May 14, 2011
People of a certain age will remember 
when Up the Down Staircase, a novel about teaching in a large public high school came out in 1965. It became a bestseller and was subsequently made into a very popular movie. Bel Kaufman, the author of this classic, has just turned 100 and is still as feisty and good-humored as she was when she taught in New York City schools, as a recent New York Times article attests.
Mary B., Reader’s Services
February 18, 2011
According to the New York Times, Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, a bestselling novel about black maids working for white families in 1960s Mississippi, has been hit with a lawsuit by a woman who works as a maid for relatives of the author. Ablene Cooper is asking for $75,000 in compensation for the unauthorized use of her name and for emotional distress, claiming that Aibileen Clark, the principal character in the book is based on her and that Ms Stockett disregarded a request not to use Ms Cooper as a model for the character. Ms Cooper says that the author’s relatives, who happen to be Ms Stockett’s brother and sister-in-law, support her lawsuit.
Mary B., Reader’s Services
February 17, 2011
In honor of Black History Month, the Fleetwood-Jordain Center will host eight multi-talented authors reading and performing excerpts from their published works. The 2011 African American Literature Read-In and Book Fair is sponsored by Books Inc Bookstore and organized by
A Work of Faith Ministry & Literacy. The first annual event will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 1655 Foster Street, Evanston, IL. Evanston Public Library will have a table at the book fair where residents can learn about the library’s collections, programs, book clubs or sign up for a library card. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. For information, contact Gevell Wagner at (773) 350-4675.
Susan M.
February 16, 2011
The British Council, an international organization whose motto is “Learn, share, connect worldwide,” promotes the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people around the world. One of its many resources is Contemporary Writers, a database of UK, Commonwealth, and Republic of Ireland writers to which it adds new names each month. A page comprising a biography, a list of the writer’s works, the genres in which the s/he writes, a bibliography, awards garnered, and a critical perspective on the work, is devoted to each author. This is a wonderful resource for students of literature, and for those who want to enhance their reading choices. And it’s just plain fun to browse.
Mary B., Reader’s Services
February 7, 2011
This week’s New Yorker is chockablock with articles of great interest. Francisco Goldman gives a poignant account of his brief marriage, which ended in tragedy on a Mexican beach. Joan Acocella offers an illuminating article on British writer J.R. Ackerley (1896-1967), whose four books touched on his homosexuality at a time when being gay could have landed him in prison. And for movie fans, there’s a lengthy profile of Guillermo del Toro, the producer who gave us Pan’s Labyrinth and Biutiful. He has a house in Los Angeles filled with memorabilia like the vampire cape worn by Bela Lugosi, and he dreams of birthing another Frankenstein.
Mary B., Reader’s Services
January 29, 2011
Just in time for Valentines Day, Romance Reviews blog gives you the scoop on the latest Romance, Erotic and GLBT fiction and reviews old favorites as well.
December 11, 2010
Baby boomers (and their retired pals) might want to take a look at some Websites that deal with a genre someone had dubbed Geezer Lit. An LA Times article from 2007 seems to be the first mention of it. Then there’s the Geezer-Lit Mystery Blog written by one of the genre’s practitioners, Mike Befeler. And this chime-in from Cornell College. And finally, the LeRoy Collins Library in Tallahassee, Florida, looks at recent Geezer Lit and at examples written before the genre was invented.
Mary B, Reader’s Services
December 7, 2010
Figment.com, a free website for teens to read and write fiction on their computers and on their cellphones was just unveiled Monday December 6. Read more about this exciting platform in this NYT article.
(Laura, Reader’s Services)
December 6, 2010
Oprah Winfrey announced today that she has chosen Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens for her next book discussion. Check Oprah’s Website for details.
November 1, 2010
November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which means this is your chance to participate in a writing frenzy that aims to stifle your inner critic and get you to produce a full-length (50, 000-word) novel by the end of the month. (And no, you can’t simply write one word 50, 000 times and claim victory.) See the NaNoWriMo Website for details. Good luck!
Mary B., Reader’s Services
