Bitchin' Blog Posts
: Libraries
February 16, 2012 | Thursday | 19 Comments
I have mixed reactions to Tools of Change 2012. One one hand, I attended several sessions that were flush with the data, the graphs, the charts, the multiple interpretations of the data, and the exploration of who exactly is reading books, what they're reading, and how and on what they're reading. There were sessions I followed via Twitter that I wish I could have gone to, about reading platforms and new ways to sell or promote books. And, alas, there were sessions that were thinly-veiled promotional opportunities. This could easily be a huge entry, but I'm going to break it…
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November 24, 2011 | Thursday | 20 Comments
Back in May, inspired by this rant from librarian Censored Genius,I created a set of shirts perfect for badass librarians, including one that reads, I'm the Fucking Librarian, Motherfucker. When I created the shirts, I promised to donate the proceeds to the American Library Association. I also greatly underestimated the allure of a t-shirt for badass librarians. After doing some careful math and rounding up, I'm firing off a donation for $110.00 to the American Library Association in your honor. It's Thanksgiving, so time for the typical squishy message of thanks and gratitude. I'm enormously thankful this year for librarians,…
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November 21, 2011 | Monday | 46 Comments
As reported on Twitter and on Dear Author, Penguin has removed lending capabilites from its digital library for the Kindle. In other words, no digital lending for Kindle - and, per a statement at Library Journal, no new books will be available for digital lending, either. Overdrive's statement on their site reads in part: In the interim, OverDrive was instructed to suspend availability of new Penguin eBook titles from our library catalog and disable “Get for Kindle” functionality for all Penguin eBooks. That now makes four out of six publishers who do not allow lending of digital titles: Penguin, Hachette,…
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October 06, 2011 | Thursday | 8 Comments
I love the internet. There’s always something going on. First: I’m over at Kirkus talking about the impetus for the giveaway this week. Or, in other language, why I am often at a loss when talking about my own book but am very eager to talk about everyone else’s! I love talking about other people’s books. I can tell you 56 reasons why Jill Shalvis’ upcoming book Head Over Heels (Grand Central, November 2011) worked for me. I can explain in staggering detail why I adore the novels of Sarah Morgan and think everyone should try one—if only to interrupt…
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September 13, 2011 | Tuesday | 19 Comments
Good morning! This post is all about the book I wrote that is coming out 4 October, and where you can pre-order a copy, should you be so inclined. Why Should I Preorder This Book? Well, if you’re at all curious and are on the fence, let me tell you something about EIKAL. I am so proud of this book. I know every author is proud of her books (at least, I hope so) but I am so very, very proud of this one, and I will tell you why. This book is much more than just me talking about…
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May 05, 2011 | Thursday | 33 Comments
I was invited to present a session on romance collections and romance readers at the Connecticut Library Association conference in Stamford this week, and I learned two key things: 1. I was SO wrong 2. Librarians are even more awesome than I thought I figured that at a state-wide conference of librarians from all different types of libraries, which are STAID and QUIET and INSTITUTIONS of QUIET STAID BOOKISHNESS, I had to be formal. I NEEDED PIE CHARTS. And graphs! And sexy numbers with decimal points when talking about romance. Note above: I was SO wrong. Much like romance readers…
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April 29, 2011 | Friday | 39 Comments
Monday I am going to speak about romance at the Connecticut Library Association conference. My session goals are to both talk about romance to librarians who may be leery or misinformed about it, and to also highlight some excellent books to have in a library collection and share ways to welcome romance readers into libraries. I’m also going to talk about what avid, rabid readers we are, and how much we love libraries with solid romance collections (I just got tingly goosebumps writing that, thinking of all the shelves of romance novels at my local library growing up). I have…
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April 20, 2011 | Wednesday | 43 Comments
I had a feeling this would come eventually: Amazon announces library lending for the Kindle. Over 11,000 libraries are going to be linked to the Kindle universe “later this year” and according to the press release: Customers will be able to check out a Kindle book from their local library and start reading on any Kindle device or free Kindle app for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone. If a Kindle book is checked out again or that book is purchased from Amazon, all of a customer’s annotations and bookmarks will be preserved. “We’re doing…
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March 16, 2011 | Wednesday | 38 Comments
Katie has a different spin on the HaBO but I figured this was SO insane I’d post it to see if anyone knew where she could find a copy. So, this HaBO comes by way of my aunt, who recently got hooked on a series of novels (and when I say series, I mean there are 40 books) called the Saga of the Phenwick women. These are paperbacks, billed as Gothic Romance. After a little Googling, I determined they were actually written by a man (John Kimbro) who adopted a nom de plume for the Phenwick books (Kathryn Kimbrough). They…
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March 04, 2011 | Friday | 34 Comments
From reader Gry, a link to this marvelous video from Pioneer Library Systems’ Virtual Library, which shows off what more than 26 checkouts looks like in a physical book. My favorite part: Harper Collins offers a lifetime guarantee of their copy of Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline.” Mmmmmmm. Irony. This video is long, but I learned from it, particularly what types of damage librarians consider easily fixable. Link to the video? Right here. You can read their Open Letter from the Pioneer Library System to HarperCollins about their decision to limit check outs of digital books to 26, and requiring additional purchase…
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March 02, 2011 | Wednesday | 61 Comments
On Twitter I recently asked the following question: “If you could buy digital books in a physical bookstore, would you shop there?” I asked because I saw a eReads article about digital book kiosks in physical bookstores, an idea I would LOVE to see. I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about how I shop for books, what I look for when I go buy a book, and I realized, I seek a specific title when I go make a purchase. I haven’t browsed a romance section in a bookstore in a very, very long time. Yet I have a…
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February 03, 2011 | Thursday | 67 Comments
Here’s some sad, sad Pac-Mans, to quote Stephanie Leary. VIDA posted their count of major publications, their reviewers by gender, and their reviews by gender of the author. Oh, that is one hurtin’ Pac Man collection right there. The New York Times book review pages feature books by men twice as much as books by women, while The New Yorker features books by men four times as much as books by women. I knew it was bad but oh, holy night, that just dropped my jaw. VIDA is ready to “invest our efforts and energy into the radical notion that…
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February 02, 2011 | Wednesday | 122 Comments
So here’s something I never expected from Bitch Magazine. Really. I’m sort of horrified and appalled and wondering if someone over there fell and hit their heads. Bitch posted their 100 YA books for the Feminist Reader list, and of course, like any thing that is (a) a list (b) adorned with the word “feminist” and (c) on the internet, there was lots of discussion. And disagreement. And expressions of disappointment. Some didn’t like that certain books were left off, and some didn’t like the books that were selected, particularly those that were sexually violent or challenging to the reader’s…
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January 26, 2011 | Wednesday | 34 Comments
Day one of the Digital Book World conference was a mix of panels that were so great with the amazing awesome brilliance of the panelists the top of my head nearly blew off, and panels that were so infuriating the top of my head nearly blew off. Let’s start with the CEO panel, since that was in the morning. Brian Napack, President of Macmillan, Jane Friedman, CEO of Open Road Integrated Media, David Steinberger, CEO of Perseus, and Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, were joined by David Nussbam, CEO of F+W Media, to talk around and about digital book…
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September 30, 2010 | Thursday | 48 Comments
Here, have a tour of different awesome things to read on the internet. Links and how to wear them! From Tamara: The NY Times and others are reporting that several libraries in the US, including one in California that wasn’t in too bad of shape, have been taken over by a private company. The outcry is vaguely reported, and the article makes it seem like the major cripping factor is the pensions of the library employees. How much would that suck, by the way? One day you’re a state or city employee with a pension and retirement fund, and the…
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