Monster, 1959 by David Maine

In “Monster, 1959” David Maine invites readers into the pea-sized brain of a 40-foot “monstrous smorgasbord” known as K. Described as “something to cause Darwin to burn his notebooks and run shrieking to the nearest monastery,” K. lacks lips but is a kissing cousin to Godzilla.

He is a hapless, guileless, rampaging creature straight out of B-movie science fiction. In light of Mr. Maine’s flair for domesticating larger-than-life subject matter, his new book’s premise seems hard to resist.

Top Authors go digital with ebooks

The two biggest publishers in Britain are to offer dozens of likely bestsellers to read on a hand-held screen this autumn in a sign that, after many false dawns, the electronic “ebook” may finally have arrived.

Random House and Hachette, which together control just over 30% of the British book market, are to offer downloadable versions of titles by authors ranging from Delia Smith to Ian McEwan and Michael Parkinson. Every other major publisher is drawing up plans to follow suit, pitching the books at just below the price of a hardback.

The publishers have made the move to ebooks to follow the launch of two rival devices due to come on sale in Britain over the next few months – Sony’s Reader and Amazon’s Kindle.

John Grisham Out With His 21st. Book

Some things John Grisham knows: He got 15 rejections before his first book, “A Time to Kill,” was published. He made $9 million (€6 million) last year. He’s not James Joyce or William Faulkner. He’s an entertainer.”I’m not sure where that line goes between literature and popular fiction,” the mega-selling author says. “I can assure you I don’t take myself serious enough to think I’m writing literary fiction and stuff that’s going to be remembered in 50 years. I’m not going to be here in 50 years; I don’t care if I’m remembered or not. It’s pure entertainment.”

Grisham is happy to write what he hopes is “a high-quality popular fiction.” But that matters not to fans, who gobble every word.

Sometimes he wraps a serious issue around a plot — the death penalty in “The Chamber,” insurance reform in “The Rainmaker,” homelessness in “The Street Lawyer.” Now the self-styled political junkie and former Mississippi state legislator has written a book that’s more political intrigue than legal thriller.

“The Appeal” (his 21st book) tells the story of a huge chemical company that loses a $41 million (€28 million) lawsuit for causing cancer deaths and then essentially tries to buy an election for the state Supreme Court — where, yes, the appeal will be heard.