We're Hosting Jeannette Walls at Alverno College, the Acclaimed Author of Half Broke Horses and The Glass Castle

Folks seem pretty excited about the Jeannette Walls event for Half Broke Horses on Saturday, January 9th, at 2 PM, Alverno's Pitman Theater (editor's note--the event is now moved to Alphonsa Hall just two doors down). The book has won amazing praise, and it's the kind of book that my customers buy, read, and then come back to buy copies for their friends. (OK, that's not going to happen quite as much after Christmas, but still). I've listed a bunch of review links with commentary.

The Liesl Schillinger review in The New York Times Book Review that led to Walls being named one of the top 10 books of 2009, which by the way, also means the top 5 works of fiction.

Daily New York Times review from Janet Maslin.

Miami Herald review from Christine Thomas (Hawaii).

The Denver Post offers this from Robin Vidimos (Canada).

The Chicago Tribune offers this wire service from Newsday. Now this was an editor's choice from Tribune book editor Elizabeth Taylor, so why didn't she write the review? (She might have. This review, if you'll notice, does not have a byline. I'm too lazy to follow through and check.) On the other hand, she may be restricted, as a manager, as to how much she can write for the paper. I learned about this from another editor.

Oh, there's another reason. Anyone who works at a Tribune paper is spread very, very, very thin, or so I've heard from another anonymous source at one of their properties.

Paulette Jiles (Texas) reviews for the The Globe and Mail (Toronto). This is a good author match, if you ask me, but there is always the logrolling issue with authors. I guess you have to balance that. I'm one to talk--I'm not throwing you bad reviews if I'm hosting an author. See below.

From Augusta Scattergood (New Jersey) at the Christian Science Monitor. Ma'am, you have a name that is destined to be on the jacket of many children's books. Start writing them. Just saying.

Marie Arana offers a dissenting view in the Washington Post. I am trying to sell you on this event, but I include it for a couple of reasons 1) I like that she actually lives in the DC area. I think the future of local papers is exclusive content, preferably local (if you give me wire services for anything but national and international news, I can get my info elsewhere) and 2) Because I like to be a bit contrary.

Entertainment Weekly's review. It's a B+, and admittedly they grade books on a higher curve than they do music and movies, but this is still a good review. (This analysis is saved for another post)

Buy tickets at the Alverno web site or call (414) 382-6044. Do you have more questions? I'm sure you do. That's why I'm writing another post to answer some of them.