Following are the other finalists Roth beat out for this year’s PEN/Faulkner:

• All Aunt Hagar’s Children, by Edward P. Jones
• The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel, by Amy Hempel
• Twilight of the Superheroes, by Deborah Eisenberg
• The Dead Fish Museum, by Charles D’Ambrosio

Yes, Hollywood owes much to books. And the Academy Awards would be smart someday to honor its literary legacy. In a way, we’ve beat them to the punch with the following list of books we loved that became recent big winners on the big screen:

• Sophie’s Choice, by William Styron: No other screen performance can beat Meryl Streep’s in this movie, and when you read the book you’ll understand how well she captured the title character’s astounding and heartbreaking life.
• Close Range: Wyoming Stories, by Annie Proulx: Brokeback Mountain is but one story in this collection, and it’s telling and rare that simply a dozen or so pages could inspire such an acclaimed and moving film.
• The Thin Red Line, by James Jones: We love Terrence Malick’s masterful adaptation of this novel for its breathtaking beauty and its profound, contemplative look at the inward impact and personal violence of war.
• The Hours, by Michael Cunningham: It’s hard to beat this brilliant, Pulitzer-winning take on Mrs Dalloway that was adapted into an Oscar-winning film.
• The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro: This sentimental favorite captures the anguish of unrequited love and the tragedy of the wasted life.

OK, we admit this is a pretty grim bunch of books. But you know Oscar: He loves heartbreak and sacrifice.

• The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, by Gordon Dahlquist: This is sexy, literary science fiction. After young Celeste Temple receives a letter from her fiancé, in which he ends their engagement, she sets off on a Victorian adventure that’s sometimes convoluted but is ultimately fun and engaging. She uncovers a secret, bizarre society bent on creating the titular glass books—creations so devious and overpowering that the quest for their possession results in scandalous murders, sexual scandals, and at least one high-speed chase via dirigible. Dahlquist’s imagination is ever so twisted, and his novel is a stylized spin through a unique fantasy world.
• Saturday, by Ian McEwan: I began this novel immediately after putting down a poorly written and unsatisfying vampire story. I still remember being struck by the strength and clarity of McEwan’s prose—a vast improvement after the Dracula tale. Far from such sensational story lines, McEwan’s novel depicts a day in the life of a London neurosurgeon—a day in which his comfortable, complacent life takes an unexpected turn. The result is first-rate contemporary literature.
• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel: A memoir presented in the style of a graphic novel, this book is a subtle, provocative, intelligent look back at Bechdel’s adolescence. Author and artist of the syndicated Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip, Bechdel is no stranger to tough issues. But her vivid, unflinching depiction of her father’s death (was it suicide? was he gay? was there more to the story?) results in a very compelling, insightful autobiography.
• Flyboys: A True Story of Courage, by James Bradley: This is the amazing account of nine U.S. airmen who were shot down near Iwo Jima in World War II. All but one of the men are captured by the Japanese, and they endure horrific neglect and torture before dying while imprisoned. The lone man who escapes (one George H.W. Bush) eventually becomes President of the United States. It’s a made-for-Hollywood story—that is, until Bradley details the war crimes perpetrated by U.S. forces in that same war. It’s sobering, respectable, and evenhanded—an engrossing read.

• Costa Novel Award: Restless, by William Boyd
• Costa Children’s Book Award: Set in Stone, by Linda Newbery
• Costa Poetry Award: Letter to Patience, by John Haynes
• Costa Biography Award: Keeping Mum, by Brian Thompson

• Newbery Medal: The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron
• Caldecott Medal: Flotsam, by David Wiesner
• Carnegie Medal: Mo Willems (author/illustrator)
• Geisel Medal: Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways, by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
• Sibert Medal: Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon, by Catherine Thimmesh

The ALA’s children’s book awards present the perfect opportunity each year to grab a stack of books for the kids in your life—books that are certain to be winners in their hearts and minds.

Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism was purchased while traveling last autumn and read over a period of several weeks. The author, Eric Burns, presents the early history of the United States using newspapers as a vehicle to propel the tale. Early colonial journalism consisted of highly opinionated diatribes unsubstantiated by any whisper of fact. The resulting reports were inventive, abusive, creative, fluid, and highly biased—the very essence of yellow journalism. The book is an illuminating portrait of our illustrious forefathers; the clever presentation enticed me to find other volumes by the same author. The Joy of Books: Confessions of a Lifelong Reader is a perfect title and is now in the queue, patiently waiting for me to peruse it.

Every so often, I head on a lighthearted jaunt into fantasy worlds. Standing in front of a bookstore shelf, I impulsively plucked The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, from the tomes that surrounded it. This one is fun—great fun—marvelously written, and the starting volume in a series of seven tales. In this first jaunt, a sophisticated and clever young thief, Locke Lamora, comes of age and develops his skills in a thriving and cosmopolitan urban setting. I look forward to acquiring and reading the remaining books as they become available.

With the leading title of The Calculus Wars: Newton, Leibniz, and the Greatest Mathematical Clash of All Time, how could I resist? I didn’t, and purchased the book immediately. Jason Socrates Bardi recounts the feud between Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz and Sir Isaac Newton, each who claimed to have invented calculus. The concept of intellectual property takes on new meaning, and I view this book as anticipated journey into a known continent, but on a large and documented scale.

Of a somber and thoughtful mood is The Solace of Open Spaces. In part home-spun philosophy and in equal measure hard-ranching biography, Gretel Ehrlich, mixes both rather seamlessly in these essays about Wyoming outdoor life. I must admit, I prefer the ranch descriptions over the philosophy, but both perspectives make this book worthy of perusal.

Come spring, like a warm, rotund marmot, I shall pop my head above the snow and ice, blink several times, and welcome the new season and the bright, brilliant sunlight. Until then, I intend to stay comfortable with interesting and varied books. The discovery of a good book is always a delight, and these that I have mentioned—along with a stout cuppa joe—are an exciting means to last the long, cold season.

In the mail, winging toward me, is Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell is This? The author, Marion Meade, covers the tumultuous life of this author, wit, and critic. The caustic Dorothy Parker was a woman with flair, who lived life hard—very hard—and never, ever minced words. I’m looking forward to it, having read a few of Parker’s works and enjoyed them immensely.

Then there’s one I purchased last summer: Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction, by James E. McClellan III and Harold Dorn. I bought it blind, so to speak, and know little about it, but it is resting upon my boom box, waiting breathlessly for me to crack its cover. This exploration is so exciting, you know?

Festooned with my numerous bookmarks is Pushcart’s Complete Rotten Reviews and Rejections, in which the editors, Bill Henderson and Andre Bernard, collect lampoons of various noteworthy books and authors. I like this little volume, and glance through it often, locating zingers as I have time and leafing randomly through the pages. Snicker. Snicker. Snicker.

Newly purchased, and held in the queue for reading is Books and Bidders by A.S.W. Rosenbach, one of the most noted bookmen of all time. I read the opening paragraphs and was absolutely captivated by the lively and exquisite prose. I am going to savor this tome; it will be a joy to peruse leisurely and thoroughly.

About 20 years past, I purchased a copy of I, Leonardo, written and illustrated by Ralph Steadman while traveling interesting regions. Alas, I never had the opportunity to read it, and it went missing forever—not unusual with my tomes. This last year, I acquired another copy of this book and it’s an amazing piece. The text is clever, as are the creative flights of fancy in the numerous images.

There are others in the stacks — mathematics, histories, biographies. These books eagerly hop, wave, dance, and shout—hoping to gain my attention. I, in turn, am captivated by their covers, their words, and their concepts. And look forward to the dark winter of reading well, fully, and completely.

Having just finished A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T.E. Lawrence, I was intrigued by the depth and research devoted to developing the biography of Lawrence of Arabia. John E. Mack, the author, presented a comprehensive portrait of this distinctive individual using primary sources, citing among them the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, as long labored by T.E. Lawrence. Now, I suppose, I must locate the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and peruse it.

