Cat Ladders are a real thing

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I like my "offensive" material, thank you very much

While sifting through my updates from Publisher's Weekly, I ran across this story. Here's the gist:

Bills have been introduced in Utah and Louisiana this year that give private citizens the right to sue booksellers and other retailers for committing an "unfair" trade practice by selling "offensive" material to a minor.

There are so many problems with this, I almost don't know where to begin.

1) There is no definition of what material is considered "offensive." The Bill stipulates that the material would contain "sexually explicit conduct," but that is all the description given.

2) Unlike movies and video games, there is no generally accepted ratings system for books. Publishers can put recommended age grades on their titles, but are not required to. Therefore, booksellers have no tools at their disposal to guide them.

3) A 17-year-old is still a minor, but is a much more mature reader than a 10-year-old. However, this law would still apply to books they bought.

4) There is no indication in the language of the bill that the person bringing the suit has to be the guardian of the minor. It could be just some crazy lady on the street who thinks your 13-year-old should not be able to buy The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian because it talks about masturbation.

5) Worst of all:

The defendants in these lawsuits would have to hire a lawyer to defend them and could be forced to pay thousands of dollars if they lost.

Quite a blow to independent booksellers, especially those who stock a lot of romance novels and might be forced to abandon those lucrative titles in case they accidentally sell one to a 17-year-old, get taken to court, and end up bankrupt because of lawyer fees.


The good news is that a similar bill that was passed in Utah was eventually vetoed by the Governor, and the Louisiana legislature decided to delay a vote on the bill when they realized how much it would cost to enforce: $1.6 million.

Hm...let's think about the numbers:
The government policing what children read: $16 million in taxpayer dollars
Parents policing what their children read: free for everyone.

The point of Twitter

Someone asked me recently what the point of Twitter was. I made a joke about how following comedians is the only reason to join.

I'd like to change my answer.

The election in Iran is the point of Twitter: skirting around official lock-downs, fighting back against voter fraud, organizing protests in not only a town, but a country, a continent, the world.

Social media can seem silly and self-involved. But when we all need a fast, efficient means to communicate information that is vitally important, that media's built-in ability to do so suddenly becomes the thread that ties everyone together.

BookExpo America 09

A summary of my BEA experience, in the form of a list of galleys I got and can't wait to read (in no particular order):

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (already finished it, AMAZING)
War Dances by Sherman Alexie (excerpt)
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Spooner by Pete Dexter
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
Lips Touch by Laini Taylor
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathon Tropper
Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman (already out, but I didn't own it)
Elephants on the Edge by GA Bradshaw
The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson (she wrote Bridge to Terebithia)
Between Us Baxters by Bethany Hegedus

Recognizing a Right

Protests Precede Obama at Notre Dame
I think it's fantastic that students at Notre Dame were able to protest the President's speech. Speaking as someone who tends to shy away from organized demonstrations of any kind, it strikes me as a brave thing to do.

It reminds me of Voltaires's (or Evelyn Beatrice Hall's, depending on your research) thoughts on the freedom to speak and write. Regardless of whether or not I agree with the students, I fully support their ability to protest the President (and the government) without fear.

Long live the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie's YA novel goes on my "checked it out from the library and loved it so much that I will be purchasing my own copy of it" list. It's a long list.

You know what I don't like?

Axe commercials.

First off, this is just gross. Is that supposed to be sweat shooting out, fire-hose like, into people's faces? Blech.

Second off...no, I'm still twitching from the first off...move along...

Hey, Sarah Haskins, can you take Axe on next?