Friday, February 12, 2010

“Herb Simon purchases Kirkus book review journal - Ibj.com” plus 3 more

“Herb Simon purchases Kirkus book review journal - Ibj.com” plus 3 more

Herb Simon purchases Kirkus book review journal - Ibj.com

Posted: 11 Feb 2010 08:48 AM PST

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Shopping mall magnate, NBA team owner and now a major player in the publishing industry.

Herb Simon, co-founder of Simon Property Group Inc. and owner of the Indiana Pacers, has bought Kirkus Reviews from New York-based Nielsen Co., which said in December that it would close the magazine.

Terms of the deal announced Wednesday were not disclosed.

Kirkus, a journal of prepublication book reviews, often is used by librarians and booksellers when deciding how to stock their shelves.

For Liz Barden, owner of the independent Big Hat Books in Broad Ripple, Simon's purchase of Kirkus is immense.

"Every bookseller, every librarian, every educator, and people that are generally interested in the world of books, don't go a day without reading their Kirkus daily," she said.

The venerable journal was founded in 1933 but lately had become threatened by lackluster sales and online price wars occurring within the book industry.

In a statement, Simon acknowledged both the challenges and opportunities presented by the acquisition.

"With the growth of e-books and e-reading devices, no one can really see the future of publishing. But turmoil like this creates opportunities," he said. "At a time when even the definition of a book is changing, my love of books makes me want to be part of the solution for the book publishing industry."

Simon is no stranger to books. He is co-owner of an independent bookstore in Montecito, Calif., and is described by those who know him well as a voracious reader.

Barden at Big Hat Books does not know him personally but said she's assisted several of his friends who buy for him at her store.

"It's always an enormous challenge for me to figure out what he hasn't read," she said. 

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Capsule reviews of 'The Whale' and other books - San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: 05 Feb 2010 09:09 AM PST

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"The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea" (HarperCollins, 453 pages, $27.99), by Philip Hoare: A subject as big as the whale demands a book as broad as "The Whale." Part memoir, part nature writing and part literary criticism, the book takes readers around the world for an exhaustive look at the mysterious mammal. Philip Hoare begins his book in the steps of Herman Melville's Ishmael, visiting the famous 19th-century whaling ports Nantucket and New Bedford, Mass., before tracing the cultural significance of the whale from Jonah to "Free Willy." For readers who don't love science, there might be dull moments. But entertaining and educational, "The Whale" is an all-encompassing look at how an animal most people never see has impacted our history and inspired our imagination.

_ By Rob Merrill.

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"Red Carpet Ready: Secrets for Making the Most of Any Moment You're in the Spotlight" (Crown Publishing Group, $29.99, 288 pages), by Melissa Rivers: Are you planning a wedding or trying to survive a breakup? Or maybe you're unemployed. If you're experiencing high-pressure situations such as these, Melissa Rivers has advice — and lots of it. Rivers is best known for covering fashion on the red carpet with her mother Joan Rivers. She says those gigs taught her how to think on her feet, handle curve balls and maintain her cool, traits everyone needs at one time or another. But parts of the book seem unorganized, choppy and hard to follow. Yes, Rivers dishes about Hollywood (like sharing a table at a restaurant with Sean Penn, who gave her divorce advice) — but there's not enough to satisfy readers.

_ By Alicia Rancilio.

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"Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History" (Riverhead, 400 pages, $26.95), by David Aaronovitch: Did you hear the real story? The Sept. 11 attacks were orchestrated by the U.S. government. President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor. Princess Diana was assassinated. The Catholic Church is covering up evidence of Jesus' family. Just about everyone has heard at least one of these conspiracy theories. Often, such tales of shadowy dealings bubble up after shocking events, offering a darker explanation to a rattled public. British journalist David Aaronovitch does his best to pop those bubbles in "Voodoo Histories," an entertaining — if sometimes depressing — tour of modern conspiracy theories.

_ By Michael Hill.

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"Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, With Recipes" (Little, Brown and Co., 352 pages, $23.99), by Elizabeth Bard: American writer Elizabeth Bard says her French husband was halfway to home base when she cut into a succulent steak during their first lunch in Paris. It's not entirely certain in her recounting of their romance whether it was the man or the meals that kept drawing her back to the city celebrated for its cuisine. Sure, Gwendal was kind, funny and a tap dancer, but there were also molten chocolate cakes and swordfish tartar. In her first book, Bard tracks their relationship through meals — the pasta Gwendal made after they first made love, the sausage over which he proclaimed his love, the poached cod served when she met his parents and the smelly cheese at their wedding. She includes recipes at the end of each chapter for those wanting to cook up a little romance of their own. Still, the recipes can be intimidating, and it's a little difficult to imagine gutting a whole fish as skillfully as Bard reports doing on her first try.

_ By M.L. Johnson.

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Simon Properties chairman and NBA team owner buys Kirkus Reviews - Austin Business Journal

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 06:16 AM PST

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Indiana Pacers owner and Simon Property Group Inc. exec Herb Simon has saved a veteran Austin magazine that in December said it was folding.

The Simon chairman emeritus purchased 77-year-old book review journal Kirkus Review from The Nielson Company for an undisclosed amount. As part of the deal, the local company will change its name to Kirkus Media and be led by Marc Winkelman, a book industry veteran and Calendar Holdings CEO.

Simon and Winkelman are co-owners of Tecolote Books and Simon has a stake in Calendar. Kirkus will function as a Calendar affiliate and sold through its global retail operations in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland.

"I love books and have long subscribed to Kirkus," Simon said. "With the growth of e-books and e-reading devices, no one can really see the future of publishing. But turmoil like this creates opportunities. At a time when even the definition of a book is changing, my love of books makes me want to be part of the solution for the book publishing industry."

Kirkus' assets include a library of more than 300,000 reviews and an editorial department that critiques about 5,000 titles annually. The biweekly magazine prints book reviews two to three months before its publication date, including fiction, mysteries, sci-fi, translations, nonfiction, and children's and young-adult books.

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Box Office: Female-driven fare expected to dominate - New York Post

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:40 AM PST

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8:19 AM, February 12, 2010 ι Lou Lumenick

Though it's egregiously awful even by the appalling standards of contemporary romantic comedies, Garry Marshall's all-star "Valentine's Day'' is expected to easily dominate the four-day President's Day Weekend, with the titular holiday falling on Sunday. Forecasters say that Warner Bros. could rake in as much as $50 million for this New Line-branded atrocity, as poor guys are forced by their dates to sit through a flick that got positive reviews from only 17 percent of the critics at Rotten Tomatoes. I give it zero stars . Second place seems to be a battle between Fox's "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief'' (which has nothing to do with those games in Vancouver but is yet another 'tween franchise on the order of "The Bridge to Teribithia,'' those one featuring Greek Gods and their illegitimate offspring) and Universal's remake "The Wolfman'' with Benecio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, much reworked after missing three prior release dates. Both are drawing forecasts that range from the low '20s to $30 million. On averge, "Percy Jackson'' is the better reviewed, with 54 percent at RT and 2 stars from me. "The Wolfman'' get a 2 1/2 star notice from Kyle Smith and is rating a 30 at RT. "Avatar,'' which was toppled from the top spot in its eighth weekend by another female-driven flick ("Dear John'')  is expected to finish No. 4 with around $20 million in North America for the four-day weekend.

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