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Reading and the South June 22nd, 2009

The Alabama Humanities Foundation has a new blog up and running called the Kudzu Twines Journal and it’s off to a good start! In fact, a recent post there caught my attention as it speaks to a new “book theory” of mine that I’m working on. The more I talk to folks about books and business and life and etc. the more I’m convinced that it’s a good sign if someone reads biographies. I don’t know too many people that start off reading biographies, but all the really smart, passionate, interesting folks I get to know all seem to take the next step and read about the musicians or about the architect or about the author… you get where I’m going.

Anyway, here’s a post from the Kudzu Twines by a “transplant to the South” who picks up on the idea of studying the people behind the stories and the places you visit. She says much more, but I like that.


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Recent Posts

Book Review - Beat the Reaper June 11th, 2009

This is a faaaaaaaaaast read by Josh Bazell. And I don’t just mean that it’s short or easy writing. I mean the pace doesn’t let up, even with the flip flopping between flashbacks and the storyline. If you’re looking for something deep and heavy with plot, this isn’t it. If your looking for a fast shoot-em-up kinda story for summer, this fits nicely.

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eMedia vs. Print Media June 10th, 2009

This was being passed around Twitter today. It made me laugh and sums up a lot of bloggers (and books) I’ve read lately. I wish everyone would just admit things are shifting. Even, drastically shifting, would be fair. But traditional printed media isn’t going away. Though many of the traditional print media business models are. That’s where the excitement is!


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Alphabet Drawers June 10th, 2009

File this under “W” for “I WANT”! I saw the fontastic Alphabet Drawers over on Freshome and had to share. How cool are these? I think they’d look great on the table by a reading chair or just about anywhere.


Hatch Show Print in Birmingham June 8th, 2009

Sadly, I have not been able to make it to Hatch Show Print. This pains me more than I can express here on my little site. But thanks to the Birmingham AIGA chapter, I get to enjoy Hatch Show Print coming to me!

Thursday, June 25th at Bottletree Cafe, Jim Sherraden will be there to show off and talk about letterpress, art and the Nashville shop that’s been in business since 1879.

The event is slated to run from 6p-8p. See you there!


Remains of the Day - the Musical June 3rd, 2009

I found Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day by way of the Anthony Hopkins movie and then read the book. Both are fantastic and this book has long been a favorite of mine.

While, admittedly, I lack the vision that it takes to see this Booker Prize winner translate into a musical, I am very excited about more people discovering Ishiguro’s work. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get to see it one day.


Book Review: Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide June 3rd, 2009

Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide by Amy Shuen (O’Reilly Media)
Like everyone competing in business today, I am buried in unhelpful technology trend books. But I had not made it out of Shuen’s Preface before realizing. . .

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Where were the publishers? June 1st, 2009

I wasn’t able to go to BEA this year, so my online stalking of every attendee and panel confernce has been relentless. So far lots of slides and podcasts and enough video to keep me from running down the street mad. But one trend I started noticing a few weeks ago were the lack of publishers sitting in on all the great panel discussions. With panels titled: The Concierge and the Bouncer: The End of the Supply Chain and the Beginning of the True Book Culture and even Jumping Off a Cliff: How Publishers Can Succeed Online, one would think a publisher would be on stage… but no. Lots of authors and technology commentary, but not a lot about workflows and editorial processes that actually get a finished product in front of customers.

So I was glad to see Yen’s post about this today and even more excited to see some of the groups online that she highlighted. I’m familiar with all she mentioned and would only add a few of the discussions over at the Book Blogs ning site and the discussions at O’Reilly’s TOC community (also a ning site). And if you’re on Twitter the #followreader back-and-forth every Thursday are fantastic!

Someone on Twitter also said that they left BEA more pumped than ever, which is great news. Publishers need to adapt quickly if want to be able to continue adding value to an author’s work. And industry events like BEA and TOC are just the places to hear how… if the right people get to speak.


My Type of Shirt June 1st, 2009

This fantastic font shirt popped up in my email and is a great way to strat the week! Seriously, this should be owned it various colored tees. Thanks WM!


On the Same Page May 30th, 2009

I have just finished reading Clive Thomspson’s WIRED artcile on the Future of Reading. The notion of unleashing the book online to prod readers into interacting with text sounds like fun and I like the idea of focusing on the reader. I look forward to all the variations and trials that publishers put forward in the coming months, but there is one aspect of books that I hope they maintain in all their experimentation…

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