News & Notes – Coronavirus Edition, Week 8 (5/02/2020)

May 2, 2020 News & Notes 6

News & Notes: Coronavirus Edition


News & Notes is a weekly Saturday post featuring book- and publishing-related news, links to interesting articles and opinion pieces, and other cool stuff

Bookish News

Worth Reading/Viewing (not all book-related)

Free Books Online

A number of authors and companies are offering free fiction to lift your spirits while you’re on lockdown.

More Stay-At-Home Resources

6 Responses to “News & Notes – Coronavirus Edition, Week 8 (5/02/2020)”

  1. Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits

    I’m not sure I would want a larger “Max” Mass Market Paperback. On the other hand, if I have to pick between Max and Trade Paperback, I’ll go with the Max.

    Also: yes. Reading is so much harder right now. And yet, when I let myself be a mood reader instead of trying to stick to a reading plan, I’ve been reading a LOT.
    Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits recently posted…BookWyrm’s Alphabeticals ~ PMy Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      A lot of my reading has been comfort rereads since this whole thing started, too. It does indeed help.

      Incidentally, I haven’t visited your blog in a bit (I’m sorry!) — how are you and your family holding up to whatever the quarantine rules/recommendations are where you’re living?

  2. RO

    Wow! That’s interesting to see that book sales have increased over at Amazon based on all that’s happening. I love to hear about more people reading, particularly they youth. I’d like to see that number go even higher moving forward. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that most of the libraries have been closed? Thanks a bunch for the update and hope you’re doing well! Hugs, RO
    RO recently posted…SOME MORE USELESS STUFFMy Profile

    • Lark_Bookwyrm

      I think a lot of the children’s book sales have been because schools are out and libraries are closed. But it’s not all “fun” reading — a lot of the juvenile sales are workbooks and curriculum books, as parents take on the task of educating their kids or at least enriching what the teachers are doing remotely. (I’m not knocking teachers; I think most of them are doing an amazing job in really difficult circumstances. But there is so much that goes on in class that can’t be replicated online or through worksheets, and a fair bit of time at school is not instructional time (taking roll call, getting kids ready to go to the gym/cafeteria/out for recess/art or music class/library, and then settling them down again afterward, and so on.) So what teachers are providing is, for many elementary and even middle-school kids, only taking an hour or two a day. Parents are desperate to find other stuff for their kids to do that isn’t just watching TV or playing video games. Hence, workbooks, educational books, and books for fun.