Friday Links: Illuminati Edition
Fair warning: We are going to be worse than NPR during its pledge drive until we meet our fund raising goal. In case you missed the roll out, we have committed to help a teacher at a “high poverty” Atlanta school purchase books that teach basic skills to beginning readers. If you’d like to make a donation to this worthy cause, visit our donation page at DonorsChoose.org. Thanks!
If you are unaware of the incredible changes taking place at the Wren’s Nest (Atlanta’s oldest author home museum) due to the work of its youthful leadership, Lain Shakespeare and Amelia Lerner, check out the feature story on those crazy kids in this month’s Atlanta Magazine.
Remember the hubbub about the e-book editions of the Dan Brown book selling more copies than the dead tree version? Apparently it was a short-lived phenomenon. The Lost Symbol’s sales adhere to what has become an industry rule of thumb, the 5% rule.
But forget Dan Brown, Mitch Horowitz author of Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation tells NPR that rapper Jay-Z is “a master of occult wisdom.” Seriously. It’s fascinating.
I’ve long been a fan of Michael Silverblatt’s Bookworm radio show on KCRW. Silverblatt is an incredibly deep reader and an inspiration for both how to read books and how to engage authors on their work. His skill hasn’t gone unnoticed apparently. Mark Sarvas reports that Silverblatt is featured in this months Oprah Magazine.
The law of unintended consequences: due its prominence at the top of the ALA’s most challenged book list for the third year running, the “gay penguin” book is racing up the Amazon charts in the UK. The article quotes the author:
…it was “regrettable that some parents believe reading a true story about two male penguins hatching an egg will damage their children’s moral development”. “They are entitled to express their beliefs, but not to inflict them on others,” he added.
October 2, 2009 9:30 am 
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