Wednesday Afternoon Visits: June 13

I didn't have time to put together my Sunday visits post over the weekend, but I have spent some time visiting the other blogs, and I have a few tidbits for you:

• On a completely frivolous note, Mary Lee from A Year of Reading shares a clothing label from an American company selling clothes in France that's simply hilarious.
• And, for another quirky story, check out this Daily Mail article, about a woman who added an "unusual clause to the deeds of her home to ensure her friends are not left without a venue for their literary evenings when she sells up. It means the purchaser will also have to help choose the books for the group to read, lead discussions on the texts and provide tea and coffee." Thanks to bookshelves of doom for the link.
• Kelly from Big A little a has put forth a call to help one of our own. Michele from Scholar's Blog has been downsized, and Kelly is taking contributions to help Michele with Internet expenses, to make sure that she's able to keep blogging.
• And, if you're happy to be part of this Kidlitosphere community, be sure to share your party planning ideas for Robin Brande's no-longer-just-a-fantasy potluck, which is morphing into a kid lit bloggers retreat. See Robin's I'll Be Your Best Friend post, too, for some warm fuzziness.
• Bookseller Chick asks visitors to share "school reads you actually liked". There's lots of great book discussion in the comments.
• Shrinking Violet Promotions shares their Top Ten Reasons to Shop at an Independent Bookstore. My contribution (inspired by a recent visit to Powell's) was: "An independent bookstore is likely to have a handy list of all of the titles in the series that you're starting, in order. And they'll have all of the titles, too, not just the new one."
• The Mombrarian writes about summer reading programs, including several links to reading programs and recommended reading lists. See also Ms. Yingling Reads' post about picking books for reluctant readers (including her 9-year-old daughter). And Daphne has an interesting post at The Places You Will Go about how hard it can be to let your kids read the books that they want to read.
• The winners of MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge have been announced, and a variety of great prizes awarded. I'm so envious of all of the people who spent more than 20 hours reading last weekend, and I especially congratulate Tanita and ZG for standing above and beyond the crowds. MotherReader also announces a Kid Lit Drink Night in DC.
• Little Willow has updated her Tough Issues for Teens booklist at Bildungsroman. This is a great resource, handily classified by tough issue.
• If you can stomach any further criticism of blogger by print reviewers, check out this post at Tea Cozy, recapping a ludicrously misinformed article by NY Sun Book Critic Adam Kirsch.
• For a glimpse at the more positive side of the Kidlitosphere, check out Colleen's write-up at Chasing Ray about why she organized the upcoming Summer Blog Blast Tour (SBBT), in which I'm participating. I'm always impressed by the eloquence of Colleen's defense of the kid lit bloggers, and the passion with which she defines a greater purpose: that of helping kids to find the right books, so that they'll become readers for life. 
• The Poetry Foundation has an article about Poetry Friday by our own Susan from Chicken Spaghetti. Susan is modest - I learned about the article from Big A little a. 
• The First Book Blog is asking people to share what book got them hooked on reading. They say "Help us get more kids hooked on reading by visiting our website and sharing what book got you hooked on reading. You’ll then be able to vote for the state to receive 50,000 new books for children in need."
• And last, but not least, don't forget to visit Betsy Bird at A Fuse #8 Production's new home at School Library Journal. She has an astounding number of posts up already for a brand new blog location.

OK, that's more than a few links, but now I feel more caught up. Happy reading!