As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the ether on to our Kindles. There are more books sold in the summer than during any other season: the well-established publishing calendar tends to see hardbacks released in the autumn to be given as gifts at Christmas, then repackaged as paperbacks in late spring. As Donna Harrington-Lueker sets out in her history of the beach read, Books for Idle Hours, the summer publishing rush is at least a century old, and has typically aimed “airy and froth-like” books on “young ladies” (the quote is from an 1888 work on summer books by Arlo Bates). The summer fiction market is changing, though, with more and more “serious”, “literary” novels showing up where once there were only thrillers and crime novels, bonkbusters and romances. So it is that Normal People by Sally Rooney is currently piled high on the tables of WH Smith’s Travel alongside Lee Child, Jodi Picoult and Bernard Cornwell.I’m aware of how contentious and porous discussions of genre can be. Generic labels, though, are the terms that booksellers and publishers think in and for literary novels, the chances of summer success are still relatively slim. Tom Tivnan, managing editor of the Bookseller, points to Nielsen BookScan data that... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
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This month’s list includes a surprisingly serious turn from comedian Cecily Strong and a noir thriller set in 1970s Mexico City. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-08-01 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Katie Kitamura’s new novel follows an interpreter in The Hague who’s involved with a married man. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-07-13 05:17:24 UTC ]
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Former President Barack Obama released his summer 2021 reading list and it's packed with outstanding books to pick up. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-07-12 11:42:22 UTC ]
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No matter if it is Austen or Atwood, the Brontës or Booker winners, data shows men are reluctant to read women – and this has real world implicationsThe byline at the top of this piece reads MA Sieghart, not Mary Ann. Why? Because I really want men to read it too. Female authors through the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-07-09 07:00:41 UTC ]
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Whether kids are learning about pronouns or escaping into South Indian mythology, these July children’s book releases are sure to be a hit. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-07-02 10:36:00 UTC ]
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S.A. Cosby delivers a riveting thriller and Kristen Radtke has a meditation on loneliness. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-29 16:58:20 UTC ]
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Alan Lightman, Janna Levin and others recall the editor who shaped their work and a literary genre. Plus, more reading recommendations in the Friday edition of the Science Times newsletter. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-28 20:54:15 UTC ]
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New novels — by turns salty, sweeping and sweet — will transport you to 1930s Italy, 19th-century England and San Francisco a hundred years ago. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-27 13:55:12 UTC ]
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Six novels feature characters who hunger for connection so strongly that they transform their environments. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-27 13:55:11 UTC ]
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Romance novelists make their picks for the season, and they run the gamut from sexy to sweet to a little bit murderous. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Blacktop Wasteland’ author S.A. Cosby recommends books that will keep you on the edge of your lawn chair. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
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If you find yourself longing for a happy ending, here are some of the most uplifting reads of the year so far. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
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A lost novelist, 'her whispering voice, fleeing depression,' led this Egyptian poet to one of the biggest literary prizes in the world. The post Sheikh Zayed Book Award Winner Iman Mersal: ‘Reading the Past’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-05-25 18:35:10 UTC ]
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Generations of readers who fondly recall Reading Rainbow are in luck: LeVar Burton can be your reading guide once again. Burton is launching his own book club (for adults!) in partnership with the new book club platform Fable, a social platform that “deliver[s] the world’s best social experience... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-05-12 15:37:28 UTC ]
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Kris Naudus describes how the Libby library app helped restore her sanity during lockdown. Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-05-03 13:30:53 UTC ]
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The arresting tale of a “lady pilot” in the mid-20th century is interwoven with the story of a modern-day Hollywood actress. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-03 09:40:22 UTC ]
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Selections for the African chapter of the Sustainable Development Goals Book Club include two titles in Indigenous African languages. The post The New SDG Book Club African Chapter Releases Its First Reading List appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-27 20:25:57 UTC ]
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Blume’s novels educated — and entertained — generations of readers. In today’s culture, it’s more complicated. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-19 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The revival of Ivy Kids and the launch of Happy Yak see Quarto embracing sustainability and joyful reading. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From the ‘The Madman’s Library’ and ‘The Best of R.A. Lafferty’ to ‘Dog-Eared’ and ‘The Cookie Chronicles’ Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-07 13:00:00 UTC ]
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