Episode 70: What Are Sound Novels

Jun 13, 2010 by donny

Bookbabble Episode 70: What Are Sound Novels
Recorded 17 May 2010
Babblers: Lone, Marcel, Renee, Bjorn, Donny

Synopsis:

This week we’re introduced to the seemingly new form of storytelling called ‘sound novels’.  We find out a little more about this supposedly new medium, guided by a resident expert, Renee’s daughter, the Wilde Childe herself, Rosemary.  Along the way, Marcel treats us to a story of Amazon reviews abuse by the author himself.  Oh, and Stephenie Meyer.

Show Length: 58:39

Links::

• Higurashi When They Cry
• Umineko no Naku Koro ni
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_novel#Related_terms
• http://lucarinfo.com/alex/alexstories.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/4_11/music/mm/sound02.shtml
• Edward and Bella Pic Montage
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_novel
• http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/nm_playlist.html
• A literary mystery came to an end when the scholar blamed first his wife and then illness for anonymously savaging his rivals

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Bookbabble Episode 56: Cultural Imperialism and Adam West

Dec 24, 2009 by donny

Bookbabble Episode 56: Cultural Imperialism and Adam West

Recorded 7 Dec 2009
Babblers: Bjorn, Renee, Donny

Synopsis:

This is one weird, psychedelic episode.  We all came out of this one wondering what had happened.  How is this episode any different from the previous episodes, then, you may ask?  Well, among the stuff we covered: 70s/80s American TV series, Twilight/New Moon, how soon till the next Harry Potter-like phenomenon, export of popular culture from US and what Sweden and Malaysia thought of it in the early 80s, King’s Under the Dome, why Pride and Prejudice and Zombies isn’t as bad as it sounds.  Also, when Bjorn is hungry, he likes BRAAAAAAAAINS.

Note: The book Donny was trying to remember when he brought up the Jane Austen mashups was Mansfield Park and Mummies.

Show Length: 1:38:50 mins

Mentioned

• A Game of Thrones, George RR Martin
• Under the Dome, Stephen King
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen
• New Moon, Stephenie Meyer

Links

• The Secrets of the Sparkle a.k.a. TWILIGHT: STONIFIED
• Bookalikes – How much harm does a bad book cover do? (Forum post)
• Adam Westing
• Gigantor
• V – Diana is a hungry alien (Youtube)
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot
• Stephen King ne “I Griffin”(Youtube)
• Bookeen’s Cybook ebook reader

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Bookbabble Episode 26: Remember the time you read…?

Feb 14, 2009 by donny

Bookbabble Episode 26: Remember the time you read…?
Recorded 15 Feb 2009

Babblers: Bjorn, Gem, Renee, Donny

Synopsis:
After a 2 month break, the babblers are back, joined by Renee once again as they catch up on the recent happenings in the book scene.  But first up, the babblers talk about whether they remember the countless books that they have read, whether that’s important in the first place, and what some of us do to make the books stay with us as we journey on in our reading life.  Also, the effects of the current economic climate on readers, Updike’s passing, feedback on Stephen King’s assessment of Stephenie Meyer’s writing, why you shouldn’t be reading Nora Roberts and Bjorn does a funny limerick.

Show Length: 77:52 mins

Links:

• Finnegan’s Wake – James Joyce
• Short Stories of Honore de Balzac – Honore de Balzac
• The Diary of a Nobody – George Grossmith
• The Sorrows of an American: A Novel – Siri Hustvedt
• Imaginary Maps – Mahasweta Devi
• Naked – David Sedaris
• The Last Colony – John Scalzi

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Twilight author stops work on sequel when draft leaked on the Internet

Dec 24, 2008 by donny

Almost nobody can escape the apparent mania surrounding Twilight, Stephenie Meyer’s vampire love story, given that the movie is generating plenty of silver screen buzz at the moment.

Shortly before the movie came out, the draft of her latest novel in her Twilight Saga, Midnight Sun, found its way to the Internet, and has been spread all across the popular social networking sites.

So upset at this revelation that Meyer has decided to shelf Midnight Sun indefinitely.  She also decided to make available the leaked draft at her own site.  You can read her reaction to the leak at her official website (her site is not a blog, so you’ll have to scroll until the August 28 2008 entry to read her take on the leak).

I can’t imagine what her fans might feel about this.  Imagine if Rowling decided not to publish The Deathly Hallows if her work was leaked.

So this story brings about a couple of questions for me:

Would you read leaked drafts – not even complete works! – of your favourite books, knowing full well that it’s probably not final and that things may change?  If you’re an author, would you react (or, as the case may be, retract) in the same way as Meyer?  What does this say about the writing process at this day and age, since it’s now so easy to proliferate digital content?  Was this preventable?

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