J.D. Salinger Dead at 91

Famed author, J.D. Salinger of ‘Catcher in the Rye’ fame has died in New Hampshire of natural causes at age 91. In addition to his 60 million selling classic and a handful of other books, the reclusive author leaves an incredible fifteen unpublished works behind.

Dostoevsky – Joseph Frank (Princeton University Press)

When Joseph Frank’s five volume encyclopedic biography of the life and times of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky was published over the course of several years, it was widely lauded as the most comprehensive work ever undertaken on the life of this writer who has had enormous lasting impact over the past two centuries. Now, the Princeton University Review has published a condensed (though still a massive 959 pages) version of Frank’s epic work that gives new readers a richly detailed overview of both Dostoevsky’s writings and the times and circumstances that throughly influenced it.

Seen by many as the father of existentialism, Dostoevsky was passionately connected to the social, political and ideological movements of 19th Century Russia and Frank’s depiction of the man is less an analysis of his works as much as an attempt to (and succeed in) seemlessly intertwine the events of both his individual life (from his unwanted schooling at the Academy of Military Engineers, to his early forays into journalism, to an eventual four year incarceration in Siberia) and the raging philosophical movements of his time (utopian socialism, determinism, Russian radicalism, Nihilism as well as various shades of Christianity) with the output of his career as both a prominent novelist and essayist.

Frank purposefully sets out to avoid the ‘purely personal biography’ (which has been covered by numerous others) and seeks to explore and define what he terms the “eschatological imagination”; the fusion of the ever-evolving political and sociological backdrops of the times with the way these philosophies infuse his characters (from his essays and novels including ‘Poor Folk,’ ‘Crime and Punishment’ and the final masterpiece ‘The Brothers Karamazov’) with a zeal that carries his stories out to their ultimate conclusions.

The depth and details portrayed by Frank are astonishing in both their breadth and their inalienable connection to the subject at hand. It is worth noting that a project of this scope could not have been accomplished without the insightful editing required to reduce the five volume set to a single (albeit massive) book and still maintain the magnitude and absorbing details of the original works largely intact. In this regard, this work is largely credited to Stanford PhD, Mary Petrusewicz, whose efforts should not go without mention.

Apple Tablet to Feature B&N Store? (TechCrunch)

Of all the rumors swirling around the Apple Tablet expected to be announced on Wednesday, the one most everyone can agree on is that it will be used as a full color electronic reader which will put Amazon’s Kindle to shame. Over the past few weeks, Apple has been negotiating a flurry of last-minute deals directly with book publishers such as HarperCollins and McGraw-Hill. Magazine and newspaper publishers are salivating to get on the device. But one unanswered question so far is whether Apple will add books and magazines to iTunes or create an entirely new e-book store from scratch.

Read more at TechCrunch here.

Concerns Over Borders Grow (Publishers Weekly)

As speculation about the digital future of book publishing grab headlines, publishers are becoming more concerned about a company that could have an immediate impact on their business?Borders. In an article appearing on Debtwire, the financial news service reported that frustrated with the slow-paying practices of the retailer, a group of smaller publishers has hired the bankruptcy group of Lowenstein Sandler as legal counsel. A representative of Lowenstein, however, told PW that it has not been retained by any group. Debtwire quoted one publisher as saying some small publishers were having a hard time getting paid “in a timely fashion” and were contemplating taking some legal action. Read more…

Brain Rules – John Medina (Slideshow)

The brain is an amazing thing. Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know.

How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget?and so important to repeat new knowledge?

Brain Rules is about what we know for sure, and what we might do about it.

Dr. John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and research consultant. He is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University.

Naomi Klein: Haiti Disaster Capitalism Alert: Stop Them Before They Shock Again

Readers of the The Shock Doctrine know that the Heritage Foundation has been one of the leading advocates of exploiting disasters to push through their unpopular pro-corporate policies. From this document, they’re at it again, not even waiting one day to use the devastating earthquake in Haiti to push for their so-called reforms. The following quote was hastily yanked by the Heritage Foundation and replaced with a more diplomatic quote, but their first instinct is revealing:

“In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the U.S. response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti earthquake offers opportunities to re-shape Haiti’s long-dysfunctional government and economy as well as to improve the public image of the United States in the region.”

Read more at The Shock Doctrine website.

Amazon Offering Free Kindles?

If you are an avid reader and a top buying Amazon customer, this may be your lucky week. TechCrunch is reporting that heavy users are being offered a money-back guaranteed Kindle device if they order in the next five days. Obviously, the timing of this offer is closely tied to the well-rumored announcement of the forthcoming Apple tablet device (also rumored to serve as an eReader in it’s own right.) Is the promotion real? Too good to be true? We’ll let you decide for yourself at this link.

Amazon To Offer A Bigger Cut On Kindle Books

Amazon said it is going to start to give authors and publishers bigger royalties on book sales on its Kindle electronic reader. This news is tied to a guarantee that book prices will be kept low. Amazon is offering up to 70 percent of sales after delivery costs. But will public adoption of the Kindle Reader hardware make up for the lower margins in product? Some say yes, as the cost of a digital book is far lower than it’s physical counterpart.

See the full story here.

Apple Tablet & eReader? (MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer)

Social Media Marketing – Dan Zarrella (O’Reilly)

If you hadn’t noticed, the online world is full of a new crop of consultants who call themselves ’social media marketers.’ A large number of these new practitioners were only a year or two ago referring to themselves as ‘SEO consultants.’ My how times have changed.

WIth the onslaught of social networks from Facebook to Twitter to myspace, et al, social marketing has become big business. One authority that stands out from the crowd is Dan Zarrella. Zarrella has written extensively about the science of viral marketing, memetics and social communications on his own blog and for a variety of popular industry blogs, including Mashable, CopyBlogger, ReadWriteWeb, Plagiarism Today, ProBlogger, Social Desire, CenterNetworks, Nowsourcing, and SEOScoop.

In his new book, simply titled ‘the social media marketing book’ (O’Reilly), Zarrella explains the sometimes confusing morass of both these many social networks and the various proclivities around their toolsets and how they actually work. Using real life examples as well as an ample assortment of factual, survey-style data, Zarrella gives the reader a guided tour as to what techniques provide the most effective and optimal use of spreading one’s message, cause or business across a variety of platforms.

From his analysis of content types, protocols around posting techniques, feedback, retweets, messaging as well as some discussion of third party apps, the Social Media Marketing book is a great first stop for anyone looking to spread their identity efficiently through the modern world of YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, Digg, Facebook, Stumble Upon and more. His easy-to-follow format is a must read for anyone looking to get started (or improve their skills) in this important new medium.

Dan Zarrella website

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