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(Some say she was born in 1918, which would make her 94.)

She lived in Provo, Utah.

"Go Ask Alice" was filmed for TV in 1973. It stars William Shatner and
includes Andy Griffith.

[link]
(about the movie)

[link]

A description of Daniel Kraus' upcoming book:

Nineteen-year-old Ry Burke, his mother, and his little sister eke out a living on their dying family farm. Ry wishes for anything to distract him from the grim memories of his father's physical and emotional abuse. Then a meteorite falls from the sky, bringing with it not only a fragment from another world but also the arrival of a ruthless man intent on destroying the entire family. Soon Ry is forced to defend himself by resurrecting a trio of imaginary childhood protectors: kind Mr. Furrington, wise Jesus Christ, and the bloodthirsty Scowler.

What. I don't know what any of that means, but based on Rotters, I'm totally there.

At PW:

The bottom line is pretty clear. “Nothing is more valuable than when someone reads a book and wants to talk about it,” the publicity rep says. “You can’t manufacture word of mouth.” (Several additional publishers contacted for this article declined to participate, or would only speak off the record.)

The cover art of the follow-up, Scarlet, has been released:

(via USA Today, where they've also posted an excerpt)

...at mere curiosities.

...of titles that would be appealing to reluctant readers.

Take a look at the following two pictures from the first British printing of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and see if you can figure out what got Mark Twain so mad:

Need a hint? One word: crotch.

Head over to mental_floss for the full story.

New on the PaperTigers website, an extensive annotated reading list of picture books on the theme of water, as varied as water itself: A Ripple in the Pool: Multicultural Picture Books with Water at their Heart.

This list of multicultural children’s books that center on water in some way is by no means exhaustive, but it does offer rich pickings for anyone looking for variety. Indeed, as I was putting it together, I found that the only limit was time and there are bound to be what readers will consider glaring omissions.

Our blue planet provides us with endless experiences of water – and these are reflected in the variety of stories and non-fiction resources available. Magic and folklore mingle with contemporary adventures. Joyous books of children playing in the sea or in the rain flow alongside stories that recount water’s terrible power for destruction. Tales of too much water or too little jolt readers out of complacency and awaken awareness of the finite nature of water.  These books together take readers on a journey of exploration and discovery around the world.

What a wonderful assortment of books they are.  Many of them have been featured on the PaperTigers website over the last few months and I have so enjoyed putting this list together (not to mention all the book covers, above!).     If you have any others that you would add to the list, do let us know…

Another more collectible of Robert Coover's works, "The Convention" is a short story that can also be found within In Bed One Night and Other Brief Encounters (Burnind Deck, 1983), it was pubilshed earlier in two versions in 1982 from Lord John Press.

There is the "standard" edition, with a red cover, that is signed and numbered out of 300 copies. Then there is a more limited edition, with a blue cover and a slipcase, that is signed and numbered out of 50 copies. Aside from the covers and the addition of an ISBN in the blue version,there are no differences.

The story, like many of those from that particular collection, is written with no punctuation and so might take a line or three to pick up on the rhythm of the story, which begins:

now Tom's in an elevator in a great hotel there's a convention the elevator is full of men ther'e's comradeship a hunger for women imporant things going on cigars good  jokes on every floor men rush noisily from room to room dark suits clean chins Tom goes among them

On the page is has more the appearance of a prose poem (see last photo), but again, once you read that far, I believe you've picked up the rhythm of the piece and can pretty easily determine where the punctuation would be on the fly.

As the drinking continues through this short story, the pace gets a bit more rushed, some confusion sneaks in, and the name tags on those attending the convention veer to the jokey: E.Z. Laye, R.U. Pistoff, Kenny Nokkerup and it goes on. I believe that Coover has written a parody of the standard business convention, where the convention isn't the important aspect, but instead the drinking, the anonymous sex, and there are always issues with the elevators. The books themselves are approximately 2x3" in size, creating a bit of an issue when it comes to standard shelving.

