Weekly Reader....
It's been a busy week in bookland, even for those of us who aren't hitting the regional trade shows.
Okay, I don't argue with this article's main message: Middle and high school reading lists are full of depressing books. I even wrote something similar, back when I was 17 and thought I knew everything. But come on -- you want your 14-year-old to read A Walk in the Woods instead of Day of Tears because it doesn't cross "the shock line?" As much as I love the book, Bill Bryson could been just as funny with 90% less profanity. According to the columnist, reading about the realities of slavery is far worse for impressionable children. (via PowellsBooks.BLOG)
New York Times, Washington Post, are you listening? In London, the Evening Standard has taken up the banner (headline) for independent retailers through a campaign called "Save Our Small Shops". MPs are taking notice, according to the paper. Let's see if they start taking action... (via Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space)
Courtesy of Fuse #8, a link to the story of a book challenge involving a police report. Over a graphic novel. Also one resignation, and harassment via Facebook. Just in time for Banned Books Week, too.
Lisa Greenwald is looking for title help. Bookseller-turned-author Linda Urban offered some advice on making it easy for booksellers to search for and find a title -- if you have any more thoughts, send them over to The Longstockings.
Even if you're not on your way to (or already at) SIBA's trade show, check out Wanda Jewell's blog, where authors participating in the show have been posting for the past few weeks.
At Finding Wonderland, your snarky comeback could win you a cartoon. To enter the contest, just come up with a funny, drawable response to "Where do you get your ideas?" (Personally, I think the cartoon in the post is hard to beat.)
Ally Carter is using her blog to count down the days to the release of Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, which I highly recommend.
If you need to catch up on your children's and YA titles, check out MotherReader's compilation of the Best Books of 2007 (So Far). My TBR pile keeps growing and growing...
Posted at 04:36PM Sep 29, 2007 by Sarah Rettger in General | Comments[0]
