These days we think of book burning as something that happened in some unenlightened time that was certainly before now. JM over at Fiction Scribe has encountered book burning first hand. The people who have her books could have given the book they found offensive to someone else (even though it wasn’t theirs), but they chose to burn it instead. Read her story and get outraged on her behalf.
LewisC of the New Orleans blog here at 451 Press was kind enough to point me towards some websites that have free pictures on them. (Thanks, Lewis!)
Wouldn’t you know it? One of those sites has a whole section dedicated to pictures of old books. The site is called: Liam’s Pictures from Old Books. The section with pictures of Old Books is here. By the way, this picture on the left is from Liam’s site.
Just to bring things full circle, he also has pictures of books from old books. So, go forth and enjoy the site…and the free pictures. The copyright status in the USA and Canada is listed with each of the images.
Hello again. Today I’d like to acquaint you with some of the things that are happening on some of the blogs here in 451 Press.
I will begin with The Book Stacks because…well, I can. I am still accepting submissions of Favorite Reading Spots. Do you have a spot where you love to curl up and read? Why not tell me about it? Also, you have until 11:59pm tonight to participate in my “A Book By Any Other Name” Game. Will you manage to make me post my forfeit this week?
JM over at Fiction Scribe is interested in your Creative Spaces. Where do you do you writing? What about that space inspires you? She is also holding a discussion of Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. This week, the discussion began with Chapter one. Stop by and join the discussion.
Kelly over at Tiny Treasury has been debating censorship this week. Why not stop by and weigh in on this controversial topic?
The theme this week on Write Anyway is gratitude. Write Anyway is a great place to go when you need a little something to jump start your writing.
And finally, I offer you a Monty Python skit featuring a Gorilla Librarian. It was too silly to resist. Have a great weekend!
The Book Stacks, Fiction Scribe, Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott, Tiny Treasury, Write Anyway, Monty Python, Gorilla Librarian
I got this link from a friend recently, and I liked it so much that I had to share. Do you enjoy the lure of the forbidden? Do you make it a point to read banned books? Yes? Then you may wish to peruse The Forbidden Library. It provides a title list of banned and challenged books, complete with the reason why (and the occasional witty comment by the Webmistress.) It’s forbidden. You know you want to check it out.
(I’m off on vacation this week, so Allison was kind enough to put together some suggested reading for you all. Enjoy!)
My Top Five Beach Reads by Allison
There is a sandy spot along the Delaware shoreline that is calling my name. In a few short days, I’m heading off to beach for a relaxing vacation with my boyfriend and my best friends. Without a doubt, there will be lots of wine, lots of grilled burgers, lots of sunscreen, and (thank goodness) lots of reading. I’ve found myself so busy lately, that I haven’t had time to sit down with a good book, so catching up on my reading is something I’m really looking forward to doing on this vacation.
There are hundreds of thousands of novels that make great reads for beach vacations, but today, I’d like to share with you my top five. If you’re heading to a sandy shore this summer, consider one of these great choices:
5. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This book reminds me of summer simply because it is set on the French Riviera, where the characters open the book by relaxing on the beach. If you loved Gatsby, this is a must-read. Fitzgerald gets very autobiographical in this book, and in my opinion, it’s his best book.
4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Ok, ok…I know this is a book most of us read in junior high–but it is still a perfect summer read. It meets all of the requirements: short and fun to read, but still with substance, because it covers topics like racism.
3. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Most people say that Tuesdays with Morrie is Albom’s best novel, and I’m not saying that they’re wrong, but Five People makes a nice beach book, seeing as the main character works at the traditional beach amusement park. The story is sweet, and really great for everyone.
2. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
This is one of my favorite books of all time. You can actually check out other Jodi Picoult books if you’ve already read this one, but I simply picked Plain Truth because it was the first book I read by her. Her stories are easy to read, but touch on really difficult subjects that make you ask “what would I do?”. You may want to save this one for a longer beach vacation instead of just a long weekend, since it is a bit lengthy when compared to the rest on this list.
1. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
I’m making Angels and Demons the top book on this list because many people who enjoyed Da Vinci Code never actually gave this one a chance. It starts off slowly, but don’t give up–make it your vacation project. Even if you hate it and hated Da Vinci Code, this book makes you talk about interesting subjects and historical possibilities.
On my vacation I’m *probably* bringing Bridget Jones’ Diary, but I’m still deciding! What are your favorite beach reads?
My blogs: www.RealityonBravo.com and www.FindReligion.net
My company website: www.ABContentonline.com
Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom, Plain Truth, Jodi Picoult, Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
Hello all! The other day, my sister kindly pointed me to another of those really useful Book-related websites (thanks, Dani!). This one is called Goodreads.com and it’s turning out to be dead handy. I’m already using it to keep track of books that I’ve reviewed on this blog, and I’m going to keep my “to be read” list there as well. I’m thinking that this could be handy for book clubs, which is what my sister and her friends are using it for, and it’s a really good way to keep track of what you’ve read. I used to take copious notes about what I’d read, but then I decided that it was a bit too…obsessive. Now I am taking that to a new level, and embracing my slightly obsessive tendencies. *grin* Anyway, their front page pretty much says it all,
“Have you ever wanted a better way to:
* see what your friends are reading?
* keep track of what you’ve read and what you’d like to read?
* get great book recommendations from people you know?
* make reading fun again?”
But if you need more info, you can check out their “How it works” section. If you join, be sure to friend “thebookstacks”. Enjoy!
