The YA Reading Experience

Cory Doctorow and William Campbell Powell, author of one of the best reads this season, Expiration Day, share some very interesting insights on the YA reading experience. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video so I am sharing it. Have a look!

The Joy of Reading a Magical Book!

If I Were a Book will bring the sense of wonder alive for readers and that's why I love it. Let your imagination go wild! This was my fave book of the season. You can download an awesome poster for this book for free here!

Video of the Week!

Artist Steve Powers is decorating the Strand Bookstore in New York City! His book A Love Letter to the City by Princeton Architectural Press is one of my Dewey picks this season. It is an awesome work which brings communities together through art.

All About Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!

There are so many things I didn't know about chocolate! Here is a short interview with author of The Chocolate Tasting Kit, Eagranie Yuh. We were very LUCKY to have Eagranie at our sales conference where we did a chocolate tasting and I don't think I'll ever look at chocolate the same way again. I will always be mindful to ENJOY it when I eat it! Read the interview here.

The Joy of Audiobooks

Audiobooks and the Return of Storytelling was recently in the NYT and it talks about why audiobooks are a great way to experience a story. We associate the written word with being intellectual as opposed to the spoken word because being able to read and write was a privilege that few enjoyed. Yet, for most of history, literature has been oral. Reading books out loud for oneself and others was an integral part of storytelling. Audiobooks have so much to offer! You can be doing housework, gardening or driving while enjoying a story. The sales of audiobooks has increased in recent years and for good reason. Read about what makes audiobooks a great option for you here. 

Blunt Moms' First Book Club Pick and Contest

Seven Blunt Moms have picked Love Letters to the Dead as their first book club read. I am excited about this as this is one of my Dewey picks this season. Need another reason to check out this blog? Well, you have the chance to win a basket of awesome titles worth over $250 by Raincoast Books Have a look here.

Fantastic Read for Kids!

The National Post has an awesome new video review feature. This one is for children's books and it includes The Most Magnificent Thing (one of my Dewey picks...natch) by award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires! Editor Mark Medley talks about why this book will inspire kids to cultivate their talents! A fantastic read for you and the kids! You can watch the review here. 

Mourning Local Bookstores

Mourning Local Bookstores on the blog, The Casual Optimist, talks about how independent bookstores can continue to survive as literary and cultural centers despite the challenges that the book industry is facing. The recent closure of a few Toronto bookstores recently, such as the Cookbook store, the Annex location of Book City and the Bloor West Village Chapters is disheartening. Moreover, Toronto has not followed the trend in New York of relocating bookstores in more affordable areas. This article has some great insights into some of the struggles that independent bookstores are facing right now. Have a look here! 

NOW Magazine's "Must-Read List"

Gender Failures appears in NOW Magazine's "Must-Read List" this week. It is described as "sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious" and is a terrific read! Don't miss the book launch with a multimedia stage show at the Gladstone on April 23rd 2014. You can see the details here.

In Arsenal Pulp Press book launch news, Vivek Shraya will be launching God Loves Hair at the Gladstone Hotel on April 8th. A great group of writers including Farzana Doctor and Brian Francis will also be reading from the book! Check out the details here!

Issues of Representation in Books

One of the biggest wonders of reading is that we can empathize with the characters and feel the story. What happens, however, when the books that we read do not represent us? How are we to relate to them? In this New York Times article, Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books? Walter Dean Myers talks about issues of representation in literature: "Of 3,200 children's books published in 2013, just 93 were about black people..." Books are about shared experiences, yet the stories that are published tend to exclude people based on economic strata and race. The piece articulates why representation is so important in the works that are published today. This article has really stuck with me...