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July 3, 2007 by Betsy Bird

Roundy Up

July 3, 2007 by Betsy Bird   9 comments

Today we’re playing with the Verdana font.  Big and bold and brassy and easy on the eyes.  What say you?  Should we go big or keep it petite and dainty?  I wouldn’t bring it up but a significant someone complained that Times NR scrunches the lines too tightly together.  So how’s this treating you then?

Rounding the up:

  • Mitali Perkins is sly.  Who thinks to take a video camera to their own book release party?  And who, for that matter, thinks to turn that same camera on?  That would be the same "who" that caught me dancing till I couldn’t dance no more alongside the likes of MotherReader, Liz B, editor Judy O’Malley, and … hey, is that Laura Lutz?  And she’s undeniably dead center in the frame too while I’m hidden behind the instructor.  Phew!  Thank God your average Queens librarian will take a bullet for a New York Public librarian.  The proof is in the pudding.

  • Speaking of Liz, I’ve enjoyed the post on her blog Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know; And Comments.  The query was whether or not you, as a blogger, ever erase comments.  I don’t moderate my comments, partly because I’m awful at moderation.  Seriously.  You should see my e-mail box.  Listservs and Google groups and the like slay me.  So I don’t moderate the Fuse #8 comments, partly because they’re far more interesting when I step back and let ’em do their thing.  I don’t erase much, but I will sweat over whether or not to delete a particularly mean jab.  Not that it happens that often.  And when you post with great frequency it becomes a bit of a moot point anyway.

  • Meanwhile, back in the world of books, thanks to Galleycat we now know that according to The New York Times, children’s literature is solely a hit-based field.  Really?  Apparently.  "The Harry Potter effect demonstrates a truth about sales of children’s books: they are highly volatile and dependent on blockbusters. ‘It is unquestionably the most volatile sector, because it’s hit-driven,’ said Albert N. Greco, a senior researcher at the nonprofit Institute for Publishing Research, who analyzed the data in the study."  The basis for this conclusion?  In 2006 there was a "measly" 2.5% rise in children’s book sales as opposed to 9.6% the year before.  Pardon me a moment while I knock the mothballs out of the world’s smallest violin over here.  Sheesh.  This does, however, explain the note of sheer panic I hear behind every desperate plea for the "next Harry Potter".  If I am right, there will be no "next", darlings. Not for quite a while, anyway.

  • And finally, BB-Blog led me to this wonderful t-shirt.  Need I say Spoiler Alert?  I think I need.  Don’t look too closely at this if you intend to ever find a surprise ending a surprise again.  Fortunately a lot of these only make sense if you’ve already seen the film/television show/read the book.

Dunno if I agree with that idea about the Others.  I still say they’re nasty and evil.  In any case, you can find this shirt at Threadless, if you’re interested.  Or, y’know, verging on the incredibly cruel.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liz B, Tea Cozy says

    July 3, 2007 at 5:23 am

    The Others reference is the movie of the same name, not the Others from Lost. Movie Others are not nasty & evil!

  2. Fuse #8 says

    July 3, 2007 at 5:42 am

    Ah hah hah hah hah! That makes far more sense then. Funny how it could apply either way, though.

  3. Laura says

    July 3, 2007 at 6:07 am

    NONONONOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    This is my response and I haven’t even seen the video yet! That’s just cruel. I’m so hating on Mitali right now. I think I’ll boycott the video – I’m normally a very self-confident person and I don’t see any reason why I should jeopardize that.

    And you’re welcome. It’s the least I could do. Of course I took the bullet – I’m from Queens, aren’t I?

  4. Jim Di Bartolo says

    July 3, 2007 at 8:13 am

    Ah Betsy, you’ve stumbled upon an obsession of mine (and ever-increasingly of Laini’s too!) — to find THE perfect t-shirt! Seriously though, we LOVE many of the offerings of threadless.com and have gotten many (TOO many probably!) from them (several arrived at our home yesterday!). Help us! 🙂

    Jim

  5. kbookwoman says

    July 3, 2007 at 12:42 pm

    I appreciate the larger font! Thanks

  6. Fuse #8 says

    July 3, 2007 at 1:05 pm

    Aw, Laura. You are A-DORE-able. So so cute. Blame not Mitali. And blame not me when I post that video up on my site this Sunday for my Video Sunday showing. Hee hee hee.

    God, I love Queens librarians.

  7. MotherReader says

    July 3, 2007 at 7:03 pm

    Oh no. The video on Fuse#8. The horror. The horror.

    (I love that shirt from Threadless, but unless they reprinted, they only had the smaller girly shirts left.)

  8. Mitali Perkins says

    July 4, 2007 at 9:49 pm

    My son noticed my right arm on the far side of the video — a flailing brown thing to prove that I am not the culprit behind the camera. Don’t be hating, my chickadees; NY and NJ and NC librarians are obviously trend-setting Bollywood hotties.

  9. Becky Levine says

    July 5, 2007 at 11:28 am

    I’m going to put in my two cents on the font. 🙂 I’m not sure if it’s my computer, but–even in the other style–the lines of your entries kind of crowd together. With the Verdana, the letters are overlapping–it’s pretty tough to read. And I love reading your blog!

    I don’t know if anyone else is having this problem, but my vote is for smaller.

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