Members of our library mktg dept. attended the AASL conference last week and the buzz from the librarians revolved around the lack of women authors on this year’s Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2009 top ten list.
I just scanned the list myself, and while I am THRILLED to see Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places on the fiction round-up – I completely agree that it’s shocking to see such male domination. And they completely missed Jeannette Walls’ Half Broke Horses (Scribner) and A.S. Byatt’s The Children’s Book!
What do you feel PW missed? Which female authors do you think should be in the top ten list?
-Erica
Earlier today Erica shared with me a link from a Publisher’s Weekly post by Shelftalker’s Alison Morris. In it Morris points us in the direction of what she calls “The Best Blog You (Probably) Haven’t Been Reading.” She is talking about Baby Name Wizard author Laura Wattenberg’s blog. An extension of her awesome book and website, this blog is for more than expectant parents and baby-friendly folks (of which, I’m neither. Really. OK, well maybe that last one.) Termed “The Art and Science of Baby Names” is an armchair linguist’s dream. And Wattenberg, a software developer and mother, designed the software that backs her approach, making it all the more interesting!
Recent posts have included her projections for the most popular names in the year 2019 (and Laura, I noticed that Marie is NOT on that list), an analysis of the names chosen for the characters in the popular American Girl historical book series, and the “Oprah Name Club,” a list of folks who, shortly following their birth, have had their intended names changed by typos and misspellings. If you have ever asked yourself the question, “What’s in a name?” or you want to ponder just how popular your own name is, this site won’t let you down. Enjoy!
Also, be sure you have a copy of The Baby Name Wizard on your shelves. First published in 2005, it has been recently updated and will help your patrons get past Jason and Jennifer and Madison and Mason.
-Marie
This is George. You might recognize him as Jen's son. According to BabyNameWizard.com, the name George reached its peak in the 1880's. Marie reached its peak in the 1900's. I say keep rockin' that classic name, George!
Thank you Publishers Weekly ! Despite working here and being a huge fan of their gorgeous books, I wasn’t aware of the Clarkson Potter history.
Happy 50th Birthday Clarkson Potter!
-Erica
