This Week on Books Direct -
23 June 2018
Here's a list of some great articles you may have missed this week. Enjoy!
The World’s Most Beautiful Bookstores by Brianne Alphonso for Electric Literature
These bucket-list bookshops are worth planning an international trip around.
Unusual Suspects: The Writers Diversifying Detective Fiction by David Barnett for The Guardian
Authors including A. A. Dhand, Steph Cha, and Alex Segura explain how they are broadening the horizons of a traditionally very white genre.
5 Things To Include When Building Characters by Anna Simpson for emaginette
Anna Simpson gives us an insight into how she builds her characters.
Hot Reading Challenge Tips From Pros Who Read More Than 100 Books A Year by Marie for Goodreads Blog
Goodreads asked avid readers Dan Schwent, Julie Ehlers, Bill Kerwin, and Kathy Habel for advice. These pros have read more than 100 books a year, so of course they asked them for their recommendations as well.
And this article in response:
The Key To Finishing & Enjoying More Books Is Actually Remarkably Simple by Kerri Jarema for Bustle
It's pretty obvious that slogging through a book you’re not enjoying can be a long, tedious, and obviously boring task that is keeping you from books you will actually enjoy and would probably read much faster. So why do we insist on finishing every book we've started?
Kid Lit Campaign Rallies Against Immigration Horrors by Shannon Maughan for Publishers Weekly
As it has done many times before in the face of injustice, crisis, or tragedy affecting kids and families, the children’s literature community is banding together to rally support for a cause. The newest campaign is called Kid Lit Says No Kids in Cages, a response to the horrifying scenes being depicted in the news of immigrant parents and children being separated at the southern border of the United States.
Oxford English Dictionary Extends Hunt For Regional Words Around The World by Alison Flood for The Guardian
From ‘hammajang’ to ‘munted’, lexicographers have issued a worldwide call for regionally distinctive words to define.
Vatican Gets Back Stolen Columbus Letter, But Case Remains A Whodunit by Elisabetta Povoledo for The New York Times
A 15th-century copy of a letter written by Christopher Columbus that had been forged and stolen was returned to the Vatican on Thursday.
Carnegie Medal Winner Slams Children’s Book Publishers For ‘Accessible’ Prose by Alison Flood for The Guardian
Geraldine McCaughrean, accepting the award for Where the World Ends, warned that restricting the language children read risks creating a future underclass who are ‘easy to manipulate’.
The 2017 VIDA Count by Amy Kind and Sarah Clark for VIDA Women in Literary Arts
Each year, volunteers from across the country dedicate thousands of combined hours to tally the gender disparity in major literary publications and book reviews. They break down thirty-nine literary journals and well-respected periodicals, tallying genre, book reviewers, books reviewed, and journalistic bylines to offer an accurate assessment of the publishing world. Here are the latest results.
Audiobooks Generated $2.8 Billion In 2017 by Michael Kozlowski for Goodereader
Audiobook sales generated $2.8 billion dollars in the United States in 2017 and this is an increase of up 22.7% over 2016, and with a corresponding 21.5% increase in units. This continues the six-year audiobook trend of double-digit growth year over year.
And more on audiobooks:
Listen And Weep: ‘Audiobooks Outdo Films In Emotional Engagement’ by Alison Flood for The Guardian
UCL study backed by Audible finds unconscious responses to the same book scenes, witnessed in adaptations across different media, are strongest in the auditory format.
12 Famous Authors At Work With Their Dogs by Emily Temple for Literary Hub
Check out these images of the most literary Take Your Dog to Work Day.
If you enjoyed this blog post, please visit the other This Week posts for links to more great articles.
