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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Dr Gwen Adshead | 'I wanted to write something that could be read by a lay person'

"I have spent decades working with people who have caused horror and grief to others. I will tell horror stories in this book but I will also tell stories of change and recovery. It may surprise the reader that this is possible.” So writes forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Gwen... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-19 19:46:17 UTC ]
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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 ]
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Northeast Indie Publishers Stuck with Their Niches in 2020

Five New England indie publishers posted 2020 gains by doing what they do best... with a couple of pivots. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Podium Audio Hit New Milestones in 2020

The surge in digital audiobook sales has helped numerous publishers grow in the last few years, and perhaps none have benefitted more than Podium Audio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Regnery Revenue Fell in 2020

A good fourth quarter was not enough to offset a first half sales slump at Regnery. The publisher has set a 75,000-copy first printing for Josh Hawley's 'The Tyranny of Big Tech,' which will be published on May 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Most Popular In-Demand Books In U.S. Libraries: October–December 2020

From antiracism books to Reese's YA book club picks, here are the most uniquely popular books in US libraries from Quarter 4, 2020. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-08 11:33:00 UTC ]
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Five thrillers to read now — and soon

New books by Andrea Camilleri, C.J. Box, Flynn Berry, Elly Griffiths and Alma Katsu. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-05 13:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Brood,’ a quiet meditation on the small stuff, makes for a perfect pandemic read

Jackie Polzin’s novel finds the joy in raising chickens, baking — even cleaning. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Finish February with 26% Gain

With the help of strong backlist sales, unit sales of print books rose 26% in the week ended Feb. 27, 2021, over the similar week last year, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK/Ireland World Book Day Emphasizes Family Reading

While Nielsen says reading declined 'slightly' in the pandemic year, the UK's World Book Day emphasis is on family reading with youngsters. The post The UK/Ireland World Book Day Emphasizes Family Reading appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-04 13:37:38 UTC ]
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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 ]
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Backlist Drives Print Book Unit Gains Higher Through February

Driven by strong backlist sales, unit sales of print books rose 26% last week over the week ended February 29, 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. It was the largest week-over-week gain compared to 2020 so far this year, helping unit sales finish the first two months of 2021 with a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How Reading Ebooks Changes Our Perception (And Reviews)

Take a deep dive into research around reading ebooks and print books, and how these experiences compare to each other and other media. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-02 11:33:00 UTC ]
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Lockdown shifts in children's reading explored by WBD

Statistics suggest that while at the start of the pandemic many children and parents embraced books, reading has now reduced in 2021, while access remains a critical issue particularly for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-01 02:38:48 UTC ]
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I stopped reading because I couldn't see myself in books. So I wrote one instead | Gary Lonesborough

As a queer Indigenous kid, Gary Lonesborough was alienated by the books he read. He hopes his new YA book gives a child like him the acceptance he never hadI’ve had a long relationship with telling stories. It hasn’t always been good.Mum and Dad were storytellers. They would tell stories to me... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-02-28 21:00:04 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: February 26, 2021

“Like so many women novelists of previous centuries, Yezierska’s canonical status is a phenomenon of the recent past.” Catherine Rottenberg on the overdue revival of Anzia Yezierska. | Lit Hub Fashion isn’t frivolous: Francesca Granata recommends books central to our understanding of femininity,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-26 10:30:02 UTC ]
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S&S global sales hit 'record year' in 2020 at $901m

Sales at Simon & Schuster came in at an all time high in 2020 at $901m, ViacomCBS has reported. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-26 10:10:34 UTC ]
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13 Y.A. Books to Add to Your Reading List This Spring

A retelling of “The Great Gatsby,” a healer fighting for her freedom and more: Here are 13 upcoming Y.A. titles you won’t want to miss this spring. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-02-25 23:34:23 UTC ]
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AAP StatShot: US Trade Book Sales Up 9.7 Percent for 2020

US books sales in 2020 were mixed, with AAP reporting trade book revenues up but declines in K-12 and higher education materials. The post AAP StatShot: US Trade Book Sales Up 9.7 Percent for 2020 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-25 16:02:04 UTC ]
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Trade Publishing Segment Shines in a Flat 2020

Total industry sales rose 0.1% in 2020 compared to 2019 based on year-end figures supplied by 1,354 publishers to AAP’s StatShot program. The two major trade categories had solid gains in the year, while the two big educational segments had declines. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-25 05:00:00 UTC ]
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