So Much To Be Said…Agree, or Not?

I spent a couple of days hunting down a cogent summary of this deplorable trend, but here you go, for a weekend read. From Art Winslow on the blog site “The Huffington Post.”

In the new book burning we don’t burn books, we burn discussion of them instead. I am referring to the ongoing collapse of book review sections at American newspapers, which has accelerated in recent months, an intellectual brownout in progress that is beginning to look like a rolling blackout instead… read the rest of this post and please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.

Warriors Phenomenon Keeps Building

Today is a banner day for author Erin Hunter as she launches the third six-book series in her incredibly successful Warriors series. Today is the release date for The Sight, book one in her Power of Three series.

Actually, Erin Hunter is the pen name of two English writers, Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, and if you have a child anywhere between the ages of 8 and 18, they have surely read one or more of the previous 12 books. Around here, it’s one of those series that we have a standing order for each new release. We try to keep all of the titles on hand, too, so that as children reach a certain age they can begin the adventure at the beginning.

Those of you who pre-ordered will have already been called about the new book, but you may be unaware that HarperCollins Children’s Books has extended the brand even further into manga…that’s the Asian-influenced graphic novel style with all original stories, and book one of a planned three-book series also comes out today: The Lost Warrior.

If you’re still puzzled about the whole Warriors phenomenon, just ask the child in your life, or read the annotation below:

There will be three, kin of your kin . . .

The wild cats have flourished in their new home on the banks of the lake for several seasons, and the Clans are growing strong and healthy with new kits. The time has come for three kits of ThunderClan to become apprentices.

Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Lionpaw spring from a strong legacy: children of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, two of the noblest ThunderClan warriors, and grandchildren of the great leader Firestar himself. All three young cats possess unusual power and talent and seem certain to provide strength to the Clan for the next generation.

But there are dark secrets around the three, and a mysterious prophecy hints at trouble to come. An undercurrent of rage is rising against those who are not Clanborn, and the warrior code is in danger of being washed away by a river of blood. All the young cats’ strength will be needed if the Clans are to survive.

. . . who hold the power of the stars in their paws.

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.

Triumph of the "Will"

Happy Birthday to William Shakespeare, whose contributions to our language are immeasurable. April 23 is recognized as the date of his birth and, ironically, also the date of his death. He died in 1616 at the age of 52.

From the "Internets"

I can’t always devote the time to entertaining original content here, but that’s no reason you shouldn’t get new content on a (near) daily basis. Saturdays are an office work day for me, thanks to Ann, but we both listen avidly to Michael Feldman’s What Do You Know? on WFPL 89.3 FM, the NPR station.

Not the least of the reasons for listening is Feldman’s attention to writers and writing. Today’s guest was the coauthor of Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home, David Shipley and Will Schwalbe.

Check out Feldman’s blog at http://blogs.britannica.com/blog/main/author/mfeldman

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.

All Harry, All the Time?

Sooner than you can imagine, you won’t be able to turn your head without hearing about J.K. Rowling’s mammoth conclusion to Harry Potter’s school days, Year 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We’re going to embrace the madness ourselves, and it has begun.

Your independent booksellers will be offering a sweepstakes to win a trip to London as part of our Independent Muggles for Harry Potter promotion.

Scholastic, Rowling’s U.S. publisher, is offering special Book Sense collectible bookmarks and we have them (on request). Each of seven bookmarks lists a key question leading up to the gala release at midnight on July 21, 2007. The first is out – bookmark #2 is available on May 1. Come by and ask for your collectible bookmark while supplies last. And then during Harry Potter weekend, you can enter the sweepstakes.

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.

Main Street Contest

Does New Albany love its Main Street? Starting May 2, Scholastic Inc., the American Booksellers Association, and member Destinations Booksellers will offer a way for New Albany to prove it — and a chance for participants to win a Main Street spending spree. The publisher and the associated member stores of the ABA are partnering to bring the Main Street Contest — an essay contest for children — to Book Sense bookstores. Essays should answer the question “Why Is Your Town’s Main Street Special?” The promotion will center on Newbery Honoree and bestselling author Ann M. Martin’s new series, Main Street.

“In her new series, Main Street, Ann Martin celebrates the strength of families, friendships, and community,” said Lisa Holton, president of Scholastic Trade and Book Fairs. “We can’t think of a better way to promote Main Street than to partner with independent booksellers across America to inspire kids to support their local communities.”

“ABA is very excited to be involved in the launch of Ann M. Martin’s Main Street series,” said Mark Nichols, director of Book Sense Marketing, “both in celebration of the publication of new titles from a beloved and trusted author — as well as providing a wonderful way to reinforce to a new generation of readers the concept of ’shopping local,’ and the importance of supporting independent businesses in their own community.”

The first book of Martin’s series, Welcome to Camden Falls, will be published May 1. An audio edition will be arriving in stores in May. The novel follows the lives of Flora and Ruby Northrop, orphans who balk at moving to live with their grandmother in Camden Falls, Massachusetts, but gradually explore the New England town’s Main Street, including its many unique and independently owned stores, and find daily life there “enchanting.”

The contest will run from May 2 through July 2, 2007 and is open to children ages six through 12. Acceptable submissions include a written essay (300 words or less), a video essay (3 minutes or less), a collage, a photograph, a drawing, or a painting. The essay should address the following themes: Why is Your Town’s Main Street Special? Is it the extraordinary people, the unique stores, or something more? Give the name of your town’s main street and describe why it’s special to you and your town.

