Changing of the Guard at Lake Forest Book Store

In case you didn't see it, here's the article from Shelf Awareness about the sale of LF Book Store.  Changing of the Guard at Lake Forest Book Store

Why checking out ebooks from the library is so difficult

Good overview of the challenges facing libraries trying to help their patrons access digital books.

Paper rules: Why borrowing an e-book from your library is so difficult

New Pew Study of the Library Habits and Expectations of Younger Americans

The Pew Research Center released a new study today about the library habits and expectations of younger Americans.

Something to consider!

Younger Americans’ Library Habits and Expectations

What Kids Are Reading, In School and Out

An interesting story from NPR bemoaning the fact that kids aren't being assigned more complicated texts (like Sophocles, Shakespeare or Dickens) as they had been just a few decades ago. Also the subtext of the article is criticism of Common Core which emphasizes non-fiction over fiction. I see the battle lines forming!

I Like Likeable Characters

Interesting kerfuffle about the importance of likeable characters in women's literary fiction. Jen Weiner weighs in:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2013/05/likable_and_unlikable_characters_in_fiction_claire_messud_and_meg_wolitzer.single.html

Personally, I'll read books with unlikeable characters, but much prefer reading about people who I like. I have to deal with enough unlikeable folks in my life, that I prefer to read about those I like.

Any thoughts??

Historical new for fans of Louise Penny

In Bury Your Dead, Samuel de Champlain was a central figure and questions about his real life motivated the victim and divided the city's English and French populations.

A recent discovery about the legendary explorer's birth has been uncovered and I thought you might be interested:

http://www.canada.com/Baptism%2Brecord%2Bthat%2Bsolved%2Bmystery%2BSamuel%2BChamplain%2Bbirth%2Barrives%2BCanada%2B400th%2Banniversary%2Bexhibit/8402172/story.html

Tablets Preferred over EReaders, survey says

Interesting results from the Book Industry's Study Group:



http://www.bisg.org/news-5-827-press-release-as-e-book-market-evolves-correlation-between-genre-preference-and-device-selection-is-revealed-says-new-bisg-study.php

Be Aware: Two Books with Same Title Due Out Soon

http://www.earlyword.com/2013/03/15/two-books-same-title-both-indie-1-picks/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EarlyWord++Spreading+the+Word++March+15+2013&utm_content=EarlyWord++Spreading+the+Word++March+15+2013+CID_a86d3be70e2dcc5ab75e4ff4021ee8c1&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=more

Why Public Libraries Matter & How They Can Do More

Thanks to Andrea for alerting us to this article about the role of libraries and their potential role in the future:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2013/01/16/why-public-libraries-matter-and-how-they-can-do-more/3/

2012 World Fantasy Award Winners

Winners of the 2012 World Fantasy Awards were announced at the World Fantasy Convention held in Toronto this past weekend. Winners are:

2012 World Fantasy Award
Winners & Nominees

2012 World Fantasy Awards Ballot

The World Fantasy Convention 2012 will be held in Toronto, Canada.
Judges are

Life Achievement

winner Alan Garner
winner George R.R. Martin
Novel
winner Osama, Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)
Those Across the River, Christopher Buehlman (Ace)
11/22/63, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton as 11.22.63)
A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)
Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)
Novella
winner “A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong”, K.J. Parker (Subterranean Winter 2011)
“Near Zennor”, Elizabeth Hand (A Book of Horrors)
“Alice Through the Plastic Sheet”, Robert Shearman (A Book of Horrors)
“Rose Street Attractors”, Lucius Shepard (Ghosts by Gaslight)
"Silently and Very Fast", Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA Press; Clarkesworld)
Short Story
winner “The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11)
“X for Demetrious”, Steve Duffy (Blood and Other Cravings)
“Younger Women”, Karen Joy Fowler (Subterranean Summer 2011)
“A Journey of Only Two Paces”, Tim Powers (The Bible Repairman and Other Stories)
“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”, E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld 4/11)
Anthology
winner The Weird, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Corvus; Tor, published May 2012)
Blood and Other Cravings, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Tor)
A Book of Horrors, Stephen Jones, ed. (Jo Fletcher Books)
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Harper Voyager US)
Gutshot, Conrad Williams, ed. (PS Publishing)
Collection
winner The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, Tim Powers (Tachyon and Subterranean Press)
Bluegrass Symphony, Lisa L. Hannett (Ticonderoga)
Two Worlds and In Between, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean Press)
After the Apocalypse, Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer)
Mrs Midnight and Other Stories, Reggie Oliver (Tartarus)
Artist
winner John Coulthart
Julie Dillon
Jon Foster
Kathleen Jennings
John Picacio
Special Award—Professional
winner Eric Lane, for publishing in translation – Dedalus books
John Joseph Adams, for editing – anthology and magazine
Jo Fletcher, for editing – Jo Fletcher Books
Brett Alexander Savory & Sandra Kasturi, for ChiZine Publications
Jeff VanderMeer & S.J. Chambers, for The Steampunk Bible
Special Award—Non-professional
winner Raymond Russell & Rosalie Parker, for Tartarus Press
Kate Baker, Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan & Sean Wallace, for Clarkesworld
Cat Rambo, for Fantasy
Charles Tan, for Bibliophile Stalker blog
Mark Valentine, for Wormwood

