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 ]
We’ve all seen the video by now: Amy Cooper, a white woman, lying to police about Christian Cooper, a writer and longtime birder who politely asked her to move her dog out of a part of Central Park designated for birdwatching. Now, he’s written a graphic novel about birdwatching for DC Comics,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-10 16:06:45 UTC ]
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Orenda is to publish Sarah Sultoon's debut thriller The Source, secured in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-06 22:46:50 UTC ]
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IN 1889, the science fiction writer Jules Verne and his son, Michel, envisioned that, in a thousand years, there would be a personally curated newsfeed. What’s really remarkable about that futuristic prediction, says author Rob Brotherton in his new book, Bad News: Why We Fall for Fake News, is... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-09-05 17:00:41 UTC ]
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Ijeoma Oluo, Fredrik Backman and Margaret Atwood all have new releases coming up. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
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From contemporary and historical fiction to science fiction and fantasy, including Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao, these 21 books are must-reads for 12th graders. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-09-03 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Romero’s estate hired Daniel Kraus to help finish the book, and that was a wise decision. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-02 15:41:13 UTC ]
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#zombie apocalypse
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Your closet is asking you to add these reading t-shirts to it and up your book lover status. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-09-02 10:33:00 UTC ]
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From The New Yorker’s archive: short stories by Zadie Smith, Jennifer Egan, and Stephen King. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2020-08-30 10:00:00 UTC ]
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ABC’s finance reporter turns heads with Lou Reed and Patti Smith books. Plus: Jon Faine becomes accidental ad manMany television reporters and presenters have been working from home since the pandemic struck but none have nailed the home-based TV set quite like Alan Kohler. The ABC’s finance guy... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-08-28 00:33:53 UTC ]
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Waterstones children’s laureate Cressida Cowell is heading the line-up of authors and illustrators at children’s digital book festival Reading is Magic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-26 16:14:04 UTC ]
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Erin Morgenstern’s “The Starless Sea” and Jill Biden’s memoir are among the top picks. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-26 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Aspen asks, 'Why is the world of publishing so reluctant to offer Black writers the same major book deals typically offered to white writers?' The post Aspen Institute Looks at a Publishing Industry Challenged to Embrace Diversity appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-21 18:41:12 UTC ]
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Soft science fiction focuses on the social sciences, is more philosophical in approach, and explores the important social issues of our time. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-08-21 10:36:00 UTC ]
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#read books
In an August 20 filing, attorneys for former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said the evidence will show that Trump administration officials abused the prepublication review system in an attempt to suppress his bestselling book 'The Room Where it Happened.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Recently the way we find out about new titles has changed. We spend less time standing on train platforms next to a poster of your next read, many newspapers are reducing in size and the Guardian Review is going as far as closing altogether Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-17 16:57:59 UTC ]
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Freshen up your lists of read aloud books for middle school with these books published in the last 5 years. Find something for any classroom here. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-08-17 10:36:00 UTC ]
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From nonfiction to science fiction and fantasy, we have a list of 25 contemporary books for 9th graders that are top of the class. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-08-17 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Children's authors and sports stars are to take part in a series of book-themed sporting challenges to raise money for the National Literacy Trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-17 05:01:34 UTC ]
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#raise money
From The New Yorker’s archive: short stories by Zadie Smith, Jennifer Egan, and Stephen King. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2020-08-16 10:00:00 UTC ]
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#summer fiction
#sunday reading
Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. The hosts of the “Call Your Girlfriend” podcast are warm, open, and matter-of-fact narrators... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-14 08:44:10 UTC ]
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#ann friedman
#aminatou sow