What We're Reading – February 2020

Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide by Kate CharlesworthMy favourite place to be is partway through a book that I have just realised is becoming an all-time favourite. This month, it happened with Kate Charlesworth’s graphic memoir, Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide, a political history of gay rights in the UK and a personal history of her place in the struggle.Born in 1950, Charlesworth left for university as a not-yet-out lesbian in the year that homosexuality was decriminalised. She renders her childhood home, cramped yet somehow empty, with stark precision, then offers sweeping full-page drawings of her first gay bars – or rather, spaces coded as gay because of their dingy corners, daring clientele, and raucous singalongs of Gilbert and Sullivan. Gay rights marches, Section 28, the AIDS crisis, second-wave feminism and the journey towards civil marriage all appear, threading in and out of Charlesworth’s life in traditional comic book panels, or captured in colourful spreads like a dreamed scrapbook.Beyond the fight for rights and recognition, Sensible Footwear also celebrates the joyful community spirit of queer culture, where a single kiss on television, or a shared passion for a poet, can have a deep emotional resonance for LGBTQ+ people to connect over. From the overlapping dialogue balloons as Kate and her friend Jacky both dance around coming out to one another – each trying to admit their sexuality in subtle, abstract ways – to the page on Drew Griffiths of the... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2020-02-14 09:49:28 UTC ]
News tagged with: #late 80s #graphic novel #comic book

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Winners of the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prizes announced

Deesha Philyaw, Victoria Chang and Isabel Wilkerson are among the winners of the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prizes, announced Friday. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-04-17 01:06:54 UTC ]
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February Bookstore Sales Dropped 22.3%

February bookstore sales fell to $446 million in February compared to sales of $573 million in 2020, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Report: Russian Book Market Down 20 Percent in 2020

Publishers in Russia talk of little hope of a turnaround in 2021, describing a book market that was sliding before the pandemic. The post Report: Russian Book Market Down 20 Percent in 2020 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-13 16:54:20 UTC ]
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France’s New Report: 2020 Has ‘Converted’ Many Readers

In an 11th survey, the French book business sees continued adoption of digital book formats, confirming the 'digital acceleration' in the pandemic. The post France’s New Report: 2020 Has ‘Converted’ Many Readers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-12 17:19:24 UTC ]
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Five of 2020's best crime writers on where mystery fiction is today

Times Book Prize finalists Rachel Howzell Hall, Ivy Pochoda, S.A. Crosby, Jennifer Hillier and Christopher Bollen talk about race, place and genre. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-04-09 14:25:05 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Reports on 2020: ‘Sustainable Business’

In both corporate social responsibility and in content production as a major academic publisher, Springer Nature had a big 2020. The post Springer Nature Reports on 2020: ‘Sustainable Business’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-08 13:54:00 UTC ]
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What to read in April: A critic’s pick of books that aren’t on the bestseller list

From the ‘The Madman’s Library’ and ‘The Best of R.A. Lafferty’ to ‘Dog-Eared’ and ‘The Cookie Chronicles’ Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-07 13:00:00 UTC ]
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2020’s most challenged books include ‘The Hate U Give’ and others about race

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[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-06 06:46:02 UTC ]
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14 Queer and BIPOC Books From Arsenal Pulp Press to Read Right Now

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[ Book Riot | 2021-04-02 10:34:00 UTC ]
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2020 Was a Tough Year for Comics Shops

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2020, Oregon Publishers Went Straight to the Source

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Cottagecore Essential Reading

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[ Book Riot | 2021-04-01 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Lockdown reading: the lowdown

As early as May 2020 a Nielsen Book survey reported that 41% of UK adults were reading more during the coronavirus pandemic, almost doubling the time they spent reading books from around three-and-a-half hours a week to an average of six. In July 2020, National Literacy Trust research revealed... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-30 19:17:18 UTC ]
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PRH’s Markus Dohle on Bertelsmann’s 2020 Profit Report

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-30 15:54:57 UTC ]
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PRH Worldwide Revenue Hit $4.4 Billion in 2020

Driven by strong sales in the U.S. in 2020, revenue at Penguin Random House increased 4.6% over 2019, while profits jumped 23%. The U.S. accounted for 58% of worldwide sales, up from 56% in 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Behold: A reading list for Women’s History Month (and all months).

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[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-26 19:40:27 UTC ]
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Federation of European Publishers’ New COVID-19 Impact Report: Europe Closes 2020 Down 2 to 5 Percent

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-26 15:57:21 UTC ]
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Finland’s 2020 Audiobook Sales Doubled, Ebooks Up 84 Percent

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-25 16:14:36 UTC ]
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Quarto sees 2020 revenue fall 7% but profits rose

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-22 10:24:18 UTC ]
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Quarto Profits Rose in 2020 Despite Sales Decline

The decision to focus its 2020 list on books that could perform well online, in nontraditional outlets, and in digital formats led to a 6% increase in operating profits at Quarto last year, while revenue declined 7%, to $126.9 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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