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January 2010

As I mentioned in our special 2010 ALA Youth Media Awards Newsletter last week, I had the pleasure of being in Boston last Monday when the American Library Association (ALA) announced their winners of some of the biggest book awards of the year. I was so happy to be a part of all the excitement of the day! If you haven't gotten a chance to see the winners and honorees, please take a minute to look over these noteworthy titles. Taking time to recognize the literary contributions of authors is important in the fast-paced technological world of today.

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January 22, 2010 - February 4, 2010

Send us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. To make sure other readers will be able to find the book, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). The Word of Mouth archives can be searched using the "Search" feature at the top right of the page.

Do you find yourself browsing for books more in stores or online these days?

January 22, 2010, 630 voters

January 22, 2010

When I left you, I was in Boston attending the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting. I had a great time hearing about upcoming titles for spring and summer. Brace yourself as there are some great books coming up. Get to reading your present stack and clear the decks. Do not say I did not warn you. I had the pleasure of meeting Beth Hoffman, the author of SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT, who was just terrific. I also got a note from Cristina, one of our readers in Miami, who told me Beth did a terrific event at Books & Books this past Tuesday night, which made me smile. Love when you love the authors I love.

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What was the last book you bought as an impulse purchase while browsing in a store or online?

January 22, 2010

January 22, 2010

Welcome to the latest edition of GraphicNovelReporter. I hope this update finds you well!

It’s been an action-packed couple weeks since we last spoke, so here’s what’s been going on. First, I made an appearance (a hopefully not too awkward one) on the San Francisco public radio program  Your Call, which appears daily on KALW. The topic of the day last Thursday was nonfiction graphic novels, particularly graphic journalism, and the in-studio guest was noted author Joe Sacco (Safe Area Gorazde). That right away is a pretty intimidating prospect: Joe is a true talent, and the work he does is incredibly important. So I just did my best to keep up and try to sound like I knew what I was talking about. Actually, once I got over my initial nerves, it was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the chance to talk about so many different nonfiction books. I blogged about all the books covered on the show, and hopefully it provided some good attention to those books.

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Do you have a regular time at school when your class visits the library? If you could give your school library a grade, what would it be?

January 21, 2010, 157 voters

January 21, 2010

Power Talk: Comics in the University Classroom

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By John Hogan
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Comics are a powerful learning and teaching tool. That’s obvious to many teachers, a lot of whom have had great success reaching their students through graphic books. And while grade schools and middle schools have been on the forefront of using comics in the classroom, they’re also a fantastic resource at institutions of higher learning. Randy Duncan and Matthew J. Smith have written the book on how to teach the history, impact, importance, and cultural significance of comics at the university and college level. Their book, The Power of Comics, delves deeply into the teaching of comics at the higher level and offers other professors a structure for setting up their own intensive comics courses, whether they be an Intro to Comics or something more specific.

Approximately what percentage of your friends read for pleasure?

January 20, 2010, 585 voters

Books to Fall in Love with 2010

The countdown to Valentine's Day is on! Stuck on what to buy your Valentine? Our featured titles have the bookish answer. From January 22nd through February 5th, readers had the chance to win one of our five Bookreporter.com Valentine's Day Baskets. They are filled with one copy of each of our featured books, as well as some irresistible Valentine's Day-themed goodies. Thanks to all who entered and told us which character in a book they would want to share a Valentine moment with. 

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