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By: Bowie Style,
on 7/19/2012
for many uk children today is the last day of school before the summer holidays. this of course means the shops are full of cards featuring the sentiment 'thank you teacher'. here are a few i managed to capture. above an below are from paperchase. below several designs snapped in tesco. and below a small selection from marks & spencer.
By: Bowie Style,
on 7/19/2012
these lampshades are the result of a a new collaboration between textile designer shannon adolph of coucou salut - and interior designer lia fagan of mod pieces. the designers say they joined forces and talents to help "rid the world of poorly designed, low-quality and mass-produced home décor". after months of brainstorming, planning, and designing, they have set out to create a sustainable,
By: Tara Chang,
on 7/19/2012
By: Adventures in YA Publishing,
on 7/19/2012
THIS WEEK'S GIVEAWAY
To enter this week's giveaway, please complete the form at the bottom of the page. (If you already commented on the Skylark post on Tuesday, your name is already automatically entered for that book only.) We'll announce the winners on 7/27, so please enter by midnight on 7/26. U.S. and Canadian entries only, please!
Sixteen year-old Lark Ainsley has never seen the sky.
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By: Dain Fagerholm,
on 7/19/2012
Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Assault | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network
Posted on 7/19/2012
At his La république des livres weblog Pierre Assouline reports on L'angoisse de Milan Kundera -- the anguish of Milan Kundera -- quoting at length from a recent speech Kundera gave when he accepted the Prix de la BnF (the French national library) a few weeks ago.
Kundera said:
C’est à cause de cette angoisse que, depuis plusieurs années déjà, j’ajoute à tous mes contrats, partout, une clause stipulant que mes romans ne peuvent être publiés que sous la forme traditionnelle du livre.I.e. for several years, he's insisted on a clause in his contracts stipulating that his books only appear in 'traditional' (i.e. printed) form -- no e-book versions. And, indeed, you won't find any Kundera titles on Kindle (etc.).
Posted on 7/19/2012
The British Library has announced a major project:
Its plans will digitise more than 500,000 pages from the archives of the East India Company and India Office, in addition to 25,000 pages of medieval Arabic manuscripts -- all of which will be made freely available online for the first time.See the official press release, Transforming our understanding of Middle Eastern history: The British Library and Qatar Foundation unveil project to digitise half a million pages of archive material.
Posted on 7/19/2012
In The Japan Daily Press Adam Westlake reports that 2 female authors win prestigious Akutagawa, Naoki literature awards, as:
Two female authors in Japan have each won one of Japan's honored literary prizes. The 147th Akutagawa Prize, given to up-and-coming fiction authors, was received by Maki Kashimada for her story Meido Meguri ("Touring the land of the dead"). Mizuki Tsujimura, writer of Kagi no Nai Yume o Miru ("Having a dream without a key"), was the 147th recipient of the Naoki Prize, awarded to semi-recognized fiction writers.Add a Comment
Posted on 7/19/2012
This is the kind of story I only mention because of its sheer ridiculousness: in the Egypt Independent Amir Zaky reports that A young Egyptian writer retires, as:
Kareem al-Sayyad, a 31-year old Egyptian writer, recently announced his retirement through a Facebook event, saying that he would devote himself to studying music and proceeding with his academic career.The idea of 'retiring' at thirty-one from something like writing (via Facebook announcement, no less ...) suggests a basic misunderstanding of what being a 'writer' is. For al-Sayyad, being a writer was apparently not about writing but about being a (public) writer -- a role, or job, like any other.
Sayyad says, "The current state of the literary scene is very regressive. It depends on compliments and personal relations, and in the end you find yourself writing for your friends." This, as well as personal reasons, was behind his early retirement.What's wrong with writing for your friends ? Or yourself ? Or no one ? Who cares about the 'literary scene' ?
Posted on 7/19/2012
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Philippe Claudel's The Investigation, just out in the US.