What kind of reader are you? Do you read all of the best-sellers? Are you strictly into non-fiction? Well, according to the What Kind of Reader Are You quiz over on gotoquiz.com I’m a “Dedicated Reader.” This apparently includes a rather large amount of “Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm” and not so much “Fad Reader.” What about you?
Hello all. I got a few interesting links and bits of information for you today. To begin with, Saturday is the last day of National Library Week. Have you celebrated yet? Get out to your local library and check something out (no, checking out the Librarian doesn’t count.) You may be surprised by the wealth of events and variety of items available. (Okay, I’ll get off of my Librarian soapbox now. Moving on.)
Lyndsey over at Lez Keep it Real posted an interesting article about books for the gay and lesbian community yesterday. She offers some great suggestions for books to curl up with during this randomly chilly spring. So, stop by and check out what she has to say.
I am happy to announce that Writers Unbound finally has a new author by the name of Jason (although I am told he is sometimes called the Professor.) Please stop by and welcome him to 451Press. That way, you will have a chance to read what he has to say about Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, and his newest published work.
And finally, please remember to vote for this blog in the Blogger’s Choice awards. Thanks!
The Second Litty Award has been announced, and the winner of the Litty for the Best Publishing Litblogger goes to Joe Wikert’s Publishing 2020 Blog. Congrats! The next Litty award is scheduled to be Best Kidlit Litblogger. My winner prediction is: Chicken Spaghetti. I guess we’ll find out one way or another next week.
In other Awards news, The Book Stacks has been nominated for a Blogger’s Choice Award in two categories. So, please pop by and vote for me.
Litty Award, Best Publishing Litblogger, Joe Wikert’s Publishing 2020 Blog, Best Kidlit Litblogger, Chicken Spaghetti, The Book Stacks, Blogger’s Choice Award
There are many reasons that people might find writing difficult. Perhaps, like my mother, you just don’t like writing. You may not be feeling inspired. Performance anxiety or perfectionism could be standing in your way. Maybe you’ve been staring at a blank page so long that you are certain that you suffer from writer’s block. My biggest problem with writing has always been getting my thoughts in order. It could be deadlines staring me in the face, or just a really stressful day. That’s all it takes to turn my brain into mush. What do I do when faced with any of these situations? (Yes, except for the disliking writing, I’ve been there.)
The best way to get used to writing is to sit down and do it. I was the worst procrastinator until I got this blogging job. I still find it hard to get my thoughts in order, but I *am* writing something every day. Slowly, it’s becoming easier. So get out there and write something! Be it a blog post, poem, novel, or short story, just get some words on paper. That way, someday I may have something new to read and review.
As I mentioned a week or so ago, a blog called Book Chronicle has decided to start giving out awards for Litbloggers. To this end, they have created the “Litty Awards.” Thirty-five blogs have been nominated for twelve awards (including The Book Stacks. *grin*) Interestingly enough, however, they have not announced all twelve categories at once. The first category has been announced, and voted on at this time. It turns out that the winner of the Best Christian Litblogger Litty Award is: Christian Children’s Book Review! Congrats! The category currently up for votes is: Best Publishing Litblogger. Hmmm… I don’t think that I qualify for that one. I can’t wait to see who wins, though. There are some great blogs on that list. I’ll let you know when the winners are announced.
Book Chronicle, Litty Awards, The Book Stacks, Christian Children’s Book Review
xkcd is “a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language” and, I should add, extreme coolness drawn by Randall Munroe. I have yet to encounter one of his comics that I have not enjoyed. Where else will you find a whole new level of velociraptor fear, the correct way to avoid folks who want you to join myspace, or random Ender’s Game references? Best of all, we seem to share a pet peeve, so I have included it below. Enjoy!
Well, of all the strange and cool things to happen. The Book Stacks has been nominated in the first annual Litty Awards from Book Chronicle. There are 35 different Litbloggers that have been nominated for 12 different awards. So, if you get a chance, you might want to pop by and check out the other nominees. I’ve got a lot of stiff competition. So far, my favorite blog name on the list is: Chicken Spaghetti.
The Book Stacks, Litty Awards, Book Chronicle, Litbloggers, Chicken Spaghetti
There are many useful reading and book-related websites out there. Some of them offer you reviews or the order in which a series was written. Some of them even offer you a forum in which to discuss your favorites. Do you have any favorite book or reading-related sites that you use? As for myself, I tend to use Amazon.com rather a lot, especially at work. It can be really helpful if you don’t remember who the heck wrote a particular book, particularly when it’s one with a common title. Book covers, which Amazon has in abundance, can really help in that sort of situation. For the eternal “which book comes next?” question in the realm of mysteries, I head straight for stopyourekillingme.com. Check out their author page for Nancy Atherton as a good example. Another nice feature of this site is lists of read-alikes. Lastly, I use Library Thing to make lists of my own books and discuss them with others. What sites do you use in your reading life?
Amazon.com, stopyourekillingme.com, Nancy Atherton, Library Thing
Most of you know by now that I am a fan of Kinuko Craft’s artwork, which can be found on the cover of many a book. Well, now she has a book all her own: Kinuko Craft: Drawings And Paintings. Apparently it features 80 full color pages. May I just say…Want! And look at the beautiful cover. Sigh.
The Book Stacks is the place to go for everything
book-related. Here you will find librarian humor,
books that are moving to the big screen, cover art,
random trivia, reviews, news, games, videos, the
occasional interview, and anything else I run across.
What are you reading? Have a favorite book? Let me
know.
The Book Stacks Author(s)
» JM
