Content

Up All Night: A History of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature

The National Book Foundation has created an online exhibit featuring the 228 titles that have won or were nominated for the prestigious National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category. Beginning in 1969 with the first winner, Journey from Peppermint Street by  Meindert DeJong, to last year's winner William Alexander for Goblin Secrets, Up All Night offers endless opportunities to find a quality read for both you and the kids. Not all are still in print but hopefully that will change soon.

Continue Reading →

Summer reading list for Long Island school district littered with errors

  This must be what it feels like to hit rock bottom. The Hempstead, Long Island Public School district recently released its annual summer reading list for its pre-K to “twelve grade,” students and it reads like a testament to incompetence with over 30 mistakes, including misspellings of authors’ names and book titles. Some glaring examples include: The Great Gypsy by F. Scott Fitzgerald Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bonte Animal Farm by George Ornell Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora NealHursten Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison It goes on and on. Roger Tilles, a member of the New York State Department of...

Continue Reading →

Books, Vinyl and Mushrooms

  Talk about mixing it up! How about Tokyo's Rhythm & Books,  a used bookstore that carries a selection of vinyl records and specializes in mycology! In addition to carrying a deep selection of books about mushrooms they also sell an array of mushroom products. Ken Iseki, the editor at between the books, visits the store and has a brief chat with the proprietors who opened the shop in 2011.      

Continue Reading →

Reading while Protesting: The Taksim Square Book Club

If you think the people of Turkey have given up - think again. As they emerge from weeks of violent clashes with the police they have adopted a new form of resistance. They're calling it The Taksim Square Book Club and it is a made up of the 'standing man' protesters, named after performance artist Erdem Gunduz who stood, silently, with his hands in his pockets, in Taksim Square for eight hours and the reading and educational activities that were active during the Occupy Gezi library days. A man reads the Turkish book Resurrection Gallipoli 1915, written by Turgut Ozakman on the Battle...

Continue Reading →