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While there are wonderful books published all the time, this is often too true:

"What's astonishing is the sheer amount of energy, time and money that has been spent to push it into our hands. Why this book? What does it have to recommend itself? Only this: It is New while all the other, better books are Old." (and this)

After last week's thought-provoking post, Chris is back with another one:

"Being a showroom is similar – we (not just indies, but all bricks & mortar stores) provide a very valuable marketing function for publishers. We are the trusted link between them and the customer. Our compensation used to be sales, but as we increasingly see these sales go elsewhere how do we get compensated?... Now is the time to think creatively about how publishers and booksellers can be true partners in selling books." (see also)

For an alternate perspective:

"Mike, you cited Chris Morrow's blogpost on the Northshire Bookstore website. You seem prepared for their battle to be a losing one. I simply don't understand that kind of thinking."

If you aren't already reading Shelf Awareness, it's your own fault for missing out on these: "Was Abraham Lincoln really a vampire hunter?" (see also)

Because there's a time to take a break from serious journalism:

"12:42 p.m. Times Square. The sun beats down from its perch atop the Nasdaq MarketSite tower. We set our pan (Emeril brand, medium-gauge, nonstick) on a metal sewer-hole cover just into the crosswalk at the southwest corner of Broadway and West 43rd Street, next to the police station."

I don't generally do comic books. But LeVar Burton, the LHC, and possibly some bees? Gimme:

"We couldn't delve very deeply into the more esoteric aspect of why we're writing this and what we want the reader to focus on. Our job in these eight pages was to get them hooked on the story and the character."