Turning literature into a numbers game makes some sense for the book trade, but none for readersWe may be halfway through January already, but the spirit of new year is still in full swing over in San Francisco, where the 2014 Goodreads Reading Challenge goes from strength to strength to strength. More than 240,000 of Goodreads' 25 million members have already committed to reading more than 14m books this year, pledging to get through them at an average of more than a book a week. And many fans of books will say hurrah for that. I reckon I'm pretty much in favour of books and literature, too, but the Goodreads Reading Challenge just sets my teeth on edge.It starts right there in the name. Since when was reading any kind of challenge? Isn't it supposed to be fun? Maybe not for children still learning to differentiate their Perfect Peters from their Horrid Henrys, or for the one in six UK adults who still struggle with literacy, but Goodreads is a site for people who are already "readers" . I don't think they have schoolchildren in mind when they suggest you should "raise your reading ambitions" and it certainly doesn't look like a scheme designed to help adult learners "make it to the final chapter". All this talk of pledging, of targets, of tracking your progress, is just another step in the marketisation of the reading experience, another stage in the commodification of literary culture.We know that literacy correlates with better social outcomes, that literary fiction... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
For her book 'Nickel and Dimed,' Barbara Ehrenreich tried to live on minimum-wage jobs and advanced debates on labor inequalities. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-03 01:14:21 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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In three journeys to the past, characters find themselves on quests that have nothing to do with the calendar or geography. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-08-30 09:00:08 UTC ]
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#historical fiction
Read your way through some of the best Kindle Unlimited mysteries available right now. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-08-26 10:34:00 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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When Abdulrazak Gurnah won the Nobel Prize in literature last year, not nearly enough people had read anything by the Tanzanian-born writer. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-23 16:53:54 UTC ]
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New devotionals offer a spiritual balm against uncertainty, trauma, and more of today’s biggest challenges. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As testimony wrapped up prior to closing arguments today, the defense and DOJ once again attacked each other's data analysis and methodology. The DOJ asserted that publisher competition, not imprint competition, is the surest way to lift advances, and that non-Big Five publishers face... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 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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I discovered something about my daughter’s relationship to books: if I cry the first time we read one together, it is likely she will not want to read it again. This has happened several times, most often with books written for children about Japanese American incarceration. My daughter is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-18 08:55:12 UTC ]
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With a reputation for having more authors per capita than any other country, Iceland is a destination for readers. Olaf Olafsson, whose most recent book is “Touch,” leads a literary stroll through its capital. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-08-17 09:00:05 UTC ]
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A survey released by the Association of American Literary Agents has found that 87% of respondents oppose the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House, citing, among their chief concerns, that the deal would result in “less competition” for titles and “lower advances.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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One of the central questions I had when shaping my story collection, Proof of Me, was how to invite into it a unified feel, how to place each story to be in conversation—geographically, thematically, linearly—with what follows. I also sought for each story to stand on its own, offering a... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-08-05 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Follow my lead and no one will find out that you didn't read the book club book. Step one: praise the art of bookbinding. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-08-05 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Susan Coll’s new novel makes clever use of her experience working in one of the country’s foremost independent bookstores. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-04 11:00:00 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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Covid-19 deaths are a symptom of many other social ills, including inequality, federalism and factory farms, John Ehrenreich argues. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-29 12:00:40 UTC ]
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This is a boom time for books about animal intelligence. It feels like every day I see a review of a book called something like Furry Mensa—the Remarkable Brains of All Those Little Guys Running Around Out There. No book in this genre is ever going to be truly bad, because animal intelligence is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-29 08:51:54 UTC ]
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International Literature Festival Berlin's day of Ukrainian readings is scheduled for August 7, the festival's opening date. The post International Literature Festival Berlin Calls for a Day of Ukrainian Readings appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-07-27 18:08:34 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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