National Book Award 2012 Finalists Announced

2012 National Book Award Finalists Announced on MSNBC's "Morning Joe"

The twenty Finalists for the National Book Awards in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature were announced this morning on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," hosted by Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist. Chairman of the National Book Foundation's Board of Directors, David Steinberger, was a guest on the show. The Finalists are: FICTION Junot Dí­az, This Is How You Lose Her Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King McSweeney's Books Louise Erdrich, The Round House Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds Little, Brown and Company NONFICTION Anne Applebaum, Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1945-1956 Doubleday Katherine Boo, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity Random House Robert A. Caro, The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 4 Knopf Domingo Martinez, The Boy Kings of Texas Lyons Press, an imprint of Globe Pequot Press Anthony Shadid, House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East Houghton Mifflin Harcourt POETRY David Ferry, Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations University of Chicago Press Cynthia Huntington, Heavenly Bodies Southern Illinois University Press Tim Seibles, Fast Animal Etruscan Press Alan Shapiro, Night of the Republic Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Susan Wheeler, Meme University of Iowa Press YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE William Alexander, Goblin Secrets Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Carrie Arcos, Out of Reach Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Patricia McCormick, Never Fall Down Balzer+Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Eliot Schrefer, Endangered Scholastic Steve Sheinkin, Bomb: The Race to Build---- and Steal-- - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press To learn more about the Finalists and the 2012 National Book Awards, visit our website.

National Reading Group Month

Check out this list of recommended book discussion books!

Image of the Day: Captain Underpants

Check out this nice publicity for Lake Forest Bookstore and Vernon Area Library in Shelf Awareness.  Something to keep in mind for one of our future events!

Image of the Day: Captain Underpants

Man Booker Prize Shortlist Announced

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/man-booker-prize-shortlist-announced/2012/09/11/5f93ebfc-fc08-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_story.html

YA Author to Write Erotic Trilogy, Using YA Setting?!

Cremer to Go Adult, and Erotic, for Dutton

Bestselling YA author Andrea Cremer has agreed to do an adult erotic trilogy for Dutton. The author, who is best known for her popular Nightshade series (which Penguin’s Philomel imprint publishes), sold world rights to three books that will be set within the Nightshade world. Dutton president and publisher Brian Tart negotiated the deal with Richard Pine and Charlie Olsen at Inkwell Management, and Dutton’s Jessica Horvath will be editing. The first book in the series—Dutton said it’s about “the lives, passions, and betrayals of lovers whose very desires invite their dooms”—is scheduled for October 2013.

Cloud Atlas movie trailers

"And, boy, what a trailer," exclaimed Indiewire as it showcased a six-minute trailer for Cloud Atlas, the adaptation of David Mitchell's novel by Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Andy Wachowski. The film, which will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Bae Doona, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, James D'Arcy and Hugo Weaving. The movie will be released here October 26.

What Exactly Is YA?

Yesterday Jo and I had a conversation about the difference between YA and Y literature. I thought you would all be interested in this brief explanation of the debate the NPR experts had about winnowing down their top 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels. It's just not always clear, even to the pros.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/07/24/157311055/best-ya-fiction-poll-you-asked-we-answer

NPR Best Teen Novel Contest

Good list of great YA books.

Behind the No-Pulitizer for Fiction Decision

Letter from the Pulitizer Fiction Jury: What Really Happened This Year (Part 1)

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/07/letter-from-the-pulitzer-fiction-jury-what-really-happened-this-year.html

Good article about how literary critics think and make their decisions.

Reading Book Spines: There's an App for That

Reading Book Spines: There's an App for That

Check out this new app.  Finally, an easy way to read the spines on the bottom shelves!!

Andrea