Table of Contents - 08/17/12

Jonathan Franzen turns 53 today.

Goodreads has reached 10 million users!!!

Animation teacher might be fired for refusing to sell “unnecessary and expensive” textbooks to his students.

Diesel, a bookstore in Oakland, Calif., will be transformed into the fictional Brokeland Records for one week to promote Michael Chabon’s upcoming, Telegraph Avenue.

Table of Contents - 08/15/12

English opium-eater and author, Thomas De Quincey was born on this day in 1785.

According to Forbes, James Patterson is the world’s top earning author and women writers are swiftly climbing their way up the list.

Glee star and middle-grade book author, Chris Colfer lands a deal for his young adult novel, Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal.

Table of Contents - 08/14/12

Ernest L. Thayer, author of Casey at the Bat, was born on this day in 1863.

Independent journalist Paula Todd releases investigative report as self-published e-book rather than a magazine article, beats the presses, and (maybe, just maybe) lays the groundwork for her book publishing career.

Inside the life of a Sweet Valley High ghostwriter.

New York’s Singularity & Co. is the city’s first and only scifi bookshop!

Shakespeare in the Park Fans Get Free Book from Random House

50 Shades of Grey credited with boosting U.S. trade paperback sales by 10% in April.

Table of Contents - 08/10/12

Happy Birthday, Suzanne Collins!

Amazon launches textbook rental service. Students are now expected to keep track of return shipment boxes *and* their textbooks? sheesh!

The primary subject of Dave Eggers’ beautifully written Zeitoun is in jail for assaulting his wife. If you ask me, this adds another level of discussion to the book.

If you don’t have any plans this weekend, you do now! Here is a four hour interview with Mr. Rogers!!!

Table of Contents - 08/09/12

Happy Birthday, Jonathan Kellerman!

Paulo Coelho’s comments about James Joyce should take a cue from Veronika

I love John Banville/Benjamin Black, but I’m not so sure about his plans to write a new Philip Marlowe Novel!

80,000 readers signed a petition urging HarperCollins to stop providing books to be included in Chick-fil-A Kids’ meals.

And in other protest news, Joan Rivers handcuffed herself to a shopping cart because Costco decided not to carry her book.

Table of Contents - 08/01/12

Is there an entire Tumblog about bathing suits that match book covers? Yes. Yes there is!

Happy Birthday, Herman Melville

R.I.P. Gore Vidal

R.I.P. Maeve Binchy

Elie Wiesel has been named winner of the 2012 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize.

A Tumblog of real life Boston, MA locations in Infinite Jest!

The Borders online store will lose its name soon.

J.K. Rowling will make a virtual visit to classrooms on October 11th!

Table of Contents - 07/31/12

Today would have been Primo Levi’s 93rd birthday.

What’s next for Chicago Tribune literary editor, Elizabeth Taylor, now that Jennifer Day has stepped up as editor of the Printers Row Journal?

“For consumerist reading, e-readers have gotten better in some ways while stagnating in others; for engaged, responsive reading, they seem to be generally stagnating, or perhaps even moving backwards.”

Table of Contents - 07/30/12

I love you, Mom, but I sort of wish J.K. Rowling would adopt me and let me live in her treehouse!

We know what you’re reading… Email.

The Invisible Library lists fictional books by fictional authors.

So, there are advance copies of Rowling’s Casual Vacancy but they are being withheld from countries deemed high-risk for piracy.

National Geographic lists the top 10 literary cities in the world. Chicago is not on the list. 

It’s not only physical bookstores who are drawing lines in the sand. Apple won’t carry an ebook because it mentions Amazon.