Louisville, which sometimes claims to be the 16th largest city in America, won’t be happy to learn that it is only the 40th most literate city in the United States … that according to a survey featured in today’s USA Today. Indianapolis ranked 34th, Nashville 22nd, and Lexington 23rd. Washington, D.C. was ranked the most literate city in the country, displacing and edging out Seattle. The survey ranks the 75 largest cities.
I’ll bet you’ve never wondered what the bestselling books were on the day you were born, but a new online app will let you see the New York Times bestsellers from that day. For comparison, the week I was born MacKinlay Kantor’s Andersonville was the No. 1 book. Herman Wouk’s novel, Marjorie Morningstar, was second. Ann Morrow Lindbergh topped the nonfiction list with A Gift From the Sea.
The American Library Association announced today the winners of this year’s Newbery and Caldecott prizes. The Caldecott Medal for the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children was awarded to illustrator Erin Stead and her book A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip Stead. The Newbery Medal, designed to honor the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, was awarded to Clare Vanderpool for Moon Over Manifest.
Speaking of awards and books, I’ll be writing later this week about how massive bursts of publicity (the Caldecott/Newbery awards day counts) affect our ability to serve you.
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