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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Bethanne Patrick's September highlights include sequels from Elizabeth Strout and Andrew Sean Greer along with exciting debuts. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-09-02 14:00:54 UTC ]
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The 16th UN Sustainable Development Goal is the focus of a new children's reading list released by the SDG Book Club. The post IPA: The SDG Book Club Issues a New Reading List appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-08-24 22:10:44 UTC ]
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I’m Glad My Mom Died details the abuse the iCarly actor suffered as a child star. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2022-08-18 20:31:47 UTC ]
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Laura Z. Hobson’s “Gentleman’s Agreement” was so popular that Simon & Schuster could barely keep up with demand. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-08-18 14:41:29 UTC ]
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The proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster could lead to fewer voices — including marginalized voices — being published. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-08-18 10:09:48 UTC ]
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Bethanne Patrick's August highlights include fiction from Mohsin Hamid and Marianne Wiggins, a sequel to "Dopesick" and a revisionist feminist history. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-29 13:00:01 UTC ]
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It's that time of year when we gather 'round and discuss former President Barack Obama's reading list for the summer! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-07-26 21:53:22 UTC ]
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Sorry to Kindle loyalists: people who read paper books tend to be more advanced readers, according to a recent study of the reading habits of thousands of teens around the world. The study, conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, looked at the way teenagers in 30... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-25 17:18:30 UTC ]
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Many people may have forgotten that before it became a tech and ecommerce behemoth, Amazon started as an online bookseller in 1994. Nearly three decades later, Amazon is celebrating the roots of its business with a major campaign for its books division. The goal of the campaign, titled "That... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2022-07-25 13:00:00 UTC ]
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If you're looking to shake up the usual book club format, consider reading these plays as a way to make meet-ups more engaging. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-07-20 10:35:00 UTC ]
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The holiday getaway takes a suspenseful turn in a trio of books, by Megan Miranda, Allie Reynolds and Alice Feeney Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-09 11:00:05 UTC ]
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Bethanne Patrick's July highlights include romance, sci-fi and sacrilegious hijinks, as well as probing memoirs and a new Harvey Weinstein exposé. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-06-30 16:26:28 UTC ]
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Dive into a tender coming-of-age memoir by Isaac Fitzgerald, a biography of Vladimir V. Putin and novels from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Bolu Babalola and Daniel Nieh. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-06-30 09:00:24 UTC ]
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That Girl knows what her goals are and is working to achieve them. Here are 9 books that can help guide us to becoming our best selves, like What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You Are Already Enough by Chudera Eggerue. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-06-29 10:32:00 UTC ]
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After 50 years, the prize has been scrapped. How did it change Britain’s literary landscape? And what happened at the awards when Margaret Drabble was seated next to Theresa May?Margaret Drabble was a bright young star with five novels to her name in 1971, when she was talked into joining her... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-06-23 05:00:38 UTC ]
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The former "Reading Rainbow" host said banned books are "where the good stuff is." Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2022-06-12 14:45:21 UTC ]
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As part of its summer programming, the New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 free books to kids and teens this summer! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-06-10 15:19:28 UTC ]
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Did you know that J.P. Morgan releases a summer reading list every year? (I didn’t, and I’m the person who does these.) Last week, the bank (??) announced its 23rd annual (??) summer reading list, which “invit[es] readers worldwide to explore the adventures, discoveries and new ideas that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-06-02 14:46:06 UTC ]
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Ann Leary‘s thrilling novel was inspired by the early 20th-century incarceration of “feebleminded” women. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-02 13:54:15 UTC ]
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For some reason, whenever I sit down to make this list of paperbacks coming out this month, Justin Timberlake’s 2006 hit always gets stuck in my head: We’re bringing paperback (yeah). * Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Other Black Girl (Atria, June 7) “The Other Black Girl is about many... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-06-01 13:30:03 UTC ]
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