Book News
- Alamaba [officially] closes its Harper Lee investigation. Verdict? There’s no evidence of abuse or neglect. (LA Times)
- BookRiot & the Harry Potter Alliance sponsor BYOB Book Drive to celebrate World Book Night. (BookRiot) The US branch of WBN had to shut down operations earlier this year. (GalleyCat)
- HarperCollins refuses to sign contract with Amazon, says Business Insider, but Publishers Weekly cites industry insiders who speculate that the story may be part of Amazon’s tactics as the two parties negotiate.
- Poet Sjohnna McCray wins Walt Whitman Award for first poetry book. (GalleyCat)
- Whichbook helps you choose your next read. The new online app lets you choose up to four characteristics on a sliding scale, then generates a list of recommendations. You can save your lists and browse other lists. (Opening the Book)
- Bigger is Better: Acquisitions are be helping big publishing firms’ sales and earnings. (Publishers Weekly)
- Michael Connelly is auctioning off the chance to be a character in his next book. (GalleyCat) Well, that’s one way to increase income. The idea isn’t new, but it’s usually done as for charity or (for free) as a thank you giveaway for fans.
- Street art tribute to Terry Pratchett appears in East London (London Evening Standard)
The mural showing Terry Pratchett off Brick Lane (Picture: Ella Finch)
Worth Reading
- On Ignoring Genre Divisions (Jessi Lewis, for BookRiot)
- A librarian school librarian challenges kids to read books “for” the opposite gender. It’s a great response to the problems of gendered books. (Shannon Hale)
For Writers & Bloggers
- On Dothraki and House Elves: Developing Fantasy Cultures points out why you should consider cultural drift, cultural exchange, and deviance from the norms in creating a fantasy culture and the individuals within it. (Dan Koboldt and Hanna Emery, on Koboldt’s blog)
Book & Movie Announcements
- Mortal Instruments series ‘Shadowhunters’ coming to ABC Family (Hollywood Reporter)
- George R. R. Martin has released a new chapter of The Winds of Winter on his blog.
- Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia mystery series has been optioned for British television by Free@Last. (Raybourn’s blog)
- Fancy Nancy series optioned by Disney for TV movie and series (HarperCollins press release)
Freebies & Bargains
- The list of this year’s free audiobooks from SYNC came out a month or two ago. Now the pairings have been announced, beginning with Beautiful Creatures (Kami Garcia) and Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier). The program starts May 7 and will offer two free downloads each week.
Awesome Lists
- 21 Harry Potter Bookmarks You Won’t Be Able to Resist (Buzzfeed)
- The 11 Greatest Children’s Books (BBC, based on a survey of critics around the world)
- 50 All-Time Favorite Children’s Books [from the PopSugar Moms] (PopSugar)
Really Cool / Just for Fun
- Artist Goes Outside The Lines With Coloring Books For Grown-Ups (NPR)
- Infographic based on Kurt Vonnegut’s graphing of story shapes. (Visual Information Catalog)
- Take a look at the house that inspired Pride and Prejudice. And hey, it’s for sale! (MarieClaire)
Bookish Quote
That’s it for this week!
Bea
I can definitely see the Fancy Nancy books ad a Disney show
Lark_Bookwyrm
Me too!
Red Iza
Beautiful quote, even if it was my father who read to me 😉
Red Iza recently posted…Review / S.M. Reine : Omega
Lark_Bookwyrm
I think “father” could be substituted without changing the sentiment! My dad didn’t read to me, at least not that I remember. My mom did, but only when I was too little to read to myself. I read to our daughter right through high school, though – and she started returning the favor in high school, as well. We still read aloud during vacations!