Happy Birthday Paperback Books!

July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

On July 30, 1935, a new technology was born that provided knowledge, stories, entertainment (with text and pictures, no less) that was convenient and cheap. It was light enough to carry anywhere and you could tag specific areas to re-read at a later date. An early e-reader? Nope – the paperback book! Penquin Publishers, in England, was the first to successfully publish respectable, quality writing without a hard cover. (There were earlier paperback books called penny dreadfuls, yellow-backs, and dime novels that generally featured lurid stories and were printed on cheap pulp paper.)

Partnering with Simon & Schuster, Robert de Graff introduced the first paperbacks in America on June 19, 1939 called Pocket Books. The first American paperback book to be printed in the United States was The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. The cost to purchase these new books – 25 cents versus $2.75 for a hardcover. In order to make a profit on paperbacks, de Graff had to print 100,000 copies at a time. He couldn’t rely on bookstores to sell that many copies so he began using magazine distributors to place Pocket Books in newsstands, subway stations, drugstores and any other outlet to reach suburban and rural populations. He designed bold, colorful, eye-catching book covers to catch people’s eyes. By September 1944, 100 million books were sold in more than 70,000 outlets across the United States. By the end of the 1940’s, the paperback industry began publishing original stories. Previously, the industry only reprinted hardcover titles. There are now more than 20 major publishers producing high quality, original and reprinted paperbacks.

: ROMANCE PAPERBACKS

: ROMANCE PAPERBACKS

: ROMANCE PAPERBACKS

Today, there are many sizes of paperback books and all different prices, but the two major sizes are mass-market and trade. Authors originally wrote stories for publications in magazines, but soon shifted their attention to mass-market paperbacks. They could write longer, more in-depth, entertaining novels that boasted beautiful, bold, color covers and were prominently displayed in all types of venues. They were affordable and easy to carry and proved to be a huge hit. Mass-market paperback readers have a large selection of genres of original stories to choose from, in addition to best-selling hardcovers republished in paperback form. In the beginning, Westerns were the biggest selling genre, followed by Crime and Science Fiction. The most popular genre for mass-market today is Romance. Within this genre you will find many sub-genres including contemporary romance, historical romance, small town romance, and paranormal romance. The Cheshire Library has a separate section dedicated to mass-market Romance Books located towards the front of the library, near the large windows. Another very popular genre for mass-market paperbacks are Cozy Mysteries. The Cheshire Library has a large selection of these interfiled among the hardcovers in the Mystery section of the library. You can also find regular Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy paperbacks in the library’s collection.

COZY MYSTERIES

Some literary authors, critics and bookstore owners turned their noses up at mass market paperbacks. When Doubleday’s Jason Epstein was a college student, he lamented the fact that he and his fellow students couldn’t afford hardcover editions and envisioned a line of upscale paperbacks of hardcover bestsellers and classics. By 1953, Trade paperbacks were introduced. These were larger, more durable, with attractive covers illustrated by fine artists with an appeal to a more intellectual market. They sold for 65 cents to $1.25. The library’s selection of Trade paperbacks are filed among the hardcover books. They also come in a variety of genres, with the most popular genres being erotic romance – with Fifty Shades of Grey topping the charts – and Christian-themed books.

: TRADE PAPERBACKS

: ASSORTED PAPERBACK SIZES

There were many who thought paperbacks would kill the publishing industry, but instead, the books proved to be quite the sensation. As recently as 2010, paperbacks outsold hardcover books. Although the ebook has taken some of the market away from paperbacks, they still continue to be a much beloved tool for readers everywhere. The look, feel, texture, smell, size, and portability makes the paperback book very inviting.

Smart Summer Reads for Older Teens and Adults

July 26, 2014August 1, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Are you looking for a great read this summer that is not pure fluff, but not so heavy that you wonder why you are reading it for fun? Here are some books with great insights about life, different cultures, history, and society. They also happen to be fantastic reads, although not necessarily fun reads. These books would be good choices for a curious high school student, the college bound, and for adults that are just looking to expand their knowledge and reading while not afraid to cross the threshold of the teen room doors.

1. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. The great-granddaughter of Iran’s last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheaval and vast contradictions between public and private life.

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

3. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. An account of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 relates the stories of two men who shaped the history of the event–architect Daniel H. Burnham, who coordinated its construction, and serial killer Herman Mudgett.

4. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. In an action-packed modern fable about the problems young Chinese Americans face when trying to participate in American popular culture, the lives of three apparently unrelated characters–Jin Wang, Monkey King, and Chin-Kee–come together with an unexpected twist.

5. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. Presents an oral history of the dust storms that devastated the Great Plains during the Depression, following several families and their communities in their struggle to persevere despite the devastation.

Looking for even more books that are smart and fascinating read? Here are a few more reading suggestions. If I missed one you would like to recommend please leave a comment and let us know so other readers can add it to their list as well! Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam by Ann Marie Fleming, Walden by Henry David Thoreau, I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchú, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, Persepolis 2: the Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi, First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung, Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed
Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh, or The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman.

