Archive for the 'Books' Category
November 17th, 2009, 3:26 pm by Chris "KeL" Adams
Publisher Harper Collins held recently held “The Graveyard Book Halloween Party Contest” in which independent bookstores would hold a in-store Halloween party using author Neil Gaiman’s novel The Graveyard Book as the theme. The results have just been announced and Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe was selected as one of the five first place finishers. They just missed out on winning the grand prize, consisting of a visit and signing by best-selling writer Neil Gaiman.
But all is not lost! By winning first prize, they’ll be receiving five signed copies of The Graveyard Book and a customized video greeting from Gaiman himself. Very impressive! It just goes to show you the wonders and importance of independent booksellers, so be sure to support your local indy bookstore!
Posted in: Books • Changing Hands • Gaiman | Post a Comment »
November 13th, 2009, 6:02 am by Jayson Peters
 First we learn that comic books aren’t all that bad for kids. Now, boosted by the rich historical detail in video games like Assassin’s Creed II (out next week for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) and the popularity of World War II as a setting for combat games, the American Library Association has declared this Saturday to be National Gaming Day at U.S. libraries.
While we’re certainly in a video game renaissance of respectability, old-school is represented as well. Corporate sponsor Hasbro has donated 16,700 sets of games including “Monopoly Deal,” “Pictureka!” the card game and “Scrabble Slam” for the event.
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Posted in: Books • Gaming • PlayStation 3 • Xbox 360 • Assassin's Creed II • library | 2 Comments »
November 12th, 2009, 10:39 pm by Jayson Peters
Newsarama pointed me to recent research publicized by the University of Illinois, in which a library and information science professor named Carol L. Tilley defends comic books as serious children’s literature.
Tilley found that children benefit as much from reading comic books as they do from reading other forms of literature.
“A lot of the criticism of comics and comic books come from people who think that kids are just looking at the pictures and not putting them together with the words,” Tilley told the Illinois News Bureau. “Some kids, yes. But you could easily make some of the same criticisms of picture books – that kids are just looking at pictures, and not at the words.”
The research was published in School Library Monthly.
Posted in: Books • Comics • Manga • Science • children • kid lit • library • research | 1 Comment »
November 11th, 2009, 11:57 am by Jayson Peters
Opposition seems to be growing to the use of Amazon’s e-book reader in an academic setting.
 Two universities this week said they will shun the device unless Amazon makes changes to make it more accessible to the visually impaired.
In June an ASU student, backed by the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind, sued Arizona State University over the use of the Kindle DX for textbooks, saying its lack of a nonvisual user interface locks the blind out of the new technology and puts them at a competitive disadavantage.
Not long after that, Amazon made waves (and provoked a lawsuit) with its decision to yank purchased content from users’ Kindles because it consisted of unauthorized editions of literary classics. (Amazon later settled the rights issues and attempted to make it up to consumers.)
See also:
Posted in: Books • Business • Technology • Amazon • e-books • Kindle • lawsuit • Litigation | Post a Comment »
November 9th, 2009, 9:40 am by Jayson Peters
 The latest installment in the epic fantasy series “The Wheel of Time” has dethroned Dan Brown’s latest thriller on the New York Times bestseller list.
The Gathering Storm, by the late Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, took the top spot last week, knocking off The Lost Symbol, which spent seven weeks there.
Sanderson, who was chosen to finish the series after Jordan died in 2007, shares his thoughts on the achievement here in his personal blog:
The thing is, I don’t feel I can take much — if any — credit for this. The reason this book turned out as well as it did (and thank you all for your kind emails, posts, and reviews) was because of the work Robert Jordan did before he passed away. He literally lay on his deathbead dictating scenes for you, too weak to write. He loved his readers dearly, and those of you lucky enough to meet him know that he was a truly kind and generous man.
The author will meet with fans Nov. 16 at the Scottsdale Public Library.
Posted in: Books • Bragging rights • Business • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Brandon Sanderson • Robert Jordan • Wheel of Time | Post a Comment »
November 2nd, 2009, 12:02 am by Jayson Peters
Every year the Honors program at Phoenix College holds a massive book sale that helps students pay for books and tuition. This year the 17th annual Padriac Hill Memorial Scholarship Fund Book Sale will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 10 in Sophomore Square at Phoenix College, 1202 W. Thomas Rd. (MAP)
The fund is named for Padriac Meriadoc Hill, a student in the Classical Studies and Honors programs at PC who was shot and killed during an attempted robbery of the movie theater where he worked in 1993. His first name is the Gaelic spelling for “Patrick” and his middle name, “Meriadoc,” comes from a Hobbit character in The Lord of the Rings, a book his father loved.
