Books to Watch

Books to Watch? Rather it would seem that this statement is a paradox to an outsider of the book biz. To a layman, it would seem that Books to Read would be a more appropriate tag line. A better, less sophisticated, statement would actually be Books to Buy, damnit!

It seems that the new (really old) buzz word is buzz. BookExpo America (BEA) is one of the premier global showcases where buzz counts for a great deal in bookselling. And it's great to see that yet another Newfoundland writer is getting some well-placed attention: Kenneth J. Harvey specifically. We've known about him for years here in Canada and he gets a nod yesterday in the NY Times via Publishers Weekly. However, it's important to note that his novel mentioned in the article actually came out in 2003 in Canada, hence my confusion as to why this novel is marked as a 'debut'. One to watch, yes, but debut? The attention that the Times brings is better late than never I suppose:

But booksellers were also looking for the sleepers, the next Lovely Bones. Publishers Weekly, the industry's trade journal, started some pre-show rumors about possible sleepers with an article on "Best Books of B.E.A.," including "Debuts to Watch." Among the picks: The Town that Forgot How to Breathe by Kenneth J. Harvey (St. Martin's) and Jungle Law by Victoria Vinton (MacAdam/Cage).