News & Notes is a weekly Saturday post featuring book- and publishing-related news, links to interesting articles and opinion pieces, and other cool stuff
Book News
- Amazon wants the patent for pay-by-selfie (CNBC)
- The 2015 National Book Critics Circle Awards winners were announced. (NBCC website)
- A lost H. P. Lovecraft manuscript has surfaced; it was commissioned by Harry Houdini and ghostwritten by Lovecraft. (The Guardian)
- R. L. Stine Wins Chicago Tribune YA Prize (GalleyCat)
Worth Reading
- No Wool, No Vikings. (Clare Eamer, Hakai Magazine) OK, it’s nothing to do with books, but as a knitter and history buff I found this article on Vikings, sheep, wool, and sailing — and a modern Norwegian folk high school — quite fascinating.
Awesome Lists
- 50+ Picture Books about Mixed Race Families (Colours of Us)
Really Cool / Just for Fun
The Silmarillion in 3 Minutes (JP Kloess)
Bookish Quote
That’s it for this week!
Rita @ View From My Home
Good post! I enjoyed the link to the Viking/Wool story. I do enjoy reading books set in that region of the world: historical fiction, contemporary crime fiction, etc. What a wonderful experience to be a student in that school. They’re taking away so much information and a good work ethic too. I’m forwarding the link to my husband and son, who I think will enjoy it.
And your pic, so true! The main reason I won’t accept self-pub unsolicited books. That person poured their soul into their work, and they might not have had the resources for editing, first-readers, etc. I dislike having to criticize someone, but won’t lie either, so I used to return the book and not publish any review instead.
Thank Lark, have a good weekend. Hope your choir is in good form tomorrow 🙂
Rita @ View From My Home recently posted…This n That- in place of Weekly Wrap-Up this week
Lark_Bookwyrm
That Viking school sounds amazing! And I think we’re on the same page regarding reviews, pretty much. Like you, I’m much more cautious about reviewing self-pubbed books now. As for the books I do review, whether self- or traditionally published, I recognize that they are written by people who put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into them. I try to write fair and honest reviews, which means including critiques if they’re deserved, but also pointing out what’s good. I try to keep my criticisms as objective as possible, and back them up with examples when I can.
kimbacaffeinate
My picture to make a purchase geez what if I am having a bad hair day and Amazon doesn’t recognize me..lol
kimbacaffeinate recently posted…Breaking the Story by Ashley Farley
Lark_Bookwyrm
I think they look more at things like the details of eyes, cheekbones, chin, etc. than at your hair. Hair changes, but the distance between one’s eyes doesn’t. But I would still think it could be problematic.
Charlie @ Girl of 1000 Wonders
Pay by selfie? What is this world coming to…Lordy. I’m with Kimba. They’d think someone hijacked my account. My driver’s license doesn’t even look like me. I always get double and triple checks when I have to show it because I had been doing yard work all day and had no time to clean up before my mom took me to the DMV. Sometimes technology is too much for our own good. Happy reading!
Daniela Ark
I couldn’t agree more with that quote! that’s why I always write respectful reviews. Even if I didn’t like the book
Daniela Ark recently posted…What a Week [39]: Blogging Tip – What is your Blogger Age? Part I – Identity Crisis
Lark_Bookwyrm
Same here. I try to always be honest but fair when I review, and not snarky. Snarky reviews are fun to read, but I think they must make authors cringe. If I see bad writing or bad editing, I’ll say so. If there’s something I don’t personally care for, but others might not mind, I’ll say so, and make it clear that my reservation is personal. And I try to point out all the good things, not just the areas that need improvement.