National Book Festival

Bummed that you can't make it all the way to New Orleans for the American Library Association convention? Me too.

Don't worry, I think I have found our cure: The National Book Festival.

Seems like DC is already gearing up for the Library of Congress sponsored event, which will be a two day affair on September 24 and 25.

Attendees can traipse across the National Mall, enjoying the sun, the authors, and the books, books, books.

Last year's event brought over 80 different authors, illustrators and poets from across the U.S. 

Mum's the word on the authors attending, but if last year's turn out is any indication (Jonathan Safran Foer, Katherine Paterson and Norton Juster, to name a few), we are in for a treat.

 

Photos from 2010's ALA Conference

To give you a feel for the ALA Conference, I posted some pictures from last year's event, which happened right here in DC. 

                                                  Guest speaker Toni Morrison signs books

                 Me with fellow Hooray For Books staff and Children's author Jon Scieszka

                                          Hooray For Books staff with John Grisham

American Library Association to host "The World's Largest & Most Dynamic Library Conference & Exhibition"

Sounds like the annual ALA conference will be quite the affair this year. 

The conference, which features authors such as Harlan Coben and Mo Willems, will be from June 23 to June 28 in New Orleans.

The event includes stations from almost all major publishing groups.

Basically, if you want to get your foot in the door to the literary world, this is the place to do it.

Find all the information you need here. 

 

Spotlight on Kramer Books

Whether craving a cup of coffee and a piece of heavenly pie, looking for a diverse selection of books ranging from the classics to cooking, or hoping to plop down at a low-key bar, only one Dupont Circle destination comes to mind.


Kramerbooks. 


Despite the fact that on some level, Kramerbooks is the competition (another independent bookstore in the area), I have nothing but praise and admiration for the store. 


I went back to Kramer (for the 10,000th time) yesterday, just to make sure I would not mislead you with my praise. Trust me, between the books, the pie, the staff and the decor, it's an all-around A+.


Fun jazz music played in the background as I perused everything from Poetry to Travel. The ever-changing "Staff Picks" bookshelf has some intriguing titles and supplied me with a nice list of summer reading recommendations (Nothing to Envy, After the Quake, Golden Spruce, Power of the Dog). 


The best part, however, was the encounter I had with a staff member. I had pulled out Tim O'Brien's In The Lake of The Woods (a must read for any The Things They Carried fan) to recommend to a friend. Within seconds, a staffer who had previously been shelving on top of a rather high stool, leaped from his perch with arms outstretched. 


"One of my favorites," he exclaimed as his feet reached the floor.  "Sorry, but I get really excited when I see someone who has read that book."


Any bookshop in which an employee risks physical harm to praise a novel, wins my utmost approval. 


DC natives, if you haven't already discovered the magic that is Kramerbooks, now is the time.

If you call yourself a book nerd...here are some Web sites you should know about:

Sure, the New York Times Best Sellers and the Washington Post Books are reliable, tried, and true, but here are some other informative, interesting, or just plain fun sites to check out.

Support your local bookstores:  http://www.indiebound.org/indie-next-list

Managed to reach the end of your "To-Read" list? Generate a new one: http://whatshouldireadnext.com

Give and get good author suggestions: http://www.goodreads.com/

Relive the magic of the children's book genre:
http://www.roalddahl.com/

http://www.seussville.com/

Trusting other people's judgments more than your own? Look no further than: http://www.thestaffrecommends.com/

Is the library becoming obsolete?

The rise of technology innovations such as I-Pads and Kindles, have been abruptly replacing the need for hard copy books. 


Students can now browse the library stacks from the comfort of their dorm rooms. Indeed, one can research a topic, narrow a subject, find a book, and download its contents without leaving the couch. But what does this mean for the future of libraries?


Alexandria, Virginia librarian, Diana Reich maintains that libraries and their hard-copy books, will always have advantages that the Internet can't offer.


"Hard-copy books give more depth to information" Reich says. "Plus, publishers give libraries a wealth of information that you would otherwise need to pay for."

