It is an absolutely gorgeous day today as was yesterday and so promises tomorrow. So I’m going to keep this week’s book news as short as possible, so I can spend as much of my time outside (Daylight Savings Time is finally paying off!)
- Book reviews aren’t always fun to read, especially if they fall into the trap of using clichés to describe book after book: compelling, lyrical, haunting, sweeping, powerful, etc. (Hey even I’ll admit to using those clichés in my own reviews and other posts on LND.) Now, after identifying the 20 most annoying book review cliches, The Examiner’s Michelle Kerns has come up with Book Review Bingo! While such a game might give writers and critics heart palpitations, it’s a lot of fun for readers like you and me. Heck, sometimes I just like any excuse to shout “bingo!”
- Those intrepid Twitter users are at it again, proving once more that you can cram a complicated plot into 140 characters. In fact, you can do it in even less. A recent trending topic on Twitter was “Books in 10 Words or Less.” Once again, not so much fun for the authors who probably spent years writing their masterpieces, but so much fun for the rest of us. Here are my favorites: Of Mice and Men: Seems like Anya was justified in her bunny fear (by @k8black; only truly appreciate by Steinbeck and Joss Wheadon fans) and “War of the Roses”: “I hate you.” “I hate you more.” (by @nyneshaydee).
- Last week, I presented you with alternative options to that whole silly NCAA basketball thing that happens in March. Now, I’m downright delighted to present a third: Jane Austen’s March Madness! It kicked off this week, with the first round, presented as a poll to readers of Austenacious’ blog. I filled out my own bracket, which, if you’re interested, had Mr. Darcy emerging triumphant over all of the other Austen characters. (He’s Mr. Darcy – of course he kicks ass!) Austenacious’ JA Madness will continue until early April and while it’s too late to submit a bracket, you can still vote for the winners of each round.
- Shel Silverstein fans, rejoice! Harper Collins announced this week that it will publish a new collection of never-before-seen poems by the famous children’s poet. The new work, which will debut in the fall of 2011, will feature the same format as Silverstein’s other beloved collections (Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Light in the Attic, and Falling Up.) Silverstein died in 1999 after a busy career as an author, a songwriter and a playwright.
- I’m always wary when Hollywood decides it’s going to toy with some of my favorite childhood books, but I admit to being cautiously optimistic about Walden Media’s upcoming film adaptation of the Beverly Cleary classic, Beezus and Ramona. Though it stars some big names (notably Selena Gomez, of Disney Channel fame, as Beezus), the trailer gave me hope in the form of the unknown young actress playing Ramona. She seems to just the right mixture of mischieviousness and well-intentioned chaos. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but I won’t hold my breath.
Read always, bookworms, but make sure you get outside too. This weather is too nice to waste!
