Last week, Ruth Rendell claimed that reading novels is a dying art. Sadly, she might have a pointNo one can say precisely why John Williams's novel Stoner has become a bestseller almost 50 years after its first publication. After all, plenty of books, "forgotten" or otherwise, are recommended by word of mouth and yet most will not go on to sell more than a few hundred copies. And it's hard to know in what ways, if any, its story – a young man falls in love with literature and thus a new world is revealed to him – might have touched people. Many of those who rushed to buy it will not yet have got around to opening it and some will never read it. Stoner will languish on their shelves, its spine unbroken, just like Jung Chang's Wild Swans, the non-fiction hit of 1992.But still, it has given us something to think about, this dusting down of so plangent and substantial a novel. On Radio 4 last week, Ruth Rendell, the novelist and Labour peer, suggested that Stoner is a book for our times, her argument being that we live in an age when reading is for most an alien pastime, just as it is to William Stoner until he has an epiphany. (Asked to elucidate a poem by a professor, he is unable to say anything except: "It means... it means..." and yet, in this moment, everything changes; the verse, whether he understands it or not, has touched him on some powerfully deep level.) "We are told that it isn't happening," said Rendell. "But it is. Reading is no longer something that everybody... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
Michael Knight, author of the linked story collection 'Eveningland,' picks 10 interlinked story collections, including 'Olive Kitteridge' and 'A Visit from the Goon Squad.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Raymond Briggs talks to Newsnight about The Snowman, what David Bowie got wrong and being childless. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2017-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dishes from Southeast Asia have become more prevalent on American restaurant menus and, increasingly, in Americans’ cookbook collections. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The winner of the World Book Day Award has been revealed as an East Yorkshire school after it faced three years of “struggling” to expand its books offering from "one meagre bookshelf" into a library. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Research revealed on World Book Day (WBD) suggests that a quarter of eight to 11-year-olds would not own a book without the initiative. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As children bring literary characters to life across the country for World Book Day, we've collected some of the best pictures - from Miss Trunchbull to Little Red Riding Hood (via Trainspotting's Begbie and the A470). Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children from a primary school in Norfolk debate the merits of their chosen World Book Day characters. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Snapchat is the muse of virtually every app right now. Everybody from Instagram to Tinder is borrowing ideas from the platform, and now it's Medium's turn. Today, the self-publishing site is introducing a new feature for its mobile app called Series,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Designer Will Staehle's book jacket taps into what the 'hypnotic sensibilities' of the novel, a story of obsession and H.P. Lovecraft. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams has splashed into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot with Blob (HarperCollins Children's), for his 23rd overall top spot and his 10th inside the last 52 weeks. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More initiatives to mark World Book Day (WBD) have been announced ahead of the 20th anniversary event on 2nd March. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama in Washington last year. They plan to donate a portion of the advances for their books to charity. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Liane Moriarty's 'Big Little Lies' makes a big gain, climbing to the top of the iBooks bestsellers list as its TV miniseries adaptation heads toward its third episode on Sunday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day on Thursday typically woos young people toward reading, but Cambridge University Press wants them on the payroll. The post With World Book Day, Cambridge University Press Reaches Out to Young Book Lovers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Creative Loafing comes home, and more from around the publishing business. The post Industry Notes: Revenues Climb at UBM | HMP Acquires EMS World appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2017-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yelena Moskovich has won the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize 2016/17 for “Marlena or Number 16”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The importance of parents reading to children was discussed at the unveiling of Egmont’s new research, as findings revealed sales of pre-school and picture books had dipped. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New research commissioned by school programme provider Renaissance UK claims that secondary school children fail to develop their reading levels as they should. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading is an engrossing and transportive experience. But what if a book could be made even more immersive? George Saunders and actor and screenwriter Graham Sack may have found one answer: virtual reality. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Archive of artworks from a century of the imprint’s simple, wholesome worldview go on display at Museum of English Rural LifeIf all you knew of the world came from a Ladybird book, you would be forgiven for believing factories are always shining temples of industry and optimism rather than... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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