Monday, March 10, 2008

The Books of Denver - LCC 08

Got back from Denver this morning - it's taken me this long to recuperate from the midnight flight home. Of course I bought books. Of course, some will be given away here - I certainly don't have space for all of them. But before getting to the books, let me gripe.

The conference was fine - a lot of smart people shining brightly - The machine gun exhibit was awesome especially for the reaction of the crowd - with almost every panel, people drift out of the room at the end sith others going up to the front to speak with the panelists. Not this time. The speaker invited everyone to come up and handle the guns and boy 0 boy did they. That was almost funny. Truly funny were the questions about how to buy guns illegally - you know, just research.

Anyway, here's the gripe: the book room seemed a bit dull. Maybe I'm alone in thinking that, but there was one major store and two smaller vendors and unless I'm wide of the mark, that was it. Disappointing for me, but maybe no one else.

Anyway, I picked up Pushing Up Daisies from friend Rosemary Harris and Isabella Moon from friend Laura Benedict and Paying the Piper from friend Simon Wood - who is also hilarious when you get him going. And Empty Ever After from friend Reed Farrel Coleman. I just started reading Reed's book, and I have to say, it is astonishing, not a word I toss around. I'mnot even into the story yet, but the grace of prose is arresting. Somebody should look into giving this man an award, seriously. I have to think that when Bleak House picked him up, they did a very smart thing.

There's a bookstore on Broadway in Denver named Farenheit - it's going out of business and their prices were pretty good before they slashed them in half. Anyway, I bought sixteen books there including three by Howard Browne and Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles. I think this one is supposed to be a classic. In any event, now I can send Graham Powell a book I owe him :-).

2 Comments:

Blogger Rosemary Harris said...

Great to see you, even briefly in Denver. Saw everyone briefly and it was usually on those damned escalators..where I feel I spent most of the show. BTW I remember loving Malice Aforethought and if you ever get the chance, there was a very good PBS Mystery version some years ago.
Cheers!

March 11, 2008 9:30 AM  
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March 17, 2008 2:46 AM  

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