Fusenews: More Addictive Than Facebook

• Regular once-a-day blogging took yet another blow over its brow when I discovered that new Video Chat option on Gmail.  Oh high heaven above, it’s bizarre.  It’s video phoning, that’s what it is.  The technology that gamers have known about for years but that we everyday plebes had no idea was an option.  I actually managed to have a lovely albeit brief chat with author Sarah Miller, a lovely woman with whom I’d never spoken before.  But speak we did!  So instead of writing a nice little review like I was supposed to, I’ve been in the thrall of technology itself.  Here’s some brief Fusenews to tide you over before I get back on track.

• Of course the huge story to come out yesterday came to me via my PWdaily newsletter.  PWdaily normally doesn’t interest me much.  It’ll contain stories like Boyden Takes the Giller which I don’t pretend to understand (though it’s kind of a cool title).  But a humdinger of a headline cropped up around 11:29 a.m. yesterday: Cornelia Funke Moves to Little, Brown.  Hubba wah?  Do my eyes deceive me?  How long has this been in the works?  Further news states, "Funke’s first title with Little, Brown will be the novel Reckless, about two modern brothers in a magical 19th century world reminiscent of Grimm’s fairy tales. Reckless is tentatively scheduled for 2010 publication and will be followed by the middle-grade novel The Knight and the Boy."  Jennifer Hunt will be editing Ms. Funke (smart) but no deeper information was forthcoming.

• The sly dogs of Bowen Press cleverly hid the fact that they have a rather magnificent blog going on until this week.  With the cheeky byline, "Publishing Good Books Well Since 2008" they’ve some nice imprinty elements.  A rotating view of upcoming covers above the blogroll.  Regular updates by three different people.  And on Wednesday there was a photograph of Greg Foley and the 500 autographed books you’ll be able to get your sticky fingers on at ALA Midwinter.  Off you go.  Thanks to Molly O’Neill for spilling the beans.

Over at everyone’s favorite Newbery discussion blog, Sharon McKellar throws down the gauntlet.  Remember when Secret of the Andes got the Newbery medal and Charlotte’s Web was relegated to Honor status (I’m using the word "remember" in its broadest sense)?  Well we’ve all suspected at one time or another that it happened because the librarians were sick and tired of handing gold medals to books populated with all-white casts and wanted something a little more multicultural to win.  But what if that wasn’t the case?  What if Secret of the Andes really was the better book?  There’s only one way to find out and it’s at the heart of McKellar’s challenge.  "Let’s read it.  All of us.  And re-read Charlotte’s Web as well and then we’ll discuss.  Would you, today, choose the same winner that was chosen for the 1953 award?  Without considering popularity, but considering only literary quality as established by the Newbery Criteria, of course."  Details are on her site.  An interesting idea, to say the least.  Some people have already jump-started the conversation.

• I never thought it would happen, yet it has.  Garfield Minus Garfield, arguably the greatest webcomic of the 21st century (big words, no?) is being turned into a book with the blessing of Jim Davis.  Whatta feller.  If someone informed the world that my creation was more successful when you removed an essential ingredient, I’d probably hit the fan.  Thanks to PW Comics Week for the link.

• Daily Image:

Today’s choice was a difficult one.  Both images I found came from Swiss Miss and involved the alphabet in some manner.  And while one involved personal style, the other had to do with designing walls.  In the end I decided to go with Option A since we just had a wallpaper-based Daily Image on this blog yesterday.  So instead you get to enjoy the Uppercase Scarf.

Go wild.

Filed under: Fusenews