MacLehose Press is bringing this out in the UK next year -- and, of course, the big question is whether they will use the same title as the US edition does; US and UK publishers were unable to agree on titles for Claudel's two previous works to be translated ......
(Given that this is the third book with this title under review at the complete review -- there's also the novel by Juan José Saer and the play by Peter Weiss) I have my doubts .....)
By: Kathy Temean,
on 7/19/2012
You still have a few days to submit you first page picture prompt for agent Sean McCarthy from Sheldon Fogelman Agency to critique.
Illustrators: No one has sent anything for me to show off. Was “Out of this World” to hard? Heck, any animal doing human things could be considered “Out of this World”. I hope you will send something in, because it give you a chance to be seen and everyone loves the artwork.
A little bit about Sean McCarthy: He is drawn to flawed, multi-faceted characters with devastatingly concise writing in YA, and boy-friendly mysteries or adventures in MG. In picture books, he looks more for unforgettable characters, off-beat humor, and especially clever endings. He is actively looking for new clients, but he is not currently interested in high fantasy, message-driven stories, historical fiction or query letters that pose too many questions.
Here is the prompt for July:
Brian Bowes was featured this year on Illustrator Saturday. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/illustrator-saturday-brian-bowes/ I think all of Brian’s illustrations could tell lots of stories, so I think you will have fun writing for this one. You can see more of Brian’s work by visiting his website: www.studiobowesart.com
WRITERS: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “July 23rd First Page Prompt” in the subject line.
ILLUSTRATORS: You still have until July 26th to submit an illustration for June. I’m looking for illustrations that are “Out of this world”. I am going to let you interpret that and use your imagination. So show off a little and send it something for July. I will post the illustrations as they come in during the month, but I will definitely post all by July 31st. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and include a blurb about yourself and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “June Illustration” in the subject box.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Kik is kind of at a hard stage. She's too big for a lot of her old toys, but not old enough for lots more. Because of this she's turned into a bit of a gamer. She'll switch between the ds and computer, but she loves technology.
The Silverlicious Nintendo DS Game by Game-Mill would make a perfect gift for any young girl gamer.
right now for just $8.99.
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By: Cindy Jefferies,
on 7/19/2012
I wanted something special for the end of a novel. I've been researching and writing this particular one on and off for over five years. I was pretty clear about how I wanted it to finish so far as the plot went. But there was one particular character who needed a special send off, and I hadn't nailed it. 
a pillar in 1643 by an imprisoned soldier. "Be bold, be bold but not too bold." He must have been feeling pretty sorry for himself, locked up in the church at the end of a battle, not knowing what his fate might be. 
By: Melinda Palacio,
on 7/19/2012
By: Kim Baccellia,
on 7/19/2012
1. Finished reading: 
This is a novel based on the MTV summer series TEEN WOLF.
What I really love about this novel has to be Scott's best friend Stiles. Unlike some of the ADHD stereotypes and 'labels' out there, Stiles is smart, loyal, and helps Scott in all the problems that comes from being a werewolf.
Kuddo to Nancy Holder!
My YA Books Central review:
http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/12874-on-fire
2. Right now reading this:
First off, love the voice. Garsee gives a very real portrayal of a bipolar teen. I know as I grew up with a bipolar father. Add an urban legend and a ghost. You know I'm hooked.
YA Books Central Review coming soon!
3. Also reading this:
I picked up this galley at ALA from Lee and Low. Let's just say I'm really enjoying these multicultural short stories. It's so nice to read tales based in worlds with different cultures. So far one of my favorite ones is THE LAST DAY by Ellen Oh. The story reminded me so much of the stories my uncles would share about their experiences during WW2. My uncle Alden served in the Philippines and witnessed the mushroom after we bombed Japan. Though the THE LAST DAY is based in a futuristic world, I couldn't help but think of what the Japanese must have gone through after we nuked them. The images and writing in THE LAST DAY are haunting.
