Update on the Litblog

Yesterday the Litblog Co-op announced its first selection for its Read This! book discussion, a sort of online Big Read program. The title is Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. The selection is a little bit of a surprise, as Kate Atkinson is not totally unknown and the book was published by Little, Brown and Company, not a small press. There was some indication from the group as it formed that it would be promoting new authors. The announcement indicates members of the committee chose this book partly because they themselves ignored it until someone in their trust persuaded them to read it.

The public libraries in the Metropolitan Library System seem to have done better than the writers of the Litblog Co-op in this case. Thirty six of the libraries already have the book in their collections. I just ordered it for ours.

In the next week the group will announce visits with the author and her editor, moderated book discussions, and a minority report from the members who supported other books for the initial selection. Everything will be posted on the mainpage of the Litblog Co-op blog.

Praising Public Libraries

Last week, before the announcement of the book for the program, Sam Jones of the LitBlog Co-op wrote "At a Library Near You," which tells about finding good books to read on the new book shelves at his favorite public libraries. Evanston and Ann Arbor libraries are praised. Jones says that he finds books in these libraries before he sees them reviewed.

Not the Same Litblog

I stumbled across another blog with a similar name, which seems to be a discussion by two friends who seem to be very concerned about how literature is defined and which books pass the test. If you find this site, look around, as there are a lot of good reading suggestions in the sidebars. I enjoyed some of the postings, especially the guide to judging people by the books on their shelves. I hope they never set their eyes on my books.

Atkinson, Kate. Case Histories. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2004. ISBN 0316740403

Go to rickindex to find more book, movie, and music reviews.