Memphis Reads Archive

The Commercial Appeal has its own book blog, The Shelf Life, which features book reviews and news.

Some of the books discussed are new, while others have been around for a while, but are topical. Some posts highlight a Memphis connection, as well, such as this post about Memphis author Molly Caldwell Crosby's NPR interview about Elmwood Cemetery, yellow fever, and her book The American Plague.

Labels: Blogs, Resources

From Debbie Stevens, East Shelby Branch Library:

"I happened upon this blog - http://www.streetfiction.org/ - its creator is a corrections librarian and the blog is 'dedicated to reviewing street fiction, also known as urban fiction, street lit, or gangsta fiction. One of the fastest growing genres, these books expose the reader to drugs, violence, sex and and the gritty realities of street life in urban America.'

One of the nice features is its fairly comprehensive list of books and authors, not to mention reviews."

Labels: Blogs, Resources

Do you love the unique sense of place in Southern fiction?

Check out the "Southern Reading Challenge," sponsored by book critic and librarian Maggie of the blog Maggie Reads. Its runs from June 1 to August 31.

Each week she will draw "from participants' names, and the winner will
receive a Southern (Mississippi) made product." The challenge will have its own blog (with photo illustrations by Maggie) where you can share your reading experiences.


Here's how Maggie defines the Southern Reading Challenge:

I looked around at the time period for other challenges and I would like to set this challenge during the months of June, July, and August. Our most hot and humid time, dare I say, our most Southern time. For this challenge you will need to read 3 Southern books. Having read The Road will not qualify you for the challenge. (Yes, Cormac McCarthy is a Southern author and the father/son travel to the south, but the setting is post-apocalyptic. Can you imagine me running around trying to get a picture of ashen destruction?) The books must contain a Southern setting by a Southern author!

Not familiar with reading challenges? In the world of book blogs, these challenges are issued by a blogger or group of bloggers to encourage reading. In order to join in, you agree to read a certain number of books during a set time period. You sign-up through a "comment" to the original blog post or by linking to the post from your own blog.

Reading challenges are often organized around seasons, themes, genres, etc.

Of course, this is all done in good fun. No one is policing who reads what. In fact, participants often blog about their reading experiences (good and bad).


Want to find more reading challenges? Wendy from California, who describes herself as a "ravenous reader always looking for the next reading challenge," has several listed on her blog A Novel Challenge.

Labels: Blogs

You may have noticed that from time to time Memphis Reads posts links to other blogs. Our goal is to connect readers to books. Just as you might identify a newpaper columnist or a librarian with similar tastes in books and then turn to him or her for recommendations, we hope to help you find bloggers on whom you can rely.

This weekend I devoured THE THIRTEENTH TALE by Diane Setterfield (Atria Books, 2006). It's the story of a renowned British author who, after years of concocting elaborate stories about her past, commissions an authorized biography. It's part ghost story, part gothic novel, part mystery.

I enjoyed it and couldn't wait to log onto to the internet to see what some of my favorite bloggers thought. In particular, I wanted the opinion from Book World. I was disappointed but intrigued that she did not care for the novel one bit.

Through Book World, I can vicariously share the reading obsessions of its blogger. She reads dozens if not hundreds of books a year, mostly British novels, and seems to be drawn to the works from or about the eighteenth century. Since my reading time is precious, I may never read most of the titles considered, but I do love learning about the latest biography of Samuel Johnson and the wonders contained in Virginia Woolf's diaries. Having recently undergone major surgery, the blogger shares how convalescence and pain medication have altered her reading. In general, she advocates careful, attentive reading.

Doris Dixon, Raleigh Library

Labels: Blogs

Felicia Pride, who shares "publishing and literary news with a multicultural slant," through her website, The Backlist, and its companion blog, is now blogging at More Than Words (MTW) as well. MTW is part of AOL's Black Voices suite of internet resources.

At MTW, check out Ms. Pride's reading recommendations for Black History Month and learn how she's "bringing sexy back" to books and reading.

The Backlist has lots of content, but you will have to register to read the essays, interviews and other longer pieces.

