Bitchin' Blog Posts
: Npr
February 20, 2012 | Monday | 35 Comments
The sessions I scheduled for myself at Tools of Change focused on libraries, readers, and data, particularly data about readers. I still get the sense that many of the biggest publishers are still shifting in their recognition of the reader (all of us contentious folks who don't agree with each other but want to be heard) as their main customer base. So I wanted to hear the data from Bowker about readership and how folks are reading, and I was determined to go to the session from Goodreads CEO and Founder Otis Chandler. Unfortunately, there were sessions that were misleadingly…
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January 10, 2011 | Monday | 72 Comments
Last night I bumped into a tweet from Linda Holmes at NPR Monkey See about a PBS miniseries that was about to start. So I changed the channel. OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS. Downton Abbey is delicious television! If you’re a historical romance fan, or a historical drama fan, or you really like opulent British houses or early 20th century costumes, or outstanding acting, do yourself a favor and tune in. Some folks speaking with me last night were irate that the broadcast was allegedly edited for the US audience. According to this article/interview, the original series was edited to…
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June 21, 2010 | Monday | 35 Comments
Thursday 17 June I attended The Big Money’s “Untethered” conference, all about publishing in the tablet era (0_o). As predicted, it was high in unintentional comedy, with some sessions that I hope are made available online for their unparalleled awesomeness. Be warned: this entry is HELLA LONG but the sections about NPR (awesome) and the device panel where folks were dismissive of the consumer who asked a question about ebook pricing (me) are probably the juicy parts if you want to skip ahead. Don Graham, CEO of Washington Post, began the sessions by speaking from the perspective of a reader…
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March 06, 2010 | Saturday | 42 Comments
This week, over at Miller-McCune, results of a study were published that examined the title hook words of romance novels from Harlequin: Coming from an evolutionary psychology perspective, they hypothesized these titles would reflect mating preferences that have evolved over the millennia — specifically, a desire for a long-term relationship with a physically fit, financially secure man who will provide the resources needed to successfully raise a family. You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m shocked. I’m Googling the word “agog” to see how I can best modify my facial expression to accommodate the definition. Linda Holmes from NPR’s Monkey…
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January 04, 2010 | Monday | 55 Comments
I think it’s impossible to accurately determine HOW one influence has changed something WHILE that change is still ongoing. So while articles that attempt to determine how ebooks and digital connective technology have or will changed reading are interesting, such as this NPR article about digital reading and how it has changed reading and writing, I tend to read them with a very sizable grain of salt. (Thanks to Christine D. for the link.) NPR’s article looks at the extra content and links inside digital books (which I don’t often see in the digital books I’m reading) and the phenomenon…
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December 30, 2009 | Wednesday | 39 Comments
Earlier today, DataDiva forwarded me a link that nearly knocked me over. I’m still a little dumbstruck by it, and went around and around about linking to it here because, well, you should see how much I turn red at a compliment. It’s kind of scary. I look like I’m about to explode. The ever-awesome Linda Holmes of NPR.org’s Monkey See blog named me as one of her Top Ten Favorite Pop-Culture Humans of 2009. With Neil Patrick Harris. And Jane Lynch. And Craig Ferguson. Sweet Holy Donuts, I’m next to Drew Barrymore. That alone makes me shiver with glee…
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June 20, 2009 | Saturday | 5 Comments
First, thanks to Barb Ferrer: People Magazine’s hottest bachelors issue is out, and Ferrer reports that “one of the mini-features is bachelors dressed up and recreating traditional romance novel covers.” Judging from Brody Jenner’s picture, they’ve got it 40% correct. Mullet? No! Shirt open and still tucked in? Yes, but on technicality- the shirt is unlaced. Sword of dubious significance? NO! And the wind appears to be emerging from only one direction. Her dress is damn good though. I think that’s the same gown from the cover of The Luxe. Kiplinger.com has a list of 10 Quirky Econimic Indicators that…
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June 03, 2009 | Wednesday | 10 Comments
NPR has taken a look at romance again - this time in a profile of Elsie Washington, one of the very first authors of Black romance. You can click the “listen now” link at the top to hear the whole report. Thanks to Sara Nelson & Jessica Arant for the link. Hooray! The Harlequin Art Show has received coverage on CNN, which is awesome, and there’s more from curator Elizabeth Semmelhack: “I pawed through literally thousands of paintings,” curator Elizabeth Semmelhack said, adding that she saw apparent shifts in women’s historical desires began to emerge. “Rather than being retardataire [outdated],…
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May 20, 2009 | Wednesday | 53 Comments
Back in March, Candy and I were interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered, and oh, what a glorious thing. “Magic Hoo Hoo” and “heteronormativity” were said within moments of each other - on NPR? Win. The producer of the show that day, a marvelously savvy woman named Petra, is a romance fan, but alas, the host, Rebecca Roberts had never read a romance novel, and wasn’t sure what to think of them - aside from all the negative stereotypical things one usually hears about romances. When Candy and I recommended a few during the course of the interview, we weren’t…
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April 10, 2009 | Friday | 17 Comments
Heads up! Our interview with NPR’s All Things Considered will air tomorrow, Saturday 11 April. Local airtimes vary but you can find your local NPR station and check their schedule as to when it’ll air. The interview was over 30 minutes long but I know we’re being edited down to about five or six minutes. I hope the good parts air but who knows? I do know that the sound technician with me in Connecticut was laughing, and the sound engineer with Candy out in Oregon gave up his plans to read a book while we taped and listened in…
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