Last summer, I read A History of the Indians of the United States, a comprehensive and detailed study of Native Americans, meticulously written by Angie Debo. I wished to know more about Debo—an incredibly gifted woman—and was fortunate enough to tumble across Hidden Treasures of the American West: Muriel H. Wright, Angie Debo, and Alice Marriott, which contains biographies of three Oklahoma women writers, as explored by Patricia Loughlin. Now I feel compelled to locate the works of Muriel H. Wright and Alice Marriott, as they chose to explore in field work much of our local history here in Oklahoma. Much would have been forever lost without the efforts of these three women.

I’ve partially completed Born Sober: Prohibition in Oklahoma, 1907-1959, by Jimmie Lewis Franklin. The disparity between the reality of wet and idealism of dry is explored at length in this book. It is an enlightening study and provides explanation of the state’s historical operation and philosophy.

There are more behind it, and I invite you to make your own resolution to read more books. Such a trip—the journey is always lively and refreshing. One little volume just leads to another and another and another—ad infinitum. Here’s wishing you a joyous new year with books, books, and more books.

As my reading habits have changed over the years, so has my collection. At first, it was mainly stocked with science fiction and fantasy titles. Slan, by A. E. Van Vogt, and Have Space Suit, Will Travel, by Robert Heinlein, were among my first acquisitions. But like anything else, times and interests change. I’m currently going through a mystery phase, with fairly recent additions like Flood, Strega, and Blue Bell, by Andrew Vachss; The Black Echo, by Michael Connelly; and A Thief Of Time and The Blessing Way, by Tony Hillerman. I’ve also been nurturing a nonfiction phase, with titles like The Executioners Song, by Norman Mailer, and Chuck Amuck, by Chuck Jones, making the cut.

My collection really took off during the mid 1990s, as modern firsts were all the rage and I had developed a good eye towards purchasing the right titles for my customers. As that part of the business grew, so did my purchasing, both for the store and for my own shelves.

One of the more pleasant aspects about owning a bookstore is that customers are always letting you know about the great book they just read. When I noticed a trend (either from brisk sales or if many customers were recommending it), I’d make the effort to read that title to see what all the fuss was about. Most often, the book was OK, but every once in a while, a real treasure was identified in this fashion and then added to my collection. For instance, The Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris, was a huge customer favorite, and after reading it, I worked hard to locate and purchase every first edition copy that could be found. The book was a huge success (as were both versions of the film), plus, because it took the author ten years to release a sequel, he really helped it to keep its collectible status intact. I’ve yet to meet Mr. Harris in person, so I do not own a signed copy, but I still have one put away, just in case he comes around. Other customer favorites that also made the collection include Aztec, by Gary Jennings, Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, and The Stand, by Stephen King. All four are great reads and are on my personal top-ten best books list*.

I also do not limit the collection to first editions or signed books, as I have many odd editions and/or later printings that are treasured additions, usually because of a personal reason or connection to the work. Most of these will have little to no value to anyone but me, which is just fine. An example would be the Dr. Seuss books I have collected over the years, as none of them are true first editions, nor are any signed by the author. Titles like Horton Hears a Who and Green Eggs and Ham are not only considered classics but are great fun to have around—plus they also make excellent gifts. Another title that I’ve come across and have purchased multiple copies of is Walter the Farting Dog, by William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, and Elizabeth Gundy. This wonderfully illustrated book takes a slightly off-color topic and makes it into an exciting and heartwarming story for children. I’ve gifted around seven or eight copies so far and will continue to do so, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

If you are looking to start your own collection, make sure to have the right mindset going in. If you want to collect for strictly monetary reasons, you should be very careful about what you buy. Try to make sure that whatever you do purchase will still be a sought-after title in five, ten, or even 20 years. This is an extremely tough thing to do, and I know this from my own experiences. Chances are that if you really like something, there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of other people who will also feel the same way. The problem is that there are many circumstances that need to all come into alignment before a book can become considered collectible, and really enjoying it is usually only the first step. I could attempt to divulge all of my own theories and practices about collecting for profit here, but would need far more time and space, as it is a topic all unto itself.

If, on the other hand, you collect what you love, you will have none of these problems, speculations, or worries. You will be free to add, cull, give away, and/or replace any item inside of your collection at any time.