Labels: African-American Nonfiction, Blogs

From Critical Mass, the blog of the National Book Critics Circle Board of Directors:

Through "March 7th and 8th, when the National Book Critics Circle Awards take place at the New School in New York, [this blog] will be dedicating a day of the week to each of our 30 finalists. The blog will be guest edited by various board members, who will provide links, commentary, and a jumping off point for some discussion."

Via Blog of a Bookslut

Labels: Awards, Blogs

You may have noticed that we're building a directory of book blogs as a way to connect readers to books.

Some recent entries have been offered by readers of FICTION-L, "an electronic mailing list devoted to reader's advisory topics such as book discussions, booktalks, collection development issues, booklists and bibliographies, and a wide variety of other topics of interest to librarians, book discussion leaders, and others with an interest in reader's advisory."

I noticed that the librarians over at MADreads (Madison, Wisconsin Public Library) are compiling a list of local blogs and thought "well, of course, we've got to do that too."

So, I need you help. Please use the comments section of this post (or for the post "Other Book Blogs") to submit links to local book blogs. By local, I mean blogs that originate in Memphis, Shelby County, West Tennessee, Northern Mississippi or Eastern Arkansas. They do not have to be limited to local content. All entries will be considered--though some entries may not be included in the directory.

Thanks to Maggie Moran of Como, Ms. for getting the ball rolling with a link to her blog Maggie Reads.

Thank you for your assistance,

DD

Labels: Blogs

Looking for a good book? Memphis Reads is just one of the hundreds of blogs that have been developed in recent years to connect readers to books.

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I. Local Book Blogs (Memphis; Shelby County, TN; West Tennessee; Northern Mississippi; Eastern Arkansas).

Maggie Reads
Book reviews and notes from the Library Lady of Como, Ms. Her "Mission...Not Impossible...Make Mississippi Read!"

The Next Big Blog
"Random thoughts of author Johanna Edwards," author of The Next Big Thing and Your Big Break. Ms. Edwards was formerly the producer of WYPL's "Book Talk," a nationally syndicated radio show produced by the Memphis Public Library & Information Center.

Please use the comments section of this post to contribute links to your favorite local book blogs. All entries will be considered although some may not be included in this directory.

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II. Library-Sponsored Blogs Aimed at Adult Readers

A Librarian Told Me So
Twinsburg Public Library (Ohio)

BookFix
Kansas City, Kansas Public Library

The Buzz
Madison-Jefferson County Public Library (Indiana)
Includes reviews written by customers.

h2o lib blog
Waterboro Public Library (Maine)

Henderson Libraries Novel News
Henderson District Public Library (Nevada)

MADreads
Madison (Wisconsin) Public Library

Papercuts
Topeka and Shaw County (Kansas) Public Library

Reader to Reader Blog
Arlington, Texas Public Library

Turning the Page
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Ohio)

WPL Book Club
Waterloo Public Library (Ontario, Canada)

Please use the comments section of this post to contribute links to your favorite library-sponsored book blogs. All entries will be considered although some may not be included in this directory.

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III. Selections from "Literary Blogs for Book Lovers" compiled by Jessica Brilliant Keener (first published in her article "Getting The Word Out," Boston Globe, May 2, 2005). The annotations were written by Ms. Keener.

Backstory
Authors share secrets and truths about their writing.

Beatrice.com
Salient author interviews, reviews, and more.

Bookreporter.com
Hundreds of features, reviews, and author interviews.

Readerville.com
Discussions and book groups for any genre.

Bookninja.com
A Canada-based blog.

Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
Sarah Weinman, crime fiction columnist for The Baltimore Sun, blogs for mystery and suspense lovers.

Girlfriend Cyber Circuit
Features exceptional female authors. Once a month, several authors tour at 18 blog sites.

Grumpy Old Bookman
Michael Allen of the United Kingdom blogs about books and publishing.

JanuaryMagazine.com
Author interviews, profiles, book reviews, publishing news.

Maud Newton
For literary tastes.

Moorishgirl.com
Literary news, commentary, book reviews, author interviews.

The Elegant Variation
Mark Sarvas's Los Angeles-based blog for the literary.

Please use the comments section of this post to contribute links to your favorite literary or genre-fiction book blogs. All entries will be considered although some may not be included in this directory.

Labels: Blogs