Think you’re up on Canadian books? For Canada150, BookNet Canada has a really fun quiz that will test you on so many levels. It’s 21 questions that will stump you, make you laugh, and test your resolve.
Tell us how well you did!
Have you seen the previews for Disney’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME ? How about this explanation of what they have planned:
The clock ticks, time bends, space shifts, and Oprah is your planet-hopping tour guide through all of it. Consider that your intro-level education to A Wrinkle in Time.
Yes. Just, yes. It stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Mindy Kaling among others, and the whole thing is a spin on whatever you once thought about the book. You can read more about it all, and see some amazing visuals from Entertainment Weekly, which are absolutely stunning, right here.
The movie is set to release March 9, 2018, so we have a while to wait yet. But I think it’s going to be worth it, don’t you?
What are your thoughts on this adaptation?
Last fall, our Nerd Herd Teen Book Club was lucky enough to have local teen author Shaelyn Ryan visit us to talk about her debut novel, part of the “Timeless” series.
This week, she’s launching her second book in the series called ONLY A MATTER OF TIME at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum. Join her at 5pm for the launch, where she’ll be signing copies which will be available for $22 each, cash only please. She is generously donating $2 from the purchase of each book to the museum, where she is tireless working this summer.
Shaelyn is a super talented young woman, very engaging, and we hope her second book is received as well as the first. As with any author, if you read her book, don’t forget to leave a positive review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are so important to authors, especially those who self-publish. It is the ONLY way books are promoted by the big online sellers (50 reviews on Amazon means the book gets onto a sales list & more people see it).
Happy book launch, Shaelyn!
Yes, it’s a new book from Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code. His latest thriller is called ORIGIN and will be published on October 3rd.
The book follows our favourite sleuth, Robert Langdon, and is set in Spain this time. It asks the questions “Where do we come from?” and “Where are we going?”, both difficult and intriguing. It is bound to keep us all reading well into the night, with a plot that follows a billionaire and futurist who has just made a startling discovery about mankind.
Okay, I don’t think I can wait for this now, either. Get your name on the holds list early, folks. This is going to be another one with a super long waiting list.
It surprises me to know that authors actually wear something other than sweats and slippers. Or maybe it’s when they go out in public. (I’m totally teasing here, but if you follow any active author on Instagram or Facebook, you’d be hard-pressed to find one who isn’t participating in a sock-Sunday event as the biggest thing of their week). So, this book totally intrigues me.
What do you think? Is there an audience out there for what librarians wear?
The concept of one community reading the same book and then talking about it has been around for quite some time. In fact, Lanark County libraries have taken part in the One Book, One Community initiative a few years in a row. Each library bought multiple copies of the same book, based on the theme for that year, and community members read, took part in book talks, author discussions, and fun activities. While it was super popular in some libraries, it didn’t do well in others. The reasons? We really have no idea.
Advertising can be part of the issue, and how community members get their news. Some populations might be more inclined to read everything in their local paper, while others rely on Facebook and other social media outlets. But it also depends on the age of the population that is likely to participate in library events such as this. It’s possible that some communities had a younger population attending adult library events, and maybe they weren’t ones who had a lot of time to participate in several events based on one book. Maybe in other communities, an older popular had more time, or loved book clubs. It’s difficult to say, but often, it comes down to people knowing about the program.
New York City recently tried a venture that stemmed from the Mayor’s Office for Media and Entertainment, and the popular website BuzzFeed. They called it “One Book, One New York”. Essentially, it was what libraries have been doing for decades. They advertised it as the largest book club in history.
Ironically, they tried to launch the same type of initiative two years earlier, but no one could agree on what book to read, so it was scrapped. This time, they allowed New Yorkers to vote on five selections, and they decided on AMERICANAH by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi.
So, did it work this time? Each burrough of New York City reported back with their results—how they advertised, what events they offered, and what they thought about the program. You can read the entire article here.
Overall, it was difficult to measure the success, because it depended upon the area and who you asked. Some places in NYC found it difficult to advertise and get the book to people because they didn’t have any small, local bookstores there anymore. Other places couldn’t keep the book on their shelves. Some people saw ads for the program, but didn’t make it to any events, and felt a little out of the loop, while others read the book with co-workers and were able to have their own discussions.
This sounds typical of community book clubs in general. You can’t have programs that will accommodate everyone all the time. All you can do is try. And try again. And try a third time. And if it still doesn’t fly, move on to a new program.
Local author David Mulholland will be joining us at the Carleton Place Public Library this weekend for a fun discussion of his book, CHAUDIERE FALLS. He’ll read from this new novel, and answer questions after.
No registration required, but don’t miss this fun event!
