New England Bookseller's Association

NEBA for short. Today and yesterday at the Convention Center in Providence. Lots of bookstore people and publishers. Lots of books, many of which are given away or raffled off. A book lover's paradise. Nice day, too. Some footrace in Providence causing traffic problems, but not too many.

A few VERY bookish types turned up noses at mysteries and mystery literature. I think we should call it all Crime Fiction, which has a broader more inclusive umbrella. Three of us manning the booth talked about reading Proust a lot, also Madam Bovary, so I guess we were as literary as anyone else. We didn't flaunt it and we aren't ashamed of writing "genre."

Speaking of genre, New York Times panned Dennis Lehane's new book today. Gave decent review to Le Carre, but the Globe panned Le Carre. Marilyn Stasio's column in the NYT was interesting, as is the best seller list which has undergone a huge change from a few week's ago and is very literary for a change. Yay! The Globe's best seller list from here in Boston was VERY literary. Just Janet Evanovich holding down the lite and genre stuff.

Talked to a publisher about the Festival Madness book, but he didn't seem too enthused. Thought Burning Man was in England. Must have had it confused with some weird Stonehenge rites. I give up. I am so far out of the mainstream of anything, so far out that I must be in. But nobody knows.

Got to tend to my Mexican Soup.

Buy a good book and read it, then buy it again and give it to a friend.

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