As a bookseller, I have seen some amazing collections over the years. One woman took me to her house to see her collection of blue books. Every book she collected had a blue cover. She loved to read, but more importantly, she loved to read and collect blue books. Another customer had the most incredible collection of reference books I had ever seen (more than 7,000 titles in all). Included in this collection was the world’s smallest printed edition of Webster’s Dictionary (which measured one square-inch and was impossible to read without a magnifying glass).

My all-time favorite, though, was a finicky little man who had amassed the largest collection of cookbooks I have ever seen. When I first saw this collection back in 1999, I estimated that it was close to 20,000 titles and growing. The funniest part about it was that he absolutely refused to do any cooking; he ate all his meals out. The collection had originally belonged to his mother (and to her mother before that), so he was doing his part to keep the tradition alive. He managed to purchase at least one new cookbook a week (sometimes more), plus he was already involving his niece in any decisions made concerning the collection, as she would be the next member of their family to take it over. In my humble opinion, this is what collecting should be about: passing the love of books and of reading from one generation to the next.

No matter how big or small your collection might be, I encourage you to continue adding to it whenever possible. It’s tough to explain to anyone (even to myself) the reasoning behind the madness, but in the end, I know it brings some serenity to my life that I really enjoy. It’s kind of like having comfort food for your brain. Just make sure to keep feeding your brain and you will be a happy collector!

*Just for the heck of it, I’ve included my personal top-ten list (in no particular order), if only to see whether I can stir up any debates!

• The Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris: I actually consider these two books to be one big story. Try to forget that he wrote a third and is under contract to submit a fourth book to the series.
• Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein: It is a little dated but still a great read. Give it a try and then let me know if you grokked it. [Editor’s note: Jay’s post just helped me to learn that Heinlein coined the term “grok.” Maybe this is a revelation to you too?]
• Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk: It’s at least 60 times better than the movie. Ok, maybe 100 times better.
• Aztec, by Gary Jennings: I’ve read this book three times over the last 20 years and will do so again soon. It’s a long one, so make sure to set aside some time. I’m glad that no one has tried to make a movie of it yet.
• The Stand, by Stephen King: This is King’s best piece of long fiction. He is also a fabulous short-story writer, so feel free to give Night Shift a try as well.
• Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card: This is heavy science fiction but a great read because the author has created a unique story, which includes a surprise ending for both the reader and the main character!
• The Stranger beside Me, by Ann Rule: This is one of the best (and creepiest) true-crime stories ever written. Turns out that the author and Ted Bundy had worked together around the time he went off on his killing spree.
• Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris: This may be one of the funniest books I’ve ever read, although I had to read it in stages as I kept losing my place while laughing.
• The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody, by Will Cuppy: History buffs will love this book, as it sends up some of the greatest people who ever lived. The chapter on Cleopatra alone makes it a true treasure.
• Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, by John Callahan: This is the autobiography of the quadriplegic cartoonist. It will make you both laugh and cry—but mostly laugh, as his sense of humor is unique and quite sick.

• The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, by Tom Wolfe: Wolfe wrote this book in the mid-sixties, chronicling Ken Kesey’s band of Merry Pranksters and their transformation from darlings of the privileged class to far-out Bay Area hippies. (That Birkenstocked guy in your dorm who doesn’t shower is not a real hippie.) Read the book and then sit around feeling like a Goody Two-shoes.
• An Open Book, by John Huston: An autobiography of the director, this book begins in a Mexican jungle. Huston lived large during The Golden Age of Hollywood. With his playful sense of humor, he rocked dozens of films, several marriages, a rigged camel race in Reno, and finally retirement with his much-younger female caretaker outside Puerto Vallarta.
• Fail-Safe, by Eugene Burdick: Politics and danger are more your speed? This novel was published during the Cuban missile crisis, when Americans tiptoed and braced themselves for attack. Pregnant pause. Burdick puts a crew of American bombers on a beeline for Moscow, past the fail-safe point, leaving the War Room at the Pentagon tense and scrambling. Be a fly on the wall.
• A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole: Last but not least, this novel is as classic “college” as beirut and … parties. Maybe it’s the protagonist Ignatius’s life of excess or his self-righteous denial of his naïveté that resonates with the young and the restless. Whatever it is, grab the book, prop up your feet, put on a smug little smile, and enjoy the holidays.