Debbie Galant of Baristanet has launched the Baristanet Book Club, opening with an author interview conducted by Jay McInerney:

So, why is Jay McInerney writing for Baristanet?

It starts with the precipitous decline in book reviewing by mainstream media, a trend documented here and much fretted about by authors, reviewers, and publishers.

As an author, I knew about this. But who thought I could be part of the solution? Well, Paul Bogaards, a Glen Ridge resident, avid Baristanet reader and executive at Knopf, did. In mid-September, he invited me to a lunch with representatives from the Association of American Publishers and the National Book Critics Circle, and by the end of the meal, The Baristanet Book Club was born.

Check out this video of Galant shot by JD Lasica, where she talks about Baristanet, likely the most successful independent hyperlocal site in the US: