Thirteen years ago today we launched Bookreporter.com. We started out with a site on AOL called The Book Report that morphed into Bookreporter.com a few years later.
Over these last very lucky 13 years I have had the pleasure of watching this website build and become a place where readers connect with authors and books --- with about half a million unique visitors each month, a far cry from 13 years ago when only the staff was logging on.
Last night I was watching the NBC Nightly News and their last story of the evening was about the return of vinyl records and how they are hot sellers in music stores. Yes, as publishing is working to digitize everything and e-reader commentary is in the publishing trades everyday, this was the wrap-up story on the news ---- how old-fashioned vinyl records are making a comeback.
Here's a look at what freshman entering college in fall 2009 have been asked to read by their respective schools. Lots of nonfiction and memoirs, some fiction and even a few graphic novels. How many of these books have YOU read?
Adams State College: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael BeahAgnes Scott College: Einstein's Dreams by Alan LightmanAlbion College: Dreams from My Father by Barack ObamaAmerican University: True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society by Farhad Manjoo
Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from June 7th to June 21st, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE KING'S DECEPTION by Steve Berry, THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman, and THE WIDOW WALTZ by Sally Koslow.
With summer blossoming before us, now is the time to sit back, relax, and enjoy all the wonderful movies, TV shows and DVDs that will be coming your way in June. World War Z starring Brad Pitt is a must-see, and the book on which it is based is a hot and enticing read. Meanwhile, Shakespeare's classic comedy is given a contemporary spin in Joss Whedon's feature film, Much Ado About Nothing. Perhaps Man of Steel will be enough entertainment this month, but so could the classic comics that serve as the movie’s inspiration.