YA BOOK CENTRAL review coming soon!
4. Will be part of a blog tour for this book next week:![Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt[5]](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/kbaccellia/9728973/356006/original.jpg "Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt[5]")
5. Latest Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book:
And finally, another YA anthology:
TWO AND TWENTY DARK TALES is available on Netgalley right now. This is a collection of short stories based on Mother Goose rhymes with a dark twist.
**Guilty pleasure:
Plan to have hair cut/color tomorrow. Going to another hair salon since MIL now goes to my former one every Saturday. I want to go somewhere that is a little hipper. Plus I think it's time for a change.
Not ready yet for short hair. I want something to soften my round features.
More layers like this.
Plus thinking I want to try a more brown/red color this time:
I know! Choices, choices!
By: Inspired Kathy,
on 7/19/2012
By: Sonja C.,
on 7/19/2012
Jennette McCurdy iCarly Interview
You know Jennette McCurdy as Sam on iCarly, the one who kidnapped Zayn in that awesome episode with One Direction. Sadly, this is the last season of iCarly, so after November, we will have survive with only reruns. We got to talk to Jennette to find out what her life outside the show is like.
Q: How has Sam has changed over the years?
Jennette: Sam has become more witty than snarky over the years.
Q: Do you have an all-time favorite episode or favorite guest star?
Jennette: My favorite episodes have been “iTwins,” “iWas a Pageant Girl,” and “iGo to Japan” and Jimmy Fallon was my favorite guest star!
[Sonja: Wait. Not One Direction?? How is that possible?]
Q:
Is there a book you are looking forward to reading this summer?
Jennette: I'm reading a book called A Brief History of Everything. My former on-set school teacher gave it to me, and I am really enjoying it so far. Reading keeps my brain alert and patient. It helps improve my focus and makes me feel smarter, which is always nice.
Q:
What books influenced your life to make you who you are today?
Jennette: The five books that have influenced my life are Oh, the Places You'll Go!, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Little Engine That Could, A Child Called ‘It’, and Harry Potter.
Q: What flavor of ice cream you would invent and what would you name it?
Jennette: Calorie-less cookies and cream . . . “The Stacks” Website.
Q: What is one thing you wish everyone would do to make the world a better place?
Jennette: Smile more. Don't sweat the small stuff. (Myself included.)
Q: What is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
Jennette: I was hanging at a water park for two hours and my shorts were see-through. Yowzas!
Q:
What food could you not live without?
Jennette: Apples and ice cream.
Q: What is your favorite song?
Jennette: My favorite song right now is “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry.
Q:
What would a perfect day include?
Jennette: The perfect day would include watching movies, seeing a live comedy show, getting in a good workout, going for a cup of coffee with a friend, reading, and dreaming.
Q: Do you have a personal motto or favorite quote?
Jennette: My personal mottos is, “When life hands you lemons, make lemo
By: John Blackford,
on 7/19/2012
By: Guest Contributor,
on 7/19/2012
This fall I am going into my fourth year of the American Girl Book Club for seven to ten year olds. The program is about forty five minutes. It is separated into 3 parts: discussion and snack, creation of project, and clean up. When the child signs up they are given a book and bookmark with a picture of the main character, date and time. They have approximately a month to read the book and return it for the program. I own a few copies of some, though mostly I use Interlibrary Loan to get the majority of the books. There is a wide range of books which is extremely helpful because they are about diverse people and subjects. There are no dolls allowed in the program and the children are told this at sign-up. The reason: all girls are American Girls and everyone should feel welcome. The name gets them interested, but I feel the stories and activities keep them coming back.
