Association of American Publishers’ Latina Book Club Reading List for 2011

In What's the Buzz by Edward Nawotka

By Ed Nawotka Las Comadres is 15,000 strong nationwide group of Latinas which was begun in April 2000 in Austin, Texas and has since expanded to 100 U.S. cities. In 2008 the group partnered with the Association of American Publishers to launch the Las Comadres and Friends National Latino Book Club. The book club meets monthly nationwide to discuss English-language works …

Lonely Planet’s Ranking of the World’s Greatest Bookshops

In What's the Buzz by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Lonely Planet has put out a top ten list of the world’s greatest bookshops, which is led by San Francisco’s City Lights Books. The top three are rounded-out by Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires and Livraria Lello in Porto. Also on the list, are several stores which we’ve covered here, including London’s Daunt Books, Shakespeare & Co. in …

California Coffeehouses and Book Culture

In What's the Buzz by Helen Gregg

By Helen Gregg The bans on computers that are becoming more prevalent in California cafés and coffeehouses are often extended to e-readers, reported eBookNewser this morning. In an effort to keep out squatters, many cafes in the state have disabled free Wi-Fi, given out time-sensitive Wi-Fi passwords, or even covered electrical outlets to keep traffic moving and keep space at …

US Librarians Turn to Guadalajara, E-books to Meet Demand for Spanish Language Readers

In Growth Markets by Emily Williams

By Emily Williams In the small boom in Spanish-language publishing over the past decade, even as big publishers and major chain bookstores worked to ramp up their offerings for Spanish readers, libraries have played an irreplaceable role in serving the needs of Spanish-speaking communities around the country and in connecting readers to the right books. As part of our look into …

Twain is Still Prolific: 500,000 Word Memoirs Coming Soon

In What's the Buzz by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley will finally release the first volume of Mark Twain’s autobiography — an eventual trilogy — that will run to half a million words in all, according to The Independent. The book will be culled from some 5,000 unedited pages Twain left behind when he died in 1910 and …

Vis-à-Vis French-US Lit Fest Hits Cali this Weekend

In What's the Buzz by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka “Vis-à-Vis,” a new French-American literary festival organized by the Cultural Services Department of the French Embassy, will take place in Venice, on May 15, 2010 and then travel to San Francisco on May 16. It’s free and open to the public. Authors participating include some serious bold-faced names, such as Philippe Djian, Steve Erickson, Alain Mabanckou, Véronique …