Trying to start a new chapter

Posted by trav in Site News      No comments

Dec
10

Please, bear with me over the next few days. I have upgraded to the new WordPress 3.0.3 and have suddenly found my widgets out of whack and my hacked-to-heck-and-back theme/template teetering on the edge of obsolescence. So I’m trying to chart a new path which may require a new template, etc. Ugh, we’ll see.

It’s a change that’s a long time coming (the current look is 3-years-old) and one that will no doubt require more tech skills, knowledge, time and bourbon than I have.

Getting Mentioned

Posted by trav in Site News      No comments

Aug
26

I just wanted to post a quick and very sincere THANK YOU to both the Birmingham Magazine and the fine folks over at Alabama Bloggers. I managed to make the pages of Birmingham Magazine for their Summer Reading extravaganza… which ran the month after their “Best Looking Sexiest Hottie” issue… maybe I need to start working out. But Carla Jean’s articles are still up, so go check them out while you can. Good stuff.

Also, my little book blog landed a “Center Stage” feature over on Alabama Bloggers. Thank you for that! Lots of good things happening at Alabama Bloggers. It’s a good one to keep an eye on.

All of this to say it’s been a busy summer, it’s always nice to get noticed and now it’s time to get back to regular posts and some good books. Though with this great weather, I’d almost rather be out hiking.

Bookish Types who Twitter

Posted by trav in Book Talk, On the Web, Site News      4 comments

Oct
27

I discovered Twitter some time ago and have been hooked ever since. So I am maintaining a list of all the “bookish types” who, I follow, on Twitter. The list isn’t very organized, yet. But it’s brimming with publishers,book designers, book media folks, publicists, bookshops and peppered with an author here and there. If you know of anybody else, in the publishing/book world, that I should be following, please let me know. Also, please let me know of any other online rosters of this type. I haven’t found one, which is the impetus in developing my own.

I’ve had some great conversations online because of it and am looking for more. Some of the tweeters do a great job of using the medium. Others, like myself, are still a bit newbie and it shows. But we’re learning and following!

A new edition… er, addition

Posted by trav in Site News      1 comment

Aug
7

She’s finally here! And wonderful… there’s nothing like reading a book with a newborn asleep on your chest… looking forward to many such afternoons…

Birmingham By the Book

Posted by trav in Birmingham, Media, News, Site News      3 comments

Aug
6

Thanks to Carla Jean Whitley for the mention in the August issue of Birmingham Magazine. Very cool! So everyone go out and buy a copy so you can tell all your friends “hey, I read that book blog”… but seriously she put together a great list of what the article calls “The Essentials… must-visit websites that will guide you through the city”.

The piece is populated by local online heavy-hitters, including al.com, bhamterminal.com, wadeonbirmingham.com, bhamwiki.com, etc. (you know all the guys that must have invented the interwebs).

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks. It’s fun keeping this site going and even more so when you know folks are reading. Plus, she got every last punctuation mark correct in {head}:sub/head. Why is that important to me? I dunno. It just is… and you have to appreciate someone that pays attention to detail like that.

Now where did we leave off…?

Posted by trav in Site News      2 comments

Jun
12

The batteries are recharged! I honestly don’t know how some bloggers do it year after year, I just don’t have the stamina. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t read the blogs! Nothing recharges the ‘ol blogging batteries like lurking about all of your sites.

Lots of changes coming soon, to this site and the publishing industry in general. It’s going to be interesting! Much of which I think is summed up by Adrian Tomine’s New Yorker cover this week. I’m going to frame it for my office.

So a belated congratulations to both the Theorist and Susannah, each for the new chapters they have just started! It rocks!

So thanks for sticking around and not deleting me off your RSS reader. We’ll be back up to speed soon. Too much time has passed and too much has gone on, I just have to figure out where to jump in.

One hundred and twenty-three

Posted by trav in Site News      1 comment

Nov
26

That is how many days have passed since I have posted here at {head}:sub/head.  That’s 4-months exactly.

I’m still making some changes around here, but you can bet that I am well rested and ready to start passing along the choicest bits of books and Birmingham marginalia.

Hope everyone had a rest-filled holiday!

Adding audio

Posted by trav in Birmingham, Book Talk, Events, On the Web, Site News      No comments

May
9

Part of the new set-up here is my hopes of adding fresher content. Which, of course, has lead me to research podcasts. There are only a handful that I keep up with, but in all my recent digging around I ran across this local podcast aggregate site and then another blogger calls for a local podacasters meet-up.

I might just have to swing by the old Pita Stop and get the scoop. I think it’d be neat to jump out there and post some interviews with a few of the bazillion authors passing though Birmingham. Maybe an interview with some of you cool book design bloggers too…

‘scuse the mess

Posted by trav in Site News      2 comments

May
9

I have been wanting to update the site and make room for some of the newer media plug-ins, widgets, etc. that I keep seeing on other people’s blogs, so I’m messing around with the templates. Hope it won’t keep you from coming back.

To be honest, I’m going to miss the simplicity a clean lines of the old just text layout. But I’m tired of drooling over what other people are doing and not getting to offer it myself. Now I get to participate!

Hopefully things will settle down over the next week here, site wise.

Back at it

Posted by trav in Book Talk, On the Web, Site News      No comments

Dec
20

Well that was relativley painless. Those folks over at WordPress sure are smart. All went according to plan and I even installed one of those “math comment field” spam blocker deals.

Let me know if it gives you any trouble.

While all this was backing-up/updating I watched the New York Times Book Review tour that aired on BookTV this past weekend. Pretty cool if I do say so. That would be a most awesome job to have. Did you see the pile of books that will never appear in the pages of the NYTBR? HUGE!!!! They said they get some 1,000 books submitted per week and only review 30-40 per weekend. Wow.

Makes me want to go read So Many Books by Gabriel Zaid again.