Some years back I spent a grand Fourth of July sitting  in a long line for free Shakespeare in the Park in NYC. To get into the play, you had to line up early and wait until 6 or so when the Delacorte Theater handed out evening's allotment of tickets. I forgot what we saw, though I remember loving the play; maybe it was "Much Ado About Nothing" or "Twelfth Night." Several people in our group had brought along bags of fresh cherries, which arrive in plenitude in the city's Korean delis around the first of July. We snacked, shot the breeze, and let time drift by until the ticket guy appeared. I'll always associate the happy feeling of friends, Shakespeare, and cherries with the Fourth. 

On the Fourth this year I finished reading the history play "Henry IV, Part 1," and also stumbled across Oxford's Emma Smith's free online lecture about Falstaff, the play's most interesting character. Smith even compares the "fat-kidneyed rascal" to Homer Simpson! Both are funny because they're countercultural, she says. The talk is part of the "Approaching Shakespeare" series of podcasts, which can be found here. 

Emma Smith figures in Me and Shakespeare: Adventures with the Bard, by Herman Gollob, a Texas-born book editor (Doubleday, 2002). Seeing Ralph Fiennes in a Broadway production of "Hamlet" changed Gollob's life, and he began to study Shakepeare on his own. Part memoir and part guide, Gollob's book is full of good recommendations (particularly for books and films) for people who want to deepen their appreciation of the Bard. Gollob's adventures include a three-week summer course at Oxford taught by...Emma Smith.

A local company is performing an outdoor "Romeo and Juliet" soon, and that will probably be my next brush with Shakespeare. The Washington State cherries have hit the stores, too.

Links:

Shakespeare in the Park (now celebrating its fiftieth anniversary)

"Shakespeare After All: The Later Plays," with Marjorie Garber. A free video series from the Harvard Extension School. I haven't seen this yet, but it sounds great.

Shakepeare on the Sound. The Bard in the 'burbs.

She lived in Weathersfield, Vermont.

Synopsis of "Child of the Silent Night":

"The story of Laura Bridgman, the first deaf and blind child to be taught to communicate with the outside world, some fifty years before Helen Keller."

Reader review:

"When I was a child this was one of my favorite books. The Helen Keller story always sickened me, the bratty kid left to terrorize her family. But I could relate to Laura. She was quiet and reflective and curious. Her story is much more gentle and Mrs. Hunter made it a pleasure to read. Mrs. Hunter is a fantastic historian and worked very hard to reconstruct Laura's life and make it accessible to children. The older I've become the more I appreciate Child of the Silent Night and the impression it had on my childhood."

A farmer and teacher, he lived in Valdosta, Georgia.

[link]

Excerpts:

"........George and Laura Brownell were married on May 19, 1942, and had six children. Mr. Eager was a war hero, having served the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Portland during fierce battles, including the worst night battle of the Pacific at Guadalcanal in November 1942.

From Catch and Release:

Never scratch a zit, kids; it only makes it worse. Boy howdy. No fucking kidding.

Oh, I'm way lucky. I didn't have an embarrassing acne flare-up. Nope, lucky me, I got flesh-eating bacteria—MSRA, the next-gen superbug. It ate my eye and part of my cheekbone. It left behind a mess of bumpy pink scars that twists the corner of my mouth up on one side like I'm a half-finished Joker. But I'm lucky, so I live.

When Polly was in the hospital, she didn't hang out with anyone—not her boyfriend, who dumped her via letter, and not any of her friends, none of whom visited—but the only other person to contract the bacteria and live. Like Polly, Odd Estes didn't escape unscathed: the bacteria took a good part of his left leg. They never talk about any of it, though. They talk about fishing.

A few months after they're released—months that she's spent camped out in front of the television, alternately watching ladies' daytime programming and monster movies—Odd shows up at her house and asks her if she wants to go fishing. She packs stuff for a day trip, and off they go.

But instead of turning around at the end of the day, they just keeping driving. 

And driving.

And driving.

Reading Polly's running commentary will hurt anyone with a modicum of empathy—she hates her new face just as much as she hates strangers for reacting to it—and to make it hurt even more, her voice is immediately believable, and rings clear and true. There's no disconnect: in reading Catch & Release, you're reading Polly's words, not Blythe Woolston's. At least, that's how it feels. 

