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 ]
Maia Kobabe’s 'Gender Queer' topped the list of last year's most challenged books, which is again dominated by stories by and about LGBTQ+ persons and people of color, voices that ALA officials said “censors want to silence.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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During this spring’s Digiday Publishing Summit in Vail, Colorado, publishers filled the challenge board with a whole host of issues that ranged from traffic troubles to AI anxiety. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2024-04-08 04:01:00 UTC ]
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The Australian author is ‘incredibly influential’, but has had to survive decades of ‘cultural cringe’ and genre snobbery to make finally ‘a decent sort of living’Before parched and dusty towns across Australia became full of fictional sinister people; before the explosion of outback noir and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 23:00:18 UTC ]
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Today Samuel Delany–inventor/expander of several galaxies–turns 82. And I for one would like to throw some birthday love towards this greatest of octogenarians. Known for his high-concept science fiction and his sharp theories on social contact, Delany’s canon spans genres and generations. I... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-01 17:53:48 UTC ]
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New novels from Emily Henry, Jo Piazza and Rachel Khong; a history of five ballerinas at the Dance Theater of Harlem; Salman Rushdie’s memoir and more. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-03-28 20:59:48 UTC ]
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A reading list about inspiring figures, empowerment and intersectional stories to help kids navigate the world. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2024-03-27 09:45:24 UTC ]
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Emergence Magazine is an online publication with annual print edition exploring the threads connecting ecology, culture, and spirituality. As we experience the desecration of our lands and waters, the extinguishing of species, and a loss of sacred connection to the Earth, we look to emerging... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-27 08:36:11 UTC ]
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Results of a new study presented at Leipzig Book Fair show young Germans reading more but later, buying fewer books but at higher prices. The post At Leipzig Book Fair: Young Germans’ Engagement With Books and Reading appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-25 20:27:54 UTC ]
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The Prisoner’s Throne author Holly Black reflects on the rise of “romantasy” novels, explicit sex scenes, and BookTok. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2024-03-18 21:31:31 UTC ]
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In a release, ALA officials said that 4,240 unique book titles were reported challenged in schools and libraries in 2023, a stunning 65% increase over 2022, when 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BookLife talks with Renee Harleston, founder of Writing Diversely, about the value of sensitivity readers Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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I start this post with the confession that I’m relatively late to the Diane Seuss party—it was only after she won the Pulitzer Prize and NBCC in Poetry for frank: sonnets that I opened the door with the thumping bassline behind it. The ways in which the collection was wonderfully stunning was... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-07 09:52:26 UTC ]
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“I Don’t Want To Die Poor” author Michael Arceneaux discusses his upcoming book and his fight for representation. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2024-03-04 10:45:07 UTC ]
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Books to read in March include "James" by Percival Everett, "Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange and "Age of Revolutions" by Fareed Zakaria. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-03-01 11:02:40 UTC ]
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Every Tuesday, a wave of new books is published, fresh off the printing press onto the shelves of bookstores around the world. Even for a book editor like me, it gets overwhelming to keep track of all the forthcoming titles. So we’ve turned to our most trusted source for recommendations: indie... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-02-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The criticism comes after the Autauga-Prattville Public Library’s newly appointed board enacted a new policy suspending the purchase of children’s or young adult books that include "sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender discordance," a move the National Coalition Against Censorship... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The “Netflix model” of leasing e-books to public libraries is expensive, full of limitations, and potentially a boon for censorship, librarians say. It’s a growing business model that shifts power to publishers and makes access harder for patrons. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2024-02-22 16:28:54 UTC ]
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From one girl’s aspiration to Olympic gymnastics glory, to a boy’s stint living in the Idaho wilderness in hopes of fixing his unruly behavior, something that remains a guiding principle in Black storytelling is the breadth of our lives. These stories, a collection of some of EL’s most-loved... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-02-22 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Read an excerpt of Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana, a YA novel about a Muslim girl who writes a protest poem that goes viral, changing her whole life. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-02-21 12:30:00 UTC ]
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