When it comes to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), Laura Miller of Salon is a naysayer, calling it "a waste of time and energy." She's more impressed by those who commit to read 10 books in 10 different categories. Read Miller's blog post here.

The Los Angeles Times takes a fascinating look at how electronic reading has the potential to revolutionize the concept of the book. "Books are increasingly able to talk to readers, quiz them on their grasp of the material, play videos to illustrate a point or connect them with a community of fellow readers." Read the article here.

Users of Amazon's e-reader, the Kindle, can not only highlight their favorite passages, they can see what everyone else is highlighting. University of Illinois linguist Dennis Baron ponders the consequences.  Continue reading...

The New York Times Learning Network is offering students an alternative to the run-of-the-mill summer reading lists that are being stuffed into backpacks across the nation this time of year. The Learning Network's "Student Challenge" asks students to read The New York Times over the course of the summer and to identify something that either piques their interest or catches their eye. Bonus: the Learning Network plans on featuring the best student submissions on their blog!

Read more about the Student Challenge here.

Michael Lydon, a well-known writer on popular music since the 1960s, has for many years also been writing about writing. Lydon's essays, written with a colloquial clarity, shed fresh light on familiar and not so familiar aspects of the writing art. Here Lydon explores how the best writers speak to us through their singular literary styles.  Continue reading...

Teachers, if you are considering having your students read graphic novels or create their own, check out these inspiring sites.

National Association of Comics Art Educators

Teaching Graphic Novels blog

Comic Creator

An Introduction to Graphic Novels podcast