One of Hong Kong's last English language bookstores to close
Bleak House Books, "one of Hong Kong's last independent English-language bookstores," will close October 15. The store, which sells new and used books, was founded in 2017 by Albert Wan and Jenny...
View ArticleObituary Note: Caroline Todd
Caroline Todd, who wrote several bestselling series with her son Charles under the pen name Charles Todd, died on August 28. Todd and her son published the first book in the Ian Rutledge series, A...
View ArticleWhat makes a book 'appropriate' for school?
Author Nikki Grimes responds to the news that a school district in Leander, Tex., has removed her memoir, Ordinary Hazards, from the curriculum due to what they deemed "inappropriate content.""......
View ArticleSome fall books moved to 2022 due to paper shortages
A recent report in The Washington Post warns, "Book publishers, dogged by paper shortages and shipping delays, are pushing fall releases into early next year." Ingram, a major book distributor, issued...
View ArticleRacism in the Dewey Decimal System
The quickest possible glance reveals the racism in the Dewey Decimal System. We'll use the religion section as an example. The 200s encompass all religion, nominally, although the problems with this...
View Article9/11: 20 years in books
In an extensive article, Carlos Lozada, nonfiction book critic of The Washington Post and the author of What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era, looks back over 20 years...
View ArticleNational Book Foundation honoring Nancy Pearl
Nancy Pearl, the former librarian and "energetic champion for readers across the country," is the 2021 recipient of the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community "for...
View ArticleObituary Note: Michael Newton
Michael Newton, who wrote several hundred westerns, thrillers and men's adventure novels, died on September 6. He was 69. Diagnosed with an untreatable hereditary kidney disease in 1988, Michael lived...
View ArticlePearson Education sues Chegg, alleging 'massive' copyright Infringement
Pearson Education this week filed suit against textbook service Chegg for copyright infringement, alleging that Chegg's popular subscription study service illegally appropriates Pearson's...
View Article2021 Booker Prize Shortlist
Six titles made the shortlist for this year's Booker Prize for Fiction, one of the most prestigious prizes for English-language literature. This year's finalists were chosen from 158 novels published...
View ArticlePublishers, Amazon ask court to dismiss 'illogical' e-book price-fixing suit
In separate filings late last week, lawyers for the Big Five publishers and Amazon asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing them of a conspiracy to fix e-book prices. In their September 17...
View ArticlePennsylvania school district reverses ban on books by authors of color
A wide-ranging ban on books in a southern Pennsylvania school district has been reversed following widespread protests and criticism. The ban, which was implemented last October by the Central York...
View ArticleWyden, Eshoo question "big five" publishers over their library e-book practices
In a potentially significant development, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo (D-California) this week presented a wide-ranging set of questions to...
View Article"How to Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. Kendi wins MacArthur "genius" grant
Ibram X. Kendi is one of 25 Americans to receive a $625,000 grant from the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Known colloquially as "genius" grants, the fellowships are...
View ArticleFrance goes after Amazon's books business
In a fresh swipe at the e-commerce giant, French lawmakers will this week examine a draft law that would effectively stop Amazon from offering virtually free delivery for book purchases — a major...
View ArticleWhen the New York Times book review panned the classics
Some of today's best-loved books — think "Catch-22,""Tender Is the Night" and even "Anne of Green Gables"— had a rocky reception in the New York Times' pages.
View ArticleUK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is a stage for AI-generated collective poems
UK's contribution to Expo 2020 Dubai is a wooden sculptural structure that celebrates cultural diversity and collaboration, highlighting Britain as a meeting place of cultures and ideas. Created by...
View ArticlePew Report: 'Who Doesn't Read Books in America?'
Some 23% of American adults said they have not read a book in whole or in part during the previous year, whether in print, electronic or audio form, a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults...
View ArticleTen things nobody tells you about the publishing industry
There's more to authoring than conquering the blank page. Dozens of unique quirks of industry factor into the experience of a creative. If you're an aspiring writer with traditional publishing in...
View ArticleDave and Goliath: maverick writer Eggers makes a stand against Amazon
This month, Dave Eggers, the award-winning campaigning author, is to risk American sales of his new novel, The Every, by limiting access to the hardback copies. Only small bookstores will stock it. It...
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