Table of Contents
Most Popular . . .
More . . .
Hotlists 2008
Crime Fiction - embedded
Ranganathan's Five Laws:
Books are for use.
Books are for all; or Every reader his book.
Every book its reader.
Save the time of the reader.
A library is a growing organism.
Out and About. . .
I'm playing around at Shelfari, LibraryThing, and Good Reads. I've set up links to my pages on these sites. And, yes, I have a hard time keeping up-to-date on these sites...
I've set up "shelves" from these sites on Overbooked - here
Overbooked is spacing out: Myspace: Overbooked and Crime Space - and, facing out: Facebook profile.
Overbooked specializes in providing timely information about fiction (all genres) and readable nonfiction. Overbooked has been online since 1994.
Overbooked is the winner of the 2008 Louis Shores - Greenwood Publishing Award: to recognize excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. The award recipient is selected for significant achievement related to a reviewing process that helps librarians make selection decisions.
If You Like . . . The Forgery of Venus Booklist
Page Modified: June 18, 2008
Books related to Michael Gruber's The Forgery of Venus: art, artists, forgery, literary thrillers...
- The Forgery of Venus
Author: Gruber, Michael
Publisher: Morrow $ 24.95 ISBN: 9780060874483 Date: 2008
Kirkus PW Booklist
Gruber creates a fascinating world of secrets, genius, and conspiracies and combines it with brilliant storytelling, complex characterizations, and sterling prose to produce this spellbinding novel.
Suggested Reading: All Stars | Art Stars
Updated 2.26.08
Overbooked review: The Spanish painter Velazquez was noted for his seemingly effortless ability to play with visual reality. Gruber also excels, with seemingly effortless ability, to play with reality in The Forgery of Venus.
Chaz Wilmot is an immensely talented but conflicted artist who has been unable to find his place in the art world. He has failed to find artistic success on his terms and has sabotaged his second marriage. He barely manages to pay his critically ill son's medical bills. Chaz signs up for a medical trial to test a drug that may increase creativity. His creativity is enhanced, but he has an unusual reaction to the drug and begins to experience shifts in reality in which he seems to become Velazquez.
An old friend, now active in the art world, offers Chaz an opportunity to earn a substantial fee restoring a frieze in Venice. Chaz's ability to impeccably recreate the frieze in the style of the Tiepolo leads to another offer that he can't refuse. Enmeshed in a conspiracy to forge lost Velazquez art works with some very dubious characters Chaz struggles to define reality and escape from madness.
Rich with insights into the art world this fast paced thriller is the real thing - fans of intelligent, darkly suspenseful books should revel in The Forgery of Venus.
Review quotes:
"Nobody mixes art, sex, drugs and wit quite like Gruber" " Fast, frightening and, as usual, richly imagined." Kirkus
"Gruber writes passionately and knowledgeably about art and its history and he writes brilliantly about the shadowy lines that blur reality and unreality. Fans of intelligent, literate thrillers will be well rewarded." - PW
"Gruber is on a roll. Not even a year after The Book of Air and Shadows, he delivers another terrific art-historical thriller, this time not about an undiscovered Shakespeare play but a forged Velázquez painting—or is it really a forgery?" Booklist
Suggested Reading: Art Stars | Literary Thrillers
Links:
Michael Gruber - web site
Hotlists
African American Fiction | Christian Fiction
2008 Excel Files: (download - print, sort, etc.)
Crime Fiction | Fiction | African American Fiction | Christian Fiction | Nonfiction Notables
Stars
Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec Crime Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec
Speculative Fiction Romance Historical Nonfiction | YA
Hotlists
Hotlists: Fiction | Crime Fiction
Genre Hotlists: Christian Fiction | African American Fiction
Stars
Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec Crime Fiction: Jan-June | July-Dec
Overbooked is a volunteer project undertaken by Ann Chambers Theis: Collection Management Administrator, Chesterfield County (VA) Public Library. 9501 Lori Rd. or P.O. Box 297, Chesterfield, VA, 23832. Phone: 804.748.1760.
Overbooked is not an official Chesterfield County Public Library service. Overbooked.org is a nonprofit web site hosted by CVCO - Central Virginia's Community Online. Overbooked.com is a nonprofit web site in experimental mode. Overbooked does not endorse any commercial providers (or their products and services) linked to from this web site.
Join the Overbooked List - A quiet list for readers to share recent reads, keep up to date with details about new books, discuss favorite authors/titles, etc.
Comments, suggestions, corrections: Ann Chambers Theis (AKA Ann/ACT):
ann_overbooked@earthlink.net
or
ann@overbooked.com
I really appreciate all the e-mail I receive from avid readers and writers and regret that I am not able to respond to all correspondents. Special thanks to those folks who regularly help keep me on track - you know who you are....