The New York Times’ Talking Business columnist Joe Nocera has conjured a list of the best nonfiction business books. He had solicited readers’ input on business fiction a few years back, but the results were unsatisfying.

Here are some of his picks, and we are quoting the column here:

“Liar’s Poker,” by Michael Lewis (even though I’ve since become convinced that the anecdote that gives the book its title never happened).
“The Devil’s Candy,” by Julie Salamon. (Greatest dissection of the movie business ever written.)
“The Box,” by Marc Levinson. (Hard to believe you can write a great book about the rise and importance of the shipping container, but he pulled it off.)
“Indecent Exposure,” by David McClintick. (Published in 1982, it single-handedly created the business narrative genre).
“The Go-Go Years,” by John Brooks. (The best book by the most elegant writer to ever make business his subject.)
“The Kingdom and the Power,” by Gay Talese. (Yes, the subject is The New York Times, but how can you leave it off any list of great business books?)

To see the whole list, CLICK HERE.

A memo from Tribune Co. (financially distressed owner of Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, among others) chief innovation officer Lee Abrams is being widely quoted, reports Publishers Lunch, the daily e-newsletter produced by Publishersmarketplace.com. This snippet, buried fairly deep in his rambling memo, speaks to his view on book pages in newspapers:

“Heard a conversation about how Book reporting doesn’t generate revenue and may have to go away. WAIT! Maybe Book reviews and coverage are one of those things that don’t generate revenue right now, BUT–are trademarks for newspapers and elicit high passion from readers. At XM, (Abrams has a background in radio) we had Opera channels. Low listenership … HIGH passion … AND–it was one of those things that even if people didn’t listen or even like Opera, it was one of those things you had to have for completeness. Maybe Book sections in newspapers are just dated. Not the idea…but the look and feel. Maybe they’re modeled after a book store in 1967 whereas we’re in the Borders, Amazon, B&N era. Maybe they are too scholarly. Maybe they avoid genres like Christian books, Celebrity books and Popular novels, opting instead for reviews of the Philippine Socialist Movement in the 1800’s. The point here is maybe Book sections need to be as dramatically re-thought as Borders re-thought retail. Not dumbing down–but getting in sync with the 21st Century mainstream book reader.”
Well, to scholarly types, that probably sounds a lot like dumbing down. But newspapers, save the editorial and op-ed pages, are hardly the bastions of ivory-towered academia (and op-eds can be pretty sophomoric, too, which might be insulting the sophomoric).
Tribune Chairman and Chief executive Sam Zell, widely reviled by some (see for yourself), hired Abram to shake the rust off his struggling empire.

To read Tell Zell, CLICK HERE.

To read LAobserved, CLICK HERE.

One could argue whether Web entities are the cause or effect of continuing cuts at newspapers and other print media (probably both), but the growing influence of information sources that start with “http” also places greater responsibility on those sites. Like, for instance, DelMio.com.

In other words, we have to work harder to cultivate and protect our credibility as believable sources of news. With all of the slimeball Web operations perpetrating their versions of “truthiness,” serious e-journalists have to be extra vigilant for bias, or worse, half-truths or outright lies. Yes, adjust to the fast-moving pace of the Web, but protect the values of journalism — being fair and balanced (NOT the Fox “news ” version — check this out for “fair, balanced“) seeking the truth, not just a narrow piece of “evidence” to support a particular political point of view.

What got me thinking about this, and set me off on a mild rant, was news that the Cleveland Plain Dealer, an operation I once considered (mostly) friendly competition a few miles up the road from my former employer, the Akron Beacon Journal, is cutting back on its Sunday book section. OK, it’s hardly shocking news. Newspapers and magazines have been losing readers, advertisers and revenue streams left and right, first in trickles, now in huge gushers. A pair of Cleveland weekly alternative papers are merging into one: Cleveland Scene. And more people are going to lose their jobs. U.S. News and World Report is going to biweekly publication, scaling back from weekly. Layoffs at newspapers have become as common as auto plant layoffs. Only news folk don’t get called back when the economy improves.