As easy as it is to understand her prickliness, it's also easy to feel for Odd—who, to be fair, can be massively, amazingly obnoxious—who is often on the receiving end of her biting sarcasm. Because of her "disinclination to enter fully into a meaningful exchange"* she doesn't know why Odd's on this trip, and because she's so wrapped up in her own pain and anger, she doesn't much care, either. And, to be honest, I was so wrapped up in her voice that I didn't really think about his motivations and mindset until I was a good two-thirds of the way through the book.

So, on one hand, reading this book was a little like repeatedly punching myself in the face for two hours. I found it that painful. Polly is angry and hurting and angry some more and hurting some more. But, on the other hand, the last few pages—in which you finally get to hear what Odd thinks—made all of that pain worthwhile, and then going back and reading the first few pages and seeing all of the little details that show how much the roadtrip has chang

Kim Cash Tate really hit the nail on the head in her latest novel, Hope Springs.  In a simple and yet clear way, she shows that change is NEVER easy - and I think many can relate to that - but change in the church can often be even more challenging.  I appreciate the way she tackles this topic and delicately points out just exactly how hard the politics of church can be.   I love the characters in her novel - they are well-developed and you are drawn into the storyline almost immediately. 

Here is what the publisher says about the book:

In a small community where everyone is holding tight to something, the biggest challenge may be learning to let go. Hope Springs, North Carolina, is the epitome of small town life-a place filled with quiet streets, a place where there's not a lot of change. Until three women suddenly find themselves planted there for a season. Janelle hasn't gone back to Hope Springs for family reunions since losing her husband. But when she arrives for Christmas and learns that her grandmother is gravely ill, she decides to extend the stay. It isn't long before she runs into her first love, and feelings that have been dormant for more than a decade are reawakened. Becca is finally on the trajectory she's longed for. Having been in the ministry trenches for years, she's been recruited as the newest speaker of a large Christian women's conference. But her husband feels called to become the pastor of his late father's church in Hope Springs. And Stephanie has the ideal life-married to a doctor in St. Louis with absolutely nothing she has to do. When her cousin Janelle volunteers to stay in Hope Springs and care for their grandmother, she feels strangely compelled to do the same. It's a decision that will forever change her. As these women come together, they soon recognize that healing is needed in their hearts, their families, and their churches. God's plan for them in Hope Springs-is bigger than they ever imagined. Thomas Nelson 2012.

And about the author:

Kim Cash Tate is the author of Cherished, Faithful, Heavenly Places, and the memoir More Christian than African American. A former practicing attorney, she is also the founder of Colored in Christ Ministries. She and Her husband have two children. Connect with Kim: Twitter @KimCashTate and Facebook.

Do not miss this wonderful novel - it would be a super summer beach read!

*I was sent a copy by the publisher for review purposes.

You can read all the online book reviews in the world, but nothing beats real-world conversations between readers and authors. To help our community grow, we will host our second West Coast edition of the Mediabistro Book Club on July 18th at Whiskey Blue in Los Angeles.

Follow this link to RSVP. The free event will feature giveaway books and lots of literary conversation. Our featured authors will include:

Jim Krusoe with Parsifal
Lisa Napoli with Radio Shangri-La
Alix Ohlin with INSIDE
Tere Tereba with Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Our occasional co-blogger CitySmartGirl tipped us off to a fascinating NY Times article on reimagining the covers of some literary classics to make them more appealing to teen readers. The reception, as you might imagine, has been mixed. The... Read the rest of this post

Her website.

Her blog.

Her Twitter feed.

Titles I've written about:

Catch and Release (2012):

Reading Polly's running commentary will hurt anyone with a modicum of empathy—she hates her new face just as much as she hates strangers for reacting to it—and to make it hurt even more, her voice is immediately believable, and rings clear and true. There's no disconnect: in reading Catch & Release, you're reading Polly's words, not Blythe Woolston's.

Egon Schiele was an important figurative painter from Austria. His paintings of people are known for their contorted, expressive poses. The most famous ones include Seated Woman with a Bent Knee and any of the many self-portraits that he created.

