RIASS stuff:
Book review: Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis'Rating: 
Contains pugs, guys! Pugs!
Starting over: thoughts on rebuilding my book collection from scratch'A follow-up to my post on clearing out my bookshelves.
Giveaway: House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake'(Aus only)
Im this weeks featured blogger over at Beauty and Lace. If you cant get enough of me talking about myself, do swing by!
Im going to take a much-needed break for a week or so at the end of the year, and would love to feature some guest posts/reviews from bookish types. If you have something youd like to pitch, drop me a line at readinasinglesitting@gmail.com.
Other bookish stuff:
How much is a blogger worth? Not as much as they should be.'Encouraging bloggers to demand fair compensation from the brands they work with is something which I'm really passionate about, says Deborah from Australian Women Online. The first time I tried to get bloggers interested in the concept was at a women bloggers event in Sydney a few years ago. Now I know I'm no orator, but I was surprised when the audience wasn't interested in anything I had to say. Perhaps the timing just wasn't right.'It's now three years later and I can feel a change in the air. Can you feel it?
On the Australian comic book renaissance'There seems to be more activity in Australian comics right now than Ive known over the last decade, says Wolfgang Bylsma, Gestalt's Editor-in-Chief, '[and] seeing new independent publishing houses join the fray gives me hope.There are other elements of the community that also help inspire and encourage each other.'All point to this being a hugely positive time to be involved in Australian comics.
The Goodreads readers choice books have been announced.'Are any of these among your top books of 2012?
Lori Armstrong is offering a free download of her latest short story at her website
Robert Gottliebs book bag: five great literary subjects'These include the Brontes, Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Henry James and Lord Byron. (You know, I really think that theres a need for more biographies of historic women. I know that information about them is hard to come by, but surely theres something that can be done).
Heres a new genre for you: lab lit, literature that looks at real world science.'Lab lit is not science fiction, and in my opinion it's not historical fiction about actual scientists (though some fictionalised biographies do appear on the list). Instead, in the Web site's words, it depicts realistic scientists as central characters and portrays fairly realistic scientific practice or concepts, typically taking place in a realistic ' as opposed to speculative or future ' world.
The upside to the publishing merger mania'Here is my hope, that readers get tired of downloading free and $2.99 books that are such crap that they cant even read through to page ten. That they get tired of the clutter and look for books that fulfill their desire for story, and for white space. Books that fulfill the human body, mind and spirit like a fresh picked apple.
On the history (and etymology) of boredom, which first became a word in 1852.
Barefoot books on its market strategy and emphasis on being true to itself:''We've come full circle to our grass roots. We lost our way a couple of times, got too big with traditional management teams who took the business into the conventional, and we started losing sight of how we started. We wanted to make great books for our kids, and now we're empowering other women with kids who can sell our books in their own communities. I realize that when I've made mistakes, it was when I lost sight of what we were trying to do. It's about relationship building and creating amazing art and stories.'
The Economist unbundles digital from print subscriptions
Kristen Cashore shares her writing processincluding scribbled-on pages, notes and more.
Infographic: all about the Caldecott medal
An interview with Anne Lamott:'A Wrinkle in Time saved me because it so captured the grief and sense of isolation I felt as a child. I was 8 years old when it came out, in third grade, and I believed in it ' in the plot, the people and the emotional truth of their experience. This place was'never'a good match for me, but the book greatly diminished my sense of isolation as great books have done ever since. I must have read it a dozen times.
Mystery author? Adventure publications is seeking submissions.
The Casual Vacancy is coming to TV
The State Library of Victoria is seeking a marketing manager
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Thanks so much for coming to talk to us. It was a pleasure getting to know you better.
Thanks so much for having me! :)