From the bi-annual Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia, PW Senior Writer Andrew Albanese notes a strong turnout of PLA members, as well as a top-shelf slate of programs, including a stirring keynote address from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. And, the coming edition of PW also includes the annual “facts and figures” compendium, with publishers self-reporting that 90 e-book titles rang up sales of more than 100,00 copies in 2011, led by The Help, at close to two million, compared with only 16 such bestselling titles in 2010.
For her weekly review of reviews, Rose Fox brings word of Cheryl Sternman Rule’s Ripe: A Fresh Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables. Organized by color, the vibrant volume, says Fox, “is a lovely and gorgeous book that aims to excite readers with delectable photographs and mouthwatering recipes.” In science fiction, The Weird – Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s compilation of 110 weird stories from around the world and throughout the past century – is "ambitious in the extreme.” PW’s reviewer, Fox notes, calls it "a deeply affectionate and respectful history of speculative fiction's blurry edges.”
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