Bookavore

I read a little bit, but not enough to hurt me none. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-18430450-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[bookavore]

Well I'll be double-dipped--I think Diane Duane's new book is about imposter syndrome! Also the importance of committee work and mentoring. Is she secretly a librarian?

[bookavore]

New office decoration is partially influenced by @rachelfershleiser, partially by Ranganathan.

[bookavore]

I loved DEAR FANG, WITH LOVE by Rufi Thorpe for so many reasons, and at the top of the list is that she taught me about the constitution of Užupis (which is a 100% real thing that I highly encourage you to google)

[echteborussia]

Aw this is lovely. Just so you know, Užupis (which could be translated as on the other side of the river - už upės) is a neighbourhood in Vilnius, Lithuania. We call that river Vilnelė, which gave the city its name and which sounds so peaceful and calm and sweet. The stream itself is nothing like that though. Just like the city, it runs and bubbles, not big but powerful.    

[bookavore]

The more you know!

[bookavore]

I loved DEAR FANG, WITH LOVE by Rufi Thorpe for so many reasons, and at the top of the list is that she taught me about the constitution of Užupis (which is a 100% real thing that I highly encourage you to google)

[bookavore]

This month, we asked kids, "What great woman inspires you?"

[bookavore]

@jennIRL and I presented at the Granger Leadership Academy this weekend and tried our best to counter a bunch of useless career advice; these are books we recommended attendees read instead. You too can be successful without being an asshole! (Well, depending on your chosen vocation.)

[bookavore]

Quite possibly my favorite book display of all time

[dukeofbookingham-deactivated202]

This is actually such an excellent idea

[deadcatwithaflamethrower]

Actually, I’d rather promote the idea of ACCURATE book covers.  There are so many books I picked up (and then refused to give back) because the cover art reflected an accurate aspect of the story inside, appealed to my interests, and/or was very well done.

If I’d seen this cover for Alanna first, I’d NEVER have touched the book, even at age 12:

What does this tell us about the story?  Girl and sword. I like stories about Girls and Swords, but I don’t see a warrior on this cover. I see prepubescent porn posing. Even then I knew the difference.

Also, that font makes me want to stab things.

(Seductive Girl Pose! Looking up through eyelashes, fucking eye shadow, hips cocked, arms bared, skin-tight pants, chest thrust out to imply boobs that haven’t even GROWN YET, and short haircut that would have taken Work to maintain. Wooden sword prop and NO GLOVES. Yeah. No thanks. Oh, and isn’t this book about someone who is doing their best NOT to look feminine???)

But fortunately, I saw this one first:

Practical haircut that (almost) matches the description in the book, sword that does not look like wooden prop, practical utilitarian clothing that isn’t gendered in any way and in fact would hide distinctive hip/pelvic traits as she grew, boobs or lack thereof NOT emphasized, GLOVES, and oh, a scabbard, isn’t that useful, and those are actual riding boots. Sign me the fuck up! said 12-year-old me, and yes, I still have a huge crush, shut up.

I would also have accepted these happily:

Accurate in age, hair and eye color, practical clothing, not gender-coded even though it’s showing pre-haircut Alanna?  YES. Also I want this as a poster.

(This one could be mistranslated as Seductive Girl Pose, but that is not Seductive, that is Fuck With Me And I Will Murder Your Face.)

Is that a hint of other cultures I see on this cover?  GIMME.

This one isn’t as informative as to characters, but it’s intriguing, like the first covers I saw for The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown.

Yes, even with her hair the wrong color. It’s informative without being insulting.

This one not as much, because there is something distinctly delicate-feminized about this version of Alanna, but at least it’s still description-accurate. Also, HAT. Hats are awesome.

This one isn’t as fun as Girl with Sword, but it would have REALLY gotten my attention fast, and hey, it’s an actual scene in the book!

Alanna the Warrior?  Fuck yeah, sign me up some more!

[bookavore]

reblogging for great commentary as well as excellent deployment of Alanna covers 

[raunconference]

RAUNCON RETURNS!

We’re hosting another RA Unconference on May 19, 2016, and registration is officially open. Register today to not only hear from keynote speaker and RA genius Barry Trott, but also to spend the day with librarians who love readers’ advisory as much as you do. Details over the next few weeks, but register soon if you want to join us–space is limited! Registration is totally free, and includes breakfast, lunch, and the chance to hang out with a lot of excellent people.

[bookavore]

Attention all library folk and RA advocates in the tri-state area!

[bookavore]

Quite possibly my favorite book display of all time

[mariesbookblog]

@friscolibrary

[the-dwarven-viking]

The only reason I’m against this is that artists work REALLY hard to make the covers of these books, and they should be appreciated.

[bookavore]

I’ve seen some version of this thought get attached to this photo on several reblogs now, and I admit I find it more baffling each time. It has now baffled me to the point of irritation.

