News & Notes is a weekly Saturday post featuring book- and publishing-related news, links to interesting articles and opinion pieces, giveaways on this and other blogs, and other cool stuff.
Not much real news this week, but a lot of interesting and thought-provoking opinion pieces!
Books & Ebooks in the News:
- Barnes & Noble and Samsung to release co-branded ‘Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK’ tablets. (GoodEReader; also on The Digital Reader)
- Penguin Random House unveils its new logo (which is sadly boring, IMHO.) The corporation’s press release also discusses its branding strategy. (Press release)
- Open Road buys indie ebook publisher Premier Digital and acquires their 300+ title backlist, including works by Andre Norton and Piers Anthony. (GalleyCat)
- The Reading Rainbow App Kickstarter campaign has topped $3.5 million in just 10 days. That’s more than 3 times the original goal of $1 million. The project, headed by LeVar Burton, has raised its new goal to $5 million, with the goal of reaching more platforms and giving more classrooms free access.
- Barnes & Noble is breaking up with Overdrive, but promises customers it won’t abandon audiobooks. However, customers have only until June 30 until their previously-purchased audiobooks are disabled. (GoodEReader)
Worth Reading/Listening to:
- “Reading Beyond Your Depths” introduced me to a concept I’m still trying to wrap my mind around: that it’s OK to read something you completely don’t get, and not try to figure it out, but just enjoy the experience. (Camila Domonoske, BookRiot)
- “Against YA”. Ruth Graham essentially tells grown-ups to grow up and read adult fiction. (Slate Book Review)
- “Let’s Compile the Anti-anti-YA Reading List” is children’s book writer and Publishers Weekly blogger Elizabeth Bluemle’s response to Graham’s piece, and it’s well worth reading both for its rejection of some of Graham’s assumptions, and for the wealth of realistic literary YA fiction found in both the post and the comments. (Publishers Weekly‘s ShelfTalker)
- “Amazon and Hachette: The dispute in 13 easy steps” (Los Angeles Times). A bit biased against Amazon, perhaps, but a pretty clear explanation of what it’s all about.
- In contrast, author Barry Eisler offers a view of the dispute that leans in Amazon’s direction. (The Guardian‘s Comment is Free section)
- And while we’re on the subject, “Amazon Is Not a Monopoly or a Monopsony”. (Susie Rodarme, BookRiot)
- “The Grown-Ups’ Guide to ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ Author John Green” (Elizabeth Donnelly, Flavorwire)
- “The Teen Whisperer” (a profile of John Green) (Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker)
- “People Who Enjoy Reading Need to Read Slowly” (Emlyn Roberts-Harry, Magnific) Do you agree with him?
- Levar Burton opens up about Reading Rainbow, the Kickstarter, and recent criticism (Jessica Goldstein, ThinkProgress)
Book & Movie Announcements:
- There’s a new trailer for The Giver, which features some B&W scenes.
- Read a free excerpt of J. K. Rowling/Robert Galbraith’s new mystery, The Silkworm, courtesy of the publisher.
- Bill Condon will direct new Disney live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast . (Variety; also Nerdist)
Bookish Quotes:
That’s it for this week!
I’m always on the lookout for interesting articles, lists, and links for News & Notes, so please let me know if you see (or write!) anything that might be good for this feature. You can leave me a comment or send me an email — my address is on the About/Review Policy/Contact page.
Bea
YES! The new logo is extremely boring and bland. I understand why they did it but could they have made it any more bland and forgettable?
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
It’s the sort of thing you choose when no one can agree on anything. 😉
Rita_h
I have been following the Reading Rainbow story for a couple of weeks now, and I am totally in favor of it, however it can be brought back to the public. I love LeVar Burton and his dedication to our youngsters, getting them interested in going to the library to check out some of the books they mention on the show. My kids always watched this show and enjoyed going to the library every week. I can understand the controversy but don’t agree with it.
I also read the article about taking your time reading. Exactly! I like the example of being able to stuff your face at a buffet because you can, or taking your time and savoring the meal out. When I am enjoying a book, I actually slow down a bit and soak in the words rather than rush through it. I may get it finished more quickly, but that is not due to reading speed, but rather to reading more hours in a row.
Thanks as always for a great post and food for thought!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
We enjoyed the show, too — and clearly, so did lots of millenials, because the crowdfunding has gone through the roof, and mostly in small donations. I think it’s great!
Jan
The YA debate is interesting–seems similar to the romance reading debate. I read because I love to read not because a book is literary or not. In fact, I find most books listed as “literary” boring. My reading life is where I can live in outer space or in a fantasy kingdom or a myriad of other worlds. Real life is where I read about war, starvation, homeless vets, unwanted children as well as loving my family and counting my blessings.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I read for the same reasons, Jan – plus I get plenty of “reality” in the nonfiction reading I do for my job. Over the years, I’ve indexed books on Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge, Africa, the Arab world, global warming, various diseases, and a host of other sobering subjects. My free reading time is my vacation from all that.
I’ve never really understood the literary world’s snootiness when it comes to genre fiction. Especially SF/F, given that some very literary, challenging, and even groundbreaking stuff gets written in that field. And I agree that the YA controversy sounds very much like the romance controversy, with the added similarity that those who disdain the genre have either not read any, or have read only a few (and those not always of the highest literary quality.) It seems odd to condemn a genre and those who enjoy it based on a very small sampling.
Anna herding cats Cade
Ooo interesting YA debate. We were talking NA in a group today and how so many non NA’s read it. Very interesting. Thanks for all the links Lark!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Glad you enjoyed them! The YA debate is interesting but infuriating in a way. Frankly, a lot of stuff is published as YA now that would have been published as adult when I WAS a teen. So I don’t really understand the disdain some people have for the genre.
Sheila (Bookjourney)
The Penguin logo is bad….
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
It really is. It’s about as bland and boring as you can get. And I LIKED the old penguin…
Berls
Thanks for all those links Lark! I agree the new logo is really REALLY boring. (Do two lines really make a logo? LOL) and I didn’t know they were bringing Reading Rainbow back – I remember that program when I was a kid. Totally donating. Hope you’ve had a good week 🙂
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
You’re welcome, and I wish you a good week too! I was a little too old for Reading Rainbow, but Robin enjoyed it.