Today’s Report – January 27th

The ALA gave out their 2009 literary awards yesterday. Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book won the Newberry. Quite a change from last year’s winner. Maybe the ALA’s been reading their press? Anyway, I was happy to see that a majority of the Newberry and Printz (YA) medal and honor books have rolled through the house already. Ned’s comment about The Graveyard Book was that it was “good, but complicated.” Coming from Ned, I’m not quite sure what that might mean! One award I was not previously aware of: The Alex Awards, for adult novels that will appeal to teen audiences. Interesting.
Errol Morris in the NY Times: Mirror, Mirror. Morris asked the photo editors for AFP, AP, and Reuters to each select ten photos that they thought epitomized the Bush presidency. Then he interviewed the editors about the photos. Fascinating. Especially the different photos of the same moments.
The Chronicle of Higher Education: The End of Solitude. The thesis here is that with the rise of all the various web-based social networks and other ways to communicate on the Internet and via cell phones, younger people expect to always have contact with others and are unhappy and bored when they cannot. The author worries that, without the interest or ability to be truly alone, this generation will not be able to hear those quiet thoughts that only emerge in solitude.

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