What Booksellers are saying:

'Emily St John Mandel's new novel, The Singer's Gun, is a wonderful read--one of those great books that come along once in a while. You just can't neatly put in a category. It has so much to offer--family relationships, loyalty questions, the struggle to rise above questionable circumstances, and an on and off wedding. But most of all it is a finely written novel.'
Mary Gay Shipley, That Bookstore in Blytheville, Blytheville, AR

'In her second novel, Mandel shows that the critical success in her debut book was no fluke. She hits the literary trifecta of compelling prose, utterly convincing characterizations, and a universally appealing story.' -Emily Crowe, Odyssey Books

Lots of food for thought. My review: http://wordhoarder.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/hello-world/

My review for the Summer 2008 Booksense Children's Picks list:
http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781429937443

'Cory Doctorow's Little Brother updates Orwell's 1984 with current computer technology and post-9 / 11 fear-based politics to create a nail-biting read that shows the true dangers of unquestioningly giving up our freedoms in exchange for a vague sense of security. Curious, free-thinking teens and their parents will love this book, both for the adventure within and the debate it will doubtlessly engender.'
--Rich Rennicks, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
www.malaprops.com

Selected by Indie Booksellers for the November 2009 Indie Next List: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781932961843/Jason-Quinn-Malott/Evolution-Shadows

'Five years after Gray Banick, a news photographer, disappeared from war-torn Sarajevo, three friends meet to try and discover what happened to him. This is a story of love strong enough to endure the ravages of war and time. Malott writes with sensitivity and compassion.'
-- Sue Richardson, Maine Coast Book Shop, Inc., Damariscotta, ME
http://www.mainecoastbookshop.com

My review for the July 2009 Indie Next list: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781932961683

'Last Night in Montreal is a rare achievement, a gripping, mysterious, and original literary novel about family secrets and the unbearable weight they place on young shoulders. Emily St. John Mandel is a wonderful and refreshingly unorthodox writer, and this should be the start of a brilliant career.'
-- Rich Rennicks, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC

Selected by Indie Booksellers for the September 2008 Indie Next List: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781932961584

'In Hovering Flight is the story of a couple, Addie and Tom, a bird painter and a bird scientist, of their romance and marriage, and of their only daughter, Scarlet. In lovely but precise language Joyce Hinnefeld slowly reveals the larger world and the more intimate landscapes within it. This is a remarkable first novel and a unforgettable story.'
-- Cheryl Upchurch, Capitol Book & News Company, Montgomery, AL
http://www.capitolbook.com/

Selected by Indie Booksellers for the July 2009 Indie Next List: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781932961676

'This story of high-tech, corporate chicanery creates a foreign, but believable, world that will lodge in your mind. Barnes has written a gripping depiction of how people can become dehumanized in their single-minded drive for success. A superior novel.'
-- Joe Strebel, Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, IL
http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/

My review for the February 2010 Indie Next List: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061536090/Louise-Erdrich/Shadow-Tag

'Knowing her unstable husband has been reading her diary, a desperate woman uses it to manipulate him, creating a false tale, obscuring her true motives, and pushing him ever-closer to the edge. Shadow Tag is Erdrich's most compelling novel in years; a gripping portrait of an unstable marriage stumbling towards its inevitable, yet shocking dissolution.'
-- Rich Rennicks, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
www.malaprops.com

Probably my favorite Pynchon novel.

Great book! Is she mad or is everybody else? (I think the answer is yes to both questions.) A seminal novel about an underground postal system, and so much more.

Much derided, but really a useful idea. Criticism tends to focus on long tail's unsuitability to produce bestsellers from the long tail misunderstands the concept. Long tail is using cataloging/search to make it easier to find items in backlist and then sell more of these items without having to invest in marketing afresh. Book has no real methodology to exploit backlist, but provides examples and case studies of companies that have done so. Thought-provoking, but not a how-to.

It ain't broke, so I'll keep using it.

Not really sure the point of being a fan of a concept. Might the singularity happen? Maybe? Is it an interesting thing to think about? Yep? Has it spawned a hell of a lot of great science fiction? You bet! Will I print up T-shirts and attend singularity fan meetups at local bars? Yea, right!