Books aren’t banned but the author is!

This year the week of Sept. 30 through Oct. 6 marks the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week which celebrates the freedom to read. In a truly ironic twist, James Klise, young person’s author and school librarian, writes in this Chicago Tribune commentary from today’s paper that he was invited to speak to 8th graders at a Banned Books program in Kansas and then dis-invited.  It seems that the teacher who invited him consulted with her principal and they decided that his award-winning book Love Drugged about a closeted gay teen was simply too edgy for the school’s conservative community. It’s a gentle book, says the author, there’s no sex in it. It was the topic that got him banned, he was told. The teacher told him that despite the dis-invitation, the school library will still carry copies of his books.

Barbara L.

Individual Opens Public Library in his Home

A man in Manila is so committed to reading that he has turned his home into a lending library. In fact, he encourages people to take books and keep them. He isn’t worried about losses because he believes that whatever he gives away will be replaced many times over. Hernando Guanlao has racks of books outside his home and tells folks to help themselves– and they do! See this video from HuffPost to see how Guanlao has created a unique reading center for adults and children.

Shira S.

Meet Steven Erikson!

Author Steven Erikson visits EPL on Saturday, Sept. 29th at 4 pm.

EPL is bringing fantasy to life.  Fantasy fiction, that is.  In case you haven’t heard, NY Times Bestselling novelist Steven Erikson is coming to the library, and we couldn’t be more excited.  Author of the critically acclaimed “Malazan Book of the Fallen” fantasy series, Erikson will visit the Community Meeting Room of EPL’s Main Branch on Saturday, September 29th at 4 p.m. to read from Forge of Darkness – the first book in his new Kharkanas trilogy.  As we eagerly await this very special event, we thought we’d share a pair of pleasant diversions to help pass the time until Mr. Erikson’s arrival.  First off, check out this excellent intro to Forge of Darkness written for new fantasy readers by the author himself.  Then, as a final literary appetizer, don’t miss this fascinating Tor interview in which Mr. Erikson discusses escapist lit, the merits of fantasy fiction, and his growth as a writer.  Enjoy, and see you on the 29th!

Poetry 365

Poet Heather Christle

This month for Poetry 365 we’re featuring Heather Christle’s nimble new volume What Is Amazing.  Following 2011’s inventively quirky The Trees the Trees, the jubilat editor’s third collection expands her formal range while retaining the voracious curiosity and playfulness found in her earlier work.  Hip, irreverent, and darkly funny, these 49 poems “feel like pages from a secret notebook” as they explore the world with a sly mixture of childlike wonder and adult gravitas.  So check out this excellent new collection, sample a poem below, and make sure to stop back next month for Poetry 365.

Books are in Style at Macy’s

Barbara’s Bookstore, headquartered in Chicago, will be expanding  their presence in Macy’s nationally starting next year, according to PW. This summer 40 stores around the country have opened patterned after the Chicago State Street setup. These are modest 1600 sq. ft. operations that will provide a small book area, but nothing close to a full size bookstore like Border’s, cautions Barbara’s co-owner, Don Barliant.

Still, for those of us saddened by the closing of bookstores, any expansion can be a reason to celebrate. Or perhaps another reason to shop for shoes?

Shira S.

Talk Like an Egyptian

Ancient Egyptians didn’t only speak through hieroglyphs – they spoke and wrote Demotic Egyptian, meaning “the tongue of the demos, or the common people.” Now scholars at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute have published online a 2,000-page dictionary of these Demotic words. This Chicago Demotic Dictionary is being called “an indispensable tool for reconstructing the social, political and cultural life of ancient Egypt during a fascinating period.” This is the second dictionary project the Oriental Institute has worked on – last year the final installment of a 21-volume dictionary of the language of Mesopotamia was completed. Read the entire article from the New York Times here.

Laura

The Wrath of Roth

Philip Roth has written to Wikipedia denying that his novel The Human Stain was based on the life of Anatole Broyard. Instead, he contends, it was based on “an unhappy event in the life of my late friend Melvin Tumin, professor of sociology at Princeton for some 30 years.” The novel, published in 2000, deals with African American professor Coleman Silk who claimed to be white and Jewish – and was forced to retire on charges of racism. Mr. Roth claims there is no truth at all in the conjecture about Mr. Broyard. In response to his letter, a site administrator from Wikipedia wrote: “I understand your point that the author is the greatest authority on their own work, but we require secondary sources.”  Unbelievable! Anyway, apparently although the Wikipedia entry still contains the Broyard theory, it has been revised to include Mr. Roth’s claims. Check out this NYT article and Mr. Roth’s letter.

Laura

Short List for 2012 Man Booker Prize

The six finalists for the Man Booker Prize (limited to English language books and authors from the Commonwealth, Ireland, or Zimbabwe) were announced this week. Hilary Mantel won three years ago and there’s been some speculation that she’s favored to win again for “Bring up the Bodies”. The rest of the list:
Tan Twan Eng, The Garden of Evening Mists
Deborah Levy, Swimming Home (And Other Stories)
Alison Moore, The Lighthouse

Will Self, Umbrella
Jeet Thayil, Narcopolis                                        -Shira S.

“Literary Traffic Jam”– Notable Books Coming out this Fall

EarlyWord reports that according to the NY Times a veritable glut of new titles from “superstar” authors will be arriving, some of whom haven’t published a book in years. Considering I heard an interview with Junot Diaz this morning on NPR about “This is How You Lose Her” (which was interesting because Diaz explained his thoughts on men’s attitudes toward women), I imagine there will be plenty of book talks, appearances, and other publicity to get the word out. Both reviewers and bookstore owners sound very excited about the upcoming titles:

Writers Reading: Ken Follett

For Ken Follett fans, this September 18th is something of a holiday.  Yes, in only nine short days Winter of the World – the eagerly anticipated second book in his ambitious Century Trilogy – will hit library shelves to the delight of legions of readers.  Picking up right where the bestselling Fall of Giants left off, this epic installment traces the next generation of the five original Welsh, English, German, Russian, and American families as their lives are inextricably entangled by the rise of Hitler and the coming of war.  To help whet your appetite, don’t miss Follett reading a passage from the new book below, and don’t forget to clear your reading schedule.  September 18th is happily right around the corner.  Enjoy!