Monday News: Happy New Year!
Publishing Newsarchive / Library of Congress / New Year's resolutions / obituaries / real-life romance / Sue Grafton / Twitter2 Comments
Sue Grafton: Alphabet crime author dies aged 77 – 2017 ended on a sad note for fans of Sue Grafton’s alphabet series, which – “as far as the family is concerned” – is now eternally paused at Y is for Yesterday. According to the author’s daughter, Jamie Clark, Grafton’s wishes included no ghostwriters and no film or television adaptations of her books, although it is unclear, given the language above, whether the family actually has the legal authority to make those wishes legally binding. Grafton began writing the series in 1982, and she died at only 77 after fighting cancer for two years.
“Although we knew this was coming, it was unexpected and fast. She had been fine up until just a few days ago, and then things moved quickly. Sue always said that she would continue writing as long as she had the juice,” she said.
Grafton received numerous awards for her work including from the British Crime Writers’ Association and the Mystery Writers of America. – BBC
Library of Congress will no longer save every tweet – Reading this article gave me a flashback to the Huntington Library, where I spent many grad-school weekends, poring over 18th and 19th C microfiched newspaper articles. The Library of Congress’s archive of every single tweet will someday serve the same purpose for scholars studying our societal dysfunctions. The shift to only “newsworthy” tweets is a form of cultural curation, and its consequences are yet to be discerned.
The LOC describes the decision in a very short white paper. Part of the reasoning is the sheer volume of data; the number of tweets is up, and their possible length has been doubled recently. But it’s also a matter of being able to actually preserve content. Tweets now embed pictures, videos, and previews of the content of any links they contain. The LOC has been preserving only text and, therefore, is missing out on an increasingly important portion of the information content of any tweet.
In addition, the Library’s normal role is as a curator, preserving information that’s thought to be most significant or valuable. In this sense, the change will bring its Twitter policy more in line with its general approach to collecting. – Ars Technica
How to read more books in 2018 – Resolving to read more books in 2018? Although they’re not earth-shattering, some of Jessica Roy’s suggestions have clear practical potential. Roy made the resolution to read more back in 2013, and she calls it “one of the singularly most rewarding things I have done for myself in my adult life.” Among her tips: use the library.
The L.A. Public Library is your secret weapon for reading more. I’m always surprised at how many people don’t realize the library carries new releases in addition to classics. In just this year, I checked out and read new releases that include Roxane Gay’s “Hunger,” “Exit West” by Mohsin Hamid, “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders, Lindy West’s “Shrill” and “Artemis,” the new novel by Andy Weir.
I regularly read book reviews, and when I see something I like, I put it on hold. It’s not always immediately available, but I can use the LAPL’s site to track where I am in the holds list and see when my book is on its way. If a book you’re excited about is coming out soon, you can put a hold on it before it’s released and be at the top of the list. – Los Angeles Times
Newlyweds discover they were childhood sweethearts two decades later – Thanks to Jayne for sending me this sweet story of a couple who initially met in Turkey – when they were only six years old! – where their families were vacationing, and who reconnected years later, not even realizing they had met before. The cutest part? They had a “holiday romance” as six-year-old children. And after years apart, they reconnected in a seemingly random way:
Heidi Savitt (née Parker) and Ed Savitt tied the knot this summer in Derbyshire.
The couple, who now live in London, met at Newcastle University in 2011 when Ed was studying Psychology and Business and Heidi was studying Economics and Management.
Their first (supposed) encounter occurred when Ed messaged Heidi asking her how to use the tumble dryer in his student accommodation, as she had been the previous tenant. – MSN
I was amazed to learn that the LOC had been archiving any tweets let alone all of them.
I was really saddened when I heard about Sue Grafton this weekend. Although I’m a few books behind in the series, I’ve been following it ever since B or C came out, and was fortunate to meet Ms. Grafton for a book signing for G. She was gracious and lovely. Condolences to her family.