American comic book writer and Marvel editor Danny Fingeroth has selected his “Top 10 graphic novels” (those he enjoyed most), which include books by Kyle Baker, Bryan Talbot, Peter Kuper, Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Marjane Satrapi, and others. Agree?
Filed under: readers advisory, best of, graphic novels on August 1st, 2008 | No Comments »
Except it’s not. It’s very very different, says Google.
Knol, as the new online encyclopedia written by internet users will be called, will show a photo of the entry author, won’t allow visitors to modify entries without the original author’s knowledge, and will enable entries “written on the same subject to remain separate and compete for the attention of visitors, who will be able to give online feedback.”
If you want to get involved, go here: knol.google.com, where there are lots of articles about genital warts, constipation, cancer, nasal polyps, buttermilk pancakes, orchid basics and the like already there!
Filed under: reference, Wikipedia, Google on July 24th, 2008 | No Comments »
The Economist’s Daily Chart this week, titled “No sex please, we’re American,” is the 10 most challenged books in the U.S. during 2007. “For the second year running And Tango Makes Three, a children’s book, has topped the American Library Association’s list. … The tale of two male penguins adopting an orphaned egg provoked more written complaints to libraries and schools in 2007 than any other book.”
Filed under: readers advisory, children's books, banned and challenged books on July 24th, 2008 | No Comments »
In the Guardian, Jane Brocket selects her “top 10 food scenes in children’s literature,” including scenes from Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, from two Enid Blyton books (Famous Five picnics and jammy buns in In the Fifth at Malory Towers), Maria’s tea party in The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, and robber tea in The Box of Delights by John Masefield.
Filed under: children's books, classics, best of, food on July 17th, 2008 | No Comments »
Shirl Kennedy at Resource Shelf has ferreted out some sources for hard-to-find statistics, saving us all the work. This would be a great ‘regular’ feature for RS.
This batch includes stats from the Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics, which collects and analyzes truck and bus accident data; Wedding Industry Research, with stats on “the business of weddings” and honeymoons; a sports business database (”staggering in both depth and breadth”), with “years of salary, attendance, and financial information for Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and English and European football associations;” Dept. of Defense Personnel and Military Casualty Statistics; Tax Statistics — business and individual tax statistics (foreign and domestic), statistics of charities and nonprofits, and statistics by actual tax form, for various years; and Intercountry Adoption Statistics, i.e., the number of immigrant visas issued to orphans entering the U.S.
Filed under: reference, deep web, resource shelf, statistics on July 15th, 2008 | No Comments »
Thanks to Sarah for noticing that Maine/Dutch crime writer Janwillem van de Wetering has died, on 4 July, in Maine, at age 77. Obits at Radio Netherlands, in Dutch at De Papieren Man, and lots of Dutch and Afrikaans language remembrances. Van de Wetering’s entry at Wikipedia.
15 July Update: Finally, an obit in the NYT.
Filed under: maine writers, obituaries on July 8th, 2008 | No Comments »
At least two sources are from time to time posting lists of what people are reading on public transportation, in Seattle at Shelf Talk and all over the place (wherever the “peripatetic spies” are on the job) at Reader’s Advisor Online. I love this idea!
Filed under: readers advisory, the reading public, popular reading on June 30th, 2008 | No Comments »
An annotated, linked list of places where reference questions (and answers) are being archived, from Swiss Army Librarian. Sources listed include “a Google custom search engine of just reference questions from libraries,” Yahoo Answers, Ask.com, Ask MetaFilter, Internet Public Library Reference Desk, Answers.com, and WikiAnswers. Handy.
Filed under: reference, librarianship on June 28th, 2008 | No Comments »
Children’s book illustrator and author Tasha Tudor, “whose delicate and dreamy artwork was featured in about 80 books, including a 1944 edition of Mother Goose that was so successful it enabled her to buy a farm and create a lifestyle rooted in the early 19th century,” has died at age 92 of complications related to old age. She was runner-up for the Caldecott Medal twice, for Mother Goose and for 1 is One (1957).
Her “sentimental yet realistic illustrations of quaint New England settings” reflect her favourite time period, the 1830s. Her obituary notes: “She grew most of what she ate, kept a menagerie of animals, and spun and wove flax into fabrics. Her main concessions to modern convenience were a telephone and a car. In the early 1990s, Tudor announced that she was quitting public appearances, partly because it was hard to find someone who could watch the house and knew how to milk a goat. Unconventionality was a hallmark of her life.”
Her website. NYT obit. Her Legacy page.
Filed under: children's books, obituaries, illustration on June 20th, 2008 | No Comments »
“Man Writes Dog: Death and Rebirth in the Canine Memoirs” by Terry Caesar in The Common Review explores the changing roles of dogs from “man’s (or woman’s) best friend” to “humankind’s saviors,” based on the ” evidence of the current proliferation of best-selling nonfiction memoirs about dogs.” The focus is on Jon Katz’s memoir of Orson, A Good Dog (2006).
Filed under: readers advisory, animals, memoirs on June 16th, 2008 | No Comments »