Off with Their Heads! A Cover Art Mystery Stalks the Book World by Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune

I was always told not to cut off feet when taking photos. It is a rule that probably goes back to nineteenth century studio portraits of ladies and gentlemen, politicians, generals, and outlaws. I was told that it was alarming or at least awkward to view people whose legs ended somewhere just above their ankles. According to this thinking, a photo without a head would be shocking. Well, look at the book covers of many recent novels for a shock.

According to Nara Schoenberg of the Chicago Tribune in her article "Off with Their Heads! A Cover Art Mystery Stalks the Book World" in the Wednesday, March 12, 2008 issue of the newspaper, the headless woman is a fad in cover art for fiction. Her article includes ten examples for readers to see. The cover of Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty shows a young woman in high boots slouching on a couch. The paperback of The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro has a headless woman on a towel on a beach. Prama by Jamie Ponti shows three headless teens in prom dresses. Even the historical novel Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox shows a woman in Tudor dress only up to the neck.

"Why?" Schoenberg asks. Of course, being a journalist she asks people in the book marketing industry, and many reasons are offered. One of the most interesting explanations is that without the face, readers (mostly women) can more easily imagine themselves as the heroine.

Where are the headless men? Schoenberg says that a few they can be found on some of steamy romance paperbacks.

Now I have something else to do at PLA in late March. Instead of asking vendors about database features and the best button makers, I'll be looking for headless book cover art.

A Reference Librarian Hero

“I expedite the use of the library,” Mr. Smith said over lunch at the Algonquin Hotel, explaining just what it is he does. “I’ve been called a connector. I’m in a position to save people time. I know where to find things.” (NYT, 12/31/07)

These are wonderful words from David Smith, a reference librarian about whom the New York Times has written. They say just what we should strive to do at the reference desk. We do it every day, so it seems a bit strange to think of it as a remarkable mission, but it surprises people to find someone so helpful.

Placed where he is in the New York Public Library, Mr. Smith assists many famous writers. The article includes their praises of the librarian. Roy Blount, Jr. was shocked when Smith offered his help. Why are people so scared of librarian?

Read and be inspired.

Roberts, Sam. "The Library's Helpful Sage of the Stacks." New York Times. December 31, 2007. Page E1.

"Hot Reads for the Summer": An Aid to Book Selectors from the Chicago Tribune

When I saw that the Saturday Books section in the June 2, 2007 issue of the Chicago Tribune included a list "Hot Reads for Summer," I expected a list of light reading in paperback to take to the beach. Wow, I was really wrong! Kristin Kloberdanz lists 150 new and soon to be published books that voracious readers will enjoy. Readers are already asking libraries for some of these books (a look at my library system's catalog verifies), and as more are published in the next three months, they will return to the request desk.

The list includes 150 titles, fiction and nonfiction, and takes four pages. The fiction appears to include literary novels, short stories, first novels, and a few sure bet best sellers. I know that I want to read The Maytrees by Annie Dillard and The Entitled: A Tale of Modern Baseball by Frank Deford. About one third of the list is nonfiction, and I see many titles to add to my reading list, including Chasing Kangaroos by Tim Flannery, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost It's Luster by Dana Thomas, At Large and at Small by Anne Fadiman, and Fanatic: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die by Jim Gorant.

The reviews in this week's Books again feature new works by authors attending this year's Printers Row Book Fair. If you are not in the Chicago area, you can watch C-Span2's live coverage of the book fair on June 9 and 10.

I think you will be able to see the Books section as a pdf at the Chicago Tribune online without registering. It is worth a look. I ordered 18 books after I did.

Update on the Saturday Chicago Tribune Book Section

This is the second week of "Books" in the Saturday edition of the Chicago Tribune. Already the number of pages has fallen from sixteen back to twelve. It still looks really nice because there is essentially no advertising. Several of the reviews get a full page and photographs. There is a good regional flavor to the issue.

There are two more things that I notice about this week's issue.

• Almost all of the reviews are for books whose authors will be at the Printer's Row Book Fair, which the Tribune sponsors, June 9 and 10.
• The first four big nonfiction book reviews are negative. The reviewers are ultimately disappointed or unsatisfied.

So, I wonder if the authors at the book fair will be defending their books.

The Chicago Tribune's Saturday Book Section

The Chicago Tribune rolled out its new Saturday book section today, as it announced weeks ago. The good news is that Books has expanded to sixteen pages, up from twelve. The bad news is that it is in the Saturday paper, which has many fewer readers than the Sunday paper. The good news is that it looks really sharp, with more books reviewed in a layout that resembles the New York Times Book Review. The bad news is that it looks so good because there is very little advertising to clutter the pages; the penny counters in the newspaper's business office certainly won't want to continue a section that does not raise advertising revenue.

