David Lubar's Blog, page 33

Luke, I am your coffee

I am atoning for a terrible sin. Somehow, I managed to reach 2010 without ever seeing a single episode of The Gilmore Girls. That is now being rectified. Penance is sweet. So is Netflix. And so is season one, so far.

Add vice, stir, bring to a boil

I asked for topics, and got the following:

"Dear David, I am a writer but still unublished. I have written a few novels as well as non-fiction outlines/chapters. I think I'm much better at plots and reseach than characters and scene setting. Should I bother trying to slug out the novels? Or just concentrate on the nonfiction for kids?"

The first thing that comes to mind is that I'm really bad at giving advice. I usually have no idea what I'm talking about. This, however, has never stopped me ...

Robert B. Parker

Sad news. Unconfirmed in the media, but all over the web. (I saw it just now in Yendi's blog.) Robert B. Parker has died.

"The worst beer I ever had was wonderful."
Spenser

"The worst Spenser novel I ever read was wonderful."
Me.

I only read two novels last year. One was the latest Spenser novel, The Professional. Now, I guess, it's the last Spenser novel.

I picked up A Catskill Eagle in paperback soon after the Spenser TV series premiered. I was hooked. I immediately went back and read al...

Someone's going to get scrod in Boston

Having lived through several election-driven media assaults, I can only imagine what it must have been like for folks in Massachusetts the past month or so. They must be thrilled that the airways will be given back to detergents, automobiles, and that horrid insurance hawker after today. Sadly, I realized that I no longer care what happens. I'm not rooting for anyone. Here's why. It won't really make a difference. If health care is reformed (or morphed), I might pay less for insurance, ...

Cheers to the winners

Since I haven't read any of the winners, nominees, or even the losers for that matter, my response to the ALA awards is totally based not on the quality of the books, but the personality of the winners. (This lack of reading isn't a reflection on the writers in any way, it's a long-term thing that seems to have gone awry in my head.) So, anyhow, when I logged on this morning and started surfing in search of award news, the first thing I saw was Teri Lesesne's blog. At that point, the only ...

Okay, I'm an idiot

On Saturday, I posted about how the awards would come out on Sunday. So, this morning, I went online to look for the Newbery winner, and found nothing. I began to fear something deadful had happened to Boston. Though there was no mention in the news of anything along those lines, either. After a bit more Googling, I discovered what everyone else already knew -- the announcement is scheduled for Monday. Since the Internet contains legions of folks who will gleefully correct the tiniest er...

The bliss of the noncontender

So, tomorrow, lives will change. The Newbery, Caldecott and the Printz, along with seventy-five or so other highly prestigious and exlcusive awards, will be announced. I have some friends who are in contention for various awards. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them. But, as for me, I'm truly thrilled to be out of contention for anything. It is wonderfully blissful to approach award day and not have any stress, false hopes, delusions, or unfulfilled dreams. I'm just going to make up ...

Making the most of your donations

I've just started my research, but I think Charity Navigator is a good resource for anyone looking for the best place to make a donation to Haiti (or to any other cause). The site has evaluations of charities. Just browsing, I found some charities that spend more than 90% of the money they receive on the actual programs (as opposed to administrative expenses, etc.). Operation USA and Americares both look interesting.

Jay Walking

NBC has finally decided what to do with Jay Leno. They're going to deflate his head and keep him in storage until the next Macy's parade.

Advice to the newly nominated

If you've been nominated for Quick Picks, Best Books, or another ALA or YALSA list, congratulations. Having been through that myself, I think I can pass along a useful bit of information to newbie nominees. While the major awards are announced at a specific time, the list results trickle in later. Some of the groups will be meeting throughout the conference. Back in 2000, when Hidden Talents was nominated for both BBYA and QP, I pathetically kept refreshing the ALA press release page, wai...