Book news, reviews, and musings 17 October 2010

News, Reviews, and Musings is a new daily feature. Feel free to chime in, or to tweet/email us if we've missed something that you'd like to see featured.

News and features

Our friends at the Little Bookroom are celebrating an impressive achievement this year: at fifty years old, theyre the oldest childrens bookshop in the world. Visit them on Facebook and send your congrats.

In the US, bookshop sales dropped considerably in August 2010.

Are you a book nerd looking to get inked? Galleycat provides some important information about popular literary tattoos.

Dont forget to check out our newest posts: competition round ups, new releases, book reviews, and more!

Interviews

The Book Smugglers chat with author Jennifer Donnelly about her newly released novel Revolution.

Toonzone'interviews author Tow Ubukata about his novel Mardock Scramble: the first compression

Cynthia Leitich Smith interviews Sara Beitia about her novel The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon

Reviews

Antiblurbs looks at Grantas Pakistan-themed issue.

JM Coetzee, author of Life and Times of Michael K, which I recently reviewed,'reviews Philip Roths Nemesis, and reminds me that I have just a little way to go as a reviewer

Alea at Pop Culture Junkie reviews Duff by Kody Keplinger.

Musings

Author Hannah Moskowitz gives us her thoughts on authorial professionalism, and what it means today.

Author Maggie Stievfater is having a wonderful time on her book tour.

Small press publisher Coeur de Lion rounds up a list of worthy Australian speculative fiction.

Author Pamela Keyes chats about the inspiration behind her new novel The Jumbee, which well be reviewing next week.

Megs at Bookworm Megs gives us a fascinating roundup of a recent Wheeler Centre event on literature and death.

Just for fun

What if stupid bookshop patrons had to use Google?

Author birthdays

Happy birthday Arthur Miller!

Quote of the Day

She had a pretty gift for quotation, which is a serviceable substitute for wit.' W Somerset Maugham (Phew, Im glad that this quote of the day thing can stand in for wit!)

Beautiful book cover of the day