First of all, when I say a book has a terrible cover, I’m not necessarily talking about the art. Lots of excellent art makes a shitty book cover. What makes the covers on these particular books terrible is occasionally the art, but is just as likely to be a title that’s hard to read, an absence of color, an image that doesn’t reflect the story, or total lack of appeal to the target audience. This is a display in our children’s library, and the books on it are all excellent books that our children’s librarians know our young patrons will adore, and all have covers that you could not bribe a child to pay attention to.

(Yes, I have gathered from reblogs that we all LOVED Dealing with Dragons as young readers, and rightfully so, because me too, but if you think that is a cover that appeals to the modern child, you are wrong.)

Second, have you ever looked through a publisher’s catalog? Pick any catalog, from any publisher, for any season. I will mail you one at my own expense, if you want. It will put paid to this idea that all book covers should be revered because HOORAY ART. There are lots of gorgeous book covers in the world created by immensely talented people. There are just as many that are lazy, sloppy, and generally terrible. Or, as in the case of most of the covers above, they are covers that might have been effective a few decades ago, but are now dated and unappealing. I feel no obligation to appreciate book covers if they fail at conveying the contents of a book to a potential reader. And as a librarian, I feel fine about calling them out if it helps connect readers with books they’ll love. Which it does.

[bookavore]

Quite possibly my favorite book display of all time

[bookavore]

sending librarians wine the day before a major snowstorm is the only 100% effective form of book marketing

[bookavore]

I have one complaint about this book, which is that I am pretty sure it's missing a comma on page 124. Otherwise it is absolutely perfect.

[bookavore]

Just pulled out a long-lost scratchpad and this was on it. What on earth did I mean?

[bookavore]

I think the nice young man at the cheese store only asked what I was reading out of politeness, but it turned out he loves Holmes stories and had no idea about these, so score another point for impromptu booktalks

[alexanderchee]

QUEEN

The Queen of the Night, my new novel out February 2nd, has made the best of 2016 preview lists for Book Riot, Bookish, Bustle, BBC Books, Huffington Post Books, Brooklyn Mag and Entertainment Weekly.

Last year at this time, my biggest fear was that I could work on a novel all this time and no one would care, so I’m incredibly happy and a little stunned. But I’ve accepted that all of this is real.

Early praise for The Queen of the Night:

“A night at an opera you’ll wish never-ending.” –Helen Oyeyemi, author of Mr. Fox and Boy Snow Bird

“One doesn’t so much read Alexander Chee’s The Queen of the Night as one is bewitched by it. Beneath its epic sweep, gorgeous language, and haunting details is the most elemental, and eternal, of narratives: that of the necessities and perils of self-reinvention, and the sorrow and giddiness of aspiring to a life of artistic transcendance.” –Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little Life and People In The Trees 

“The Queen of the Night is a mesmerizing universe into which its lucky readers can dissolve completely, metamorphosing alongside its shapeshifting protagonist. Lilliet Berne steals her name from a gravestone and launches into a life of full-throated song; her voice is an intoxicant, and this book is a glorious performance. Chee’s enveloping, seductive prose is perfectly matched to the circus world of the opera.” –Karen Russell, New York Times Best Selling author of Swamplandia! and Vampires In The Lemon Grove

“Alexander Chee packs his extraordinary second novel, The Queen of the Night, to the seams with music, love, misery, and secrets. The kind of book—world—characters—you could live inside, happily, for days and days and never once want to come up for air.” –Kelly Link, author of Get In Trouble and Magic For Beginners

“A luminous tale of power and passion. Chee gives us an unforgettable heroine and a rich cast of characters—many of them real historical figures. The story dazzles and surprises right up until the final page.” –J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times Best-Selling author of Maine and The Engagements

“Richly researched, ornately plotted, this story demands, and repays, close attention.” –Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Chee’s lush and sweeping second novel uses a strikingly different setting from his accomplished debut, Edinburgh, but shares its musical themes and boldness… a moving meditation on the transformative power of fate, art, time, and sheer survival.” –Publishers’ Weekly

If you’re just arriving to this Tumblr for the first time after reading one of these lists, thank you and hello. However you got here, you can pre-order the novel here at your favorite bookseller. See you in February.

[bookavore]

Not that my imprimatur is needed on top of all these accolades, but this book is really fucking excellent: all-absorbing and lush. Will definitely be on the Best of 2016 list I won't get around to making. A must-read for historical fiction fans, especially those still pining for The Crimson Petal and the White (and also, strangely, for fans of My Notorious Life and The Secret History).

[a-thing-called-stop]

[bookavore]

THE WARRIORS ARE HAVING THE BEST PASSING SEASON SINCE THE 1980s is one of the best articles I’ve read all year. I read it at least five times and watched this video over and over. These beautiful bastards brought me to tears every time.