Reading and viewing pleasures...

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

Fiction:
Winner of Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether prize Gayle Brandeis's SELF STORAGE, a humorous story of a young mother of two who loves to attend self storage auctions, and then sells her winnings at yard sales, to Anika Streitfeld of Ballantine, in a two-book deal, by Arielle Eckstut at the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world).ctisne@randomhouse.com

Film:
Film rights to the story "Will Power, Inc." from Todd Hasak-Lowy's THE TASK OF THIS TRANSLATOR, optioned to Melanie Shanley, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House.slipskar@writershouse.com

Biography:
Larry Hedrick's 21st Century edition of Xenophon of Athens' classic work, CYRUS THE GREAT: THE ARTS OF WAR AND LEADERSHIP, to Truman Talley at St. Martin's, in a very nice deal, by Sam Fleishman at Literary Artists Representatives (NA).LitArtists@aol.com

Jennifer Abrahamson's SWEET RELIEF, about Marla Ruzicka, the 28-year-old American relief worker and founder of Civic (Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict) killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber in April -- after having collaborated on the first part of the manuscript, to Jennifer Bergstrom at Simon Spotlight Entertainment, following the purchase of film rights by Paramount earlier this summer, for publication in fall 2006, by Joe Veltre at Artists Literary Group (NA).

Business/Investing/Finance

Former Washington Bureau Chief for The Australian Financial Review Peter Hartcher's BUBBLE MAN: Alan Greenspan & the Missing 7 Trillion Dollars, an account of Greenspan's role in the creation of two bubbles and a timely reconsideration of his legacy, to Star Lawrence at Norton, for publication in Spring 2006, by Catherine Drayton and Richard Pine at Inkwell Management (NA). catherine@inkwellmanagement.com

History/Politics/Current Affairs

George Weller's NAGASAKI: THE CENSORED ARTICLES OF GEORGE WELLER, WELLER'S WAR, a collection of war reporting from the first Western journalist on the scene after the bombing of Nagasaki, to Luke Dempsey at Crown, in a pre-empt, by Henry Dunow at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency (NA).henry@dclagency.com

Zev Chafets's UNHOLY ALLIANCE, about the politically influential relationship between American Jews and Christian Evangelicals, to David Hirshey at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Flip Brophy at Sterling Lord Literistic.

F. Lee Bailey with Jean Rabe's WHEN HUSBANDS ARE SUSPECT: From Sam Shepherd to Scott Peterson, the Public's Passion for Spousal Homicides, which will examine many classic cases including recent erroneous suspicions, to Forge, in a pre-empt, for publication in February 2007, by Frank Weimann of the Literary Group International.mwoods@theliterarygroup.com

Illustrated/Art

Connie Briscoe & Michael Cunningham's I AM THE DREAM: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50, 50 black & white photographs and essays paying homage to the spirit of black women in America over 50, to Jill Cohen at Bulfinch, by Victoria Sanders at Victoria Sanders & Associates (world).vsanders@victoriasanders.com

Memoir

Senator Joseph Biden's untitled memoir, about his life (including "devastating personal tragedies and setbacks he has faced -- and overcome") and thirty-year career in the United States Senate, using his "characteristic directness and honesty" to discuss domestic and international issues and the challenges the Senate currently faces, to Will Murphy at Random House, by Flip Brophy at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).rbernstein@randomhouse.com

Pop Culture

Court TV editor and journalist Brad Dunn's WHERE THEY WERE AT 22, a humorous collection of short essays about 100 famous individuals -- from Bill Murray and Karl Rove to Pamela Anderson and Sean "Puffy" Combs -- on where they were at this turning-point age, to Lane Butler at Andrews McMeel, for publication in Spring 2006, by Matthew Carnicelli at Carnicelli Literary Management (world).

Science

Hannah Holmes's A MID-SIZED AND IMMODEST MAMMAL: A Natural History of Myself, revealing how we stack up to other creatures, presenting new theories about why we behave as we do, and what we can fathom about our origins and our evolution, to Stephanie Higgs at Random House, in a pre-empt, by Michelle Tessler at Tessler Literary Agency (world). michelle@tessleragency.com

University of Washington Professor David Montgomery's DIRT: An Un-Natural History, which provides a detailed history of the dirt beneath our feet and its influence on societies, to Blake Edgar at University of California Press, in a very nice deal, by Sam Fleishman at Literary Artists Representatives (world).LitArtists@aol.com
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