Book from Peterson’s Ex-Girlfriend Could Disrupt Verdict A local TV station has “learned” that Amber Frey, the ex-girlfriend of recently convicted Scott Peterson, is working on a book with ReganBooks that might be published as early as February 2005. The station notes, “She secretly recorded a number of phone conversations with Peterson for police investigators, and those tapes were widely seen as very damaging to the defense.” But legal analyst Dean Johnson says the deal could jeopardize the verdict. “I think it would probably behoove the defense to make a motion for a mistrial and put that on the record, […]

Times Tops Gawker has posted the TBR’s forthcoming list of the top 10 books of 2004 in advance, calling it, “A year-end finale so surprising it makes last season’s O.C. cliffhanger look like Blue’s Clues.” The list: GILEAD, by Marilynne Robinson THE MASTER , by Colm Toibin THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA, by Philip Roth RUNAWAY, by Alice Munro SNOW, by Orhan Pamuk WAR TRASH, by Ha Jin ALEXANDER HAMILTON, by Ron Chernow CHRONICLES, VOL. 1, by Bob Dylan WASHINGTON’S CROSSING, by David Hackett Fischer WILL IN THE WORLD, by Stephen Greenblatt Gawker It Wouldn’t be the Christmas Season If… : […]

The Sunday Selections The nation’s biggest book review sections offered various lists of best books of the year: Los Angeles Times Best Fiction (about 15 titles) Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction (also about 15 titles) New York Times 100 Notable Books (the top 10 come next week) Washington Post Book World surveys “the best of 2004, brought to you by our eclectic band of reviewers” — approximately 150 titles in all. And Post critic Jonathan Yardley focuses on his five favorite novels, noting that-in contrast to the NBA jury-his picks [Ward Just, Philip Roth, John Gregory Dunne, Christopher Tilghman, and […]

January Book Sense The new selections have been posted online; visit the link for full bookseller comments. 1. BAKER TOWERS: A Novel, by Jennifer Haigh THE HA-HA: A Novel, by Dave King THE FAMILY TREE, by Carole Cadwalladr THE COLD DISH, by Craig Johnson OUT: A Novel, by Natsuo Kirino THE MEMORY OF RUNNING: A Novel, by Ron McLarty DANCING NAKED AT THE EDGE OF DAWN, by Kris Radish THE LOST GERMAN SLAVE GIRL: The Extraordinary True Story of the Slave Sally Miller and Her Fight for Freedom, by John Bailey TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR YOU: Tales of Improper Behavior, by […]

Winning Mutant Lecturer at London’s Imperial College Armand Marie Leroi won the Guardian First Book Award for MUTANTS: On the form, varieties and errors of the human body, prevailing over such books as Susanna Clarke’s JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL. Guardian literary editor and head of the judging panel Claire Armitstead said, “It is not just about the science of abnormality, but about everything that could possibly be affected by that science, from the lifespan of fruit flies to the depiction of nostrils in the paintings of Toulouse Lautrec.” As for Clarke’s book, Armitstead commented, “while everyone was impressed by […]

Sales Rise at Wiley Second quarter sales rose 8 percent, to $247 million at Wiley, driven by “continued strength in our global scientific, technical and medical business” and “improved return rates in higher education and professional/trade” in the U.S. Professional/trade revenue was up 3 percent for the quarter. Release Da Vinci Date Columbia Pictures has confirmed that Tom Hanks is set to star as Robert Langdon in the film version of THE DA VINCI CODE. The studio has set May 19, 2006 as the worldwide release date for the film. Press release Personnel News Penny Holroyde has joined the Caroline […]