Update Post | Scribbles & Wanderlust

Category: Update Post
- Blogger Update: Grad School & Future
  
  Posted at 7:30 pm by Laura, on September 22, 2012
  
  As you may have noticed, it’s been a bit quiet on this blog. There are several reasons why, but it all boils down to graduate school.
  
  Graduate School
  
  I thoroughly enjoy all of my classes and love meeting new people. With a full-time position as a bookseller, 10 hours per week as a graduate assistant, and three classes, I’m barely making it out of each week in a calm and relaxed state. The time management and scheduling has been hectic. I’m in no way complaining — I like feeling busy — but it’s the only excuse I have for neglecting updating you on publishing news (if that’s what you’re even here for).
  
  Future of This Blog
  
  Now, to explain my earlier snarky comment “if that’s what you’re even here for”: With each passing hour in class, I’m realizing more and more how naïve I’ve been about the publishing industry and the news I’ve provided. This is great, though! I may have posted the wrong things, or paid attention to minor details, what have you — but this blog was intended as a learning experiment and it’s working! As such, I will be posting less and less on the publishing news until I’ve gotten the hang of the lingo and what is going on in the industry today. I feel that, as an inexperienced person, it’s best if I stand back a bit and observe more before I dive right in.
  
  However, I still fully intend to write book reviews. You may notice a change in the writing style for that as well, depending on what I’m learning and what I’ve noticed other reviewers do. My reviews and Upcoming Books posts will remain constant. It’s the publishing content that will be on the back-burner until further notice.
  
  Please bear with me as I immerse myself into this new experience! In the meantime, happy autumn! Enjoy a nice hot drink, snuggle under a blanket, and read to your heart’s content!
  
  Posted in Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, personal, publishing
- Exciting new ARC opportunity!
  
  Posted at 7:04 pm by Laura, on September 8, 2012
  
  An ARC (Advance Reading Copy) is a book that publishers send to their employees, reviewers, bloggers, and booksellers to read, review, and send feedback. It helps to boost sales, promote awareness, and even help catch some last-minute errors before publication.
  
  I was able to get my hands on a DRC (Digital Reading Copy) of Kate Morton’s upcoming novel The Secret Keeper through Edelweiss. One of my managers at work knew I loved Victorian, Gothic, and neo-Victorian/Gothic literature, and had actually requested an ARC of The Secret Keeper for me! She was kind enough to let me have it!
  
  1959 England. Laurel Nicolson is sixteen years old, dreaming alone in her childhood tree house during a family celebration at their home, Green Acres Farm. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and then observes her mother, Dorothy, speaking to him. And then she witnesses a crime.
  
  Fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to Green Acres for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by memories and questions she has not thought about for decades. She decides to find out the truth about the events of that summer day and lay to rest her own feelings of guilt. One photograph, of her mother and a woman Laurel has never met, called Vivian, is her first clue.
  
  The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams, the lengths some people go to fulfill them, and the strange consequences they sometimes have. It is a story of lovers, friends, dreamers and schemers, play-acting and deception told against a backdrop of events that changed the world.
  
  Expected publication: October 9th. Atria. Hardcover. 480 pages.
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 3 Comments | Tagged ARC, books, personal
- Blogger’s Life Update
  
  Posted at 2:47 pm by Laura, on June 3, 2012
  There are multiple reasons (or excuses, depending if you’re an optimist or pessimist) for why I did not post this week.
  1. I am a newly hired Barnes & Noble employee!
  2. I was away in Philly searching for apartments near my graduate school.
  3. I signed a lease for a studio to move into in the fall.
  4. I did not have internet access (or fast and good internet access, let’s say).
  But I have returned, will have a regular work schedule, and am currently writing up a book review and an Upcoming Books post. Stay tuned!
  Posted in Update Post | 0 Comments
- Liebster Blog Award
  
  Posted at 8:08 pm by Laura, on May 15, 2012
  
  Back in early April, A Novel Place nominated this blog for the Liebster Blog Award (liebster, as I already knew from living in a German family, means “beloved”)! This award recognizes blogs that have less than 200 followers, acknowledging “the best kept secrets” in the blogosphere. I can’t even begin to thank Lauren enough for the nomination – definitely check out her bibliophile posts!
  
  As a nominee, I have to nominate five blogs I believe are “the best kept secrets.” I don’t follow too many blogs on WordPress, although I will point out my absolute favorites here and on Tumblr that I think will also shed light on my character 😉
  
  1. appazoogle – This blog was created by Boston’s Emerson College’s publishing graduate program, and focuses its work on understanding the publishing industry of yesterday and combining it with the latest tools and technologies of today. It’s an effort to work with instead of against the changing tides in publishing. Fun fact: the name derives from Apple + Amazon + Google. I thought that was pretty neat.
  
  2. Jane Austen’s World – I’m sure they have more than 200 followers, but I find this blog to be a gem anyway. It contains lots of historical information (door knockers, bicycles, latest fashion trends) on Austen’s lifetime, as well as information on the Austen family. If you like 18th-19th centuries and/or Austen, this is the blog for you!
  