I attended PC as part of the Classical Studies program, and the sale was always a lot of hard work but was also a lot of fun. If you can get out that way, please support this program and you’ll find some great deals on books! And if you can’t make it but would like to contribute, call the Honors office at (602) 285-7305 to arrange for a student to pick up your book donations.
Posted in: Books • Collecting • Deals • charity • fund-raiser • Padriac Meriadoc Hill • Phoenix College • Tolkien | Post a Comment »
October 22nd, 2009, 2:04 pm by Jayson Peters
 Amazon announced today that it will release a free software application for Windows PCs that will read the same e-books as its $259 Kindle device.
The application, which was announced the same day Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system debuted at the company’s first retail store in Scottsdale, will be available in November, the Los Angeles Times reports.
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Posted in: Books • Business • PC • Technology • Amazon • e-books • Kindle | Post a Comment »
October 21st, 2009, 4:45 pm by Jayson Peters
 On Friday Sam Weller, the authorized biographer for sci-fi author Ray Bradbury, will appear at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe as part of the store’s “Food for Thought” series. Weller, a journalist and professor at Columbia College in Chicago, is the author of The Ray Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury, which describes the writer who envisioned rocket travel to outer space but never learned to drive a car or operate a computer.
Bag lunches for the event are available for $5.50 at the adjacent Wildflower Bread Company; just call (480) 838-9773 and as for the “Food for Thought” special.
Posted in: Books • Events • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Changing Hands • Ray Bradbury • Tempe | Post a Comment »
October 21st, 2009, 10:19 am by Jayson Peters
 Photo: Tor Books Author Brian Sanderson, who was chosen in 2007 to complete Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series after the novelist passed away, will appear next month in the Valley to promote the release of The Gathering Storm. Sanderson will meet fans Nov. 16 at the Scottsdale Public Library.
The book, which releases Oct. 27, is the 12th volume in the fantasy epic that fuses elements of European and Asian mythology.
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Posted in: Books • Events • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Scottsdale • Brian Sanderson • Robert Jordan • Wheel of Time | Post a Comment »
October 19th, 2009, 9:45 pm by Jayson Peters
 Publisher Crucible 7 has released a seven-page preview and sample character sheet from its upcoming Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space roleplaying game.
Priced at $59.95, the release is described as a deluxe box set that contains a 144-page Gamemaster’s Guide, an 86-page Player’s Guide, a 30-page Adventures Book, a four-page Quick Start Guide, pregenerated character sheets, blank character sheets, gadget sheets, tokens and dice. The game, originally set for release this month, will be out in November.
This is the third official tabletop RPG based on Doctor Who: FASA published one in the ’80s and Virgin in the ’90s. The new game naturally focuses on the 2005 relaunch of the classic series that ran from 1963-89. But with 45 years of accumulated lore from TV episodes, original novels and plays and two spinoffs to date, there is plenty of material to support a full range of gaming supplements — if the market is there for them.
See also: ‘Doctor Who’ RPG set for fall release
Posted in: Books • Doctor Who • Gaming • RPGs • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • PDF | Post a Comment »
October 8th, 2009, 1:08 am by Jayson Peters
 Amazon has lowered the price of its Kindle e-book reader to $259 and unveiled an international model, according to PC World … but Canada is still Kindle-less due to a lack of wireless distribution agreements for the device’s bookish content, reports the Globe & Mail.
If you’re reading this, O Canada, here’s some of the fun you’ve been missing:
Posted in: Books • Geek gear • Holidays • Technology • Amazon • e-books • Kindle | Post a Comment »
September 28th, 2009, 4:13 pm by Jayson Peters
 A couple of events coming to the Valley next month will help to usher in the release of DK Publishing’s LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, due out Monday, Oct. 5.
The LEGO Store at Chandler Fashion Center will be invaded by Imperial stormtroopers for its event, 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 10. In addition, there will be giveaways of Star Wars-related LEGO toys.
The same day and time, Barnes & Noble at Desert Ridge Marketplace, 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix, will hold a costume contest, LEGO building activities, games raffles and more.
If you’re in another geographical area, check the book’s official site to find a similar event near you.
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Posted in: Books • Chandler • Collecting • Events • LEGO • Star Wars • Phoenix | 1 Comment »
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