Golden Age for Audio Books

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

While I am a voracious reader, I am not a regular user of audio books. Other than long road trips, I rarely listen to recorded books. But it appears that I am a member of a shrinking population of hold outs. According to a new survey by the Pew Foundation the rate at which adults listen to audio books has nearly doubled since 2011.

The poll of 1,502 adults taken between January 8 and February 7, 2019, showed that 20% of them had listened to an audio book in the last 12 months. Back in 2011, that number was just 11%.This survey comes at a time when e-book sales seem to be plateauing. In fact, audio books may soon surpass e-book sales.

Where do you fall on the digital vs print book debate? Full disclosure: I recently downloaded a number of free audio books and one purchased book in preparation for a long road trip.

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Soon to be available in paperback

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

16th century “assassin’s cabinet” disguised as a book

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Bookstore Tourism : Bangkok

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Thailand’s largest bookstore chain Naiin has just opened this beautiful bookshop called Mind Space on two floors of the new Samyan mixed use complex. The stunning bookstore stocks both Thai and English language titles, and is even open 24-hours daily. The shopping complex also houses co-working spaces, movie theaters, and Thailand’s biggest Muji department store.

all images © Top Koaysomboon

 

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Hands Up

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

A book buyer recently asked about “those little hands” that he keeps seeing in photos of books for sale. Well, that’s exactly what they are, tiny metal hands that safely hold pages for display or photographs. They are cool, though, and just a little creepy.

h/t to Rebecca Baumann

 

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Library of Congress Crime Spree

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

 

The U.S. Library of Congress has recently announced a new collaboration with Poison Pen Press to launch the Library of Congress Crime Classics Series. Beginning this Spring, classic American crime novels will see new life with the reissue of fiction originally published between 1860 and 1970.  The titles will be chosen from the Library’s collection of out-of-print books.

The series will begin in Spring 2020 with the publication of three books: “That Affair Next Door” by Anna Katharine Green (1897), “The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope” by C. W. Grafton (1943) and “Case Pending” by Dell Shannon (1960).

This unique series is edited by Leslie S. Klinger, a two-time Edgar-winner.  He has selected lesser known titles that represent a range of genres within crime fiction. Along with the original text of the novel, each publication includes an introduction by Klinger, as well as an author biography and suggestions for further reading and discussion questions for book clubs and classrooms.

The three spring titles each represent a first. Green’s “That Affair Next Door” introduces the first female detective—Amelia Butterworth—to appear in a series. C. W. Grafton,  author of “The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope,” is one of the first American crime writers to add humor to the hard-boiled style of Chandler and Hammett. Dell Shannon, author of “Case Pending,” is one of the first American women to write police procedurals,

 

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No One Reads The Prequel

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library opened in a donated storefront in the author’s hometown of Indianapolis in 2011. Over the years, the institution’s success as a tourist attraction and literary pilgrimage site made it obvious that the museum couldn’t stay at the location long term. So when the museum/library’s lease expired in February 2019, the board decided not to renew the lease. After several months without a home, the museum is now preparing to open in a permanent facility thanks to a fund campaign that raised $1.5 million.

The rebooted Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library opened for a “sneak preview” on September 22, just in time for the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week; at the museum, though, the event is called “Freedom to Read Week” because, as the museum notes on its website, “some folks thought we were celebrating the banning of books!” Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five ranks among the most frequently banned literary classics, and the author was an outspoken advocate against censorship.

 

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Secret Bookstores NYC

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

With iconic New York City booksellers seemingly disappearing every month, it’s a relief to find that venerable institutions are fighting the trend and thriving. It’s particularly surprising when it comes to obscure book shops such as the little-known James Cummins Booksellers . If you didn’t know it existed, you would never stumble across this hidden gem.Tucked away on the 7th floor of 699 Madison Avenue, Cummins is the kind of bookshop that gets “passed” from collectors and book dealers to their best friends. The selection is limited, but well curated by Cummins who founded the store forty years ago.

 

If you are planning to visit New York, be sure to save some time to drop by. But if you can’t get there in person, check out the online e-commerce site and the bookseller’s catalogs for first editions, antiquarian and collectible books, and literary ephemera.

James Cummins Booksellers is open Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM.

 

 

 

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Forbidden Reads

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I bet you thought that Banned Books Week would slip by without a mention from me; no chance of that. This week, September 22 through 28 is once again set aside to recognize the threat of censorship to any society. Here in North America we have become hypervigilant to these small-minded attempts to limit free access to reading materials. But the threat is global. The clever infographic below and the linked article from Global English Editing highlight the constant threat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Except that the goal falls short of the reach

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I may have mentioned once or twice that I am a huge fan of the late poet and singer Leonard Cohen. Those of us who value his work were greatly saddened by his passing. Last week the first cut from his posthumous album  Thanks for the Dance was released. As you might expect, it’s a typically melancholy Cohen track, but welcome nonetheless.

I can’t leave my house
Or answer the phone
I’m going down again
But I’m not alone

Settling at last
Accounts of the soul
This for the trash
That paid in full

As for the fall, it
Began long ago
Can’t stop the rain
Can’t stop the snow

I sit in my chair
I look at the street
The neighbor returns
My smile of defeat

I move with the leaves
I shine with the chrome
I’m almost alive
I’m almost at home

No one to follow
And nothing to teach
Except that the goal
Falls short of the reach

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