Jeff Scott

Nevada 3rd grade reading rates up, but fewer than half proficient as retention rule looms - The Nevada Independent Across the past three school years, third graders are doing better every year in reading proficiency. But less than half of the more than 35,000 Nevada third graders read at grade level.

Reading proficiency is improving among Nevada elementary students. But literacy rates still largely lag behind pre-pandemic numbers as the state approaches the rollout of a policy to hold back underperforming third graders.

Read about it here: thenevadaindependent.com/article/neva...

Libraries Look to Fill the Gap Left by Baker & Taylor With the closure of country’s largest library wholesaler now underway, librarians are searching for new options as Ingram, Bookazine, and even Amazon make their play to court B&T customers left in the...

Kindle integration with Overdrive was bad enough, letting them into distribution is a death wish. #cmonson

"Since many libraries already use Amazon to buy a range of goods and service, it has now developed the capabilities to allow libraries to buy books."

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai wins the Nobel Prize in literature Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai has won the Nobel Prize in literature for what the Nobel committee called his compelling and visionary work.

Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai, known for philosophical and bleakly funny novels, has won the Nobel Prize in literature.

Here Are the Finalists for the 2025 National Book Awards

National Book Award finalist. Amazing!!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/b...

Randolph Library Board to Review Challenge to Children’s Book ‘Call Me Max’ The Randolph County Public Library Board of Trustees will decide this week whether to uphold or overturn a challenge to the children’s book Call Me Max.

During last night's event my interrogator asked about how "One day you're shortlisted for the National Book Award and the next day one of your books gets banned" and I had to inform them that, no, it was the same day. Grateful to people defending Max in Asheboro NC. acmenews.net/randolph-lib...

I have been trying to explain a microfiche machine to one of my dear, brilliant, talented, but clearly too young to be alive collaborators. And it is taking the last of my soul.

“Micro…fish?? I have never heard that word in my life.” I recorded the timestamp so it can be put on my tombstone.

An Exhibition Axed Under Trump’s DEI Ban Finds a New Home Before the Americas, a show of African-American, Afro-Latino, and Caribbean artists, was among the first to lose funding amid the president’s crackdown.

One of the first exhibitions to be terminated as a result of Trump’s attacks on DEI has found a new home at the Gillespie Gallery at George Mason University School of Art.

Dead guys who were making like $500 a word back in the day, their estates are fine. Marginalized authors today, many are struggling. They're having a harder time selling new books to publishers, getting into bookstores, and are having school visits canceled. They need our support now more than ever.

It’s Banned Books Week! A time to honor books that challenge ideas and fight censorship. These stories make us think and unite us. What’s your favorite banned book? Tell us below! #BannedBooksWeek #ReadFreely #FreedomToRead #BooksNotBans #aasl https://bit.ly/3XXdrFi

Need resources for Banned Books Week? Check out our @la-cac.org resources curated by the fabulous Lynette Mejia! It includes this “The Attacks on Our Libraries” graphic and ways to help combat censorship. www.la-cac.org/resources

Will do! I’m behind in my reviews.

Vagabond by Tim Curry Anthony Bourdain Reader Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia A Guardian and the Thief by Megha Majumdar Racebook by Touchi Onyebuchi Enshittification by Cory Doctorow Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

Planned reading for October. #BookSky

All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert Someone is Walking on Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez I want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman What We Can Know by Ian McEwan Will There Ever be Another You by Patricia Lockwood The CIA Book Club by Charlie English The Eyes of Gaza by Plestia Alaqad The People’s Project by Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith Aflame by Pico Iyer If Anyone Builds it Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI could kill us All by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung

Books read in September. #BookSky

23,000 Book Bans Since 2021: PEN America Releases Its Latest Report on the State of Literary Censorship PEN America's latest report shows nearly 23,000 book bans in US public schools since 2021 and nearly 7,000 in the 2024-2025 year.

There have been almost 23,000 book bans since 2021, per a new PEN America report.

bookriot.com/pen-america-...

FCC moves to end discounts for Wi-Fi hotspot lending and school bus connectivity The Federal Communications Commission voted to end discounts for library and school Wi-Fi hotspot lending programs on Tuesday, drawing criticism from lawmakers and librarians who say the move will mak...

Trump's FCC yesterday voted to kill a program that provided free Wi-Fi to rural school kids at no cost to taxpayers, falsely claiming the program was "illegal" and was being used to "censor Conservative ideology."

'Reading Rainbow' is back and stars Mychal Threets, the internet's favorite librarian Beloved PBS series 'Reading Rainbow' is being revived with new host Mychal the Librarian (a.k.a. Mychal Threets), new friends and a new home on YouTube.

