Books Can Be a Tool of Peace

K-12 BOOK REVIEWS  

BY CL/R SIG        (from Reading Today Online of the International Reading Association

July 28, 2014

In a perfect world there would be no conflicts, no violence, no wars. But even the small corners of the world in which each of us lives has its share of conflicts or disagreements over big and small issues. There are bound to be differences of opinions or misunderstandings that lead to arguments—teachers may want to have on-hand books that encourage talking through disagreements or spending time with someone in order to change assumptions and preconceptions. Members of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group offer some book suggestions for titles encouraging a peaceful resolution to conflict. If all else fails, read and share a book.

For suggested K-12 titles click here ...

Amazon Reports Net Sales Up 23% in Q2, Operating Loss $15M

Amazon’s net sales reached $19.34 billion in the second quarter of 2014, up 23 percent from  $15.70 billion which the company reported in the second quarter of 2013.

The company also repaired that its operating loss was $15 million during Q2, as compared to an operating income of $79 million in Q2 2013. In addition, Amazon’s net loss was $126 million in the second quarter as compared with a net loss of $7 million in Q2 2013.

Here is more from the financial release: “Operating cash flow increased 18% to $5.33 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $4.53 billion for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2013. Free cash flow increased to $1.04 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $265 million for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2013. Free cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2013, includes cash outflows for purchases of corporate office space and property in Seattle, Washington, of $1.4 billion.”

from Galley Cat  By Dianna Dilworth on July 25, 2014 9:10 AM

here is a Reuters article about Amazon's lack of profits   BY DEEPA SEETHARAMAN SAN FRANCISCO Sat Jul 26, 2014 2:15am EDT

Fall 2014 Book Announcements: Mysteries & Thrillers: Trouble in L.A.

Highlights this season include major books from such established authors as James Ellroy, Michael Connelly, and Louise Penny, as well as some firsts: Chelsea Cain’s first in a new crime series; Bradford Morrow’s first foray into crime fiction; and Sophie Hannah’s Agatha Christie pastiche, the first authorized by the Christie estate.

Perfidia is the first book in what will be James Ellroy’s Second L.A. Quartet. Set over 23 days in December 1941, it exposes a deep, unsettling web of crime and violence that threatens to engulf Los Angeles in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Sonny Mehta, Knopf’s chairman and editor-in-chief, hails it as “quite simply, a great American novel.”  
--Publishers Weekly

For an individual list click here.

E-book Sales Rose 4% in First Quarter

Trade e-book sales rose 4.3% in the first quarter of to $387.9 million, according to AAP's monthly StatShot report. The increase was due to a 39.6% increase in e-book sales in the children's/YA segment which offset a 0.6% decline in sales of adult e-books. Overall, sales in the children's/YA segment rose 31.5% in the quarter at publishers that report to StatShot led by sales of Veronica Roth's Divergent series.

Among the adult categories, hardcover sales rose 3.0% in the quarter, while trade paperback sales fell 2.8%. Mass market paperback continued to struggle in the quarter with sales off 12.9%. Spokenword audio had a mixed first quarter with physical audio sales down 11.3%, while digital downloads increases 24.3%. Sales of religious books rose 1.8%.

StatShot figures are based on sales reports from 1,218 publishers.

How Famous Creatives Spent Their Days: INFOGRAPHIC

Have you ever wondered how much time Les Miserables author Victor Hugospent sleeping? Or how many hours 1Q84 author Haruki Murakamidevotes to writing?

Podio has created an infographic called, “The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People.” The image (embedded below) shows the day-to-day schedules of 26 famous creative professionals including Lolita authorVladimir Nabokov, Slaughterhouse-Five author Kurt Vonnegut, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings author Maya Angelou.

Here’s more from The Huffington Post: “Whether we’re working on our latest novels, paintings or compositions and stuck in ruts, or we’re novices to the creative workspace entirely, we can all benefit from seeing how Charles Dickens, Pablo Picasso, and Mozart spent their days — even if it is just for fun.”

Note: There is an easier to read graphic which shows their daily schedule ...

Unbroken’ Joins iBooks Bestsellers List This Week

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand has debuted on Apple’s Top Paid iBooks in the U.S. this week at No. 2. Apple has released its top selling books list for paid books from iBooks in the U.S. for week ending 7/7/14. Invisible by David Ellis & James Patterson and The Silkworm and The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling also made the list this week.

For the entire list click here.

The Ten Best Mystery Books

"Thomas H. Cook, one of the best at what he does, has done it again with 2013's Sandrine's Case, which is just as intricate and surprising as you'd expect from the Edgar winner. A veteran thriller and mystery writer of over 20 books, Cook shared his favorite mystery novels". (From Publishers Weekly website) 

The first two are: 
1. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
2. A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne

For the rest and a description of the books: Read the rest of the article