Dear Karen,

I have an exciting idea: Let’s buy a children’s book house!

You see, in my trawling of blogs, I found this exciting piece of news: “The Chrysalis Group has announced its intention to dispose of its children’s and promotional books businesses.”

I have to admit, I’ve always thought the idea of owning or running a bookstore would suit me well. This seems to go just one step beyond that.

Just picture it. Day after day of just reading fun YA books. Or leafing through picture books. Or learning about dinosaurs or history or science. We wouldn’t have to go into the office. We could just take the books home with us once a week and do our work from our respective reading nooks! And then get together over tea and discuss what we thought of them and which new authors we should sign. We could go to the beach and still be working!

To be frank, I probably can’t afford to buy a publishing house on my own. I looked through my wallet this morning and I think the guy busking at the top of the Metro escalator had more spare change than I do right now. But a mutual love of kids’ books has long been a theme of our friendship. And I also like spending time with you, and we don’t get to do nearly enough of that these days since I moved. So I was thinking this would be a nice remedy to that problem.

Just so you don’t think I’m being rash about this idea, I thought I’d better share with you a few drawbacks I’ve thought of:

1. We’d have to convince them to split up the promotional book business and the children’s book business, because I don’t want the promotional half. According to Chrysalis’ web site, the promotional books are remainders. You and I both already have enough remainders in our collections. Warehouses full of them just don’t appeal.
2. Chrysalis’ book selection sucks. I would definitely keep the classics line (I mean, you’ll never run out of new readers for Kipling, Alcott, Stevenson, or Barrie). Their “Leap through Time” books also look interesting. But I could happily ditch books that come with stickers in them. And some of their titles just seem like they were created by people who talk baby-talk to five-year-olds — or to their yappy dogs. We could definitely find better writers than that.
3. Neither of us has any experience running a business, and I, at least, am very lazy. I do not like to work hard. I want to be paid to read books, and I’m guessing there will be more to the job than doing that. I don’t mind going to bookseller and library conferences. And I could probably learn to steel myself enough to talk to prospective writers. And we’re both good editors. But maybe buying a publishing house means it comes with employees already who would do the rest of the work — especially the bill paying part?
4. Chrysalis is located in London. The cats would have to go into quarantine. You’d have to sell or sublet the condo. I’d have to pack all my boxes up again — this time without the kindness of old friends and my folks — and convince Rudi that he wants to give up his seat on the DCDSC. But, on the other hand, to quote Joey from Friends, “It’s London, baby!”

So, let me know what you think. In the meantime, I’ll start looking in the chair cushions for quarters and will trade in some unused Metro cards. You start going through your winter coat pockets to look for forgotten $10 bills.

Talk to you soon!

love,
soe

In the category of “Oh, for goodness sake!” comes this news out of Oklahoma: The State House has passed a resolution, HR1039 INT, trying to force libraries to restrict access to material “deemed harmful and inappropriate” or “arguably prurient” to adult-only access and distribution sections. And by this, they mean materials featuring gay people.

The entire text of the bill is below:

A Resolution memorializing Oklahoma libraries to confine books with subject matter inappropriate for children to adult-only sections; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, the development of children requires certain guidance and protection by adults to ensure that their maturation is timely and results in a greater degree of personal responsibility and respect for their role in society; and
WHEREAS, such development should be at the discretion of a child’s parents free from interference from the distribution of inappropriate publicly cataloged materials; and
WHEREAS, libraries should remain public establishments free of exposure to children by material that may be deemed harmful and inappropriate; and
WHEREAS, materials concerning human sexuality and those of an arguably prurient nature are such that should not be readily available for consumption by children; nor should the distribution of such materials to children be supported by public finance; and
WHEREAS, a recent survey shows that 88% of Oklahomans favor restricting the availability of homosexually themed books and over 50% of those favor withholding funds from libraries that fail to do so; and
WHEREAS, Oklahomans approved by over 75% vote a State Constitutional amendment restricting marriage to that between one man and one woman and thus rendered materials promoting homosexual marriage inconsistent with current law.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 50TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
THAT the Oklahoma House of Representatives memorializes Oklahoma libraries to confine homosexually themed books and other age-inappropriate material to areas exclusively for adult access and distribution.
THAT a copy of this Resolution be distributed to the American Library Association; the Oklahoma Library Association; the Mayor of Oklahoma City, Mick Cornett; the Oklahoma City Council; and the Metropolitan Library Commission.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine that Oklahoma libraries (or, for that matter, libraries pretty much anywhere) are stocking terribly many children’s books that describe actual sexual acts — of any orientation. So what we’re dealing with are references to gay people living in everyday life kind of situations — parenting, running businesses, grocery shopping. Yeah, I’d definitely like to protect children from seeing those kinds of “harmful” and “prurient” scenes.

Or, we’re dealing with books like, “How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages,” the only book I found when I searched for “gay” in Powell’s online children’s section. Yes, I would hate it if a young adult (the reading level would preclude it appearing in the young children’s section) stumbled across that book. I mean, it might actually teach them coping skills or tolerance.

As this is only a House Resolution, it does not carry the impact of law. But it sets a negative precedent that is frustrating to those who believe in the First Amendment, freedom of information, education, or equality.

On this day in 1898, William S. Porter went to jail for embezzling $5,000 during his time as a bank clerk. During the three years he served, he refined the writing style he is still known for today.

Don’t remember Porter’s work? Think again: he published under a pseudonym. You’ve probably read his clever little tale with the moral of not hawking your most prized possessions as an altruistic gesture because the object of your affection is bound to have no use for the bauble you purchased with the money.

(Thanks to Today in Literature for their heads-up on this item.)

It’s been a long time since I experienced the dichotomy of wanting to hurry, hurry, hurry and finish a book while simultaneously wanting to slow down and have the book last forever. But Summerland, Michael Chabon’s baseball fantasy novel (as opposed to a fantasy baseball novel — a very different concept), gave me just that reaction. (more…)