Writing these Odds & Ends posts for the past nine months or so has really brought home to me how cyclical some of these bookish “issues” really are. The publishing industry is dying. X, y, and z will be the death of great literature and “real” book criticism is a thing of the past. Nobody reads anymore, and if they do it doesn’t count because everyone knows that e-reading isn’t “real” reading. And of course, our very favorite outcry: the young people! They don’t read enough/they read too much! Their books are too dark/not dark enough and they are severely lacking in boys/girls/flying sparkly unicorns!!!
Aaaand so on….
This week The Book Lady’s Blog perfectly captures our frustration with “10 Bookish Conversations I’m Totally Over.”
Malinda Lo also responds to last week’s outcry against YA literature’s abandonment of boys with her post titled “YA Fiction and the Many Possibilities of Manhood” – a very insightful article about the fluid nature of gender and “manhood.” We tend to think that YA literature already has many, many books that describe the experiences of boys and will appeal to boys (spoiler alert: not all of these books are written by men! Shocker!). Look out for our wall of books that will appeal to the boys of YA – coming next week!
The Weeklings also has this hilarious “lit-erotic photo spread” of the Dudes of YA, which you should all definitely check out.
Shannon Hale also responds to claims that Twilight is damaging to young readers. I personally (Catie) can see both sides to this argument, and the comments for the article contain some really interesting discussion points. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to censor any type of literature from young people. Twilight may not represent what I would consider a healthy relationship, but I think it’s a great jumping off place for a discussion about what constitutes a healthy relationship. What do you guys think?
The Kansas State Public Library has started a campaign in the social media-verse against the pricing and lending policies of major publishers for libraries, criticizing the elevated pricing, lending caps, and restrictions that most major publishers place on public libraries.
‘Tis the season for best-of lists and here are a few that came out last week:
In very exciting news, Kathleen Duey announced that she’s finished with the third book in the Resurrection of Magic series and that it has officially gone to her editor! I know Tatiana and I will be eagerly awaiting that release and probably begging all around town for an ARC of it.
In other exciting (?) news, Gillian Flynn has signed a deal for an as yet untitled young adult book. Are we excited about this or perhaps a little nervous? Hopefully she won’t tone down her dark side for YA.
Here are a few great interviews from last week:
And finally, for all of our artsy friends – do dream of designing the covers for your favorite books someday? (Looking at you, Trinity and Noelle!) Simon & Schuster is running a contest right now to find a new design for the anniversary edition of Fahrenheit 451, and has extended the deadline for submissions until December 7th! So get right on that!
Aaaand so on….
This week The Book Lady’s Blog perfectly captures our frustration with “10 Bookish Conversations I’m Totally Over.”
Malinda Lo also responds to last week’s outcry against YA literature’s abandonment of boys with her post titled “YA Fiction and the Many Possibilities of Manhood” – a very insightful article about the fluid nature of gender and “manhood.” We tend to think that YA literature already has many, many books that describe the experiences of boys and will appeal to boys (spoiler alert: not all of these books are written by men! Shocker!). Look out for our wall of books that will appeal to the boys of YA – coming next week!
The Weeklings also has this hilarious “lit-erotic photo spread” of the Dudes of YA, which you should all definitely check out.
Shannon Hale also responds to claims that Twilight is damaging to young readers. I personally (Catie) can see both sides to this argument, and the comments for the article contain some really interesting discussion points. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to censor any type of literature from young people. Twilight may not represent what I would consider a healthy relationship, but I think it’s a great jumping off place for a discussion about what constitutes a healthy relationship. What do you guys think?
The Kansas State Public Library has started a campaign in the social media-verse against the pricing and lending policies of major publishers for libraries, criticizing the elevated pricing, lending caps, and restrictions that most major publishers place on public libraries.
‘Tis the season for best-of lists and here are a few that came out last week:
- And of course, the National Book Award winners were announced.
In very exciting news, Kathleen Duey announced that she’s finished with the third book in the Resurrection of Magic series and that it has officially gone to her editor! I know Tatiana and I will be eagerly awaiting that release and probably begging all around town for an ARC of it.
In other exciting (?) news, Gillian Flynn has signed a deal for an as yet untitled young adult book. Are we excited about this or perhaps a little nervous? Hopefully she won’t tone down her dark side for YA.
Here are a few great interviews from last week:
- Alpha Reader interviews Courtney Summers (and she talks a bit about All the Rage!).
And finally, for all of our artsy friends – do dream of designing the covers for your favorite books someday? (Looking at you, Trinity and Noelle!) Simon & Schuster is running a contest right now to find a new design for the anniversary edition of Fahrenheit 451, and has extended the deadline for submissions until December 7th! So get right on that!
