Doctor Olaf on The Rumpus

Karen Laws writes about Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain on The Rumpus:

Her research into such fashionable therapeutic disciplines as phrenology and mesmerism not only helps readers understand what her characters understand, but contributes to a lively exploration of universal themes...when writers put their ardent love for researching a historical period at the service of plot and character development, the results can be vivid and intense, as well as thrilling.

To read the entire piece, see Research for Storytellers

Olaf is Book of the Week over at Wonders and Marvels

Wonders and Marvels, a "Community for Curious Minds who love History, its Odd Stories, and Good Reads," is giving away a copy of Dr Olaf, which was selected as this week's book of the week. I was thrilled to be included on the site! And to earn an honorary place among medical historians.

Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain is simply gorgeous. Menger-Andersen moves us from early-modern Europe to modern day New York with subtly and historical appreciation of the fine details that bring these moments together--and that make each uniquely different.

To read the entire piece as well as my guest post about Olaf and the research that went into the book, head on over to Wonders and Marvels. It's not too late to enter for the drawing for a free copy of Olaf!

Northern California Book Awards

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon in the San Francisco Library's (packed) Koret Auditorium where the 28th Annual Northern California Book Awards ceremony took place. And. Wow! What an afternoon. Tremendous admiration and thanks to the book reviewers, who selected nominees from over 700 titles published by Nor-Cal authors, and to all the people who volunteered their time and talents to put on a fantastic show. And, of course, to all the people who came out for it. I think every nominee left feeling like a winner. I know I did. We have a fabulous lit community out here, and I'm proud to be part of it.

Congratulations to all the winners:

Fiction: Sylvia Brownrigg, The Delivery Room
Poetry: Rusty Morrison, the true keeps calm biding its story
General Nonfiction: Richard A. Muller,
Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines
Creative Nonfiction: John Adams, Hallelujah Junction:
Composing an American Life
Children's Literature: Pamela S. Turner, A Life in the Wild: George Schaller's Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts
Translation: Katherine Silver for Horacio Castellanos Moya's Senselessness
Special Recognition Award: Eric Karpeles, Paintings in Proust:
A Visual Companion to In Search of Lost Time
Fred Cody Award For Lifetime Achievement Community: Dorothy Bryant

Doctor Olaf reviewed in the Feminist Review

Heather Irvine reviews Doctor Olaf for the Feminist Review:

This book is eerie, smart, unique, and very delicately crafted... The novel was truly a pleasure to read and thoroughly researched.

To read the entire review, see Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain.

Olaf visits Sex, Food, and Writing

Donna George Storey, author of Amorous Woman, interviews me on her spicy and always entertaining blog, Sex, Food, and Writing. You can find more questions and answers (and publicity tips) in her monthly column for the Erotica Readers and Writers Association, Shameless Self Promotion.

Olaf nominated for a Northern California Book Award!

I just learned that Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain has been nominated for the Northern California Book Award in Fiction! The nominations are:

* Lady Lazarus, Andrew Foster Altschul, Harcourt
* Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain, Kirsten Menger-Anderson, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
* The Delivery Room, Sylvia Brownrigg, Counterpoint
* Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein , Molly Dwyer, Lost Coast Press
* No One You Know, Michelle Richmond, Delacorte Press

I'm absolutely thrilled to be included in such company. The ceremony for the 28th Annual Northern California Book Awards will be held Sunday, April 19, at Koret Auditorium (San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin at Grove) at 1:00 p.m. The event is open to the public. Please come!

VJ Books likes Doctor Olaf!

I just came across this nice write up about Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain on VJ Books:

Menger-Anderson has not only done her research -- deftly documenting three centuries of medical quackery -- but she also knows how to weave a tale. She holds the reader spellbound from the first slice into a corpse's brain to the final probe of genetic research.

Visit VJ Books at http://www.vjbooks.com.