Category Archives: On the Web

On the Web, Things to Read

Things to Read – Edition 0004

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Since the fall of Twitter I have struggled to find a place to share links and online articles that I find interesting. I am really enjoying Mastodon though (and think it’s worth checking out if you haven’t). But now I am finding links there that I’d love to share more broadly. So I am creating small ”link round up” posts on the blog. Hope this ongoing series or posts surface some interesting news & thoughts for you.

It’s been around for more than 200 years, but the current 2026 Farmers’ Almanac will be the last. As someone who loves print I am bummed to hear this and I’m not sure what more they could have done or what all they have tried to stay afloat. I see they’ve even has a premium subscriber tier as well. So they certainly tried things. Also, the Old Farmers’ Almanac is still rolling along and jumped on the news of demise of their competitor touting their “80 percent accurate weather forecasts” which made me smile.

LitHub shared a post by murder mystery and true crime author Sarah Weinman on the importance of public libraries and the “most comprehensive, and most uncomfortable truths” that librarians make available to all.

I still haven’t seen the Broadway Books pilot being shopped around. Have any of you guys? Here is a link to the trailer and it’s been shown at a few festivals, but I can’t find it anywhere. Her is the synopsis: “In aggressively gentrifying Manhattan, a group of over-educated, under-employed bookstore workers struggle to keep their independent bookstore in business using increasingly desperate measures.” I remember the show Black Books which was fun (and very British) which took place in a bookshop as well. I’m hoping that Broadway Books is funny.

Bookstores, On the Web

Today Show Talks Bookstores

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Here is a quick 3-minute Today Show segment (I saw mentioned on the Travel Between the Pages blog) about bookstores this holiday season. Not much here other than I am always glad when media folks are talking about bookstores and books.

Two thoughts: one, the publicity team at B&N all need raises this year. I’ve never seen a blitz like they did in 2024. The mainstream media folks ate up every crumb. And two, what do we have to do to get a new bookstore movie to replace You’ve Got Mail? So many news stories use it as a point of reference. It seems like 99% (not based on real data) of newly released movies are all redos or sequels… why not this one?

Bookshops are not just great for your community, visiting bookshops while traveling is a great way to get to know a place you are visiting. Bookstore Tourism should be a thing! Seeing what books are offered up front and scanning through the Staff Picks shelves always offer lots of insights. And books make pretty dang good souvenirs.

Book Talk, On the Web

Nonfiction November 2024 Week 2

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It’s Week Two of Nonfiction November #nonficnov, which is hosted on Volatile Rune. The prompt for this week is:

Choosing Nonfiction: What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you? If so, share a title or cover which you find striking.

I love these questions. It’s so easy to be fooled by a book’s packaging these days. Cookbooks and business books are the worst. Some of the coolest-looking books turn out to be lame. So I’m always looking for quality writing in the jacket copy and blurbs. Yeah yeah… I know… isn’t that all marketing speak and just authors blurbing for each other? Sometimes, yes. But if you find a book on a slice of a slice in a topic you like and the praise quotes are a mixed bag of learned folks, book folks, practitioners, etc., then there is a higher-than-average chance you are holding a good book.

As far as topics go, I love books about books and books where cultural ideas/trends, social science/history, and philosophy intersect. So I’m all over the map there! Oh, and books on maps are fun, too.

Covers absolutely influence me. I pulled a few favorite reads to see if I could figure out the ‘what’ and ‘why’ this is. These 15 books are grouped well into three categories.

I love fonts! Creative lettering goes a long way with me in creating a great nonfiction cover.

If you haven’t read Ken Ilgunas’ “This Land is Our Land” I highly recommend it. Lots of ideas to chew on and talk about there.

Also, I like nonfiction covers that work hard to have an iconic look. Not only are these next five books good reads, but the covers are unique and wouldn’t work well for any other book. The tilt-shift effect used on all of Sarah Vowell’s books is a fun, unique series look.

If you haven’t read Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” then I think you need to. Written pre-internet boom, it’s just as timely and accurate today. Again, so many conversations will be sparked by this book.

Lastly, I appreciate nonfiction books where it’s clear that the publisher took the time to create something that resonates with the reader or community around a topic. I absolutely think these next five are great examples. Whether it’s a book related to newspapers or the classic Gilded Age of book collecting, these all fit their readers well.

The classic read here is Nicholas Basbanes “A Gentle Madness”. It’s not a small book, but very well done and is one of the best deep dives out there into bibliomania and books about books.

If you’d like to join the fun then head over to Volatile Rune to get the graphic, directions and link up. And if you’d like to see what I shared during Week One of Nonfiction November, you can click through and check it out.

On the Web, Things to Read

THINGS TO READ – EDITION 0003

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Since the fall of Twitter I have struggled to find a place to share links and online articles that I find interesting. So I am now creating small ”link round up” posts and sharing here. Hope this ongoing series or posts surface some interesting news & thoughts for you.

Lots of attention was given to TikTok leveraging all the data they have collected in launching a new book imprint called 8th Note Press (which is also now printing books with Zando). It’s interesting that OverDrive (the library ebook lending platform) has also launched an imprint called Heights Press. It’s named after a place in Cleveland and will focus on kids’ titles. You can read OverDrive’s full press release here.

The Book Maven has a podcast called The Book Maven: A Literary Revue that is now six episodes deep. They’re 30 minutes long and touch on various topics and books. I’m still listening, but I’m on the fence on whether I’ll keep up. One I really like at the moment is Jeff O’Neal’s First Edition from BookRiot. He asks good questions and talks to folks spread throughout the publishing world. O’Neal really is best when he’s on his own, allowing him to chase any and every rabbit he wants.

With so many year-end and bestseller lists out there, I wanted to share one that I appreciate and keep up with throughout the year. It’s The Southern Indie Bestseller List, which is updated every Sunday with covers and books from the previous week. The info for this list is collected from independent booksellers from across the South. It’s an interesting look into what’s selling in the region.