News & Notes is a weekly Saturday post featuring book- and publishing-related news, links to interesting articles and opinion pieces, and other cool stuff
Book News
- Penguin Random House Gave Away 100K Books in Three Days as part of its #GiveaBook campaign. (GalleyCat)
- The Goodreads Choice Awards were announced.
- The PEN America Literary Awards longlists are out.
- Virginia school district debating ban on Huck Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird after a parent of a multi-racial student complained about racial slurs. (Washington Post)
- Congressional Committee Backs Independent Copyright Office (Publishers Weekly)
- Publishers rush out Trump and Brexit books to traumatized readers (The Guardian)
- Children’s Book Week Will Be Expanded in 2017. (GalleyCat)
- Stephen King attacks Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize knockers (The Guardian)
- Illinois Librarian Discovers Defaced Islamic Texts (GalleyCat, with link to The New York Times)
- Authors United absorbed by Authors Guild (Publishers Weekly)
- A first edition of Newton’s Principia is up for auction at Christie’s.
Worth Reading
- Are small publishers doing all the hard work for the big ones? (Ilana Masad, The Guardian)
- The best SF and Fantasy books of 2016 (Adam Roberts, The Guardian) Much more than a list, this article looks at trends and new authors as well as noteworthy books.
Book & Movie Announcements
- Lin-Manuel Miranda will produce and write music for the Kingkiller Chronicle film & TV adaptations. That means he’ll be working with Patrick Rothfuss, which is a Dream Team pretty much any way you look at it. Two of the most amazing creative folks I know of, both of them huge fans of the other, working together on what has to be one of the best fantasy worlds ever. Pardon me while I stop hyperventilating over here… (The Wrap; also Hollywood Reporter) And here’s my Storify of their Twitter interaction on the day of the announcement.
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will open on Broadway in 2018.
Awesome Lists
- 2017 Reading Challenges Around the Web (xxertz’ blog)
- 25 Favorite Books of 2016 (Washington Independent Review of Books)
- Buzzfeed’s 24 Best Fiction Books of 2016
- Buzzfeed’s 19 Favorite YA Books of 2016
- Harry Potter Bucket List (PopSugar)
- Amazon’s Bestselling Books of 2016
Bookish Quote
(Signboard outside Peregrine Books, Prescott AZ)
That’s it for this week!
Rita @ View From My Books
I just love your post this week– so many good links! I didn’t read any of Goodreads best of 2016 books, but have one on my kindle unread. And I take issue with the term “best”. They’re not best for me, or I would’ve made sure to read them. They’re most popular or favorite of the voters or buyers. I love to read lists, but don’t pay much attention to what I “should” read.
Also enjoyed the article about SF/F becoming more integrated and international-based for American readers. Thanks! ?
Rita @ View From My Books recently posted…Weekly List #7!
Xxertz
I fully agree about the GoodReads “best” of 2016 list. I love that they have these lists and allow readers to vote, but you’re right on that it’s more about popularity than quality. That said, I prefer the user voting over GoodReads publishing a list by themselves.
Xxertz recently posted…2017 Popsugar Challenge
Lark_Bookwyrm
I agree that reader choice awards are more indicative of popularity than of quality. That said, the popular books must have something going for them or they wouldn’t be popular! 🙂
Lark_Bookwyrm
Like you, I’ve read very few of this year’s Goodreads Reader’s Choice winners. And of course, any time “best of” list are compiled by popular vote, they are going to reflect what has been widely popular rather than what suits an individual’s personal taste. That’s one reason I tend to choose books based on recommendations by friends or other bloggers who share similar tastes… but I do occasionally find a book or new author that I really like from a “best of” list.
Xxertz
You’re so sweet, thank you for linking to my list! <3
Lark_Bookwyrm
My pleasure!