The predictions made three decades ago of the impending demise of newspapers now suddenly seem not so implausible. The threat is real. Is the Internet to blame? In part, yes. But so is TV, and to a lesser extent radio. There are just so many outlets for news or what passes for news these days. Hell, most under-30 types get their news from Jon Stewart! At least it ain’t Rush Lintball. And many newspaper companies (and their stubborn employees — I saw it firsthand) were too slow to respond to the challenge, to be creative in applying their fabulous newsgathering abilities and shaping them for the new media.

I can’t tell you how many times I heard a reporter/editor/photographer say indignantly, “We don’t DO that!” Well, you’re right, you don’t do it anymore. The ones who are left there ARE doing that. Now, when you have reporters being sent out to take photographs, chances are about 98 percent of the time the quality of the photo is going to be noticeably inferior. Same when you have graphic artists being made to do jobs they have limited training in, or any other situation where you jam square pegs into round holes. But you can take a tape recorder, convert the conversation to a podcast, or send a photog out with a camcorder (the only real difference is sound) and upload that.

If it goes viral on YouTube, you’ve got big returns.

Anyway, my initial point is that with traditional media losing market share, the onus is on “new” media to get it right. The rise in the 20th century of a serious journalistic code of ethics was a reaction to irresponsible behavior such as “yellow journalism” (That and some costly libel suits). In the 21st century, it’s the same game, different playing field.

It’s time for a gut check, for new media and old.

Another newspaper is cutting back on its book review section readership, advertising and news hole continue to shrink; this time it’s the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
In Critical Mass, the blog of the national book critic circle board of directors, Plain Dealer book editor Karen Long lamented the 25 percent cut in space alloted for books and book reviews.
“For three years, it’s been my joy to help unleash your opinions upon the world, or at least the corner of it in northeast Ohio,” she wrote. “Starting this Sunday, July 6, that joy is reduced by 25 percent. The pages are being cut to one and one-half. Nobody following the news biz can pretend to be surprised, but all of us can be sad, just the same.”
One could argue whether Web entities are the cause or effect of continuing cuts at newspapers (probably both), but the growing influence of information sources that start with “http” also places greater responsibility on those sites.
To read the blog, CLICK HERE.

By Diane Evans
A novel idea for a book? It’s not easy, especially with nearly 300,000 new titles and editions published each year, and sales flat – at best. But here’s a new twist on the old subject of failed romance: It’s a book coming out in April 2009, titled Relationship Obituaries, based on the Web site of WNYC reporter Kathleen Horan.
For a flavor of what to expect, you can go to the site at www.relationshipobit.com.
It’s mainly women writing death notices about their failed relationships. While the book is billed as humorous, the few entries I read on the site were more in the category of scorned and forlorn.
In an interview on National Public Radio, Horan described the site as a “sort of wake for love.’’ And just like when it’s over in life, the dead rest in silence if not in peace.
•••
Speaking at Stanford University’s commencement recently, Oprah Winfrey urged the nearly 4,700 graduates to trust their gut instincts. “Every wrong decision was the result of me not listening to my voice,” she said. “If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.”
Winfrey gave each graduate copies of two of her favorite books: Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind.

•••

Who really decides what we read?
A recent survey found that adult readers were most influenced by recommendations from family and friends.
But look what happened to the 566-page debut novel by Wisconsin native David Wroblewski. Since its release on June 10 Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, has gone back to press three times to keep up with demand for Wroblewski’s book, titled The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It’s a coming-of-age story about a mute boy and his dog set in rural Wisconsin.
The book gained media attention even before it came out, most notably with a cover story in the Washington Post’s Book World. Significantly, Amazon.com weighed in with strong promotions after selecting it as one of the best books of June. Among other things, the retailer featured an endorsement of the book by celebrity author Stephen King. Amazon also had the book on its home page for two weeks at a 40 percent discount.
The Wall Street Journal now says the book is positioned to be one of the “breakout titles” of the summer.
Wroblewski, 48, worked on the book for 10 years. He grew up – with dogs – on a Wisconsin farm.

Another example of media power, on a far less literary level: Hundreds of viewers of the Sex and the City movie have contacted AbeBooks.com, an online seller of used titles, looking for a title that Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) reads while in bed with Mr. Big (Chris Noth). But there is no such book as Love Letters of Great Men, as referenced in the scene.
There is a Love Letters of Great Men and Women, and its publisher is reprinting the book, originally published in the 1920s.