As I previously mentioned,  the New York City Public Library is working to embrace the 21st century with its "Finding the Future" incentive. While this may increase and encourage the use of electronics within the library, it is not clear that it will increase the use of hard copy book circulation in the building. Other libraries, that don't have the same notoriety and status as the NYC library,  face even more threatening circumstances.

The pattern is all too familiar. Take vinyl records for example. Sure, people have tried to maintain allegiance to them in the past, making promises to stay faithful. However, for most, the smaller, shinier and ultimately more convenient CD, proved all too alluring. Now, the CD has since seen its decline as well, as Apple's I-Pod has seduced a large fraction of the world. Have books become the new vinyl records?


A 2011 report from the American Library Association states that e-books "represent the fastest-growing segment" in academic libraries. The same study found that since 1997,  the circulation of books has decreased by 5.3%. 


Similarly, libraries have been altering the composition of their collections over the years. The number of print materials has declined. Between 1999 and 2008, there was a 2.8% decrease in print materials per 1,000 people.


At least some librarians remain optimistic.


"Sometimes 'old-school' is just better," Reich says.  


On CollegeOnline.org Will Sherman makes some other good points in his list, 33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians are Still Extremely Important.

NYC public library is "Finding the Future"

On May 20, 2011, the New York City public library, will allow 500 people to become characters in a modern day, epic, adventure story.


In order to properly celebrate their centennial, NYCPL will be hosting an over-the-top, outrageous slumber party. However, this 48-hour extravaganza will not involve pajamas and ghost stories. Instead, attendees will take part in "Find the Future: The Game,"  an intricately crafted scavenger hunt across the entire Stephan A. Schwarzman building. 


The elaborate adventure game was designed by Jane McGonigal, author of Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World. While libraries are often deemed "archaic" or "primitive," McGonigal seems to be reversing this trend. The game is geared for the people of the 21st century. Laptops, smartphones, and other electronic devices will all play a huge role in the contestants' hunt around the stacks.


"Games do a better job of provoking our most powerful positive emotions — like curiosity, optimism, pride, and a desire to join forces with others," McGonigal said in an interview with NYPL editor Beth Hays. 




"Find the Future" seems like it fits this description. Listed in Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine as one of the "20 Most Inspiring Women in the World," and included in the MIT Technology Review's "Top 35 innovators changing the world through technology," there is no doubt that McGonigal is qualified to bridge some links between the past and present, the outdated and the present day.

Hooray For Books! staff with Author Maya Soetoro-Ng

President Obama’s sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, visits independent Alexandria bookstore

On Saturday, April 16, ^th President Obama’s sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng braved the harsh wind and rain to visit Hooray For Books.

An impressive crowd, including Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille, gathered to listen to the author read from and speak about her new picture book, Ladder to The Moon.

“It’s about remembering that we are interconnected,” the author said of her book’s general theme. “[Doing] good things sends gentle ripples,” Soetoro-Ng said.

And indeed, healing, togetherness and finding strength are the central elements of Soetoro-Ng’s lyrical, poetic tale. The story, which was written as a tribute to the author’s mother, describes a magical event in which Soetoro-Ng’s daughter meets and shares an illuminating night with her late grandmother.Containing elements of magic realism and folklore, Ladder to The Moon imagines the young child and her grandmother as, together, they heal the sorrows of the world.

With a smooth, velvety, storyteller’s voice, Maya Soetoro-Ng read selected passages from her book, stopping to remark that her daughter’s favorite part is that she gets to drink silver moon juice in one of the pictures.

 “Young people have the power to heal and help” the author said. “My hope is that this book is the beginning of conversations between parents and children, teachers and students.”

The book’s title references a mesmerizing Georgia O’Keeffe painting by the same name that affected the author when she saw it.

Both the painting, and the book hold the same evocative qualities.

HOORAY FOR BOOKS!

Okay, so do I immediately lose credit if I christen this blog with a post about the bookstore I work at? Am I guilty of favoritism? Sure. But I can’t talk about books without first mentioning what is hands down the GREATEST independent bookstore around. Hooray For Books Children’s Bookstore (P.S. there is a seriously impressive adult selection as well). Check out the store’s website. Also, check out the blog, where staff members, such as myself, can post recommendations and praise for authors.