Writerly news from around the Intertubes.

The New York Times has decided upon their 100 Notable Books of 2009. 

The Book Review has made these selections from books reviewed since Dec. 7, 2008, when we published our previous Notables list. It was not easy picking the winners, and we doubtless made mistakes. To the authors who made the list: congratulations. To the equally deserving ones who did not: our apologies.

Well, okay then. If you want to know what our cousins across the pond think are the Best Books of 2009, click the link for Publishers Weekly’s list.

Also at PW, a review of CONFESSIONS OF A FIRST DAUGHTER! And it’s a nice one, too. Aww.

It’s a year old, but I’ve stumbled upon Sarah Weinman’s, in her words, “highly subjective” report card of publisher’s imprints. If you’re as confused over some of the bajillion imprints out there, this series is for you (caveat: she’s a crime thriller author, but though she focuses on that genre, the overall report card is useful). She starts with Macmillan and is followed with Simon & Schuster. I’m fascinated by this shizz.

Borders Books continues to struggle. Borders UK is near collapse.

Pardon the following Bronte fangirling, but it looks like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre film projects have been greenlighted, due to the popularity of the Twilight movies:

The Brontës are back in fashion – with a bit of help from Bella Swan. New films of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre will shoot next spring, and a script about the teenage fantasies of the four Brontë siblings is in the works.

The film-makers are piggybacking off the success of the Twilight saga, which has sparked a renewed enthusiasm among financiers for gothic romance; the Brontës in particular. Wuthering Heights is one of Twilight heroine Bella Swan’s favourite books, frequently referenced in the third episode Eclipse, whose storyline is inspired by Emily Brontë’s only novel.

Sure BBC has been covering this action for years, and very well too, but it’s time for big screen lush adaptions of both, imo. I’ll be at midnight showings of these films. Cannot WAIT!

Write on, my friends.

Kathleen Bolton is co-founder of Writer Unboxed. She has written two novels under the pseudonym Cassidy Calloway: Confessions of a First Daughter, and Secrets of a First Daughter--both books in a YA series about the misadventures of the U.S. President's teen-aged daughter, published by HarperCollins.
Kathleen Bolton
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