January Reviews Roundup

Here at David R. Godine, Publisher, we strive to produce high quality books above all else. So, when our books and authors are praised, we hope you'll forgive us for acting like proud parents. Please join us in celebrating the recent success of a few of our talented authors.


Just one month into the new year and we're already excited about the press some of our titles have been receiving! For starters, Appalachia USA was featured on the Lens blog of the New York Times and commended for its "deeply personal touch." You can read the full article about photographer Builder Levy here.
 

Vanity Fair also mentioned the title, saying "Photographer Builder Levy's Appalachia USA (David R. Godine) does for today's coal miners what Walker Evans did for sharecroppers and tenant farmers in the Dust Bowl."


There was also a beautiful review of Writing The Garden by Elizabeth Barlow Rodgers in the Patriot Ledger.

 Here's a highlight from that review:

Writing the Garden, a collection from the eighteenth century to today, offers an opportunity to meet writers who have inspired gardeners for decades. It almost seems as if author Elizabeth Barlow Rogers has organized a retreat where writers come forth to inspire the gardener.

That’s probably why reading the book is like meeting old friends who just happen to be gardeners.

And who can forget about all the kind words Peter Korn has been receiving for his book Why We Make Things and Why It Matters. 

 
There is a New York Times interview with Peter here, in which he talks about teaching creativity.

We want to instill confidence in people that they themselves have the ability to create something, and that begins in the design process. It’s not light bulbs going off and voodoo. That happens, but it happens because you’re in a process that allows it to happen. The most common approach is to get a pencil and paper and let the pencil do the thinking.

There are also two other interviews with Peter on the radio. One on Radio Boston and one on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. You can listen to both in full.

And finally, this month saw a review of Linda Bamber's Taking What I Like. In her review, Alyse Bensel writes,

In exploring the historical lineage and artistic interpretations of Shakespeare, Bamber's collection reads as part literary criticism and part re-writing. Each story tries to open up these culturally relevant characters to discern a new perspective.

As well, there are many blog reviews of Bamber's story collection as part of her ongoing blog tour, which you can find a complete account of here.

Superior Person's Tuesday!

PIGSNEY, n. Believe it or not, a term of endearment used when addressing a girl. From the Saxon word for girl. Try it out on your inamorata; she will surely be charmed and delighted. "Come, my little pigsney..."

 

I'm sure she'll love the resemblance.

Each Tuesday, we’ll offer up a Superior Word for the edification of our Superior Readers, via the volumes of the inimitable Peter Bowler. You can purchase all or any of the four Superior Person’s Books of Words from the Godine website. Pigsney appears in the first.

Bamber on Blog Tour!

Linda Bamber's book Taking What I Like is on tour across the web right now, making eleven stops throughout the month of January. Here are what bloggers are saying about Bamber's story collection:

Over at Read. Write. Repeat. Bamber is commended for putting "much thought into the motivations of Shakespeare's stars . . . gradually giving her reader the information they needed about the original work, just in case they were unfamiliar with it or needed a refresher at times." There's also a brief interview with Bamber in which she admits her favorite story from the collection is "Cleopatra and Antony."

 Blogger Audra of Unabridged Chick says, "Delightfully, being unfamiliar with the source material isn't a hindrance to enjoying Bamber's stories" and as such, calls the collection "Funny, emotional, knowing, meta, and geeky." Just as Bamber hopes, Audra says she feels inspired to read all the plays mentioned. Read the entire review here.

Susanna at Susie Bookworm says, "It's like reading literary and artistic criticism in a fun fictional form."

Elizabeth also reviewed Taking What I Like and described it as "Taking a lit class from the very best lit teacher. . . the one who could open up the text for you like no one else could and make the characters come alive." 5MinutesforBooks.com is giving a copy away--you have until the 28th to enter!

The collection was rated a 5 out of 5 at Conceptual Reception. Cupcake's Book Cupboard also reviewed the book and featured an interview with Bamber--Read it to find out why Bamber wrote about the specific Shakespearean plays that she selected. There are also reviews up at All Things Girl, Bound by Words, and Literally Jen.

If you're still not convinced you should buy a copy, Savy Verse & Wit and Dwell in Possibility are both review Taking What I Like later this week, and you can test drive the collection for yourself by downloading (for a limited time!) the first story in the collection, "Casting Call" from the Black Sparrow.

Godine Selected for the APHA 2014 Institutional Award!

We are happy to announce that David R. Godine, Inc. has been selected as the recipient of the American Printing History Association's 2014 Institutional Award! This award is given each year to an institution that has made a "distinguished contribution to the study, recording, preservation or dissemination of printing history..."

The American Printing History Association (APHA) is a membership organization that encourages the study of the history of printing and related arts and crafts, including calligraphy, typefounding, typography, papermaking, bookbinding, illustration, and publishing.

Mr. David Godine will be in honored in New York on January 25, 2014. You can read more about Godine's contributions that earned the award here.  We are thrilled to have been recognized by this esteemed organization, and this is certainly a great start to the new year!

Superior Person's Tuesday!

lentiginose, adj., freckled.

Don't bother scrubbing them with lemon juice, Jan. Invest in some SPF and move on.

"Long accustomed to the healthy, open air life, her beauty is exceeded only by her lentiginosity."

Each Tuesday, we’ll offer up a Superior Word for the edification of our Superior Readers, via the volumes of the inimitable Peter Bowler. You can purchase all or any of the four Superior Person’s Books of Words from the Godine website. Lentiginose appears in the third.

Peter Korn on the Radio!

In case you missed it, Peter Korn was interviewed on Radio Boston this week about his new book Why We Make Things and Why It Matters. Peter talks about his transition from carpenter to craftsman, his process, and the identity he found in the solitude of woodworking. This understanding of identity, he says, is why people turn to crafts of all kinds.

If you want to hear more of what Peter thinks, check out this interview on Maine Public Broadcasting Network alongside Stuart Kestenbaum, director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. The duo discusses creativity and pursuing the genius of human craft. Of craft, Peter says, "You really are engaging your hand and your head and your heart . . . and when you're working in the studio and things are going effortlessly, it's like you as a human being are firing on all pistons really well."