PTA Reviewer Rewards

I always like to draw attention to book bloggers who produce unique and interesting content, so I’d like to start off by mentioning the blog Chick Lit Reviews and their recurring “Cover Wars” feature. In a Cover Wars post, the blog asks their readers to choose between different international covers of books. I love this segment because it takes advantage of the fact that they’re writing for a blog and not a magazine by providing interactive content. Plus, since it just involves deciding between two covers, anyone can participate even if they know nothing about the book. Check out an example here.

Moving on, I’ve been reading lots of news lately about the evolving role of the e-reader both from an industry point of view and for consumers. I’d like to highlight a couple of these.

First, a New York Times article about content written specifically for e-readers. While e-readers started off simply as a new way to read books and people have enjoyed downloading classics to their Kindles and re-reading them, it makes sense that writers are starting to write specifically for the technology. Writers for the screen have been learning for the past sixty years that how they write for TV must be fundamentally different from how they write for movies and you can’t expect the same thing to work in both mediums. Before that writers had to learn to write differently for film than for the stage. Now literary authors may go through the same process and this article points to the idea that quite soon the differences between the medium of paper books and the medium of e-books could be obvious. At the moment the idea of making e-books shorter than paperback novels is a new one, but would it be surprising if this ended up seeming as natural as movies being two hours while a television drama is a mere forty-five minutes without commercials?

Second, I feel like this article in Wired about textbooks for iPad is full of possibilities. Sure, at the moment this just looks like a fun gizmo for rich kids so they don’t have to lug their textbooks around like the common folk, but it could lead to something big in education. Many underfunded schools can’t afford the cost of up-to-the-date textbooks and so they are stuck with textbooks that say that Bill Clinton is president. If we could get past the major problem of the initial cost of the iPads (or other similar devices), we could live in a world where schools can get the newest edition of a textbook for something more like $9.99, a typical price for an e-book.

How is the way you read your e-books fundamentally different from how you read paperbacks? Or does it all feel the same to you? 

This Friday I thought I’d take a break from linking to blogs with awesome book reviews to focus on blogs that help people improve their blogs. So, here it is, a Follow Friday dedicated to blogs about blogging.

ProBlogger: Although this site specifically aims to help people make money through their blogs, they have plenty of content that is relevant to people who are blogging just for fun (or just for the free books). There is a good mix of straightforward advise (such as “10 Ways to Get More Traffic to Your Blog”) and less practical, but no less interesting, content.

Blogger’s Blog: This is a great one-stop site for all blog-related news. From articles on The Social Networks’ Golden Globe wins to the downsizing at MySpace to updates on new laws affecting bloggers. If it has anything to do with social media, you’ll be able to find out about it— and see it explained with unusual clarity— at Blogger’s Blog.

Between those two sites, you should have all of the information on blogging that you need. And, as a bonus, here’s a blog that doesn’t fit the aforementioned category at all, but that I love:

The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks: The wonderful people behind this blog simply post pictures of signs that use quotation marks incorrectly. Someone had to tackle this issue.

What blogs about blogging did I forget? Where do you find the most useful tips? Comment and let me know!

Follow Friday

In a similar style to Twitter’s infamous #followfriday, PTA Reviewer Rewards will reserve a post every Friday to showcase the awesome reviewers in the blogosphere. Not all reviewers are part of Reviewer Rewards. We simply like to share example of good work.

Bookshelves of Doom: For the busy reader, this blog features concise updates on the world of pop-culture and literature. The self-described uberlibrarian who runs it is funny, smart and crazy-good at anticipating what culture news I really want to know about.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books: This blog sucks visitors in with its candy-colored layout and sassy name, but its appeal goes way beyond the surface. Their reviews show that they are experts on the romance genre and the off-topic posts that pepper the blog along with the book reviews are really something—any blog that has a post entitled “vulva turducken” will, most likely, never be boring. Reading Sarah’s review of The Playboy Sheikh’s Virgin Stable Girl, which she gives a D- and yet repeatedly mentions is a must-read, exposes the true genius of this blog: It gives detached, post-post-modern hipster girls a link they can send their Nora-Roberts-obsessed mothers that they’ll actually visit and enjoy—and vis versa.

Spunkybean: This pop-culture blog is eclectic enough that it’s sure to have at least some articles that interest every visitor. Those who don’t enjoy its more mainstream offerings, like a “Golden Globes: 10 Worst Dressed” or a review of the latest episode of “Glee”, might enjoy posts like the site’s on-going recap of “The Venture Brothers” starting from the beginning. They really go all over the place and have a much more interesting take on pop-culture than typical entertainment outlets—instead of just re-capping episodes of “The Bachelor”, they analyze them to test whether men prefer blondes. This blog focuses on television, but also does plenty of reviews of movies, books, music and comics.

Plus One Quick Observation…

Two of the most blogged about books lately are Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Peggy Orenstein’s Cinderella Ate My Daughter. They’re not only both about parenting, they’re both specifically about raising daughters. Is analysis and reflection on how parents raise their daughters going to be the next big trend in non-fiction?

A recent article in the Baltimore Sun disclosed the literacy rates across the United States. Naturally, the city of focus was Baltimore, which jumped to #18 from its #26 spot in 2009. Do you want your city to take after Baltimore? Follow the five baby-steps below, and who knows, maybe your city will become the next literati mecca.

• Find the time to read every day - books, magazines, the newspaper, etc. - every piece of text counts. Find material that interests you; you’ll be much more likely to want to read.
• If you don’t know a word, look it up. There are so many benefits to increasing your vocabulary. Even avid readers have a thing or two (or three or four) to learn about the English language. Phones (and that delightful thing called the Internet) make it very easy to do the same. I have an app on my Droid that gives me a “Word of the Day.”
• Join a book club, or start your own — make reading social!
• Become more involved with your local library. Many libraries offer literacy programs, so find out how you can participate and do your share to help out.
• Start writing in a journal or blog. You know they say, right? Practice makes perfect. The more you write, the better you’ll become.