The children eat their snacks of brownies or cookies and juice as soon as they arrive. (When they sign up I ask about food allergies and buy accordingly.) From a prepared list of questions that I make after reading the book, I ask the children about the stories. It seems to me almost every child reads the book. Our discussions are amazing. They answer the questions with intelligence and understanding of the situations occurring. In most cases they are eager to answer, but patiently let others speak. This is especially wonderful to see in shy children who get the full support of their peers. The subject matter in many of these books is not light reading. They deal with death, slavery, prejudice, survival, and even war. I never call on anyone who does not raise their hands though most of them go up. I learn something new from every group.
For the creation of the project, I look at what is happening in the story for my inspiration. I research the time periods and events that are happening in the books to tie the projects in with them.
I love the sites the Crafty Crow, that Artist Woman, and use my Pinterest board for other ideas. I test out my ideas before the program to make sure I have the right supplies and that the project actually comes out the way I have planned. A simple log house out of craft sticks for Kirsten was such a mess that it turned into a lovely frame. After the example is done, I take a photo of it with my iPhone, email it to myself then type out the instructions and add the photo. Sometimes I do this step by step and others just the finished project.
The kids love to get messy, therefore glue, glitter and jewels are often a part of what we make. I never know who has previous experience with the materials so sometimes it is challenge when only one girl can thread a needle. That is why my perfect group is twelve children, but I try to take fift
By: Betsy Bird,
on 7/19/2012
What is the ultimate goal of the picture book import? When someone takes the time to bring over and translate a work for children, they’re expecting that book to be able to say something universal. They want the book to be enjoyable to child readers regardless of nationality, which, when you sit down and think about it, is a pretty lofty goal. Yet this year I’ve been seeing some absolutely amazing translations in America for kids. From the Colombian Jimmy the Greatest to the Norwegian John Jensen Feels Different to the French My Dad Is Big and Strong, But . . . this has been an amazing year for international children’s literature. Now Spain enters the ring with La Coleccionista de Palabras or The Word Collector. A heady infusion of striking images and playful content, author/illustrator Sonja Wimmer brings us a fantastical tale that has something to say to us today, yesterday, and tomorrow as well.
What do you collect? Coins? Stamps? Stickers? Have you ever considered collecting words? Luna, the heroine of this little tale, does exactly that and the job fills her days. Whether they’re magic words or delicious words or humble words, pretty much if they are words she is interested. The trouble only comes the day that Luna reels in her nets to find just a paltry smattering of words, hardly enough to satisfy. It seems the people of the word just aren’t using the beautiful words out there anymore. So what’s a girl to do when the world grows forgetful? She packs her suitcase with every word in her arsenal and sets off to right a great wrong, that’s what.
This is not a book for lazy people. It demands that you work at it. You can’t just sit back and have the text come to you as you flip through the pages. Some spreads seem fairly straightforward with the words traveling in a single straight line. Other times I felt like I was reading Bob Raczka’s Lemonade again, picking out the words and sentences where I could find them. Your first indication that this isn’t the usual fare comes on the fourth or fifth pages of the story. After reading that there was a girl named Luna who lived in the sky we encounter this luminous (most of the pages are luminous, by the way) image of a red haired child Madonna of sorts staring into a glass container of softly glowing letters like a kid with a firefly jar. When I first encountered
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By: Christina Crowther,
on 7/19/2012
By Allel Kheroufi
This is actually a play, in four parts, and it’s for children.
I enjoyed reading this play- picturing it done by young children, about the little duck Homer who just wants to fly to the sun.
~I was provided with a free review copy of this play.~
I have to admit, it was a bit redundant. It seemed like, especially in act II, when the elements were attacking Homer, that it was all just the same thing over and over.
And while I’m being critical, I didn’t feel like the character of Homer was developed very well… I suppose the actor and director could work on that, but they’d have to be very imaginative, because there just isn’t much to work with.
However, on the positive side, I would love to see this play done. I think the children who were in it, would have a blast, and I think it would be a very cute play!
Most of the characters are pretty mean to Homer, which always seems to bother me a bit in stories…. but there are a few who develop sympathy for him. And there are also a few young birds who follow Homer’s example and want to be like him, and achieve great things like he does.
