Episode #168: CHOP SUEY: A Bunch of Publishing News, the Best Food We’ve Eaten, and Book recommendations!
Welcome back! Grace and Alvina talk about the DOJ vs PRH trial, Barnes & Noble news, more book banning, and talk about the best food they've ever eaten, and Alison joins with book recommendations.
Don’t forget! You can now order Grace’s limited edition autographed 12" x 18" double-sided poster featuring artwork by Grace Lin commemorating the Newbery Award Centennial for The Horn Book Magazine. You can purchase them at the Eric Carle Museum and help support Everylibrary.org! Order HERE!
“How have you been?”
Alvina just returned from her wonderful “Euromoon” with Stephen were they spent two weeks traveling in Amsterdam, Paris, Burgundy, Beaune, and Barcelona. She even ran into an old co-worker while in Beaune! Grace has been working hard on the project with Alvina that must be kept a secret still but hopefully soon they can share the news! Grace is considering passing the Kids Ask Authors podcast on to another author.
Publishing news!
Barnes & Noble has a new strategy to limit the amount of middle grade fiction hard covers. The book friends talk about the new CEO (James Daunt) and the concept of B&N giving more control to the local communities. Can they really operate like indie bookshops?
Tweets and discussions of the DOJ vs PRH trial; The Department of Justice’s lawsuit aiming to block Penguin Random House’s purchase of Simon & Schuster.
Book Banning talk: Grace’s article in Publisher’s Weekly regarding the importance of diverse books. Grace talks about book bans and libraries that are under attack for keeping LGBTQ+ themed books on the shelves: Jamestown Michigan, a big list of books banned in Texas including a graphic novel adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, and Amanda Jones who is a librarian standing up for these banned books and she is now under vicious attack. She has filed a lawsuit against her attackers. The book friends also talk about the Salman Rushdie attack at the Chautauqua Institution.
The BEST foods we have ever eaten!:
‘What would you want your last meal to be?”
“What food do you find yourself dreaming about eating again?”
“What would you say is the best meal that you’ve ever had?”
Book recs! -with Alison Morris:
Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.
Other books mentioned in this episode:
Gratefuls!
Alvina is thankful that her trip did not have any big travel hiccups. Grace is grateful for getting older as she reflects on Robert’s death. She has been thinking of this after hearing about the death of her friend and author Liz Goulet Dubois. Alison is grateful for her work team for stepping in while she was sick.
Thank you for tuning in! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio for producing and editing this podcast. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! “What sport would you compete in for the Olympics?” with Grace and Julia Kuo. Click here to listen! If you’re not a patron already, join today!
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Twitter and Instagram and @gracelinauthor on TikTok and @authorgracelin on Facebook
Alison Morris is @AlisonLMorris on Twitter and @kidlitgirl on Instagram
Order the 2022 WTMMTM CALENDAR: https://shop.carlemuseum.org/category/books/autographed-books/grace-lin
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