Book links round-up: Harper Lee’s unauthorized biography, vulgar Dorian Gray, and more

• Harper Lee denies cooperating with writer on upcoming biography
• Uncensored, “vulgar” Dorian Gray text published 120 years later
• Natalie Portman’s doctor dad self-publishes “fertility thriller”
• UNESCO names Buenos Aires 2011 World Book Capital, thanks to its 200 bookstores and 70 libraries
• Would you like a Pepsi with that? N.Y.C. author releases e-book with built-in ads and narrative product placement

Vancouver librarians told to cover up non-Olympic logos

According to CTV, librarians in Vancouver have been warned by city officials to use only approved Olympic sponsors in any Games-themed events they host next month, and to conceal the logos of any non-Olympic companies that may pass in front of patrons’ eyeballs.

The memo, written by marketing and communications manager Jean Kavanagh, tells staff to avoid such companies as Pepsi or Dairy Queen – neither of which is an official sponsor, unlike, say Coca-Cola or McDonald’s. And she suggests taking unusual steps to avoid displaying the logos of non-sponsors, writing: “If you have a speaker/guest who happens to work for Telus, ensure he/she is not wearing their Telus jacket, as Bell is the official sponsor.”

She also writes that any rented sound equipment have its brand name covered by cloth or tape – if it’s not a machine from sponsor Panasonic.

Though Kavanagh goes on to say that her list of Olympic dos and don’ts doesn’t constitute censorship, Alex Youngberg, president of the local library union, disagrees:

“There’s something in my library to offend everybody,” [Youngberg] said. “And that’s our job. Our job as library staff is to not ever censor any information.”

Pepsi says books make Americans happy

Your glass half-full news for the day: Results from the second annual survey conducted by the Pepsi Optimism Project (yes, the acronym is POP) conclude that Americans are more optimistic about their personal relationships, health, finances, and overall well-being than they were in 2008, and the leading “optimism booster” is books. Although POP’s official press release focuses on the role of live events such as concerts, theatre performances, and speeches, GalleyCat points out that the full results show that 88% of respondents cited books as a key contributor to their optimism, putting it first in a “top optimism boosters” list. From GalleyCat:

Unfortunately, that’s not broken down by categories, so it’s not quite clear whether fiction or non-fiction lifts people’s spirits, so you should probably read a little of both, just to be on the safe side.

Even more surprising is the inclusion of poetry readings in the list of top “optimism boosters,” an option chosen by 56% of respondents, putting poetry ahead of advertising, news, and blogs. Although it’s not clear whether these results refer to writing blogs or reading them, you’re likely still better off picking up a novel than scanning through your RSS feeds, but we here at Quillblog wouldn’t blame you if you made an exception.