Jo Nesbø on Norway
July 27, 2011
The acclaimed author of the Harry Hole series reflects on the recent tragic events in his homeland. ~ Olivia M.
Off the Shelf
Increase in E-books Seen in Reading Groups
July 27, 2011
A new study shows that members of reading groups are using more e-books. The Amazon Kindle is leading the way, with the Barnes and Noble Nook coming in second. (One could draw the opposite conclusion, too, and state that most readers still prefer traditional books.) Shira S.
Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011 Longlist
July 26, 2011
This year, the 13 books of the “Man Booker Dozen” are: Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending (JonathanCape – Random House) Sebastian Barry On Canaan’s Side (Faber) Carol Birch Jamrach’s Menagerie (Canongate Books)
Bound, Printed, Nonstreaming Media Artifacts vs. e-Readers
July 26, 2011
John Keilman, Chicago Tribune reporter, defends the printed book against the Kindle in this article from today’s edition. Using Gary Shteyngart’s sad sack of a protagonist, Lenny Abramov, from his novel Super Sad True Love Story as an example of someone hopelessly out of date because he still reads “bound, printed, nonstreaming media artifacts,” Keilman […]
Book Trailer of the Week
July 25, 2011
Our latest Book Trailer of the Week is this hilarious spoof for John Wray’s intriguing novel Lowboy. Honored with a 2010 Moby Award for the Best Cameo in a Book Trailer, this awkwardly funny clip features comedian Zach Galifianakis impersonating Wray in possibly the worst and strangest author interview of all time. Watch it now, watch it […]
Civil War Re-enactors Battle on, Despite the Heat
July 24, 2011
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run at Manassas, Virginia, Civil War re-enactors are fighting it out in heavy wool uniforms, despite the brutal heat we’ve been experiencing. (It seems that they have canceled a few offerings.) See this interesting article about how the thousands of actors are coping. Here’s […]
“Is a Bookless Library Still a Library?”
July 23, 2011
So asks this Time magazine article, which looks at the growing trend of “bookless” libraries. ~ Olivia M.
Despite limited funding, demand for library resources increasing
July 19, 2011
A new study published jointly by the American Library Association and the University of Maryland College Park reveals that decreases in library funding are making it difficult for libraries to meet their communities’ increasing demand for library resources.
Darling Darcy Never Dies
July 19, 2011
In the minds and hearts of many 21st century authors, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is very much alive and has a lot more story to tell. What would Jane think? I posed that question, hypothetically, of course, since Miss Austen is long deceased, when I became of aware of all the novels and at least one […]
An Interview with Gary Shteyngart
July 19, 2011
Gary Shteyngart isn’t considered one of America’s best young novelists for nothing. Born in Leningrad in 1972, the long-time New Yorker’s picaresque debut The Russian Debutante’s Handbook won the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award in 2002, and his riotous follow-up Absurdistan was named one of the best books of 2006 by the NY Times, the Chicago Tribune, […]