The Elan Gale internet hoax sums up all that is rotten about our online lives | Hadley Freeman

When I was a teenager, I thought it would be great to be an adult and be surrounded by people who weren't mean to each other all day. Enter stage left: the world wide webBack in the early 90s, when I was still at school and words such as "friend" and "message" were nouns as opposed to verbs, a particular incident occurred. For a month or so, a book had been circling among my classmates in which we wrote anonymous mean things about each other, and the statements that were deemed the funniest – invariably, the meanest – would get (anonymous) stars of approval. One day someone wrote in the book that a classmate whom I'll call Rose had made out with her cousin. More details about this fascinating make-out session were added to the book daily, and reading about Rose and her cousin became the only reason any of us wanted to come to school in the mornings. Eventually the writer of the story, whom I'll call Charlotte, couldn't resist claiming the attention she felt was duly hers and let her involvement be known.The saga now reached peak hysteria and Rose tearfully went to a teacher. Charlotte was forced to admit that she had made the whole thing up, all because she wanted some stars. (Naturally, the most salacious story a privileged, protected 13-year-old girl could think of was someone making out with their cousin.) All of us stared down at the floor as she confessed, because even though we knew Charlotte had now laid herself open to the most deliciously sharp mockery, hadn't we... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "The Elan Gale internet hoax sums up all that is rotten about our online lives | Hadley Freeman"


Children's Bookshow announces series of 15 live events this autumn

The Children's Bookshow charity has announced it will be returning to theatres across the country this autumn with a series of 15 live events featuring authors, poets and illustrators, including Michael Rosen and Val Bloom. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-01 17:59:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Roger Bennett spent his British boyhood fixated on ‘Miami Vice’ and the Chicago Bears — then lived his own American Dream

Bennett’s new memoir, “(Re)Born in the USA,” traces an offbeat journey from obsession to proud citizenship. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-07-01 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #american dream


8 of the Best Online Book Subscriptions

Check out the best online book subscriptions, for readers who want books delivered straight to their door, and readers who just want recommendations! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-06-30 10:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #online book


Bologna sees 55% online boost for 2021 edition

This year's digital Bologna Children's Book Fair saw a 55% increase in page views compared to the previous year's edition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-18 19:35:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #children's book #55% increase #book fair


Growth of Online Sales Cushioned Pandemic Blow at Indigo

Online sales jumped 127% at Indigo Books & Music in fiscal year 2021 over FY 2020, partially offsetting a 34% decline in sales through its physical stores. Still, sales dropped 5.5% in the year, and the bookseller's losses deepened. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #physical stores


British Council at the Online Book Fair 2021

London Book Fair is online this year. On 30 June, the focus falls on making words travel, with a programme addressing writers, translators, and the ways that books can travel across borders. The British Council is partnering with English PEN and the Literary Translation Centre on three free... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2021-06-02 10:20:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #online book #london book fair #publishing world #literary censorship #original language


In ‘The Living Sea of Waking Dreams,’ last-ditch medical interventions are their own horror story

Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan returns to familiar themes, including the human capacity for cruelty. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-31 16:41:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #familiar themes #horror story #waking dreams


Eric Nguyen Learns to Live with History

At the Chicago Review of Books, Eric Nguyen discusses his new novel, Things We Lost to the Water, and how Vietnamese American literature processes the ongoing influence of colonialism, as seen in two of the book’s characters, Công and Ben. “Công’s narrative is parallel with Ben’s, who doesn’t... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-05-17 20:30:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #american literature #chicago review #history appeared


Live, laugh, lesbian

Having flipped the script in her début, author Laura Kay makes the case for fiction that embraces all aspects of the queer experience.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-30 16:04:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Outcry over book ‘censorship’ reveals how online retailers choose books — or don’t

Bricks-and-mortar booksellers curate books for you. Online, the decisions are more arbitrary. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-22 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book censorship


In ‘The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock,’ it’s the contradictions that made the man

Edward White’s interlocking essays consider different facets of the director’s personality, as a family man, a dandy and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-14 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Transworld bags book from online relationship expert Lalalaletmeexplain

Transworld has acquired Block, Delete, Move On: It’s Not You, It’s Him by anonymous online relationship expert Lalalaletmeexplain. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-22 04:03:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


10 of the Best Gothic Horror Short Stories to Read Online

Whether it’s vampires or werewolves or mysterious patterns in wallpaper, writers of Gothic short stories have used all sorts of horrors and frights to chill our blood, ever since the horror short story developed in the early nineteenth century. Below, we pick ten of the very best Gothic horror... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-03-18 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #read online


Bookshop UK is launching a series of online events.

The UK arm of Bookshop.org, the online retailer that partners with indie bookstores, has a new initiative on the way: it’s launching a series of online events for its customers as well as customers of unaffiliated indies. For the first event on March 23rd, Bookshop is partnering with Faber to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-11 19:42:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bookshop #march 23rd #indie bookstores #online retailer #uk arm #online events


‘The Border’ asks: What is life like when you live next door to a bully nation?

Erika Fatland’s book is a fascinating look at life in North Korea and other countries at Russia’s doorstep. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-10 06:05:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #north korea


18 books that capture the spirit and essence of living in D.C.

These works, recommended by local authors and bookstore owners, remind us just how special Washington is. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-04 15:43:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bookstore #bookstore owners #local authors


15 Online Book Clubs to Boost Your Reading in 2021

All the books, all the conversation, and no deciding which literary-themed mask to wear. These are the best online book clubs to check out. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-04 11:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #online book


Return of bookshops and live events will be industry 'landmark'

The reopening of bookshops and potential return of live events in the summer will be a “huge landmark” for the industry, leading figures say, as they weigh up the implications of the government's roadmap out of lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-01 16:16:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #leading figures #live events #huge landmark


Ishiguro warns of 'online lynch mob' stifling young writers' creativity

Nobel Prize-winning author Sir Kazuo Ishiguro has revealed concerns that young writers are “self-censoring” to avoid an “anonymous lynch mob that turns up online and makes their lives a misery”.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-01 15:01:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #prize-winning author #young writers


Online retailer Bookshop.org makes 'remarkable' £1m for indies in first four months

Retail website Bookshop.org has made more than £1m in profit for indie bookshops, hitting the milestone just four months after its UK launch. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-28 21:26:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #indie bookshops