Major kudos to Michele Filgate (a friend and an awe-inspiring person) of River Run Bookstore, whose praise of Paul Harding's Tinkers helped push the novel toward his Pulitzer Prize win!Fellow Neil Gaiman fans, feast your eyes (and ears) upon this video featuring Charles Vess's artwork and Neil himself reading from the upcoming picture book Instructions. Like Blueberry Girl, Instructions is a previously published poem by Gaiman; I can't wait to see the final book!
Book reviews, by the kids the books are written for. I think this is a fantastic idea, and if any local teachers are reading this and would like to do a similar program with us, please get in touch!
Any crafty readers out there might want to try their hands at making one of these gorgeous bird houses. I know it's hard for some people to cut up books (a sacrilege!) but if you can find an extra used copy or two at a yard sale or library sale, you might consider it a way of saving the books from the dump and giving them a whole new life.Do you want to know how long I can save a story? This one, about the longest outdoor bookcase ever built (so far) is from February 1. But if you haven't seen it yet, it's pretty cool.
At the AV Club, Zack Handlen's answer to the question, "has there been a book, film, album, etc., that actually effected a real change in some aspect of your life?" is a wonderful affirmation of the power of books:
"I don’t know how far I was into the story before I got the idea that I’d like to try my own kind of writing, but I do remember that it felt like the most natural thing in the world, like waking up. I was a smart kid, not a super-genius or anything, but I never had a sense of purpose before. Reading The Stand, and all the King books I read after, gave me a reason to be alive, because they gave me a language to speak in."
NPR's Monkey See blogger did a series of posts about reading and discussing Twilight, for the first time, with a colleague. I liked their discussion in this post about whether or not there should be a different standard for critiquing literature for teens. (I also have to note that, as someone who has never read Twilight, I found this installment really frightening as regards the romanticizing of an abusive relationship.)
Shareable profiles Chicago's Gabriel Levinson and The Book Bike, which he rides to various public areas, distributing free books to anyone who wants them. We've often joked about taking the bookstore outside on especially nice days--maybe this is our answer!
And, finally, I want to mention a brand new literary blog, authored by a friend of mine from way back in high school. The Picaresque Blog promises book reviews, original writing, and more. Good luck, D!
Thursday, April 29, 7 p.m. 
Tuesday, May 18, 7 p.m. 
Tuesday, June 3, 7 p.m. 