Take Ernest Hemingway’s infamous short story: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” When I read this the first time, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a sentence that had been cut from one of his novels, or a rushed scribble on a napkin intended as the starting point for another. Mostly, though, I wondered if the first draft had been seven words. Or seventeen. Do we say more when we say less? 

On Monday, June 11, 2012, @HarperCollinsCa launched a new campaign aimed at the reading public called Summer Passport. It’s being described as ”your destination for the greatest globe-trotting book vacation.” Each week all summer long, HarperCollins Canada will “visit a different part of the world through summer reads, delicious recipes, fun contests and book giveaways [and] exclusive content from authors.”

The first stop on this reading adventure is a country I’ve always wanted visit: Italy. HarperCollins has concocted the following trio of books for your reading pleasure:

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying.

 Juliet by Anne Fortier

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse — “A plague on both your houses!” — is still at work, and that she is the next target.

Made in Italy by David Rocco

Lush, gorgeous and completely engaging, Made in Italy takes up where Dolce Vitaleft off, giving us a full-on appreciation of all things Italian. Food and style go hand in hand in David Rocco’s world, be it in his television series or his cookbooks, andMade in Italy is no exception. Gorgeous location photography puts the reader right into the scene, offering atmosphere to die for.

If you love nature, chances are you’re familiar with Graeme Gibson. The author known for The Bedside Book of Beasts: A Wildlife Miscellany and The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany. Well, do I have a treat for you!

To celebrate 50 years of conservation, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the country’s largest national land conservation organization, is giving away an autographed pair. The contest runs until Friday, June 22, 2012. So, head on over to complete the form and while you’re there check out Teva Harrison’s World Turtle Day adventure.

I present a passage from HarperCollins‘ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

“This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience—Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.”

“Atticus, you must be wrong. . . .”

“How’s that?”

“Well, most folks seem to think they’re right and you’re wrong. . . .”

“They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions,” said Atticus, “but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

On Friday, May 18, 2012, Jason Koebler of the U.S. News & World Report published an article entitled “Is It Time To Rate Young Adult Books for Mature Content?” The premise of the piece is Sarah Coyne’s insistence that young adult books come with a content warning.

I see not one, but four problems with implementing a rating system. Firstly, books have always been a safe haven for young readers. In the pages of a book they are free “to explore edgier, sensitive, or complicated topics” without judgement. If books are taken away, young people have lost a valuable platform that can help them better understand themselves and the world around them.

Secondly, whose going to decide what is and isn’t appropriate reading material for teenagers. What makes a “nebulous organization” more qualified than your child or you? What criteria are they going to base their decisions on? Is the reading public going to be able to question their decisions?

Thirdly, are librarians now going to be called upon to enforce this system? If so, how? Will students be required to provide some form of identification every time he or she wants to take out a book?

Finally, and most importantly, a rating system is a form of censorship. How is it any different from banning a book? The truth is, it isn’t.

A book on a shelf is meaningless if a reader can’t actually read it.

On Friday, May 4, 2012, @HarperCollinsCa posted this tweet to its followers: “We’re heading into a planning meeting. Help us out, what makes you take a chance on a new author/book?” Obviously, the first things that come to mind are the cover and the title; however, neither one factors heavily for me. Instead, I rely on the tag line, synopsis and buzz in my decision-making process.

The tag line is an art form that’s incredibly difficult to master. Why? Because you have to sum up an entire novel in a phrase of no more then ten words. A single line that must illustrate the mood and tone flawlessly. A line that has to make you want to read. One of the best tag lines I’ve come across this year comes from This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel: The purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions. Dark and intense, just like the story of Victor Frankenstein and his Monster. Now that is a home run.

My next book is A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash. I chose this book because of the following line that appears as part of the book’s synopsis: “A Land More Kind Than Home is a modern masterwork of Southern fiction—one that is likely to be held in the same enduring esteem as such American classics as To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and A Separate Peace.” To say that I adore Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an understatement. In fact, Atticus Finch is the best literary character ever written. I’m inclined to read A Land More Kind Than Home just to see if it’s worthy of such a generous accolade.

Any author and publisher will tell you that reader buzz is invaluable when it comes to selling a book. Nothing trumps word-of-mouth. Earlier this year, readers were talking about The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll. For weeks I heard praise after praise for this book that I knew nothing about. I finally decided to see what all the hype was about. I’m glad I did. Like I sa

I can still remember the first time I read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The cover is what caught my eye. I just couldn’t pass up a monster sleeping on the beach. As I read the book, everything about it was larger than life: From Max’s imagination to the Wild Things themselves. Years later I realized that Sendak’s masterpiece gave me permission to be fearless. He encouraged me to be me. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Maurice Sendak 1928 — 2012

If you want to learn more about the man, the author and the illustrator or simply want to stroll down memory lane, take some time to read the following articles and interviews:

Inside Maurice Sendak’s Infinitely Creative and Idiosyncratic Mind by Brain Pickings

Maurice Sendak, author of ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ dead at 83 by The Globe and Mail

Maurice Sendak, Children’s Author Who Upended Tradition, Dies at 83 by The New York Times

Maurice Sendak: On Life, Death and Children’s Lit by NPR Books

Over the past several months I have been come across some truly incredible advertising campaigns. The aim of each one is to encourage people — young and old — to read. I’ve been so impressed that I couldn’t miss the opportunity to highlight their creativity.

1. Milwaukee Public Library

Milwaukee Public Library

2. Colsubsidio Book Exchange

Come With A Story and Leave With Another: Harry Potter and …

3. Reading Is Fundamental

4. Burning Through Pages

These Are Your Kids On Books

I applaud the minds behind these campaigns for thinking outside of the box. I can’t bring myself to pick a favourite: It’s a tie between Colsubsidio Book Exchange and Burning Through Pages. I love their simplistic approach. How about you? Do you have a favourite?