{In the news}
{Ah, those were the days, when the library pulled up to your front drive.}
For all intents and purposes it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in the city of trees, things are heating up, literally. That means we’ve no recourse but to find a shady spot, pour ourselves an ice cold beverage, and wile the hours away with a good book.
Okay, so there will probably be some yard work, errands–maybe even a little socializing thrown in for good measure. But I’d much rather focus on the books.
On that note, here are a few things that have been going around in the world of books . . .
The New Yorker’s Books to Watch Out For: June
And let’s not forget NPR’s Indie Booksellers Pick Summer’s Best Reads
22 Books That Definitely Need to be Written {future summer reads, perhaps? Also, the one by James Joyce slays me!}
Tom Sharpe Dead: Best-Selling Comic Novelist Dies at 85
Meet Burma’s Lucky Bibliophile {thanks to The Millions Twitter feed for this one}
Lastly, do you know The Quite Shame of the Halfbook Reader? {Not I; I’m a good guilt-reader, myself!}
And because it’s Friday, and why would you work when you could be reading a tongue twister of a good tale? The Pernicious Perils of Peter Piper, P.I.
As you no doubt know, the literary world has been all adither, since hearing that the safe deposit boxes housing Kafka's hidden works, were to be opened. The intrigue, I know. A
nd yet, I can't help wondering…
If the manuscripts and drawings of the late author were such amazing works, why didn't Max Brod publish them along with the novels? Perhaps he felt guilty for not keeping his word, so he held a bit back; doubtful, but perhaps.
So now we wait, in rapt anticipation–will we be awed by the findings? Will it all be a huge disappointment? At this point in time, only the experts allowed to inspect the papers will know; the rest of us will just have to wait … which, if you think about it, only makes the documents more interesting.
The Siobhan Dowd Trust is preparing to begin a pilot that will provide books to children, aged 11 to 13, who are being cared for by local authorities.
According to Alison Flood, of the UK's Guardian:
Sixty children in 12 local authorities across
the UK will be sent parcels of books including The Hobbit, Ian Serraillier's story of three children's search for their parents across war-torn Europe The Silver Sword, a manga version of Romeo and Juliet, Dowd's own London Eye Mystery, in which a boy with Asperger's Syndrome solves a mystery, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Guinness World Records.
Dowd, an award-winning children's author, created the trust three years ago, shortly before her death. The trust works to to “ensure that disadvantaged children and young people have access to books, experience the joy of reading and develop their literacy to safeguard their future.”
Now that, dear adventurers, is a legacy …
I've often heard from the literati, that the likes of Nintendo rots your brain. After all, what good could gaming systems do to expand the mind? What good indeed!
Thanks to the 100 Classic Books game card, anyone with Nintendo DS™ can carry a library of classics, wherever he may roam!
You can choose your font size, peruse bios, rate books–even share your thoughts with other DS users. Don't know where to begin? No problem. Simply answer a few questions, and the software will make a few recommendations.
In case you haven't heard, Borders & the National Book Festival haved teamed up to offer your kid a chance at winning a $500 gift card to Borders AND another one for his school library!
Students, grade K-8, are eligible to participate in the Design A Bookmark contest.
00629″ target=”_blank”> Borders to download an entry form & review official rules. But hurry! All entries must be submitted by July 31st…
*And an aside: I certainly hope this post is a bit of old news; after all, all good adventurers are members of the Borders Rewards program. It's free … FREE people … and yet they send you wonderful coupons for up to 40%. *sigh*
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