Today's book section has an interesting mix of titles, including serious and light fiction, a couple of large biographies, history, true crime, and children's books. Several of the books have Chicago area appeal. The book that I am putting on my reading list is Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction is Changing Men, Women, and the World by Liza Mundy. I am glad to see my library has it and someone is already reading it.

Just three weeks ago the New York Times ran an article about the death of book sections in newspapers across the country. Will the Chicago Tribune book section long survive? Let's hope for a miracle.

"Are Book Reviewers Out of Print?" in the New York Times

Many major newspapers in the U.S. are reducing or eliminating their book sections at a time when blogging about books is rising. In "Book Reviewers Out of Print?" in the May 2, 2007 issue of the New York Times, page B1, Motoko Rich asks authors and bloggers about the situation and whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship. The bloggers say "no." They do not want to replace the newspaper reviewers, who are career writers or academics. Many of the authors think the threat comes from newspapers intent on cost cutting. They are mostly unaware of bloggers.

The idea that newspaper reviews are too stodgy, serious, and academic is discussed. They often print long reviews of books that have little public appeal. I see the Chicago Tribune each week and wonder if this is a fair complaint. To the newspaper's credit, it is often highlighting little known books that should get more exposure. However, I am then surprised (or used to be surprised) by how few requests we get at my public library for the books reviewed in the Chicago Tribune Book Section.

Authors in the article claim that the newspapers in question (Atlanta Constitution, San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Times) need to remember their role in promoting regional literature.

The article is interesting and provides links to literary blogs. Here is a link to the article, which may require you to start a free NYT account.

Presidential Candidates Give Supporters Blogs

The Chicago Tribune of February 16, 2007 includes a front page article by Washington Bureau reporter Mike Dorning titled "Political Web Sites Get Personal: Candidates Let Backers Write Blogs, Network." The article starts with news about Barack Obama's web site.

"Sen. Barack Obama's newly revamped Web site looks a lot like MySpace and Facebook, and that's no accident. As a presidential candidate offering himself as a generational change agent, Obama is leveraging online social networking in a nearly unprecedented way in yet another clear measure of how the Internet is transforming politics."

Later in the article, the reporter says that the web site for John Edwards also provides supporters with blogs and space for profiles.

Finding the social tools on Obama's website is easy, as they are prominently displayed. On Edward's website they associated with the "Join the Campaign" box. Also, if you "skip to the website" from the welcome page and scroll to the bottom of the following page, you will find links to the Edward's MySpace, YouTube, 43 Things, etc.

It will be interesting to see if the candidates who have supported legislation to restrict access to social websites in schools and public libraries will be following the examples of Obama and Edwards. They could be choosing to filter themselves.

Senegal's Entrepreneurs Can't Just Look Out for No. 1 by Laurie Goering

I am often a day or two behind in my newspaper reading. This morning while on the exercise bike, I came across this article by Laurie Goering on page 10 of the Thursday, February 17 issue of the Chicago Tribune, near west edition.        I’m not making a link because the paper will tie you up with passwords and will want to extract some cash from you, unless you already have an online account. I recommend getting the article from the paper in your local library if you are in the Chicago area or finding it through the NewsBank or Proquest databases for the Chicago Tribune. It is not one of the selected articles added by EBSCO to its Newspaper Source as yet. Eleven other articles from that day’s paper have been added, three of which are international stories. There are thirty-three stories from the Wednesday edition, so it may still be added.

Laurie Goering often writes interesting articles from foreign locations. I think she has been in Africa for several years now. She was in South America when I first noticed her articles. I have not noticed a calendar pattern to her reports. They seem occasional. They rarely make front page. I always read them when I find them.

This report describes the efforts of many people in Senegal to better their lives through hard work. Mouhamadou Moustapha Anne is shown sewing couch cushions with an old Singer sewing machine. He sells his couches from the median of a road in Dakar, and his earning support his extended family and distant relatives. Another photo shows salon owner Nabou Diagne washing a woman’s hair. She aspires to a good life through business success. Like many Senegalese business people they share with those in need. Sharing is strategy for change. Another group of businessmen pooled their funds to start their own bank when they found the big banks would never give them loans.

The article includes statements from successful exporters and government officials, telling why it is so hard to get ahead in Senegal. Various industries and living conditions are described. As a librarian, I appreciate the map and table profiling the country that accompany this nearly full page article.

Next time someone tells you that third world people are poor because they are lazy and will not work, wave this article at them!