  3. Savory Simple – A fantastic resource for fun, new recipes! There have been quite a few cookies and smoothies I’ve wanted to try. Just need to get over my fear of the oven and all things cookware…
  
  4. Pretty Books – Stacey is a phenomenal blogger! I follow her on Tumblr, Goodreads, and Twitter as well (phooo, I sound like a stalker…I’m sorry, Stacey!). She has excellent book reviews, and is definitely a resource for YA literature and dystopian literature. I’d go so far to say she’s an expert, with the amount she’s read, but maybe this is just my awe shining through. Seriously, check out this blog. I bow to her skill.
  
  5. AnglophilesAnon – Ah, a Tumblr! Yes, although this is mostly photos, Laura will reblog anything related to the UK, adding in locations and dates and naming the people in the photos. I’ve considered myself an anglophile but after following this blog for several months I have to say I definitely wasn’t much of one until I stumbled on here. Check it out!
  
  Posted in Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged awards
- Apologies: Life…
  
  Posted at 2:38 pm by Laura, on May 3, 2012
  
  Temporary hiatus this week. Graduation is on Saturday and I’ve been busy with work, packing, moving, applying for jobs, and saying goodbye to everyone. I will attempt to post something newsworthy today or tomorrow, but for now I will continue this week-long hiatus till Sunday.
  
  My apologies!
  
  Posted in Update Post | 0 Comments
- World Book Night 2012 – TODAY!
  
  Posted at 11:00 am by Laura, on April 23, 2012
  
  What are you giving for World Book Night? How do you plan on making a reader?
  
  I will be giving away The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and I couldn’t be more excited! I work in a university library as well as the campus Learning Center, where I tutor students on writing. My plan is to give the books to ESL students and those who struggle in their writing skills. This is for two purposes: to take a break from studies and experience American culture through literature, and to show that reading is fun as well as helpful in improving writing abilities.
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged books, world book night
- Independent Book Bloggers Awards!
  
  Posted at 10:37 am by Laura, on April 10, 2012
  
  Vote for me here and here (on my homepage!) to win in the Publishing Industry category! Voting ends April 23 at midnight ET!
  
  Thank you, everyone.
  
  Posted in Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged awards, books, publishing
- Hunger Games and Harry Potter: fandoms worth discussing!
  
  Posted at 1:13 pm by Laura, on April 6, 2012
  I think it goes without saying that I’m a massive Harry Potter fan – very fervent in arguments and debates as well – and the same can be said for Hunger Games. Well, assuming you are interesting in one, if not both, I thought I’d share two different articles about the fandoms!
  1. A Radical Female Hero from Dystopia – New York Times – A.O. Scott & Manohla Dargis
    This article dissects and discusses Katniss Everdeen’s character, her strengths and flaws, and the universality she appears to have with boys and girls alike.
    “KATNISS EVERDEEN, the 16-year-old “Hunger Games” warrior who has torn through the box office, is one of the most radical female characters to appear in American movies. The film’s stunning success can partly be explained by the print sales of Suzanne Collins’s trilogy of young-adult novels, which jumped to more than 36.5 million in March from 16 million in November, suggesting that the anticipation for the film was feeding demand for the books. At the same time there’s more to Katniss fever than page-screen synergy. Manohla Dargis and A. O. Scott, the chief film critics of The New York Times, examine this complex, at times contradictory character. “
    It’s an incredibly fascinating read! Be sure to read both pages. There are many points various critics bring up that I think are important for both curious readers and avid fans.
  2. Theatrical Parody of Harry Potter Books to Open in New York – New York Times – Patrick Healy
    A summertime, two-man show with tons of costume changes will appear Off Broadway, titled “Potted Potter.” Think A Harry Potter Musical only…without the StarKids. Should be entertaining!
  Posted in Link, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, news, newspaper
- Personal news!
  
  Posted at 7:49 am by Laura, on March 21, 2012
  
  Sorry for the lack of posts this week. Either you’re thrilled, because I update sporadically (and with abundance in those random moments) and it may clog your inbox, or you’re sad (to which I’m flattered). I thought I’d offer an explanation, and it’s exciting news!
  
  I’m in the middle of preparing for a move to the East Coast, so lots of my time has been spent searching for jobs, internships, and apartments. On top of that, I am in my final days (45, to be exact!) of undergrad and need to focus on my schoolwork. My focus is paying off, apparently.
  
  Remember my review of the memoir Carrier by Bonnie J. Rough? She is currently at my university for our 7th annual In Print festival, where newly published authors and poets come to read to and answer questions from young writers. My professor and the assistant chair of the department asked me to write the introduction to Rough’s reading, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! I spent the majority of my weekend working on several drafts. After reading it in front of my peers and professors, Rough joined me at the podium, hugged me, and thanked me for “the best” introduction she’s received “by far.” A bit of a starstruck moment for me!
  
  In other news, remember my post about Parragon Books and their new line of baby/toddler/children’s books? I was astonished at the traffic my blog received after they tweeted my post!
  
  A big thank you once again for noticing my post!
  
  So now, followers, I’d like to ask you – what’s new in your bookworm/publishing life? Share your stories! I’d love to hear them.
  
  Posted in Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged authors, publishing, technology
- World Book Night update
  
  Posted at 8:34 pm by Laura, on March 15, 2012
  
  Who else is participating in WBN2012? Have you found out what you will be giving? I’m excited to pass outThe Hunger Games!
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged world book night
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- Hello, I’m Laura!
  
  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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