Destinations Booksellers will collect all entries and submit their five “semi-finalists” by July 31, 2007, to Scholastic, which will partner with ABA and Ann M. Martin to select the winners. All semi-finalists will receive a voucher for book #3, ‘Tis the Season, coming in the fall. One grand-prize winner will receive a $500 Main Street shopping spree, a signed copy of Welcome to Camden Falls, and their entry will be posted to the Main Street website. Four runner-up winners will receive a $100 Main Street shopping spree, a signed copy of Welcome to Camden Falls, and their entries will also be posted to the Main Street website. Moreover, the store where the winning entry is submitted will receive a visit from Ann M. Martin.

Author Spotlight: Michael Pollan

I’m deferring our young readers spotlight to next Tuesday, when I’ll be privileged to be one of the readers at Mt. Tabor Elementary School. It was a delightful experience last year, and I look forward to it.

Here’s an author you’ll want to get familiar with – Michael Pollan. His current rousing bestseller is The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but he’s been a prolific writer for about a decade. What’s most intriguing about Pollan is his choice of topics.

A Place of My Own is the writer’s reflections on the meaning and building of “home,” as drawn from his experience in building a wooden hut in the woods near his Connecticut home. At first blush, you might suspect it to be dry, but just a few minutes reading will make you a fan. Each tangent reveals a fertile mind, and the narrative essays draw you inexorably toward the author’s central theses.

The Botany of Desire is even more unlikely, but even more enjoyable. The book is categorized as “human plant relationships,” an incongruous connection, but it works. He uses botany to explore four basic human desires – sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control -through portraits of four plants that embody them: the apple, tulip, marijuana, and potato.

We carry all three. Check them out.

What I’m reading: Breaking Open Japan: Commodore Perry, Lord Abe & American Imperialism in 1853 by George Feifer

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.

We’re Baaack!

It is amazing how debilitating this Ohio River Valley crud can be. Sorry to be “off the air” for so long, but we’re back, if only slightly.

This week the Pulitzer Prize committee awarded its 2007 honors. The awards were endowed by Joseph Pulitzer after his death to honor excellence in journalism, literary arts, and music. The prizes are administered by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is the winner for fiction this year. Debby Applegate garnered the prize for biography with The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher. The award for general nonfiction was given to Lawrence Wright for The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. We have all of these titles in stock now.

The prize for history was nabbed by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff for The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggles, and the Awakening of a Nation. The poetry prize went to Natasha Trethewey for Native Guard.

Interestingly, one publisher pulled down three of the more prestigious prizes. The Alfred A. Knopf imprint published McCarthy, Wright, and Roberts/Klibanoff.

What I’m reading: Breaking Open Japan: Commodore Perry, Lord Abe & American Imperialism in 1853, by George Feifer.

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.

We’re Baaack!

It is amazing how debilitating this Ohio River Valley crud can be. Sorry to be “off the air” for so long, but we’re back, if only slightly.

This week the Pulitzer Prize committee awarded its 2007 honors. The awards were endowed by Joseph Pulitzer after his death to honor excellence in journalism, literary arts, and music. The prizes are administered by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is the winner for fiction this year. Debby Applegate garnered the prize for biography with The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher. The award for general nonfiction was given to Lawrence Wright for The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. We have all of these titles in stock now.

The prize for history was nabbed by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff for The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggles, and the Awakening of a Nation. The poetry prize went to Natasha Trethewey for Native Guard.

Interestingly, one publisher pulled down three of the more prestigious prizes. The Alfred A. Knopf imprint published McCarthy, Wright, and Roberts/Klibanoff.

What I’m reading: Breaking Open Japan: Commodore Perry, Lord Abe & American Imperialism in 1853, by George Feifer.

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.

Earth Day for Kids

Today we’re going to take a look at some children’s books just right for Earth Day. As we mentioned earlier this week, Earth Day is a global celebration that was the brainchild of Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. A horrific oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. prompted Nelson to initiate this day of appreciation for our natural world. First celebrated on April 22, 1970, more than 20 million people participated.

Today, over 500 million people worldwide honor the day, and Sunday, April 22, 2007 is the official celebration this year. In Southern Indiana, we celebrate a week early at the Falls of the Ohio State Park, primarily because Louisville’s earth-hostile Thunder Over Louisville preempts the waterfront on the relevant weekend.

I Love Our Earth is a photo book in rhyme, created by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, with photographs by Dan Lipow. Its sing-song story truly celebrates our Earth with vibrant pictures, many including children at play in nature. It’s from Charlesbridge Publishing.

Kathy Ross and Sharon Lane Holm bring us All New Crafts for Earth Day. Using simple materials ready to hand, this book offers easy craft projects for kids at home or in churches, schools, or day care centers.

The Great Trash Bash is a delight. Mayor Hippo is puzzled. He seems to be doing everything right. But something is wrong. He talks to citizens everywhere he goes, and soon he learns that the people of Beaston are their own worst enemies, discarding instead of recycling, littering instead of keeping the city clean, and polluting rather than conserving. He brings the animal residents of the town together to rid the town of trash, making Beaston once again a beautiful place. At the end of the book is a list of ideas for kids to remember to keep their own towns clean. Loreen Leedy is the author.

Join local authors and earthlovers this Saturday at The Falls, all day.

These are the comments of Randy Smith, proprietor of Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Indiana.