Yep, it’s that time again already: Time for the “best books of the year” lists. Here’s the first one I’ve seen, Publishers Weekly‘s list of the 10 best books of the year, both fiction and nonfiction considered together. And I’m sure that more lists won’t be far behind.
PW Best Books 2011: The Top 10 Read More »
Why is dystopia so appealing to young adults? A dystopia is an imaginary world in which people live dehumanized lives of fear and subjugation; it’s the opposite of utopia. In this piece YA writer Moira Young examines why distopian novels such as Suzanne Collins’s recent Hunger Games trilogy are so popular with young people: Books
Vashon Great Books club one of oldest in U.S. The Seattle Times spotlights 92-year-old Grace Crecelius: For 61 years, Grace Crecelius has cracked the books. Not just any books, mind you, but the works of Plato, Descartes and Kant, Shakespeare, Marx and Freud. At 92, Crecelius is the oldest member of what may be one
Ikea is changing its long-lived Billy bookshelf. Is print dead? Ikea will make changes to its low-cost, high-volume Billy bookshelf this fall. And to some, that means books are dying. Ten Crime Books You Have to Read Before You Die This title is way misleading, since there are two lists of 10 plus numerous alternates.
Sick Of Young Adult Lit? 3 Books For The Whiz Kid In this issue of NPR’s “three books” series, Adam Mansbach reflects on which books he read in childhood have stuck with him: The ones I continue to love now, a quarter-century after first mauling their spines, tend to confront complex social issues bravely, convey
The 10 Most Powerful Women Authors Forbes contributor Avril David has put together a list of “10 women [who] can tell (and sell) a good story”: Although there are many more women throughout history who have proven to be powerful authors, this list is limited to those who are living, with a focus on personal
Great Authors To Follow On Twitter These eight writers are sometimes hysterical, sometimes insightful, and are sure to give you words for thought in 140 characters or less. Of interest to both readers and writers. Overrated Authors, critics, and editors on “great books” that aren’t all that great. Some of these may surprise you. Or
Like Books? Like NPR? We Invite You To Explore The New NPR Books! NPR has spent 18 weeks significantly redesigning its books coverage. It looks like there’s a lot more information that’s a lot easier to find. This is a welcome change when print sources are cutting back on books coverage. Librarian finds digital divide
Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books : NPR. Back around the first of August NPR asked readers to vote on their favorite science fiction and fantasy novels (or series). The results are in. I’m not a big fan of science fiction and fantasy, so when I finished counting I was surprised to find that
Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books : NPR Read More »
Why Do We Care About Literary Awards? Mark O’Connell answers his own question: By and large, awards like the Booker are intended to promote solid, well-written, more or less middlebrow fiction — the kind of books that broadsheet newspapers tend to give coverage to. And that’s surely a good thing for the publishing industry, for
