Weekend News

Lynn Johnston (of For Better of For Worse fame) and Beth Cruikshank have a new book coming out. The children's book is called Farley Follows His Nose and is due out in May.

I've long been a hater of the self-checkout line at stores since I first saw one at the local Home Depot. But a self-checkout at the library? That I might be able to get behind. I just want my books and I want to leave. No need for cash to exchange hands, no credit cards, no need to weigh the product before I place it in the bag. Just scan my library card, scan the book, and leave.

Karen Miller points us to another blog for a cover art poll. Quite interesting to see the results.



S. M. Stirling will have a new short story, "Ancient Ways," published in an anthology called Warriors. Editor George R. R. Martin expands on his blog-that's-not-a-blog. (via Grasping for the Wind)

Garfield Minus Garfield has a great librarian joke.



The state of Michigan has released their list of notable books. Included in the list are The Expeditions: A Novel by Karl Iagnemma and Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka. Iagnemma's debut book sounds interesting to me from a historical point of view as my ancestors came through Detroit in the 1870s, just thirty years after the story's setting. And if you have kids or want to feel like a kid again yourself, reading anything by Scieszka will be worth your time and money.

For months now, libraries have been in a panic over how to handle the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that went active in February. Some libraries ignored it. Some pulled books from their shelves. But I think most just stood around and scratched their collective heads. Simply put, part of the Act tries to protect children form dangerous levels of lead. Which means books printed before the mid-1980s could be at risk of going against the law. Gah. You can read more at Publishers Weekly. But be warned. There's no law against lawmakers making laws that make you want to bang your head against a wall.

The Mormon church (that's short for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is about ready to move into their new library in Salt Lake City. The library is due to open in June. While visiting the church's site, I discovered a decent collection of church writings available for free and in various digital formats (such as PDF, audio, and handheld devices). Unfortunately, the Book of Mormon itself is not available in PDF.

And speaking of e-books, publisher Rittenhouse has an awesome name for their digital library, the R2 Digital Library. Must have a Star Wars fan on staff. And the University of Pennsylvania is working with Kirtas Technologies to scan books, but only if there's an order for it.



And breaking news from Taylor Anderson, his Destroyermen Series will be continued! Great news for a new author and great news for readers of the alternative-history genre.