September 23, 2005

The Book Standard Honors Bestsellers: “Awards went to books in 100 categories, based on sales tracked by Nielsen BookScan from July 31, 2004, to Aug. 1, 2005.”

The important thing about this article is that it provides a list of actual sales numbers for top-selling books in 100 categories. As PublishersLunch rightly noted, such data is hard to come by for those without Bookscan access.

‘Diet Code’ Author Claims Da Vinci Would Oppose Low-Carb Lifestyle: “Is this man just trying to capitalize on Dan Brown’s runaway bestseller?

After signing a six-figure advance book deal (couldn’t we all be that lucky!) with the new Warner Wellness imprint from Time Warner Books in March 2005, an opportunistic Portland, Oregon-based bakery store owner named Stephen Lanzalotta is now busy finishing up the final details of his new diet book that focuses on the importance of bread as part of a healthy lifestyle and is creating some controversy by tying it in with one of the bestselling books over the past few years.

Tentatively set for release in April 2006 with a first-run print of 150,000, Lanzalotta’s book will be called ‘The Diet Code: Revolutionary Weight-Loss Secrets From Da Vinci and The Golden Ratio.’ It is an obvious attempt to take advantage of the wildly popular book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (which is currently #26 on the Amazon.com bestseller list despite the fact it has been out for over 2 1/2 years!).”

I think we’re looking at a “yes.”

HBP Chapter 27 Re-read

The Lightning-Struck Tower

Again Harry demonstrates his “Accio” prowess with Accio Rosmerta’s brooms.

We learn later in the chapter that Rosmerta is under the Imperius Curse. I must say that this completely fooled me as it did Harry and Dd. She seemed genuinely distressed. Wonder exactly what Malfoy’s orders to her were?

Dd lets down the spells around Hogwarts so that they can enter at speed. We know from the preceding chapter that it is possible for a great wizard to make spells that can only be undone with great investment of time and effort. So Dd must have made the spells around Hogwarts of such a nature that he could always take them down quickly. Could he have provided better security with more cumbersome spells? Probably not, as he never even contemplated the possibility of the Vanishing Cabinet. Interesting nonetheless to see that even high wizards encounter the fundamental tension between security and usability. (see http://www.wfzimmerman.com/2005/09/oreillys-security-and-usability-first.html).

Why exactly did Dd immobilize Harry when he heard footsteps at the door? Why was that a priority over defending himself? Especially given that there were two brooms in the room and anyone entering would deduce immediately that another wizard must be present? Wouldn’t it have been better, tactically, to fight? Is Harry really that much of a loose cannon? This decision of Dd’s to immobilize Harry is not explained completely to my satisfaction … it leaves room to wonder if Dd for some reason set up the whole situation with himself apparently helpless.

The scene between Dd and Malfoy is one of the best things in the whole series.

“Draco, Draco, you are not a killer.” (Yet…)

“Malfoy, bizarrely, seemed to draw courage and comfort from Dumbledore’s praise…”

Interesting that Dd seemingly not impressed by Malfoy’s revelation that Snape was a double agent “wanting a bit of the action.”

Dd: “I appreciate the difficulty of your position.” Both Katie Bell and Ron almost died as a result of Dd’s considerate inaction. Is this really defensible?”

I don’t really understand what Dd means when he says “no, Draco, it is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.” Is Dd truly helpless? Against Malfoy? Against Snape? It certainly seems possible that Dd could do a non-verbal spell that would vanquish a mere Malfoy, but that he knows that nothing he can do in his present condition will beat Snape.

“Severus … please …” JKR certainly leaves it open as to exactly what Dd is pleading for. Death, or mercy?

“There was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of [Snape’s] face” as he prepared to kill Dd. Ok, revulsion and hatred directed at whom? Could still be revulsion at the idea of killing Dd, hatred for either Dd or Voldemort.

“Avada Kevadra!”

And the rest is silence.

NOLA.com: Times-Picayune Breaking News Weblog: “Dozens of blocks were already under water as a wave of water 30 feet wide poured over a dike that had been used to patch breaks in the Industrial Canal. On the street that runs parallel to the canal, the water ran waist-deep and was rising fast.”

Discouraging news.

At Final Day of Roberts Hearings, Hatch Snaps . . . and Snaps: “But in the end, Leahy was joined by two other pro-Roberts Democrats, Wisconsin’s Herb Kohl and Russell Feingold. And the committee took on a different hue, divided less by party than by temperament: the amiable against the belligerent.”

These democratic Democratic senators are today’s heroes of sensibleness.

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: “LIMA (Reuters) - A plane carrying Gambian soccer fans to Peru made an unauthorized detour and faked a fuel emergency to land in time for the West African nation’s game in a world youth tournament, officials said Wednesday.

The Rum Air plane carrying 289 fans bypassed immigration formalities in Lima by landing in the northern city of Piura about two hours before the African youth champions kicked off against Qatar in the World Under-17 Championship Tuesday.”

Now that’s civilized behavior.