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July 24, 2008 by Betsy Bird

Fusenews: Tis Was

July 24, 2008 by Betsy Bird   6 comments

  • I get a lot of books.  A lot.  Of books.  And simple mathematics tells me that unfortunately I cannot physically read all these books unless I A) Give up my job and B) Give up my blog (which somehow seems counterproductive).  Of course, there are still books I miss on top of this.  For example, I certainly haven’t laid so much as a golden eyelash upon author Haven Kimmel’s children’s title Kaline Klattermaster’s Tree House.  Such is life.  That said, I was pleased as punch when Jules from 7-Imp let me know that Ms. Kimmel has a blog. Ho-hum, you say?  Well aside from her voice, which is distinct and sharp, she has written a blog post that almost seems custom made for me.  Bob Loblaw’s Law Blog: Are the Quakers Amish? is a great little Q&A on Quakers that is hee-larious.  And I do not use the term "hee-larious" lightly either.  The use of bonnets is particularly choice.  As someone who attended a Quaker college ("Fight, fight, inner light / kill, Quakers, KILL!") I think it’s a particularly awesome post.  A pity she didn’t include the buttons question.  I’ve gotten "Are you allowed to wear buttons?" before.  The correct answer is, "No. It’s duct tape or nothing for me."  The only downside to this site is that I now have another doggone blog to read (consarn it).  Thanks for the heads up, Jules!


  • Note to self: Buy more of author/artist Laini Taylor’s gift cards.  Follow-up Note to Self: Check out this interview with Ms. Taylor over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. 


  • When the first film in a projected series, based on a children’s book, crashes and burns into a mangled heap of bad CGI and over-inflated dreams the question of whether or not to continue said series comes up.  Recently we’ve seen movies like the gawdawful The Dark is Rising… oh… my bad.  I meant The Seeker (oop, ack).  We’ve also seen The Golden Compass which I enjoyed but many people found stiff, rote, and unimaginative without a hint of the book’s actual magic.  Now it looks as if The Subtle Knife is in limbo, so to speak.  I hope they make up their minds soon.  Their little star isn’t getting any younger, and the whole point of the series is when she and Will (whoever he may be) get hit with the puberty stick.  Thanks to Educating Alice for the link.


  • I first heard about the weirdness of J.M. Barrie years ago in that most reputable of sources The Bathroom Book.  And when that Finding Neverland movie came out I expected a couple more articles like this one from The Telegraph to hit the newsstands.  Thanks to bookshelves of doom for the link.


  • In the event that you missed this, Peter over at Collecting Children’s Books appears to have something in his collection that is connected to every article, person, and piece of kidlitcentric (yeah, I’m shuddering after making up that word too) paraphernalia in the biz.  In conjunction with the recent Anne Carroll Moore piece in the New Yorker he happens to have a candid shot of the woman herself.  Kind of stunning, when you think about it.  I suggest we all come up with a historical figure from the past and find out what other treasures Peter has that are connected to them.  I’ll go first… um… how about Ursula LeGuin?


  • Wow.  How out of the loop am I?  I like to believe that I keep on top of things and that no series book passes unawares while I’m on the clock.  It’s all bupkiss though.  I mean, am I the last person to know that Jeanne DuPrau has written a fourth book in the City of Ember series?  Jen Robinson has just reviewed The Diamond of Darkhold and I’m sitting here with my jaw agape.  Good to know.


  • I often forget what it is that I have written before.  Did I mention before that the book Children of the Lamp is currently being adapted to the big screen?  Tis.  Thanks to Kids Lit for the link.


  • Anastasia Suen has created a Kidlitosphere FAQ for anyone interested in knowing the ins and outs of this tiny sphere of the internet universe.  It covers pretty much everything that I can see.  Worth looking at.


  • Did you miss this year’s PEN festival?  Fear not, gentle readers.  Fran Manushkin recently said the following on the child_lit listserv about the next one and it’s a doozy: "Chiming in with Susan Kuklin’s fine post about PEN: The date for the next festival is Monday, April 27 to Sunday, May 3, 2009. Shaun Tan and Helen Oxenbury will attending. They don’t exactly write in other languages (Shaun Tan often uses no words–or a language of his own!) but we are so pleased they’ll be coming."  Pencil it in, lovelies.


  • Daily Image:


I bet you could make a blog entirely out of different kinds of bookshelves.  You could show a different form a day, beginning with the Opus Shelving System seen here.  It’s for those of you who have declared all out war against your books’ spines.



Thanks to Alison Morris at ShelfTalker for the link!

Filed under: Fusenews

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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. janeyolen says

    July 24, 2008 at 1:43 am

    I recently did a lot of Barrie research for a picture book biography I was writing (LOST BOY, Dutton 2009 if I am lucky). And that scene in WHITE BIRD certainly brought me up short. But painting Barrie as a paedophile or sinister manipulator is, I feel strongly, completely over-the-top. He really seemed to me to be a sad little man who really wanted to still be a boy.

    Jane

  2. rams says

    July 24, 2008 at 3:31 am

    Haven Kimmel!?! One of the two greatest living American novelists (the other one’s Marilyn Robinson. You’re welcome.) And possibly THE greatest living American smart-mouth. Can’t stay. Off to read archives…

  3. Fuse #8 says

    July 24, 2008 at 5:50 am

    Well, as I say, when you get your information primarily from publications designed to be read in bathrooms, you are right to be a little skeptical. And now I’m off to find that doggone Kimmel kid book. *sigh*

  4. Jules says

    July 24, 2008 at 2:23 pm

    Kaline Klattermaster’s Tree House will be well-worth your time. We co-reviewed it a while back, when it was first released.

    (And I still also sing the praises of Patricia Martin’s ‘Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love’ — where was all the love for that kickin’ title? But I digress)

    To the second commenter: AMEN and damn skippy is Haven one of the greatest living American novelists — but don’t forget memoir-writer, too. She has a brand-new novel comin’ out soon to which I say WOOT!

  5. Laini Taylor says

    July 24, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    Betsy, I will SEND you cards. Please. Like you have to buy them. The very idea! Email me the best address to send to — being behind the times, I’m not sure if your work address is still the same. These days, I can tell you a lot about the imaginary faerie city of Nazneen, but about the goings-on of the real world? Ehm, what real world??

  6. Fuse #8 says

    July 24, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    Aw. No no, I shall buy. They’re the best damn cards I’ve ever had. It feels like a sin to get them for free. I’ll email you soon, but my address is the same until August 31st. After that . . .

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