Ongoing controversies

Museum Tower saga rages on as officials reject the Nasher’s “unattractive”louver solution

On November 20, the Museum Tower released a statement claiming that NasherSculpture Center representatives had canceled a meeting to discuss the louversolution.
Nasher consultant Rick del Monte developed the louver solution as a potentialway to prevent light reflected from Museum Tower’s glass façade from enteringthe Nasher’s galleries.
The Museum Tower has released its own study decrying the louver as unattractive,unpleasant and unacceptable to homebuyers.
In its November 20 statement, the Museum Tower had strong words for those whopublicly criticize the prolonged decision making process.

Another day, another twist in the Museum Tower debate. On November 20, the Museum Tower released a statement claiming that Nasher Sculpture Center representatives had canceled a meeting to discuss "the feasiblity of a retractable louver solution."

Nasher consultant Rick del Monte developed the louver solution as a potential way to prevent light reflected from Museum Tower’s glass façade from entering the Nasher’s galleries.

The Museum Tower's study questioned the ability of louvers to mitigate reflected light and the system's durability in high winds.

On Tuesday, the Museum Tower also released its own study decrying the louver as unattractive, unpleasant and unacceptable to homebuyers. The study questioned the ability of louvers to mitigate reflected light and the system's durability in high winds.

This comes fresh on the heels of an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News by noted arts patrons John Eagle and Deedie Rose. The November 18 column, titled "Museum Tower reflects on all of Dallas," puts added pressure on Museum Tower officials to embrace a solution.

In its November 20 statement, the Museum Tower had strong words for those such as Eagle and Rose who publicly criticize the prolonged decision-making process.

We would hope that the sophisticated, knowledgeable citizens of Dallas, who are commenting without benefit of any technical information specific to Museum Tower, would realize that it takes many months to study and test a project of this scale. Museum Tower’s technical team has worked in good faith to study the louver system and find a viable solution since Mr. del Monte’s proposal.

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bookworms unite

Fantasy reigns as the No. 1 book genre for Texas readers

Poets Books in Dallas, independent bookstore

Poets Books/Facebook

Poets Books is one of six local independent bookstores participating in the third annual Oak Cliff Book Crawl on April 26.

A new study revealing the top book genres enchanting each of the 50 states has revealed a surprising fact about what Texans like: The No. 1 pick for avid readers in Texas is fantasy books.

The book trends report by security experts Cloudwards examined Google Trends data to discover the top literary genres for each state. Romance was the leading genre infatuating most states (22 in total), with literary fiction, poetry, and fantasy ensnaring 24 other states combined.

Besides being the No. 1 genre in Texas, fantasy books also dominate for readers in Washington, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

The report says these innovative states that boast high quality universities and bustling tech sectors are the driving force behind growing demand for fantasy books and other works of imaginative literature.

"The enduring popularity of fantasy may be attributed to its unparalleled world-building capabilities and capacity to address complex social issues through allegorical frameworks," the report said. "Undoubtedly, for many, fantasy offers a temporary escape from day-to-day stresses and worries."

The rise of BookTok — a popular TikTok category centered around reading, book clubs, and popular books — may be another major factor in the younger generation's shift towards reading. The category has over 53 million posts to prove it.

Well-known fantasy books that have remained in the zeitgeist in recent years include George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (a.k.a. Game of Thrones), Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series, and Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series.

Many of these titles can be found on the shelves of Dallas' many independent bookstores, just in time for Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 26. It's crucial that Dallasites support their local bookstores rather than shop from big box stores like Amazon, Target, or Barnes and Noble.

In fact, local book lovers can show their support for independent bookstores during the third annual Oak Cliff Book Crawl on April 26. Six Dallas bookstores will have special programming to celebrate the day: Whose Books, The Wild Detectives, Pan-African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center, Poets Books, Lucky Dog Books, and the recently opened romance-only Blush Bookstore.

Here are a few more non-exhaustive options for shopping at independent bookstores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area:

bookstores reading lists dallas