February 1, 2012
April 23rd is not a special date just because it’s William Shakespeare’s birthday. It’s also World Book Night, a charity dedicated to the promotion of literacy and the celebration, sharing and enjoyment of reading amongst teenagers and adults. The first World Book Night was held in the UK in 2011. In 2012 World Book Night […]
January 31, 2012
How does this sound? A program to allow libraries to pay per use for e-book downloads. Freading is a new product from Library Ideas of Fairfax, VA. Over 50 libraries are on board and as many as 40 publishers. No mention of specific costs. Shira S.
January 28, 2012
This month for Poetry 365 we’re highlighting Troy Jollimore’s eagerly awaited follow-up to his acclaimed debut Tom Thomson in Purgatory, winner of the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award. In At Lake Scugog, the California State University professor continues his exploration of age-old philosophical questions in clever, flexibly formal verse that includes 14 new sonnets […]
January 26, 2012
A cartoon I saw a while back showed a dismayed looking man standing at a customer service desk in a book store. The caption reads, “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t have any books with that title, but if you tell me the plot, setting and main characters, we’ll have it written for you.” Ha, ha, you […]
January 26, 2012
A feature article on Amy Einhorn probes what it takes to be a good editor and publisher. How many of us would have backed The Help, a runaway bestseller, had we known it was rejected 60 times?! “I need to be able to convince you in thirty seconds of speaking to make you want to […]
January 25, 2012
For those who can’t get enough insight on the current economic environment be it personal, local, or global, James Pressley of Bloomberg News offers his list of current favorites as reported in this Chicago Tribune article in Monday’s (1/23/12) edition. Covering the gamut of topics from figuring out if you’re smart enough to work for […]
January 24, 2012
EarlyWord points out an interesting article in the Washington Post about the difficulties libraries have in obtaining e-books.Some facilities do not have funds to keep up with the need and some publishers are not fully cooperating with the libraries. The article highlights the friction between slashed library budgets and the growing pressure to keep up […]
January 24, 2012
January 24 is the 150th anniversary of Edith Wharton’s birth. A native New Yorker, her birthday is being celebrated throughout the city. Some of her most well-known work includes The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, and The Age of Innocence. Yesterday’s New York Times has a wonderful article about her and her connection to the popular BBC […]
January 24, 2012
This book examines the lives of some figures who manage to study and master not one or two foreign languages, but dozens. The reviewer claims that what might sound like dull material is actually quite fascinating as Michael Erard looks back to discuss prominent language masters of old, such as Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who could […]
January 21, 2012
Tom Cruise is… Jack Reacher? Hollywood’s decision to cast the diminutive star as Lee Child’s rugged 6’5″ ex-Army hero is fiercely debated in the Wall Street Journal. Inviting you to vote for your ideal choice, the in-depth story retraces Reacher’s long road to the big screen and peeks behind the scenes of One Shot. Baby, […]
