Book News Round-Up

Time flies, bookworms! I can't believe Thanksgiving is practically upon us. As you ponder which pie you're going to eat first, sit back and enjoy this week's book news.

• Twilight inspires a lot of emotion - you either love it or hate it. So Galley Cat decided to see what some "literary" authors thought about the popular series. While most might expect a snobbish response (e.g, "Twilight's not real literature"), the reactions were actually quite mature. Most of the respondents said that while they may not like the series themselves, they were thrilled with anything that gets kids to read. And to that, I say "amen!"
• For those intrepid writers participating in NaNoWriMo, the Inkwell Bookstore Blog has some helpful suggestions from famous authors and the like. My personal favorite, that made me literally laugh aloud: @JesusHChrist: Have half ur book B backstory/prologue. Then have the main novel told from p.o.v. of several different people. Kill off a few characters, resurrect some, add an epilogue, hint at a sequel. God-humor always works.
• It's official - Facebook has officially infiltrated the last reaches of all respectable society. The New Oxford American Dictionary announced its Word of the Year for 2009: "unfriend." Ironically enough, I have no words to express my simultaneous laughter and horror.
  
• While New Moon undoubtedly stormed the box office this weekend, another page-to-screen adaptation has been quietly raking in the money and the critical acclaim. The indie movie, Precious, based on a novel by Sapphire, has yet to receive anything but glowing praise for it's screenplay and actors. Of course, it probably helps that Oprah helped finance it. Oprah's like the King Midas of the 21st century.
• Somebody's got a case of Catholic guilt! Thanks to the Inkwell Bookstore Blog, I came across this article about overdue library books being returned - 51 years later! The anonymous patron included the two late books, a note of apology and $1,000 for the overdue fees. Which, of course, makes me feel incredibly guilty about that Richard Scarry book I never returned to my own local library. *Gulp.*
  
• School Library Journal has a great interview with Neil Gaiman. That man can do no wrong in my mind. He talks about the difference between writing for adults and writing for children, coming out with a great and inspired quote: "If you write well for kids, you may be changing lives, in a way you probably aren’t for adults... for children you’re giving them part of what made them. The man's a genius.
• Thanks to Twitter, I came across the best review ever of Sarah Palin's new book. When the review started with "Going Rogue is shit," I knew I was going to like it.
• Well, there goes the publishing world. Oprah announced this week that her eponymous talk show will end in September 2011 and with it, the ever-pervasive Oprah Book Club. Though the club hasn't had the same level of impact in recent years as it did at it's peak, the Oprah seal of approval still manages to sell quite a few books. It will interested to see how this affects book sales in the coming years. Of course, it might be nice to let someone else do the recommending.
• Sorry, haters, but it looks as if Twilight is here to stay. In a new interview in Time magazine, Twilight (the movie) director Catherine Hardwicke talks about the lasting appeal of the series and opines that the Twilight phenomenon will be sticking around for quite awhile.