Words and Pictures

Links to things from around the web, for those who love books.

    • You've always known it, so it's nice when Science finally catches up. Here Elite Daily ("the voice of Generation Y") tells us why readers, scientifically, are the best people to fall in love with. Science!
    • Cici James owns a bookstore in Brooklyn, New York, and is cool enough to wear her passion on her ... sleeves. I'll let you know if she stops in at Cleveland Place.
    • The Dewey Decimal System has both rabid fans and arch-nemeses. If you're either, LitHub's long fret "There’s got to be a better way to categorize the books we love" is of interest.
    • Can reading make you happier? Oh New Yorker, you always deliver more than expected. I didn't expect to read "people who read a lot of fiction tend to be better at empathizing with others" for example.
    • As a bookseller, I endorse this article in Inc., in the language people who read Inc. can understand: Read, or be a loser.
    • Very long ago my father gave me a little box of bookplates. It's still half full. They're pretty big to lick and stick, and not used much any more, but an old one is a clue to the past.
    • I suffer from an all-too-common condition. I have so many books I will never get to them all. Fortunately this article is here to reassure us: "The man with an ever-expanding library understands the importance of remaining curious, open to new ideas and voices."
    • Best books of 2018 according to one source. I wouldn't advise rushing out to get them all, but very likely there's something here you've never heard of but intrigues you.
    • I'm often asked, "Will the internet / ebooks / iphones replace books?" and I usually answer that there's room for everyone. Here's a more well-spoken version of that answer.
    • From The Paris Review, "Reading in the Age of Constant Distraction" some lovely thoughts like "the power of art—and many books are, still, art, not entertainment—lies in the way it turns us inward and outward, all at once."
    • OF COURSE you'd love to work in a used bookshop. But would you pay for the privilege? Yes? Well get in line, because you're not alone.
    • I can't add to this title: Life’s too short to force yourself to finish books you don’t enjoy. Because we're all going to die.