Schiele’s teachers recognized his talent at an early age. His uncle, who cared for Egon, sent him to Kunstgewerbeschule, the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna, where Gustav Klimt studied art. Within a year, Egon’s teachers sent him to the more rigorous Akademie der Bildenden Kunste. He studied painting and drawing there, but was frustrated by the school’s old-fashioned approach.

Gustav Klimt took a special interest in Egon. The older artist mentored Schiele, bought his drawings, and introduced him to models and patrons. With his help, Egon had his first art shows. At the 1909 Vienna Kunstschau, he discovered and was inspired by the paintings of Edvward Munch and Vincent Van Gogh.

He left school that year to found the Neukunstgruppe, the New Art Group, with some other dissatisfied classmates. Free to pursue their own interests, Egon painted landscapes, still-lifes, and “tributes to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.” But he was best know for his studies of the human form. His paintings of people focused on sexuality, death, and self-discovery.

Critics called Schiele’s artwork grotesque, pornographic, and disturbing. To escape the “claustrophobic Viennese milieu,” Egon moved to Krumau, a small town in southern Bohemia. The residents disapproved of Schiele’s life style though, and they ran him out of town for hiring teenage girls to model for his paintings.

Schiele moved next to Neulengbach. His studio became a gathering place for delinquent children. His neighbors were angered by his way of life. They accused him of kidnapping and he was arrested for seducing a young girl. A judge dropped those charges, but he found the artist guilty of “exhibiting erotic drawings in a place accessible to children.” In court, the judge burned one of Egon’s drawings over a candle flame. While in jail, Schiele created 12 paintings depicting the discomfort of a prison.

Soon after, Egon moved to the Viennese suburb where he met his future wife, Edith. Three days after their wedding, he was drafted into World War I. The officers respected his artistic talent. He never saw any fighting, and he was allowed to paint and draw while guarding prisoners of war.

When he returned from war, Schiele’s work “reflected the maturity of an artist in full command of his talents.” Fifty of his pieces were accepted for the Secession’s 49th exhibition in Vienna. He designed a poster for the show, and was offered his own exhibitions in Zurich, Prague, and Dresden. Thanks to their success, the price for Egon’s work increased and he received many requests for portraits.

Later that year though, the Spanish flu reached Vienna. It killed Edith Schiele when she was six months pregnant. Egon died three days later. His final works were sketches of his wife.

The Egon Schiele Museum is located in Tulln, Austria where Schiele was born. A more complete collection of his paintings can be seen in the Leopold Museum, Vienna. There is even a Schiele museum in Krumau, the small Bohemian city where Egon was run out of town. You can see his work and learn more about him at egon-schiele.net.

At the NY Times:

The fact that at the moment the distinction is being made, a young adult, as opposed to an adult, is the one reading it. In other words, I don’t entirely believe in the distinction. A great book is a great book, and it’s impossible to say what part of a person is going to connect to it. Age and experience aren’t always among the most relevant factors.

Personally, I think the distinction lies more in the marketing than in who's reading it. And that in YA, the characters are usually teenagers who are dealing with a lot of the Big Life Stuff for the first time (first heartbreak, first death, first betrayal, first murder investigation, etc...), but as we all know, YA does seem to be defined differently by pretty much everyone you ask.

For me, I don't care what the book is labelled, as long as it's good. (Which, actually, Cashore says earlier on in the interview.)

Amazon is on the hunt for a detail-oriented traffic manager to join its Kindle marketing team in Seattle, Wash.

In this role, you’ll manage the production of Kindle’s advertising materials, marketing materials, retail displays and signage around the world. This is a new role within the division, so you’ll have the unique opportunity to establish processes and workflow so that assets are delivered on time and on budget. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

YA author Nina LaCour wants to create an independent film adaptation of her award-winning debut novel, Hold Still. LaCour teamed up with director Amanda Krampf and cinematographer Kristyn Stroble to raise $17,000 on Kickstarter to fund the production costs.

Above, we’ve embedded a video about the project–what do you think?

Here’s more about the project: “The money will allow us to hire a skilled production sound mixer and a boom operator; rent lighting equipment and supplemental camera equipment; build sets; and feed our cast and crew…We’ll post updates frequently with extended cast interviews and announcements when we have exciting developments to share, so we hope you’ll drop by from time to time!”

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.