According to Central Connecticut State University, the top 10 most literate cities in the United State are (in order from 1-10): Washington D.C., Seattle, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, St. Paul, Denver, Portland, and St. Louis.

Christmas is only a few weeks away, and we’re already approaching the 3rd night of Hanukkah, so we’re feeling pretty festive over at PTA. The purpose of this post is two-fold. One, to showcase some pretty intriguing reviews that make me want to buy loads of books. And two, to offer up some pretty gelty (sorry, that was my weak attempt at Hanukkah humor) giveaways. 

Festive Follow Friday

In a similar style to Twitter’s infamous #followfriday, PTA Reviewer Rewards will reserve a post every Friday to showcase the awesome reviews on Amazon.com and in the blogosphere. Not all reviewers are part of Reviewer Rewards. We simply like to share example of good work.

1. The Friendly Book Nook - This is one of my favorite book blogs to peruse. Its design reminds me of a handmade holiday card, as it is so welcoming, and always full of honest, loyal reviews. Right now there are some pretty good reviews of holiday-themed books, but in general, The Friendly Book Nook has a pretty good fiction collection. 

2. Booking Mama - Book blogger meets mommy blogger with Booking Mama. There is such an eclectic mix of review and narrative, that I cannot help but visit often. I was especially interested in the review of Amy Sedaris’ newest book, as I, too, received it for review purposes. 

3. The Mommy Rambles - Alexia S. writes this blog in such a fun, bubbly way, and tends to review a wide variety of books. Always a pleasure to read and work with, I highly recommend her blog, especially to those who are interested in getting started with a book blog.

4. As I Turn the Pages - I met Jael at the Book Blogger Convention back in May, and was really inspired by her true motivation and devotion to book blogging. Since we met, I have to say, I’m incredibly impressed by the growth of her blog, and consider another excellent resource to anyone who might be considering starting a book blog. 

Gelty Giveaways

While I can’t exactly facilitate a cyber game of dreidel to determine a winner of this sweet gelt, I will be using random.org to select a winner. Simply comment with a number 1-100, and the book that you’re interested in, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a free copy! 

1. Source of Miracles

2. The Games Bible

3. Crescendo 

4. Open Leadership

Remember, just comment with the title of the book and a number between 1 and 100 to be entered for a chance to win! 

As a new New Yorker, Groupon is one of the few companies that I’m OK with getting daily e-mails from. They’ve helped me save lots of money on random retail splurges (splurges that could have been avoided without such amazing Groupon deals), but lately, Groupon has been so heavily slanted toward restaurants I’ve never heard of, and cosmetic procedures that I’ll never opt to have. 

That all being said, my inbox received a rare treat on Nov. 27 when Groupon sent me an e-mail that featured a deal from Simon & Schuster. The deal, which ends today, involves receiving half-off, and an exclusive $4.99 shipping rate. The half-off special is fashioned where you must buy the Groupon for $20, and you get $40 worth of books. 

Simon & Schuster is not the only company in this industry to embrace Groupon. In fact, Watermark Books and Cafe experienced success with the company a few months ago, by hosting a similar half-off style deal. 

For bookstores and publishers alike, Groupon seems to have found a way to make book shopping an even bigger part of the online shopping experience. Rock on, Groupon!

With the holiday season just around the calendar corner, the pressure to match loved ones with the perfect — and often unfairly high-priced — gift continues to mount. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet (not until next week, anyways) and yet radio stations have already started broadcasting Christmas jingles, while stores have been decorated with wreaths and ornaments since the end of October. With the commercial cloudiness that has swept through the holiday season, it’s becoming more and more difficult to give a gift with meaning.

In my personal (and humble!) opinion, gifting a book for Christmas, Hanukkah, or whichever holiday celebration you take part in, is a timeless gesture, because a book is a gift that keeps on giving. To assist you in planning this holiday season, I’ve compiled two small resources for you. First, I’ve created a list of 5 reasons why you should consider gifting a book this year, and a few extra ideas for doing so without breaking the bank. Second, I’ve compiled a list of 10 books worth gifting this holiday season.

Why gift a book?

1. There’s a book for every personality. Even if you have a person to shop for who isn’t a big reader, chances are there is some sort of specialty book, like a cookbook or guide, that’s a good fit. 
2. With the abundance of online retailers like Amazon.com, eBay, Barnes & Noble, Borders, books are available for amazing bargains, even if they’re new releases. 
3. You don’t have to run out and buy something new. Books are a completely acceptable gift to re-gift, because it’s a gesture of recommendation based on qualities you know about a person. If anything, re-gifting a book could be seen as more personal than going out and purchasing one.
4. Books are, for the most part, easy and inexpensive to wrap. A small sheet of gift wrap, a few pieces of tissue paper, or a cleverly decorated gift bag are all easy ways to present a book. 
5. Books are a gift that keep on giving. If you re-gift a book, and the recipient enjoys it, he/she might do the same, ultimately spreading the message of the book, and doing some old-fashioned social networking to connect people with a topic/item.

2010 Book Gifting Guide

1. Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
2. Urban Pantry: Tips and Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable and Seasonal Kitchen, by Amy Pennington
3. Room: A Novel, by Emma Donoghue 
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, by Jeff Kinney
5. Drive, by Daniel Pink
6. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, by Chelsea Handler
7. Freedom: A Novel, by Jonathan Franzen
8. The Immortal Life of Henriette Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot 
9. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins
10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson

Please note: None of the above books are connected with PTA or PTA Reviewer Rewards.