Reading about the reading life, July 10, 2013

Welcome to another small compilation of items about books and reading. As I have mentioned before, these are items that catch my eye that I think my four readers might find interesting as well.

• This story came out a while back, but it caught my interest. It is a story about a culture of cafes with books to read in South Korea. They are a reflection, in part, of the fact that brick and mortar bookstores are rapidly declining there. Some just offer books to read, but others do sell books. And this is just one type of cafe. According to the article, "today’s visitors have many choices ― there are cafes with cats and dogs, cafes with fortune-tellers, and cafes with cool vintage furniture and even artworks" Via Korea Herald.
• It's not easy finding good erotica to read out there. There is a lot of crap out there. Crystal Veeyant argues that much of this has to do with the problem of shame, i.e., society's repressed notions when it comes to sex and sexual expression. From the piece, "again we should consider the chilling effect that shame and fear might have on many skilled writers that stays their hand from publishing erotica, ceding the market to countless horny typists with no credentials beyond a C+ in high school English and an almost charming ignorance of their own mediocrity." Via Bending the Bookshelf. I think we can add to this certain low quality fan fictions that somehow get re-written and then go on to become bestsellers. As a librarian, I usually do not judge what others read (not professionally anyhow). As a reader with some standards, if you do read that subpar stuff when there are so many other better options, I have to wonder. 
• On a different vein, an interview with author and activist Rigoberto Gonzalez. The man does a bit of everything: YA fiction, poetry, short prose, so on. Plus he is a book critic and makes time to help out other authors coming up along the way.  A bit of what he says: "I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be." Via Lambda Literary. 
• I don't have a whole lot of love for Amazon. I think my four readers know this by now. Aside from using the Kindle app on my iPad for a few free items here and there (mostly as a learning experience), there is no love lost for the company overall. This story illustrates yet another reason I don't exactly consider them experts when it comes to books and reading. To them, if you did not buy items to them, then you are not really a reader. In a nutshell, you know when Amazon does one of their big press releases touting well read cities in the U.S.? They base that on their book sales. Yea. That is pretty much it. I can't imagine what other key factors might be indicative that a city or town is a well read place, such, as, having libraries maybe? Read about it over at Book Riot.
• At Papeles Perdidos, as part of celebrating the International Day of the Book, they ask their readers why do you read? Author Caballero Bonald gives his answer. (Blog post in Spanish language). I would be curious what reasons some folks out there would give for reading: pleasure? distraction? to learn something? aesthetic reasons? Feel free to comment.
• This was not something I read, but rather something I enjoyed watching. A short film entitled "The Last Bookshop." Link to YouTube video here. In a not-too-distant future, a boy's holographic entertainment goes on the fritz, and he decides to venture outside, where he finds, lo and behold, that a bookstore still exists. 
• A message from the Department of the Obvious: Having bookshelves and books in a home can help your children succeed academically. The story is found here at Pacific Standard Magazine. On a serious note, my parents did make sure we had access to books in the home. Curiously enough, complementing that with trips to a local library never seemed to occur to them. It is a puzzling part of my childhood to be honest. However, we never lacked for books at home. Now that I have a family, we do have books at home as well, and we are a family of readers. It has paid off for our daughter as well.
• This article from The Economist back in March basically has publishers worried that with e-books in libraries, no one will ever have to buy a book again. Yes, the guy from Macmillan said that, showing once again how publishers as a whole are just clueless. The article does have some pretty fun one-liners that librarians may find amusing, such as this comment from Phil Bradley, "in publishers’ eyes librarians are 'sitting close to Satan.'” I bet Mr. Satan has a very interesting book list, and he probably borrows from his local public library. Yea, we probably share the same reading bench.
  
  I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/05/04/rigoberto-gonzalez-populating-the-bookshelves/#sthash.ipPg4bcb.dpuf
  I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/05/04/rigoberto-gonzalez-populating-the-bookshelves/#sthash.ipPg4bcb.dpuf
  I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/05/04/rigoberto-gonzalez-populating-the-bookshelves/#sthash.ipPg4bcb.dpuf
  I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/05/04/rigoberto-gonzalez-populating-the-bookshelves/#sthash.ipPg4bcb.dpuf

  I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/05/04/rigoberto-gonzalez-populating-the-bookshelves/#sthash.ipPg4bcb.dpuf
  I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/05/04/rigoberto-gonzalez-populating-the-bookshelves/#sthash.ipPg4bcb.dpuf
  I’ve been truly blessed with opportunity. Fortunately, I had the right mentors, writers who were generous with their time and guidance, who instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my various communities. Being an activist-writer means keeping the door open for others, not closing it right behind you. It means asking yourself what you can do, not only who you can be. - See more at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/05/04/rigoberto-gonzalez-populating-the-bookshelves/#sthash.ipPg4bcb.dpuf