Real Book

The Kindle: An Item of PrivilegeI'm a fan of eBooks and eBook readers in general.  And I dislike the fetishization of books as objects.  This particular critique of eBooks isn't going to wallow in the supposed luxury of walls of books, or the smell of the paper, or the ability to jot notes on the flyleaf.  As far as I'm concerned, the most important part of a book is the words.  The physical book is just the box the present comes in.  And also, I would like to point out that eBooks can't get mildewed or basement-y.

However, in thinking about eBooks lately, I have come across two potential problems.  I find these troubling indeed.  We may not be able to stop the wholesale rush to eBook gold, but we should start discussing these problems now before it's too late.

Problem #1: EBook Readers Aren't Free
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Yes, he's a genius. But also rather weird. What's amkes this vid all that much better is the fact that this could have never happened today. There's no high profile personage alive today that would grant his kind of access. That's a fact.

Is there a better holiday on Earth than Read in the Bathtub Day? For bookworms like yours truly, this is akin to Christmas. In fact, for some of us, it may be even better than Christmas (unless Christmas comes with some great book gifts and time to read them, which becomes a commodity as we get older). If you love to read, schedule in some time to do so this February 9 (or better yet, all month long!). Here are some things you might want to do to celebrate.

Mark your calendar. Make it a date with yourself—one that you can’t back out of with any excuses. Tell your family members to expect you to have the evening (or morning, or whenever you have the time) to yourself and to use the other bathroom! If that’s not feasible, try just an hour or two while everyone else is asleep. Read more

Library lovers, unite: this month is your month. And since it’s your month, you can decide how to celebrate it. Of course, if you need a starting point, you can always…

Organize a sleepover at your local library. With the library’s permission, gather up a group of friends and advertise the sleepover. Have book lovers bring their favorite sleeping bag and bookmark for an all-night read-a-thon. Bonus: make it a fundraiser for the library by charging an admission fee or having people get pledges for pages read.

Write a love letter to the library, or your favorite librarian. Make it heartfelt, expressing how much you appreciate the library—or, if you know the person well, make it as silly as you like. Embellish it with plenty of lace, red ribbon, and other Valentine-y decorations. Read more

The world lost one of its greatest English-language writers today. J.D. Salinger, an author who was as famous for his reclusive nature as for his unique approach to literature, died today at the age of 91. Salinger passed away of natural causes in his New Hampshire home where he spent the majority of the last several decades. Though his contributions to book shelves all around the world were few, his mark is nonetheless indelible.

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Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"Whenever I walk on the sidewalks, I always avoid the cracks in order to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of my mother’s back. Possibly due to this mentality or maybe because of the sidewalk reference in the title, but more than likely because of the sheer genius of the book, I still like Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends" after all these years.
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This is another wonderful historical cookbook archived by the Feeding America project.  Victor Hirtzler was the head chef of the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco, one of the most prestigious hotels (and hotel restaurants) in the country.  His cook book was published by The Hotel Monthly Press in 1919.  

An interesting bit of history is archived here on the Preface, which initially confused me:

"The recipes in my book calling for wine and liqueurs for flavoring may be followed by those whose legitimate supplies are not used up; and where these cannot be had there are non-alcoholic substitutes available with the flavor near perfect."
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Text-BooksForget about libraries or college bookstores as the place to get your college textbooks. That’s the old, antiquated way. Now, students can “rent” their text-books from Barnes & Noble campus bookstores or purchase books through Amazon for their Kindles. If you haven't read it already, definitely check out my colleague Sarajean's article detailing other "textbook rental" places, which, not surprisingly, are cheaper than Barnes & Noble's.
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Seems like I am not the only one who has this discussion with friends. I recently came across another conversation where someone was adamantly asking for a longer list of good female fantasy authors (yea, Ursula Le Guin was mentioned as were others but three names can't make a big list). Thing is, there have been a number of really great female authors. Just because some of them might not be as popular as the Hickman/Weiss writing duo doesn't mean that the list is small. Alright, so I didn't step up and rattle off a number of authors (what kind of weirdo do you take me for, arguing with strangers on a train in a foreign city?) but the conversation did stay with me long afterwards. Furthermore, I was somewhat mortified that modern day lists might not even include the Earthsea author: I had this nagging suspicion any well-known list would include books containing characters that … sparkle. So, here's a small list of fantasy authors, putting together a group of folks whose works, in my opinion, stand out from the rest.

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If I could spend the entire day reading my life away, I totally would. In fact, while I used to really want to change the world, be in the Senate, work for the U.N. and generally save the world—I still sort of do!—my new dream job is really to have my own independent book store where I can read all day and sell books. I know a woman who does just that and am completely envious of her!

January is Book Blitz Month, a time to really get on that pile of reading you’ve been meaning to get to all year (decade?). Here are some great ways to celebrate Book Blitz Month. Read more