A quiet week. Please send any suggestions or announcements to mormonlit AT gmail DOT com.
I have seen it reported from a couple of authors that Granite Publishing and Distributing has recently gone out of business. The Orem, Utah company was founded in 1995, and has published scores of fiction and non-fiction books by Mormon authors. Granite is the second independent Mormon-centered publisher to go out of business this year, as Valor Publishing closed shop a few months ago as well.
Author Carol Lynn Pearson was injured while hiking near her home in Walnut Springs, California. She had three fractures, but is recovering well.
Building Zion Theatre Company, by Mahonri Stewart (A Motley Vision). Mahonri talks about his efforts at building a Mormon theater company, including recent success as finding theaters they can use.
Provo Orem Word, July 2011. Includes the short story, “I Don’t Know If You Know”, by Lee Stoops.
A Michael R Collings interview about his mystery novel Devil’s Plague.
From Filmmaker to Novelist: The Evolution of Kieth Merrill by Marilyn Green Faulkner (Meridian Magazine).
New Books
Count Down to Love, by Julie N. Ford. Cedar Fort. Romance. An abandoned bride appears on a reality TV show, finds love. First novel.
Watched. Cindy M. Hogan. Cedar Fort. Suspense. 15-year old witnesses a murder while on a Washington DC field trip, is hunted by the killers while the FBI tries to protect her. First novel.
Bitter Blessings. Christine Mehring. Cedar Fort. General. A girl’s mother dies in an accident, and her family begins to fall apart, but they find blessings. First novel.
Hope’s Journey. Stephanie Worton. Cedar Fort. Young Adult. Mormon teen-age couple discovers she is pregnant. They search for the worth they once found in each other. First novel.
The Last Archangel. Michael Young. Cedar Fort. Paranormal. An angel exiled to earth, and falls for a human. Young’s second novel.
Reviews
The Coming of Elijah, by Arianne Cope. Scott at The Low-Tech World. “Some novels . . . are like Toni Morrison’s Beloved or William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom!, which are praiseworthy for the beautiful mess they make for the reader. Pregnant with ideas, slumped over with ambiguous symbols, these novels trip over the paradigm and kick it out of the way. They’re the James Deans of literature: brilliantly unpredictable, occasionally incoherent, always flawed, they speed ahead in no apparent direction. Their goal is not the finish line, but the glorious, disastrous unpredictability of the race. . . . Aside from the Indian Placement Program, the novel also explores other subjects: the usable (and misusable) Mormon past, the Lamanite curse and its place in Mormon theology and culture, the nature of religious belief, the role of visions and miracles, the process of conversion, and the meaning of testimony. The book is likewise interested in the masks various Mormons wear, the public facades they put on to deceive, distract, blend in, and survive. In this novel, every character struggles to break through one façade or another—with little success. Each of them is too well-hidden, too secure behind whatever it is they use as a mask: history, humor, church service, make-up, silence . . . As a beautifully written, challenging, and engaging novel, it should have more readers and reviews. Word needs to get out: this is an exceptional book.”
The Hainan Incident, by DM Coffman. Jennie Hansen, Meridian Magazine. Positive. “I found the style quite similar to that of Tom Clancy, which seems to work well for high suspense thrillers. The story is powerful and keeps the reader turning pages, unable to put it down . . . The characters are well-defined, the protagonists are likable, and even the bad guys are interesting. After the first few chapters, which serve as a powerful hook to draw the reader into the story, the plot moves forward in a fast-paced excellent fiction arc. Suspense and action readers will enjoy this one.”
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford. Gamila. Positive.
A Far Horizon, by Anita Stansfield. Deseret News. Positive.
New York Times Bestseller lists, July 17th
Trade Fiction Paperback
#19 HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, by Jamie Ford (58th week) ↔. Standing pat at #19.
Mass Market Paperback
#21 ENDER’S GAME, by Orson Scott Card. ↑ Up from #32 last week. Any idea why this book is suddenly moving up the list?
Children’s Chapter Books
MATCHED, by Ally Condie. Fell of the list again, after 16 total weeks.
I think Ender’s Game could be moving up the list because the movie has moved out of development heck is back on track. It’s been picked up by Summit Entertainment (who were the studio behind _Twilight_); it’s being directed by Gavin Hood (an Oscar winner, but also the director of the Wolverine: Origins film); and has the same producers attached who helped put together the excellent Star Trek re-boot. A mixed bag of possibilities in my mind. I really hope they do a top notch job:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/summit-to-finally-really-truly-try-to-make-enders,55305/