The reason book people need to understand calculus, among other things

Fair point:

"Generations of kids have been wetting their pants with laughter over Calvin and Hobbes, but it took a long time for anyone to take a character with similar (what shall we call them…?) “virtues” to Calvin and let him break out of the comics frame. Now lots of books combining both prose and comics in diary form are coming down the line."

Appreciation that goes both ways is the best kind:

"Restoring Harmony has been out for a little over two months now, and while I’m thrilled that many of the chains are stocking it in the brick and mortar stores, and not just online, I really want to thank the indie stores for their fantastic support."

For the next person who asks when they're going to have to use this math stuff in real life:

"So the first derivative of K1 (Kindle unit sales), has increased from x to 3x since June 21st. We do not know what K1 was before or afterward, nor what N1 (unit sales of Barnes & Noble's Nook device) is, nor what the similar sales are on any other e-reading device." (see also)

Do you know how long I've been asking for someone to start one of these (in the U.S.)?:

"Alikewise is a new niche dating site that aims to unite people by a common passion for literature."

Next move - someone starts a book-inspired cupcake bakery:

"Call it a hunch, but it seems to me that the thing is in the air that happens right before something — families with a million kids, cupcakes, wedding coordinators — suddenly becomes the thing everyone wants to do happy-fuzzy pop-culture stories about. Why?"

I vote for The Carp in the Bathtub:

"So what books are out there that are deserving of a new illustrator’s touch but haven’t gotten one yet?  I’m not saying that these are books that have bad illustrations to begin with, but rather are books that might be able to earn an entirely new audience and appreciation if they just acquired a new look."

We need more book bikes:

"And this summer I finally hit on how to make this a full-circle project: Now all the books given away are purchased from locally-owned (independent) bookstores. So not only do passers-by benefit, but every book taken home has directly supported a locally-owned bookstore." (related)

What do 15th-century Albanian laws have to do with the book industry?:

"When I first read about Second Chance, it didn't make sense. The program basically amounts to a tacit endorsement of the blood-feud system, correct? But the more I've thought about it, the more I've come to see it as a prime example of smart short-term pragmatism."

An Odyssey Bookshop bookseller on Odyssey Editions:

"Hand, please meet forehead."

(Image of the week courtesy of Signal vs. Noise)