Walter Dean Myers Passes Away

July 5, 2014July 3, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Walter Dean Myers, beloved and deeply respected children’s book author, died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old. The School Library Journa l released his obituary on July 2nd.

Just about anyone that has read children’s or young adult literature in the last forty-five years will have read or at least heard of Walter Dean Myers and seen some of the over 100 books that he has written. This impressive body of work includes two Newbery Honor Books, three National Book Award Finalists, and six Coretta Scott King Award/Honor-winning books. He was also the winner of the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award, the first recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. In 2010, Walter was the United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and in 2012 he was appointed the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, serving a two-year tenure in the position. Also in 2012, Walter was recognized as an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree, an honor given by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, for his substantial lifetime accomplishments and contribution to children’s literature.

If you have not read anything from Myers, I would suggest using this loss as a motivation to get reading. His work is deep and sometimes heart wrenching, telling the stories of young people that need a voice and need to be heard. Here is a small sampling of his books which you might want to start with.

1. Darius & Twig
2. Invasion
3. All the Right Stuff
4. The Dream Bearer
5. Monster
6. The Glory Field
7. Hoops
8. 145th Street: Short Stories
9. Harlem: a Poem
10. Bad Boy: A Memoir

Memoirs, Humor, and More About Fatherhood

June 15, 2014June 9, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

In honor of Father’s Day, let’s take a look at some dad related humor, memoirs, and related collections of letters that can be great reads for dads new to the wonders of parenthood, those that are not quite as new to its wonders, and just about anyone.

Too Good to be True: a Memoir by Benjamin Anastas. When he was three, Anastas found himself in his mother’s fringe-therapy group in Massachusetts, a sign around his neck: Too Good to Be True. The phrase haunted him through his life. This is his deeply moving memoir of fathers and sons, crushing debt and infidelity– and the first, cautious steps taken toward piecing a life back together.

A Father First: How my Life Became Bigger than Basketball by Dwyane Wade.
NBA star Dwyane Wade discusses the rewarding responsibilities of being a single dad to his two sons, Zaire and Zion and highlights of his basketball career.

The Ticking is the Bomb: a Memoir by Nick Flynn. A dazzling, searing, and inventive memoir about becoming a father in the age of terror.

Fatherhood by Bill Cosby. A collection of ruminations, anecdotes, and vignettes based on Cosby’s experiences as a son and father.

Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon. An entertaining omnibus of opinionated essays previously published mostly in Details magazine spotlights novelist Chabon’s (The Yiddish Policemen’s Union) model of being an attentive, honest father and a fairly observant Jew.

Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier. More serious than a “gag” writer and funnier than most essayists, Frazier has a classical originality. This collection, a companion to his previous humor collections “Dating Your Mom” and “Coyote v. Acme,” contains 33 pieces gathered from the last 13 years.

Don’t Make Me Stop this Car!: Adventures in Fatherhood by Al Roker. Al provides an unprecedented, intimate look into his experiences with infertility treatments, adoption, and the normal fears and wonders of an expecting parent. As Al manages the needs of his daughters from two marriages and the demands of a high-profile career, he is like millions of others who fantasize about the newest sport utility vehicle, struggle with a GapKids addiction, and bask in the golden moments of first steps and special Father’s Day meals. Along the way, Al comes to a deeper understanding of his parents’ love for him and a whole new appreciation of them as grandparents.

Raising Cubby: a Father and Son’s Adventures with Asperger’s, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives John Elder Robison. The comic memoir of an Aspergian father raising his Aspergian son, by the bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye.

As usual, I found too many great books to stop, so if you are looking for even more you might want to check out; Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan, The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could be Me by Bruce S. Feiler, Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern, Wisdom of our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons by Tim Russer, No Wonder my Parents Drank: Tales from a Stand-up Dad by Jay Mohr, A Promise to Ourselves: a Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce by Alec Baldwin, The Bastard on the Couch: 27 Men Try Really Hard to Explain their Feelings about Love, Loss, Fatherhood, and Freedom edited by Daniel Jones, and Big Russ and Me: Father and Son by Tim Russert.

June is National Bathroom Reading Month

June 10, 2014June 4, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Yes, you read that right. June is actually National Bathroom Reading Month. I never knew a month was dedicated to this, but I guess everything has a special time set aside to celebrate it’s uniqueness these days.

So what kind of list do you think I will offer up here? It took me awhile to decide myself. Should I offer up books about bathroom renovation, dirty jokes, short stories, potty training, or something else completely? There are just so many options! I decided to go with reading material, mostly of a humorous bent including some memoirs, that are portioned out in short tidbits, stories, or facts, best suited for reading in short periods of time. Not that I promote reading library books in that particular room of course, but these books would do well while waiting in the car or for any short reading time spans.