WHAT ARE THE BOOK BABES UP TO THESE DAYS?

      Would you like to have the Book Babes – together or solo – speak at your event? Don’t hesitate to contact us at thebookbabes@yahoo.com. Here are our latest endeavors:

ELLEN

     Book Reviews: Watch for my upcoming book reviews in The Seattle Times: Lisa See’s “Dreams of Joy”  in May and Ann Patchett's "State of Wonder" in June.

     Both Patchett and See are bestselling novelists who have won critical acclaim for their work -- in Patchett's case, a small pile of literary prizes. Her latest book takes readers into the Amazon for a battle of the wills between a pair of women scientists.

     See's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" has been made into a film that will be released in July (with bulging-bicep Hugh Jackman, no less). In her latest book, she continues to tell the story of women's lives in the context of Chinese history. "Dreams of Joy" is set against the backdrop of the disastrous Great Leap Forward, which attempted to increase farm output in the late 1950s and led to the deaths of 20 million from starvation.

   

         Novel research: I'm juggling my "new book" reading with some old books, often really old. I'm studying the period of Pacific Northwest history that started with the "Boom of the Eighties" -- that's the 1880s, folks, when the abundance of natural resources brought a bunch of settlers to the land of Ken Kesey (and long before "Sometimes a Great Notion" -- imagine that).  I am following the peaks and valleys to the Depression, when the economy for timber and just about everything else tanked. 

MARGO

     Book reviews: My review of “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention” by Manning Marable can be found at http://postgazette.com/pg/11142/1147807-148-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel0 on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website.

     Manning worked 20 years on this massive biography of one of the most fascinating figures in American history. He died just a few days before its publication. 

   

    TV appearance: This month C-SPAN came to the Tampa Bay area and interviewed a slew of people involved in the book world, including yours truly. Our interviews will be aired on C-SPAN’s Book TV May 28-29 and will be made available on the C-SPAN website.

     Creative Late Bloomers book project & blog: I’m still at work on a book about creative late bloomers. The tentative title is “Never Too Late: Secrets Behind Creative Second Acts.” Meanwhile, I’m blogging about the subject at creativelatebloomers.blogspot.com.