According to an article in the Washington Examiner, sales of George Orwell’s 1984 on Amazon have risen 126% since the NSA scandal. The latest scandal is the revelation that the NSA have collected millions of phone records of private citizens.
1984 is a dystopian tale taking place in the province of Airship One. The province is in a perpetual state of war, along with government surveillance and public mind control of citizens. Individualism and independent thinking are not allowed.
Read globally about dystopian societies, but buy from your local indie SIBA-member bookstore and keep more revenue in your community.
From GalleyCat:
Designer Abelardo Gonzalez has created OpenDyslexic, a free, open-sourced font that can help people with dyslexia read a book more effectively. You can download The Bible in the font and the ERBrowser now has support for the font so readers can use it online. Check it out: OpenDyslexic is created to help with some of the symptoms of dyslexia.
Read globally, with help from OpenDyslexic, but buy from your local indie SIBA-member bookstore and keep more revenue in your community.
Chris P. Bacon, the tiny pig in a wheelchair, has landed a 3-book deal! A YouTube sensation this year, Chris has been signed by Hay House. His caretakers, Dr. Len Lucero and co-author Kristina Tracy will write the books. The first book comes out this fall, aimed at children aged four through ten years old.
BookExpoAmerica (BEA) was held last week in New York and showed that children’s & YA books are coming in strong for the rest of the year.
This year’s show saw the launches of several new ventures and imprints. It was the first BEA for Ravenstone, a children’s imprint from Rebellion Publishing. “We will publish one title per season that we can really get behind and support,” said Ben Smith; their first title is a middle-grade novel from John Carter Cash, Lupus Rex. Cash is the only son of legendary country music artists, Johnny Cash and June Carter.
Author-turned-publisher Marissa Moss was on hand to talk about the debut of Creston Books, a line of illustrated line distributed by Publishers Group West, debuting this fall with four titles. Moss aims to fill a void she sees in New York-centric publishing by embracing an author-centric model for her picture book-focused list. And Akashic Books unveiled its Black Sheep imprint for teens (“reflecting an offbeat sensibility,” according to Ibrahim Ahman). The first two novels are by Akashic authors: Changers, first in a four-book series by T. Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper; and Game World by C.J. Farley, an adventure in a video game that turns into reality. Two Black Sheep books a season are planned.
Big news at Scholastic included the launch of the new multiplatformSpirit Animals series, which kicks off in September with Wild Born by Brandon Mull. The publisher is also republishing Captain Underpants in full-color paper-over-board editions. Publicity v-p Tracy van Straaten said they had been surprised by the demand for hardcover editions of the books, but it’s because of how heavily reread the books are. Van Straaten also reported that Scholastic sales reps are excited about a new George Lucas–approved book: Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown, a heavily illustrated title for younger readers from the creator of Darth Vader and Son and Vader’s Little Princess.
To find more exciting titles, read the entire article.
Read globally but buy all your children’s and YA books from your local indie SIBA-member bookstore and keep more revenue in your community.
Great article on a survey done by PW regarding the number of bookstores in each state.
California and Texas may have been the states with the most bookstores in 2012, but the state with the most bookstores per capita was Montana. That was one of the findings of PW’s look at the health of bookselling around the country. PW collected figures on the number of bookstores in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, a total that includes every branch of bookselling: chain stores, big-box stores, independents, and the Association of Christian Retailers’ CBA stores.
Most states have more traditional bookstores than big-box stores, and in 10 states, the ratio of traditional bookstores to big-box stores was 2:1 or greater: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. Vermont had the biggest ratio, with 37:1, but Washington, D.C., wasn’t far behind, with a ratio of 33:1. States with high ratios of traditional booksellers were scattered across the per-capita ranking: Vermont, Alaska, and D.C. were in the top 15, but Connecticut, Hawaii, New York, and Rhode Island were at the very bottom. The takeaway: a large number of traditional bookstores alone isn’t enough to ensure a high per-capita ratio—it must be supplemented by big-box stores.
Read the entire article and see where your state is on the chart.
Read globally but buy from your local indie SIBA-member bookstores and keep more revenue in your community.
From GalleyCat:
If you share a 300-word monologue on Reddit, you could win a chance to have the great actor and audiobook narrator Samuel L. Jackson read your work.
Jackson posted about the online event yesterday, so you only have until the end of the day (Thursday night, June 6, PST) to write your passage. The whole writing contest will help raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. Check it out:
It’s simple, write 300 words and the most upvoted post I’ll read out loud in monologue form. I’m doing this for one of my favorite non-profits, Alzheimer’s Society, as my family have been unfortunate enough to have been affected by the disease. As a BONUS, I’m offering you all the chance to be flown to the UK for lunch with ME in return for just a tiny donation to this amazing cause. I’ll also sign a beloved Kangol hat and mail it to anyone that donates $200 or more! Check it out at Prizeo.
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an by James R. White: Through fair and accurate use of the Qur’an and other documents, scholar and accomplished debater Dr. James White examines what Muslim sacred texts teach about Christ, salvation, the Trinity, the afterlife, and other crucial topics. This book provides the answers you’ve been looking for to engage in open, honest discussions about Islam with Muslims and others.