I will admit, I felt like the author tried a little too hard to press into my mind the fact that children can do whatever they set their minds to. Maybe I’m a grump, but at times I felt like the mother goose and mother hen who said that Homer needed to be stopped. That he was filling their children’s heads with nonsensical dreams. (yeah, I must be a grump.)
Cute play. I’d love to see it done. But, I wouldn’t recommend it for reading. Sorry folks. It just wasn’t that well written.
IWant to Fly by AllelKheroufi
ISBN:978-1-4327-8007-4
Publisher:Outskirts Press
Dateof publish: March 2012
Pages:201
S.R.P.:$12.95
By: admin,
on 7/19/2012
The deer at Lake Guntersville State Park come out at dusk and wander near the road. I hung out of the car window to get these photos and could almost touch the creatures with my hands.
By: John,
on 7/19/2012
Bill Fick is a personal favorite artist of mine, and a good guy and good friend to boot. Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies sat down with him to talk about the monsters in his work. Bonus: watch Bill carve a big gooey linoleum-block head.
(via Controlling the Monster)
By: ADK,
on 7/19/2012
Welcome!
Thanks for visiting my site. I appreciate your interest in my work. If you have questions regarding my books or stories, please feel free to send me a message. I enjoy hearing from you, and I’ll respond as soon as possible.
Happy reading!
Artie
Latest News
Artie’s children’s book Living Green: A Turtle’s Quest for a Cleaner Planet is now available as a free video for kids through StoryCub. A shortlist finalist for the national 2012 Green Earth Book Award, Thurman the turtle is tired of seeing the land he loves cluttered with trash and decides to take action.
To watch the Living Green video and many other books on StoryCub.org, please click on the cover below. StoryCub videos are one of the most watched programs on Apple’s iTunes Kids & Family section.
COPYRIGHT © 2012 ARTIE KNAPP
Use of any of the content on this website without permission is prohibited by federal law
By: Genevieve Tucker,
on 7/19/2012
According to Helena Nelson of Happenstance Poetry Pamphlets, purveyors of cakes and publishers of poetry have a great deal in common.
This is a clever little satire that grows on you very satisfactorily and delivers some fine jabs around the middle:
You spend more and more time advertising. You need to get new customers into the shop somehow. It’s hard work though, and several things happen.
1. You turn down nearly all the offers of new products. You really do have enough cake to be going on with. The wouldbe bakers are hurt. They take the rejection personally. They stop buying things in your shop.
2. You hardly ever bake yourself: you haven’t the energy. Besides, you’re surrounded by cake. Why bake more?
Have a browse of the catalogue while you're there. Link via the dumbfoundry blog.
Add a Comment
Congrats to all the winners. That was an awesome giveaway last week. I'm really excited to read Meagan's book and Endlessly.
Wow - what a lovely surprise! I've wanted to read Extraordinary! Thanks so much!
Your description of Skylark makes me think that it's Fern Gully for someone my age. Way, way excited! Would love to read it.
A great selection of books! Several are on my list to read. Thanks for this giveaway!
I have been looking out for Endlessly for a while!
Gratz to all the winners!
Great book choices - I added both to my list to read (which is now big enough to use as a tarp to shade my entire county from the summer sun...)
I'm excited to read ENDLESSLY!! Love this post!
Congrats!!!
I can't wait to read Endlessly...and Something Strange and Deadly was such a good read!!
These all sound great. Thanks for keeping me up on what's out there!
Wow. So many new good books every week. Great stuff.
Thanks for the awesome giveaway. Lots of great books. Tore923@aol.com
Great giveaway!! Always love your posts :-)
So many books! I'm thrilled to read them all! =D
I've been wondering what 'Skylark' was about. I had trouble finding a synopsis.
Thanks Buddy For New Collection Of Books, I Was Waiting For All These.
Some interesting stuff here to add to my to-read list!
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