Dear Reader by Paul Fournel review – an elegy for the printed book

A charming French novel about an old-school publisher trying to get to grips with the digital ageAt more than one point in this novel I found myself asking: could this be any more French? Early on we meet a character described thus: “She used to be incredibly good-looking and now at thirtysomething she is creditably handsome.” Sorry? What the narrator, an ageing male publisher, looks like, or how creditably or uncreditably good-looking he is, we don’t find out. Another woman leaves the room “in a wiggle of buttock” – I dropped my annotating pencil when I read that line. “Artichokes require a degree of elegance” – there’s another drop of essence of Gallic for you.But there is more to Dear Reader, and what kept me going was that one of the subjects exercising our narrator is the issue of electronic readers – Kindles or, as our hero Robert Dubois has it, the “dear reader” of the title. This book is an elegy for a dying world: that of the printed book and, that death’s darker corollary, the reader who is still interested in, or has the attention span for, the long-form narrative. (I always thought these things were arranged better in France, with no Net Book Agreement and tax breaks for bookshops, but apparently not.) In the world of Dear Reader, there has been a general collapse of cultural understanding: the interns point out to Dubois the remarkable coincidence that the publishing house they have landed in has the same name as him. Meanwhile, Dubois cannot quite get to... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #electronic readers #attention span #tax breaks

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Dear Reader by Paul Fournel review – an elegy for the printed book'

Book Review: ‘Yellowface,’ by R.F. Kuang

In “Yellowface,” R.F. Kuang satirizes the publishing industry with a tale of a struggling writer who passes off her recently deceased friend’s book as her own. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-16 09:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #publishing industry

Life-Changing Books for Every Reader: PW Talks with Laura Schreiber

The executive editor at Union Square & Co. looks to nurture the work of both debut and seasoned authors. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #union square

Book Review: ‘Easily Slip Into Another World,’ by Henry Threadgill

Henry Threadgill’s memoir unfolds from his maddening wartime experience to his boundary-pushing musical career. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-15 09:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #easily slip #henry threadgill #memoir unfolds #memoir

Book Review: ‘The Labors of Hercules Beal,’ by Gary D. Schmidt, and ‘The Storyteller,’ by Brandon Hobson

In new novels by the National Book Award finalists Gary D. Schmidt and Brandon Hobson, adolescent boys navigating parental loss find strength in ancient mythology. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-12 09:00:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #brandon hobson #national book award

Book Review: ‘Our Migrant Souls,’ by Héctor Tobar

“Our Migrant Souls,” the author’s first nonfiction book in nearly a decade, is a deeply personal meditation on Latino American experience. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-09 09:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #hctor tobar #nonfiction book

Book Review: ‘African Studies,’ by Edward Burtynsky

A large-format photo book reveals the toll of industrialization on the landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-05 09:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #sub-saharan africa #photo book

2022 Print Book Sales in 10 Major Markets Were Flat Compared to Previous Year

A Nielsen report finds that sales of print books in 10 countries totaled 614 million copies last year, level with 2021 sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #flat compared #print books #nielsen #print book

Print Book Sales Declined 2.7% Last Week

Unit sales of print books fell 2.7% last week compared to the week ended April 30, 2022. For the second consecutive week, higher sales in the adult fiction and young adult categories were offset by declines in adult nonfiction and children's segments. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #week compared #consecutive week #higher sales #adult fiction #adult nonfiction

Print Book Sales Fell 3.4% Last Week

Declines in adult nonfiction and both juvenile categories offset gains in the adult fiction and young adult categories, leading to a 3.4% decline in unit sales of print books last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #adult nonfiction #adult fiction #4% decline #print books

Book Review: ‘Affinities,’ by Brian Dillon

In “Affinities,” his latest book of essays, the critic Brian Dillon meditates on images by photographers, filmmakers, dancers and other artists, exploring their attractions and affiliations. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-25 09:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #brian dillon

Book Review: ‘Mott Street,’ by Ava Chin

Ava Chin’s memoir is an expansive family history encompassing perilous journeys, sensational crimes and social change. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-24 12:37:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #social change #memoir

Can You Guess The Horror Book Based On Its 1-Star Reviews?

You've seen every movie on Shudder and have a whole bookshelf devoted to King, but can you guess the horror book based on its 1-star reviews? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-20 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #1-star reviews #book based

Print Book Sales Plummet 27% Compared to Easter Week 2022

With Easter falling one week later than in 2022, unit sales or print books tumbled 27% last week. Sales in all categories were down. Year-to-date sales through April 15, 2023, were 1.9% behind the comparable period last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #easter falling

A Quick Disclaimer Before My Book Review Today…

A BookToker offers a quick disclaimer before a negative review to head off some anticipated complaints in the comments... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-19 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review

London Book Fair: New Data on UK Readers of Translated Fiction

The Booker Prize Foundation reveals a Nielsen study's data on consumers of translated fiction in the United Kingdom. The post London Book Fair: New Data on UK Readers of Translated Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-19 03:19:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk readers #translated fiction #united kingdom #nielsen

Book Review: ‘Chita: A Memoir,’ by Chita Rivera with Patrick Pacheco

Her new memoir finds the 90-year-old singer-dancer hungry for acclaim, but generous to others on her way to getting it. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-17 09:00:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chita rivera #memoir finds #book review #memoir

Book Review: ‘Stalking Shakespeare: A Memoir of Madness, Murder, and My Search for the Poet Beneath the Paint,’ by Lee Durkee

In “Stalking Shakespeare,” Lee Durkee describes his quest to find a true, authentic image of the famous playwright, a search that becomes a tragicomic tale in its own right. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-15 09:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #memoir

Print Book Sales Get an Easter Bump

With Easter falling one week earlier this year than in 2022, unit sales of print books rose 4.7% last week over 2022 at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. Every segment except adult nonfiction posted increases over 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #week earlier #easter bump #easter falling #circana bookscan