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 ]
Are you into shoujo manga? Romance, sparkles, first loves and kisses? These 2020 romance manga will enchant you this year! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-08 10:35:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#manga
Dean Atta answers our questions about his debut YA novel, The Black Flamingo (Hodder Children's Books), which is told in verse and has been shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2020. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-08 04:20:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#ya book
#debut ya
#dean atta
The bestselling crime novelist plans a virtual book tour for his new title, "Broken," as the coronavirus keeps him home in Southern California. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-07 15:00:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#book tour
#southern california
BookCon will hold a virtual day-long reading series on Saturday, April 11, from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, as part of its new BookCon Virtual Author Tour Series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Ellie Levenson, author and owner of Fisherton Press, has launched online poetry project PoetryGeneration. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-05 19:23:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Get caught up in the intrigue and exotic locales, courtesy of John Grisham, Sara Paretsky and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-02 18:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#sara paretsky
#john grisham
Authors Steph Cha and Joe Ide swapped crimes stories and favorite books during the L.A. Times Book Club's first virtual event. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-01 16:56:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#times book
#virtual event
#house arrest
You've read Nic Stone's YA novel Dear Martin and are looking to read more like it? These are a few great books like Dear Martin out there in the world. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-31 10:41:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#ya novel
#great books
An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-29 10:30:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#critical linking
#quarter-life crisis
Simon Teen is offering more than twenty books and excerpts to read for free right now! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-27 20:36:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#free books
Amber Sparks, Louise Erdrich, James McBride and other beloved authors have delivered standout books this year. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-27 17:13:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#beloved authors
#james mcbride
#louise erdrich
#amber sparks
Dreaming of escaping to outer space during this time? Christopher Wanjek lists some of the best books that imagine a future on other planets. The post An Intergalactic Reading List appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-03-27 16:00:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#outer space
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the leading cheerleader for American business owners large and small, remains hopeful that U.S. businesses will emerge from the coronavirus crisis battered and bruised, but not broken. "It's too early to determine the long-term impact on supply chains,... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2020-03-27 14:55:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#digital content
#supply chains
These feel-good ebooks don't have long waits -- if any wait at all -- from your library. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-27 10:32:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#ebooks
#social distancing
At the coronavirus outbreak reshapes our industry, The Bookseller is inviting staff members from across the book trade to share their experiences of working during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 12:47:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#bookseller
#coronavirus outbreak
#bookseller survey
If you want one less thing to think about, including which book to read next, work your way through these book series to read while social distancing. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-24 10:37:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#book series
#social distancing
The graphic novels include tales of isolation, a CDC kids’ comic and a book to fill the void of March Madness. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-23 22:27:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#march madness
#graphic novels
A reader who fell out of love with short story collections ponders how best to make reading short stories part of the routine again. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-18 10:39:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#short stories
#reading life
Indie bookstores thrive on being part of a community. Now, they’re taking desperate action to stay in business amid “social distancing.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-17 15:49:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#online retail
If you’re feeling alone and listless, or even if you simply have a few extra hours a week all of a sudden, I’ve got some good news for you. Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18, brilliant novelist Yiyun Li will be leading a virtual book club in reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace—a book that many... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-17 15:11:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#book club