Pray the Scriptures: A 40-day Prayer Experience by Kevin Johnson: the follow-up to Pray The Scriptures Bible, it energizes prayer by showing how to take familiar Bible passages and pray them back to God. Prayer-starter phrases help you apply the text to your own life and circumstances. Each day’s entry includes an introductory thought, a section of Scripture to pray, and concluding questions for reflection, group discussion, and further prayer.
Love is a Verb: Stories of What Happens When Love Comes Alive by Gary Chapman: Rather than a typical relationship self-help book filled with lengthy explanations of principles and techniques, it is a compilation of true stories displaying love in action. These stories–written by everyday people–go straight to the hearts of readers, who often say that illustrations are the most effective parts of a book. Gary Chapman adds a “Love Lesson” to each story, showing readers how they can apply the same principles to their own relationships.
True for You, But Not for Me by Paul Copan: Apologetics authority Paul Copan tackles popular sayings that often leave Christians speechless, such as “All religions lead to God,” “Who are you to judge others?” or “Jesus was just another great religious leader.” He provides readers with thoughtful explanations of anti-Christian slogans and brief answers to help them continue their conversations with non-Christians. In addition, Copan answers questions about the unevangelized. Study questions for group or individual use are included.
Read globally, but buy all your religious and spiritual books from your local indie SIBA-member bookstores and keep more revenue in your community.
The Son by Philipp Meyer - Ron Charles of The Washington Post writes, “With its vast scope — stretching from pre-Civil War cowboys to post-9/11 immigrants — “The Son” makes a viable claim to be a Great American Novel of the sort John Dos Passos and Frank Norris once produced. Here is the tale of the United States written in blood across the Texas plains, a 200-year cycle of theft and murder that shreds any golden myths of civilized development.”
Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld- From an early age, Kate and her identical twin sister, Violet, knew that they were unlike everyone else. Kate and Vi were born with peculiar “senses”—innate psychic abilities concerning future events and other people’s secrets. Though Vi embraced her visions, Kate did her best to hide them.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty - Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret – something so terrible it would destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others too. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive . .
Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole - March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet and a fisherman’s wife, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s bucolic Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when a fan letter arrives from an American college student, David Graham. As the two strike up a correspondence — sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets — their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I moves across Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he comes back alive.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown - Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
Read globally this summer, but buy from your local indie SIBA-member bookstore and keep more revenue in your community.
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the BBC will adapt P.D. James’ Death Comes to Pemberley. The adaptation will star Matthew Rhys and Anna Maxwell Martin.
Rhys is probably best known to American audiences as Kevin, one of the siblings in Brothers & Sisters. Maxwell Martin was most recently seen in the BBC production of The Bletchley Circle, a three-part murder mystery. (I read James’ book and I think the BBC has done a great job in casting these two as the loving couple.)
Death Comes to Pemberley picks up six years after the marriage of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. The couple has forged a peaceful, happy life for their family at Pemberley, Darcy’s impressive estate. Her father is a regular visitor; her sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; the marriage prospects for Darcy’s sister, Georgiana, are favorable. And preparations for their annual autumn ball are proceeding apace. But on the eve of the ball, chaos descends. Lydia Wickham, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister who, with her husband, has been barred from the estate, arrives in a hysterical state—shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. Plunged into frightening mystery and a lurid murder trial, the lives of Pemberley’s owners and servants alike may never be the same.
Read globally, but buy all your Jane Austen and P.D. James books at a local indie SIBA-member bookstore and keep more revenue in your community.
From Teenreads.com:
For those graduating high school and heading to college, you should check out our 20SomethingReads.com website! Yes readers, we do have other sites for you once you outgrow Teenreads.com.
A site for twentysomething readers. To us, twentysomething is “A decade. A state of mind. An age. A lifestyle. A time for self-discovery. A new perspective. An attitude. A philosophy. Independence. Freedom. A time to re-discover reading for pleasure – and FINALLY – read what you want.”
Enter the 20Something Reads Summer Beach Bag Contest and win 20 books, a beach towel and sunscreen! Contest ends July 18, 2013.
If you can’t wait to win, here are some titles from the contest with links to a SIBA-member indie bookstore!
The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen
Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick
The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
Twinmaker by Sean Williams
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Read globally, no matter where you are this summer, but buy from your local indie SIBA-member bookstore and keep more revenue in your community.
Ten years of great southern lit for $9.95!
Ordering Information:
Bookstores: Available from Ingram, 978-0-9825205-0-5, SRP $9.95
Consumers: Available at Southern Indie Bookstores.
How well do you know your Southern lit? We dare you to use a pen on these crossword puzzles, each inspired by one of the winning titles of the SIBA Book Award, honoring ten years of the very best in Southern literature as chosen by the people who would know...Southern Independent Booksellers! A great gift for your book club, for puzzle-lovers, and anyone who loves Southern literature.