'Reading Rainbow' is back and stars Mychal Threets, the internet's favorite librarian

New York Public Library Acquires 500 Hours of Largely Unseen 9/11 Footage The New York Public Library has acquired what may be the largest collection of crowdsourced footage of the attacks and the shellshocked aftermath.

The New York Public Library has acquired what may be the largest collection of crowdsourced footage of the 9/11 attacks and the shellshocked aftermath. It's expected to be open for use at the library in 2027 and will be available online in its entirety around 2030.

National Guard documents show public ‘fear,’ veterans’ ‘shame’ over D.C. presence Internal documents reviewed by The Post reveal, with rare candor, how domestic missions rooted in politics risk damaging Americans’ trust in the military.

"The National Guard, in measuring public sentiment about Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C., has assessed that its mission is perceived as 'leveraging fear,' driving a 'wedge between citizens and the military,' and promoting a sense of 'shame' among some troops and veterans"

"Positive Depictions" Of Trans People Banned In Alabama State Libraries Proposal The code change that has been proposed does not ban negative depictions of transgender people, however. Public comment is open until October 14.

The Nazis did this with material written by and discussing Jews.

www.erininthemorning.com/p/positive-d...

Reading Skills of 12th Graders Hit a New Low

Reading Skills of 12th Graders Hit a New Low www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/u...

Why Would a County Evict Its Public Library Over $1?: Behind The Push to Decimate A Josephine County (OR) Library How a small group of far-right ideologues have tried to decimate Josephine County Library over the course of the last several years–and $1.

It's a long read, but it's really necessary. The folks who've been supporting this library–one that already survived one shuttering–have been incredible at documenting this.

bookriot.com/josephine-co...

Panel 1 A figure lies on a lounger as a hot, orange sun sets, saying "The holiday's over." Panel 2 Now wheeling a suitcase towards a plane in warm eveniong light "It's nice to sit around in the sun reading all day." Panel 3 The plane rises amongst the clouds "But all good things must come to an end." Panel 4 The figure deplanes with the suitcase in drizzle "Coming home has its own pleasures." Panel 5 The rain is harder. The figure shelter under an umbrella and looks into a shop window containing a selection of books and a sign reading "New books for autumn!" Panel 6 The figure now sits at home by an open fire, happily reading a new book. The suitcase has not yet been unpacked.

My cartoon for the @theguardian.com books autumn reads special.

Nevada was one of only three states where pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens weren’t issuing COVID vaccines. Here’s why, and how a new opinion regulators issued Friday could open up access to the shots: thenevadaindependent.com/article/majo...

Alberta To Rewrite Its Book Ban Order – Here’s Why - IN Magazine Danielle Smith's government announced its ministerial order on book bans is being rewritten after a "misunderstanding" by school boards.

Alberta to rewrite its book ban order. Danielle Smith’s government announced its ministerial order on book bans is being rewritten after a “misunderstanding” by school boards:

inmagazine.ca/2025/09/albe...

How Are You Supposed To Get The COVID Vaccine Now? An Explainer | Defector As the muggy malaise of summer winds down, you might find yourself interested in taking advantage of one of several safe and proven vaccines to help protect you from the inevitable brumal surge of res...

We took the paywall down on this one. defector.com/how-the-fuck...

Most Employees Support DEI, Revealing Talent Risk From DEI Retreat A 2025 survey finds employee support for diversity, equity and inclusion across age, gender, race and ethnicity lines, revealing risks of talent loss from DEI retreat.

Forbes: Most Employees Support DEI, Revealing Talent Risk From DEI Retreat

“The wide support for DEI initiatives in our survey suggests that many employees see through this false narrative and understand that a more inclusive workplace benefits everyone.”

www.forbes.com/sites/michel...

Easy Rawlins was my Dad’s favorite series.

Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung All the way to the river by Elizabeth Gilbert (9/9) 400 p Someone is Walking on your Grave by Mariana Enriquez (9/30) 352 p Swallows by Natsuo Kirino (9/9) 352 p Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood (9/9) 256 p What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (9/23) 320 p Gray Dawn by Walter Mosley 9/16 336 p If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies 9/16 256 p

My September Reading List

People Are Trying to ‘Deprogram’ Their MAGA Parents Through Book Clubs Divisive politics have led people to go “no contact” with their MAGA parents. Some hope reading together could help bridge the gap.

People Are Trying to ‘Deprogram’ Their MAGA Parents Through Book Clubs

How Elon Musk Is Remaking Grok in His Image

We studied how Elon Musk shifts Grok’s politics to mirror his own. Sometimes it works, like when Grok changed overnight from saying disinformation was the worst threat to humanity to claiming it was birth rate decline instead. Other times, Grok is harder to influence: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/t...