Did you all see Ralph Berrier Jr.’s story in the paper today about Roanoke Valley Reads? The group added two youth books — “Jack Outwits the Giants,” a picture book by Paul Brett Johnson; and “Belle Prater’s Boy,” a chapter book by Ruth White. Both books have an Appalachian theme — as does the book for adults, “Wish You Well,” by David Baldacci. I confess that the big secret in “Belle Prater’s Boy” piques my curiosity more than the drama of Baldacci’s novel.

I’ve never done Roanoke Valley Reads, mostly because the book choices haven’t really grabbed me. I also don’t like the October deadline. I could read the book now and get it out of the way, but then I’ll have forgotten about it by the time the events come around in October. But I also don’t like the idea of this “homework” hanging over me while I’m reading other stuff. I wouldn’t rule it out if the book appealed to me though.

I would like to hear from people who have participated, especially if you went to the book-related events. What happened? What did you get out of it? Are you doing it this year? Especially if you enjoyed it, sell it to me! I am curious.

For others who are curious, you can visit the Roanoke Valley Reads website.

There is a fiction winner this year. The 2013 Pulitzer Prize in fiction was awarded to “The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson.

Finalists were “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank” by Nathan Englander and “The Snow Child,” by Eowyn Ivey.

The award for General Nonfiction went to “Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, and the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America” by Gilbert King.

General Nonfiction finalists were “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity” by Katherine Boo and “The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature” by David George Haskell.

The award for Biography or Autobiography went to “The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo” by Tom Reiss.

Biography or Autobiography finalists were “Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece” by Michael Gorra and “The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy” by David Nasaw.

Go to www.pulitzer.org for the full list.

Have you read any of these? If so, please tell us your thoughts.

Have you ever bought a book and then returned it to the store? How about an e-book?

Amazon’s  e-book return policy says if you notify them within seven days of purchase they will refund the full amount.

Change.org is petitioning Amazon to change this policy saying people are purchasing e-books, reading them, and then returning them for a full refund.  They equate this to “people going into a restaurant, buying a meal, then asking for a refund after [they’ve] already eaten it.”

After the refund is made, the e-book is no longer available; however is this a deterrent if it’s already been read?

According to change.org people have admitted to abusing this policy. They say it’s stealing from the author.

Barnes & Noble does not allow Nook book refunds.

Have you heard of this? What is your opinion on this policy?

Many of us here on the blog love books and have collected scores of them, but not many of us can say we have a 10 x 10 storage unit stocked full of books or a house so full of them it’s hard to get around as is the case for one Roanoke couple. Add a new baby to the mix and what’s a person to do?

For Steve and Penni Padgett, who say they enjoy reading and passing books back and forth, the answer is to open a used bookstore.

Padgett, a former English teacher-turned-salesman, and his wife, a teacher at Patrick Henry High School, have been renovating the brick building near the intersection of Main Street and Brandon Avenue. The wood floors that were once partially painted blue now show off the beautiful rustic wood. The metal poles, like you’d find in a basement, are now replaced with wooden columns. And the walls have a fresh coat of warm colored gray paint. Next comes the bookshelves and the books. And the vintage toys.

“People of all ages read,” said Steve Padgett. He said The Main Street Bookworm will carry a wide range of books, including a large selection of children’s and young adult books, as well as vintage toys like crystal tea sets.

They’re still in the process of setting up, but once they do they’ll know more about what their exact inventory will look like, prices (paperbacks will be 1/2 the cover price, but other prices are yet to be determined), and whether or not they’ll offer consignment. He hopes to offer book signings, but once again that will be determined at a later date.

One of the most important things Padgett wants people to know is that  ”Main Street is in Roanoke,” not Salem.

My first impression is that it has the potential to be a cozy neighborhood bookstore. “The area is really starting to pick up,” said Padgett referring to The River House apartment project. According to The River House’s website, “Recent historic designation has the Wasena neighborhood poised to become another great Roanoke community akin to Grandin Village in its pedestrian friendly setting and ease of access to Downtown.”

Look for The Main Street Bookworm to open mid April.

We’ve all seen them. Celebrities hit rock bottom and then once they start making a comeback they write a book promoting how they’ve learned from their mistakes and have overcome them to be a better person.

How many of these have you believed? How many are publicity stunts?

I know for me, I often jump to the conclusion that the person is lying. They’re just trying to get back into the spotlight. But at the same time I do believe people can change.

I’m not sure what the case is for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and former VT football star Michael Vick who spent 18 months in prison on dogfighting charges.

His autobiography “Finally Free,” published by Worthy Publishing a Christian publisher, came out in September, 2012. According to michaelvickstory.com, “The book shows us how a young, gifted athlete’s life spiraled out of control under the glare of money and fame… How a broken man sought and received forgiveness for his wrongs.”

Earlier today I read an article on CNN talking about how Vick canceled books signings due to threats of violence. The article prompted me to read the book reviews on Barnes & Noble’s website. Most of them are one star reviews based on people’s opinion of him as a person. Many saying they “would never spend a penny on the book.”  Very few of the reviewers either high or low seemed to have read the book. Some giving it high rankings because they think he deserved a second chance.

I haven’t read the book and have no plans to do so. And neither am I defending him. But I simply don’t understand the threats of violence and property damage to the bookstore. Picketing, protests, yes. Violence, I don’t get it.

