Once upon a time, this nobody governor in, uhh, one of the southern states, but not a famous one like Florida, got a book deal. He was supposed to write about how to be conservative or something, A Southern Gentleman’s Guide To Being Conservative, but then this nobody governor turned into Mark Sanford, the Sparkin’ Thing, with his soulmate The Argentine Firecracker, and his nice wife The Kindly Wife Who Kept It Together, and basically we were in teevee miniseries territory, so of course Sanford’s publisher has killed his book. What? MORE »

How are you celebrating Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman’s victory over the aliens? Wonkette recommends indulging in such earthly freedoms as “third parties,” hallucinogens, and atypical products of M.F.A. programs! Ralph Nader will be around to answer your questions, and Reif Larsen will be around, to tactfully evade your advances. There’s also more, so much more. MORE »

Your Wonkette recently had the pleasure of interviewing Center for American Progress speechwriter and “nouveau literature author” Grant Ginder, who’s just had his first novel, This Is How It Starts, published by Simon and Schuster. It’s in book stores everywhere! But what is it about? The novel follows young Taylor Mark, who moves to Washington D.C. shortly after college and discovers how terrible it is, maybe. Then he runs around and whines like a bitch for a while and even goes to one very important Late Night Shots party. But it’s funny! Roll Call is raving! After the jump, the text our our very embarrassing Gchat conversation with Grant about Mike Allen and the Politico, as well as pictures from last week’s book release party in a Georgetown bar that is literally owned by Ralph Lauren Polo. MORE »

DRUGS, ROCK & BARACK OBAMA: R.U. Sirius, longtime chronicler of and participant in the Cyberpunk-Counterculture Wars, has a new book about rock artists on dope called Everybody Must Get Stoned. And your Wonkette editor interviewed R.U. about these important topics, including how high Barack Obama used to get, back in the day. [True/Slant Part I/Part II]

When Rod Blagojevich lost his cush job as governor of Illinois, everybody wondered how he would ever be able to put food on his family again because he was qualified to perform zero useful functions outside of being America’s Clown. But then he got a book deal and people were all, “Oh hey nice six-figure book deal you got there, even if it’s chicken scratch compared to what you could have gotten in bribes if you’d stayed in office.” Now we “turn the page” on another “chapter” (GET IT???) of this exciting story. MORE »

It is like college here in DC this week: there is an opportunity for free food that can be capitalized upon by pretending to be interested in the publication of something—plus a bonus Susan Sontag salon. Plus, that quintessential collegiate particular: fictitious tales about Brooklyn! MORE »

There is a use for both your encyclopedic knowledge of arcane Greek mythology and your shameful mental repository of Lee Woodruff-centric minutia this week in DC, in the context of author events. It’s true! MORE »

Remember that time you were like “oo look a comic book about mice” and then you were like “this shit’s not funny it’s about the Holocaust”? Whoops! Well, Art Spiegelman, the author of that comic book (Maus) will be making a rare public appearance tonight at the Corcoran Art Gallery. MORE »

In the continuum of America’s Problems, right before everyone was concerned about the economy and right after the environment actually starting melting, there was the issue of the Muslins, a dangerous sect of Hawaiian Christian Platonists who went rogue for a few years, in Iraq. You’ll recall The War, yes? Anyway, few books about that thing, and how it’s still a problem, despite not being mentioned on any blogs for awhile. Also, there seems to be an early onslaught of nostalgia for capitalism going around, which in this week’s column is comically juxtaposed against the closing of one of DC’s most beloved bookstores, Vertigo Books. Irony! MORE »

Your editor was just reading (re-reading, actually) John Steinbeck’s humorous snapshot of America in 1960, Travels With Charley. When your editor’s lunch (beer) was done, the bookmark was placed between pages 110 and 111 of the Penguin “Steinbeck Centennial Edition,” about how simple folk needed their two things to hate. MORE »

It’s Ladies Week on the DC book tour circuit, as there are a number of biographical-y things about important historical events that one wouldn’t necessarily equate with certain obscure ladies who were actually quite integral, in these important historical events. For instance, the New Deal. And “liberty,” as a concept. Also special guest appearances by your Congressman Chris Van Hollen and moderately popular Newseum exhibit Cokie Roberts. MORE »