Diane Evans is founder and president of DelMio.com. She writes a weekly column about books that is distributed by McClatchy Newspapers.

Lots of business leaders are firm believers in reading the secrets to success from other business leaders, if only to keep you thinking about business instead of the latest round of Survivor.
But if you’ve hiked into the wilderness of business book sections, you know there are more books on the market than you could possibly absorb. For some authors, books about business success and leadership have become an industry unto itself.
Soundview Executive Book Summaries, www.summary.com, says it can help cut through the clutter with crisp summaries of the best books in business.

To learn more, CLICK HERE.

The National Endowment for the Arts is granting more than $2.8 million to libraries, municipalities and other entities to fund the Big Read, a nationwide community-based reading program.

Selected organizations receive grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000, and supplemental reading and study materials. These grants cover the period from September 2008 to June 2009.

The Big Read will support 23 selections of American and world literature, and in the coming year is expanding into Mexico.

To read the press release or see which communities near you were awarded grants, CLICK HERE.

By Diane Evans

DelMio.com

Summer reading should be a little akin to summer cooking. You grill for simplicity’s sake - but you expect a savory result.

A summer book? It should be more the juicy hamburger rather than the fat pot roast that won’t be tender for another hour.

A few of my requirements for a fitting summer book:

Nothing too heavy: Many years ago (we’ll leave it at that) I read “Catcher in the Rye” in the summer and in that one book, discovered the joy of leisure contemplation. I still remember J.D. Salinger’s description of a “studied” air of sophistication as something that helped explain a particular snob in my life. Perspective with a laugh - under a hot sun. That’s the idea.

Read what you want - not what you think you should. To look smart, maybe you feel you need to read one of the new titles on John McCain or Barack Obama. But if you’ve always wanted to read “Gone With the Wind,” then do it.

A fast read, and if it’s short, all the better: One of my favorites:

Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (not morose despite the title). It’s really a treatise on how to live well, so you don’t have regrets later.

Now for a sampling of summer reading recommendations from various 2008 lists:

From the Los Angeles Times:

“The Last Embrace,” a novel by Denise Hamilton on secret doings in Hollywood in the 1940s.

“Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us),” by Tom Vanderbilt, on the meaning of the mundane.

“Shining City,” a satire by Seth Greenland, about a dry-cleaning business that fronts for an escort service.

“America America,” by Ethan Canin, a novel about a working-class boy’s involvement with a senator and powerful New York family.

Recent titles popping up on high school reading lists:

“Life of Pi,” by Yann Martel, and “The Lovely Bones,” by Alice Sebold, both stories of young people coming of age.

Some old favorites, recommended for middle school reading by the National Endowment for the Humanities:

“Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott.

“Fahrenheit 451,” by Ray Bradbury.

“The Last of the Mohicans,” by James Fenimore Cooper.

“Robinson Crusoe,” by Daniel Defoe.

“Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

“Diary of a Young Girl,” by Anne Frank.

“The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, by Howard Pyle.

A few children’s titles, from this year list by the “Association for Library Service to Children:

“Little Rat Makes Music,” by Monika Bang-Campbell.

“When Dinosaurs Came with Everything,” by Elise Broach.

“My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez/Me llamo Gabito: La vida de Gabriel Garcia Marquez,” by Monica Brown.

“Fred Stays with Me!” by Nancy Coffelt.

“Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale,” by Carmen Agra Deedy.

If you’d like to share your suggestions, please do. Just e-mail me at Diane.Evans@delmio.com.

Sex and the City fans are turning the book world upside down in search of a book that’s never been written. In a Sex and the City scene Carrie Bradshaw is reading from Love Letters of Great Men to Mr. Big in bed.
Problem is, there is no Love Letters of Great Men. It’s a prop.
The closest thing to that is a tome titled Love Letters of Great Men and Women: From Eighteenth Century to Present Day (1920s).
Kessinger Publishing, which reissued that title last year, is suddenly very popular. The book is registered at no. 134 on Amazon.com.
For more info, CLICK HERE.