What do you think of that kind of reaction to his book? How does this compare to other celebrity books? Do they have valid stories or are they just trying to make a buck?

After teenager Colleen Truskey snapped a photo of her friend Sarah Beth Penny, neither was prepared for Random House to ask to use it on a book cover.

by MIKE ALLEN | 981-3236

Thousands of young artists hope to break into the New York publishing scene.

Cave Spring High School senior Colleen Truskey did it by posting a portrait of a friend online.

Colleen’s photograph of longtime friend and fellow Cave Spring senior Sarah Beth Penny graces the dust jacket of “Flutter,” a young adult science fiction novel by Chicago author Gina Linko . It was released Oct. 23 by Random House Books for Young Readers.

Continue to full article.

Research libraries such as those on the Virginia Tech campus are moving away from being repositories of knowledge to active curators of data.

by TONIA MOXLEY | 381-167

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech researcher Emmanuel Frimpong and his team took two years to compile a database of biological traits of 809 U.S. freshwater fish species for a project funded in part by the U.S. Geological Survey.

But the team needed a new service at Tech’s Newman library to help them honor a commitment to the USGS to make that online database available to other scientists.

“I don’t think researchers across campus are aware of this service the library can provide,” Frimpong said.

Welcome to the modern research university library… continue to full article.

 When: February 22nd through the 23rd

Where: Holiday Inn Tanglewood, 4468 Starkey Road, Roanoke, VA, 24018

Cost: $35 for adults. $45 at the door. $25 for students and military personnel with valid ID. Special discounted rates for children and groups.

Description: MystiCon returns for 2013! With over 100 guests and expanded programming, MystiCon has something for everyone!

Our Media GOH for 2013 is Peter Davison, the 5th Doctor from the “Doctor Who” BBC television series and Henry Sharpe in “Law & Order UK”.

Our Author GOH is Orson Scott Card, the writer of the Hugo and Nebula award winning novel “Ender’s Game”. MystiCon’s first ever YA Writer is Tom Angleberger, author of “The Secret of the Fortune Wookie” and “Darth Paper Strikes Back”.

The MystiCon Artist GOH is Larry Elmore, an award winning fantasy illustrator for TSR “Dungeons and Dragons” and TOR books.

Steve Long, gaming developer and owner of Hero Games, is the MystiCon gaming GOH for 2013.

We have three musical guests performing at the convention: goth/dark-wave band Bella Morte, industrial dance band The Gothsicles, and nerdcore comedian-musician Devo Spice.

Star City Mystery Dinner Theater is hosting another whodunnit at MystiCon and Consortium 499 will be providing original musical scores for screenings of silent-film classics “Nosferatu” and “Le Voyage Dans La Lune”.

MystiCon offers LARPing, Gaming, Vendors, an Indie Film Festival, Masquerade, Artist Alley, Paranormal Investigations, Dance Party, & Roller Girls! Come to MystiCon in Roanoke, VA February 22-24, 2013 and join in the fun!

For a list of schedules click here.

A new online book retail site, Bookish.com, launched Monday, February 5th.

The site was founded by Hachette, Penguin and Simon & Schuster not only to offer a place to buy books, but as a place to engage with other readers and authors, and to help you find books you’ll enjoy reading. But don’t worry the offerings aren’t limited to the 3 founding publishers, 16 other major publishers are participating as well.

It’s supposed to be a one-stop shop and will offer exclusive content such as author interviews and reviews, including a couple comedic reviews by ‘The Onion‘.

Each title has a page which includes a description, ratings/reviews, a list of related books, favorite quotes, related videos and sample chapters.

Users will have the ability to create a virtual shelf of favorite books and a wish list. They’ll have the ability to rate books and get recommendations based on past books they’ve enjoyed.

Here is the full press release with more information on what the site is all about.

Go to the site, play around, and let me know what you think.

It’s a nice looking site with some good features, but I wonder if it will change the way people purchase and share books. What do you think? Will you find this useful?

Any Bridget Jones fans out there?

The original book “Bridget Jones’s Diary” written by Helen Fielding was published in 1996–yes, it’s been that long. The book, written in diary form, chronicled the hapless love life of Bridget Jones, a 30-something, single, career oriented, British woman.

Anyone who’s read it recognized its roots in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Mr. Darcy anyone? And the movie brilliantly cast Colin Firth in that role.

According to Knopf Double Day, the books “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and the sequel  “Bridget Jones Edge of Reason” combined sold over 15 million copies.

The books spoke to a generation of women and helped make the chick lit genre wildly popular.

And now, 17 years later, Bridget Jones is back. A new book is set to be published in November of this year.

What will it be about?

According to this Publishers Weekly article, ”it will examine a new phase in [Bridget's] life.” Author Helen Fielding said, “My life has moved on, and Bridget’s will move on, too.”

The Huffington Post reported on the new book asking if Bridget Jones still matters. Does she still speak to 30-something year old women? Or even to the original readers who are now a bit older and possibly not that into the same chick lit genre anymore. The consensus  seemed to be that if Bridget were the same woman who struggled to ‘get it together’ then the book would be a pass.

What do you think? Did you relate to Bridget Jones? Do you want to see her back?

Is this a must read, a maybe or a pass?