Enlisting the help of editors, ghostwriters, and manuscript coaches are topics as well as how to select correct book categories. This is a very practical guide to the business side of writing which isn't always covered in books about writing.
I listened to it on audiobook and did not care for the narration. For me, it felt like a teacher was describing basic details to a class of inexperienced students.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
I typically enjoy books about books, bookstores, and libraries. I listened to The Last Bookshop in London on audiobook. It was an okay book for me.
GraI typically enjoy books about books, bookstores, and libraries. I listened to The Last Bookshop in London on audiobook. It was an okay book for me.
Grace Bennett, the main character, works at a bookstore in London during WW II. She is very compassionate, efficient and organized. She begins reading to groups of customers at the bookstore as bombs fall in different parts of London.
It's a light read without any unexpected plot twists or turns. ...more
Unfortunately, there are many witness accounts from individuals Mortenson traveled with, worked with, and spoke with who indicate that Mortenson's information is not factual.
Charisma and powerful storytelling are great traits, but ethics, integrity and transparency trump all other characteristics. ...more
The book is thoroughly researched and starts with several examples that occurred in the 1960s and 70s. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution between 1966 - 1976, secular schools and universities were closed and millions of books were destroyed. The Chinese writer, Lu Xin, stated, "The statesman hates the writer because the writer sows the seeds of dissent." When Pol Pot ruled Cambodia, the ability to read was a capital offense. During the Mayan civil war between 1960 - 1996, elders were killed with exceptional cruelty to destroy people's links with their past.
Some of the memorable passages include:
* When a regime's power rests on force rather than consent, its legitimacy requires constant manhandling of the past.
* There has been a long-standing tension between the ideals of free speech and the urge to prevent harm that words can cause.
* The compulsion to silence others is as old as the urge to speak.
* US Supreme Court: Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters.
* Censorship targets have usually been outliers who are vulnerable to the force of authority.
* Protections of speech have almost always represented a gain for the powerless at the expense of governing classes.
* With Facebook and other social media sites, ordinary citizens now have the ability to silence rulers and Presidents.
* Destruction of books is a confession by authorities that they cannot coexist with nonconforming ideas.
* Censorship is always a display of weakness.
* What is venomous for one person is nourishment for another.
* Books contain a potency of life.
* US Senator Hiram Johnson: The first casualty when war comes is truth.
* George Orwell 1945: If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don't want to hear.
Libraries are crucial for a healthy functioning society and Richard Ovenden, director of Bodleian Libraries at Oxford, is an expert on library historyLibraries are crucial for a healthy functioning society and Richard Ovenden, director of Bodleian Libraries at Oxford, is an expert on library history. Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge is a well researched book that focuses primarily on the long history of libraries and the role they play in disseminating ideas.
One of my favorite passages is that libraries deal with ideas, ambitions, discoveries and imaginings.
One of the historical book burnings included in the book occurred on May 10, 1933. Forty thousand students participated in book burning in Berlin. It was a carefully planned publicity stunt that was replicated in 90 cities that evening. Writers immediately spoke out and signaled that this was a critical warning sign. It was the forerunner of the most concerted eradication of books in history. During the Holocaust, it is estimated that over 100 million books were burned.
On August 25, 1992, Serbian forces deliberately shelled the National and University Library. They sought annihilation of the Muslim population. It took three days for the library to burn and the event didn't make the front pages of any international newspapers.
The end of the book addresses the era we live in today with digital abundance. Ovenden warns that a small number of very large companies own the digital knowledge that is being created. He calls them private superpowers focused on surveillance capitalism.
One of the most memorable quotes in the book is from John Naisbitt, "We are drowning in formation, but we are starved of knowledge."
The three star rating is because I thought the primary focus of the book would be on book banning and it was more focused on the history of libraries and the storage of records and information. ...more
The story is about a widowed man in his late thirties who owns a bookstore that is primarily busy in the summer months. A toddler, Maya, is left in his bookstore with a note from Maya's mother that she can't raise Maya.
It was an okay book for me. The references to many books was appealing but the pace was too slow for me.
I love books about books. I enjoy and have read many books about the Holocaust. I have a sister named Liesl. So throw all of that together and I thougI love books about books. I enjoy and have read many books about the Holocaust. I have a sister named Liesl. So throw all of that together and I thought I would devour The Book Thief.
I listened to it on audiobook and it quickly ended up in my DNF pile.
I encourage Goodreads friends to read the many very positive reviews about The Book Thief. It just wasn't for me. The storytelling style didn't resonate with me. ...more
Julia Whelan, narrator of the audiobook, Book Lovers, does a phenomenal job with incredible intonation. She has narrated over 500 books and is the autJulia Whelan, narrator of the audiobook, Book Lovers, does a phenomenal job with incredible intonation. She has narrated over 500 books and is the author of several books. I definitely want to read some of her books and listen to other books that she narrates.
Like so many Goodreads friends, I love books and I really enjoy books about books. But throw in a lot of romance, and it doesn't quite fit the bill for me....more
Incredible! Norwegian journalist, Asne Seierstad, lived in Afghanistan with Sultan Khan and his family for three months to write this book. Seierstad Incredible! Norwegian journalist, Asne Seierstad, lived in Afghanistan with Sultan Khan and his family for three months to write this book. Seierstad met Khan while purchasing seven books at his bookshop in Kabul. Khan described how three different regimes that ruled Kabul (Communists, Mujahedeen, and the Taliban) burned and looted his books. Seierstad views Khan as a history book on two feet.
Khan's nineteen-year-old daughter, Leila, was responsible for ensuring Seierstad's needs were met. Leila was also responsible for cooking, cleaning, and taking care of thirteen members of the family.
Seierstad wore a burka while she lived in Afghanistan because she wanted to understand what it felt like. It also helped her be more anonymous.
The tough parts of the book include details about domestic abuse, child brides, honor killings, polygamy, and the subjugation of women.
I admire and I'm in awe of the depths Seierstad went to in order to research and understand the lives of this extended Afghan family. ...more
Loading...
