Are Kindle ads the latest in a long tradition of ads in books? (MobyLives)

 

 

Yesterday MobyLives reported that ads are coming to the cheapest Kindle. A scary prospect to be sure–and probably the first small step in the direction of a fundamental shift– but as Jennifer Schuessler pointed out in an Artsbeat post on the New York Times website yesterday, Amazon’s move is the latest in a long tradition of selling ads in books.

via MOBYLIVES » Are Kindle ads the latest in a long tradition of ads in books?.

Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2011 Shortlist Announced

The shortlist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2011 has been announced.

This list features

and three other books by Spanish and Norwegian authors.

The Millions : Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2011 Shortlist Announced.

The Eclectic IMPAC Shortlist Has Arrived (via TheMillions)

The IMPAC Award shortlist was announced today. The IMPAC sets itself apart with its unique approach. Its massive longlist is compiled by libraries all over the world before being whittled down by judges. This makes for a more egalitarian selection. It’s also got a long lead time. Books up for the current prize (to be named June 15th) were all published in 2009, putting the IMPAC more than a year behind other big literary awards. There’s a distinct upside in this. By now, nearly all the shortlisted books are available in paperback in the U.S. The IMPAC also tends to be interesting for the breadth of books it considers.

This year’s shortlist is typically eclectic, representing four countries and ranging from bestsellers, to relative unknowns.

 

Galore by Michael Crummey

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

The Vagrants by Yiyun Li

Ransom by David Malouf

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Brooklyn by Colm Toibín

Love and Summer by William Trevor

After the Fire, a Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld

via The Millions : The Eclectic IMPAC Shortlist Has Arrived.

ALA’s top ten “Most Frequently Challenged” books list, 2010 (via MobyLives

 

 

Off the list this year are such classics as Alice Walker‘s “Color Purple”; “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee; “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger; and Robert Cormier‘s “The Chocolate War.” Replacing them are books reflecting a range of themes and ideas that include “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley; “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie; ”The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins; and Stephenie Meyer‘s “Twilight.”

“While we firmly support the right of every reader to choose or reject a book for themselves or their families, those objecting to a particular book should not be given the power to restrict other readers’ right to access and read that book,” said Barbara Jones, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “As members of a pluralistic and complex society, we must have free access to a diverse range of viewpoints on the human condition in order to foster critical thinking and understanding. We must protect one of the most precious of our fundamental rights – the freedom to read.”

via MOBYLIVES » Amy Sonnie makes the ALA’s top ten “Most Frequently Challenged” books list.

A look at the news and events happening in the Libraries at Waubonsee Community College