Most writers I know have want to see their books on library shelves. So these Pew Research surprises are worth knowing.

7 surprises about libraries in our surveys | Pew Research Center

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/30/7-surprises-about-libraries-in-our-surveys/

Being shy is one thing, but being taught not to speak is another. Imagine the differences between characters who feel a need to communicate something, but have either timidity or cultural mores stopping them. How might each of them respond differently? What must happen for each to overcome his or her past? Which would be harder to overcome?

Learning to Speak Up When You’re from a Culture of Deference – Andy Molinsky – Harvard Business Review

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/07/learning-to-speak-up-when-youre-from-a-culture-of-deference/

“Just for fun” is the caveat with this index. But it made me think of the books I’ve read — and not read — recently. I just didn’t have time to finish a few I was reading for book clubs. Others didn’t compel me to turn pages. (And I read all of A Brief History of Time.)
Three rules I think we can draw from this unscientific study are:
1. Write every page as if it were the first page.
2. Good stories get read.
3. Genre isn’t everything.

The Summer’s Most Unread Book Is… – WSJ

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/the-summers-most-unread-book-is-1404417569?mobile=y

Good writers are readers. Here a list of American fiction worth working through.

The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1894 – 1994 | BOOK RIOT

http://bookriot.com/2014/07/04/100-greatest-american-novels-1894-1994/