How to Eat a Cupcake
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January 31, 2012

Meg Donohue knows how to whet an appetite and pay homage to a gal’s sweet tooth. Her first book, How to Eat a Cupcake (William Morrow Paperbacks, March 2012) unfolds over the course of a year, opening in June and wrapping up sweetly in May. The story is told from two perspectives and, while the protagonists duke it out, the reader feasts on some delicious… [Read More]

Campfire artfully brings classics to life for kids
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January 24, 2012

For a comic book, its visual design is superb. Campfire’s latest adaptation, Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book, is absolutely gorgeous: it’s not in the same playing field as popular superhero comics by DC and Marvel, that’s for sure. (Feel free to disagree, but neither Spiderman nor Green Lantern has ever been drawn so crisply or in colors so rich.) Children will love the drawings… [Read More]

No resolutions. Just reviews.
by,
December 29, 2011

The New Year is upon us. Everyone is talking about 2012 resolutions and proposing ways to become a better person. Personally, I hate resolutions. It’s fine to desire to be a better person, to lose 15 lbs, to eat more wholesome meals and fewer fast food quick fixes, to tackle home improvement projects, to promise to volunteer at the local food pantry every weekend, and… [Read More]

Igor Kenk, The World’s Most Prolific Bike Thief
by,
December 8, 2011

Kenk: A Graphic Portrait is a curious combination of forms. Investigative journalism with a splash of memoir and mystery, Kenk tells the true story of Igor Kenk, the world’s most prolific bicycle thief. His story made headlines first in Toronto, his local city, before spreading to national and international news media. His arrest and the news media tell one story but Kenk: A Graphic Portrait… [Read More]

Good witch or bad witch? Automation and the 24/7 live stream of social media channels
by,
November 3, 2011

It’s tough to keep track of activity on the Twitterverse sometimes. This is how Twitter, or social media in general, draws you in and sucks away your time. The drawback of live streaming, immediately accessible social and media platforms is just that: it’s 24 hours, it’s always on. Inevitably, logging off Twitter means checking out from social media and missing out on conversation points, interesting… [Read More]

Social Media Round-Up: learn, think, laugh, share
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October 22, 2011

One of the best features of social media is how quickly content spreads. Articles, essays, videos, and blog posts that would have been overlooked become valuable sources of information. They keep me informed and aware of the world’s activity, from the complex to the inane. I find links all over the place, relying upon Twitter and Facebook as well as my e-mail inbox. I subscribe… [Read More]

Guantanamo Boy
by,
October 13, 2011

Guantanamo Boy (Albert Whitman, 2011 reprint) is the story of a teenager in the wrong place at the wrong time in a dangerous political climate. It’s a story of closed ears, fearful eyes and silent mouths. A story in which the small kindnesses buried deep in the heart have the power to keep a person alive, like the power of a good book (a Reader’s… [Read More]

In the Land of Coffee, a Bookstore Reunion
by,
October 4, 2011

  A few months back, in April, Seattle’s Elliott Bay Book Company moved to Capitol Hill, a trendy LGBT-friendly neighborhood east of downtown. I heard about the change from the Seattle Times and asked friends about it but no one had visited yet. The move was a surprise – Elliott Bay is a local staple, its location nearly as sacrosanct as Starbuck’s original café in… [Read More]

The Fiction Writer’s Perspective: Live from the TCPL
by,
October 1, 2011

I’m not a fiction writer. I stick to what I know and what I know is English literature and social media. Yet this past week, I attended a workshop at the Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) on writing historical fiction.  On Wednesday night I assisted Jill Swenson, the host and experienced writer, editor and CEO of Swenson Book Development LLC. It was the last meeting… [Read More]

Private effort and the corporate model
by,
September 24, 2011

Use branding to sell books and sustain your passion Many writers do not want to engage in social media because they fear their engagement online will detract from (either time spent on or quality of) their writing. It’s a valid concern. It’s also an unnecessary one – if modeling the right approach. You see, using social media is about writing. If you are a writer, in… [Read More]