times Magazine published today a series of selections from Susan Sontag’s journals that she kept during the 1950s and 60s. FSG is going to publish the first volume of her journals in 2008. Here are a few gems from the NYTM excerpt:
In the journal I do not just express myself more [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Books, General by Rick
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006
France beats Italy 3-1 in WC final rematch
France beat Italy 3-1 tonight in a Euro 2008 qualifying match at the Stade de France in Paris. I took the day off from work to watch the game in which Sidney Gouvou scored twice and Thierry Henry once to propel les Bleus to victory. The game’s pace was incredible from the start and worth [...]
No Comments » - Posted in General by Rick
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006
Cody’s Books acquired by Japanese bookseller
Japanese bookseller and publisher Yohan, Inc., has acquired Cody’s Books. Yohan is the largest distributor of English-language books in Japan. Cody’s, which closed its Telegraph Avenue store in July, has locations on Fourth Street in Berkeley and on Stockton in San Francisco.
The press release announcing the sale does not disclose the terms of the [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Books, General, Save Kepler's by Rick
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
Fire at St. Francis High School
It looks like there was a fire at my high school last night. Firefighters arrived at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View at 1:30 am to find a fire in the dumpster next to the cafeteria. According to the school’s website, the fire was an accident.
