EF Ultimate Break Inspired by BookTok.
Read Dating the newest trend.
Booker Prize Longlist Announced
BookCon is returning in 2026.
TikTok book publisher closing.
AI "eroding critical thinking skills"?
Banned books returned to shelves.
New data on Audiobooks listenership.
Who is Dani Francis?
Small Libraries and the IMLS impact.
The Gruffalo is getting a new book.
20,000 copies of Wimpy Kid donated.

Catch Up On All The Biggest Bookish News

Romantasy Continues to Rise in Popularity Among Women

"Of course the girls are reading horny fairy books. It's cheaper than travel and more fun than therapy." Emily Mulligan explores the reasons behind the rise of the extremely popular romantasy genre.

Click image to read the The Guardian article

Elite College Students Struggling to Read

College students are being exposed to fewer books in high school leading to reduced vocabulary and reading skills when they reach college. Do professors scale back? Do they go to TikTok to meet students were they are? "About 40 percent of students across the country cannot read at a basic level, the National Literacy Institute reported. " (Daily Mail Article)

Click image to read The Atlantic article.

Brooklyn Public Library Digital Card Popular with Teen Across the Country

In light of book bannings and censorships, teens are turning to the internet to gain access to books. The Brooklyn Public Library is one of the most active libraries in the country in the fight against censorship. Cards have been registered in all states.

Click image to read the Book Riot article

Six Cutthroat Medical Thrillers

"These six books pull apart discussions of technology, morality and the possibility that even in trying to develop new treatments for our fellow humans, we run the risk of losing our own humanity. "

Click image to read the full BookTrib article.

Publishers Sue Google

Numerous publishers have filed suit in New York against Google over ads for sites selling pirated material. Publishers claim that Google has ignored infringement notices that have specifically named hundreds of ads.

Click image to read the Publishing Perspective article

2024 Winners Announced

Awards were given out in the categories of Journalism, Fiction, Drama & Music. This prestigious award started in 1917 and currently issues 23 awards each year for outstanding achievements in these categories. Did you know that Robert Frost won four times for his poetry?

Click to see all of the 2024 winners.

Publishing University 2024

At Denver's IBPA Publishing University 2024, it was announced that the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards are being renamed to the IBPA Book Awards. Along with the nae change, Seven categories are being added that will include identity-inclusive categories. There is also a new Lifetime Achievement Award.

Click image to read the Publisher's Weekly article

Audible Rolling Out New Royalty Model

At the 2024 London Book Fair, Audible has announced a new, more equitable royalty plan for authors. The plan will provide authors with a more predictable process on how and when they will receive the royalties from the credits that are used to purchase their audiobooks.

Click image to read The Bookseller article.

Is it Finally OK to End a Sentence with a Preposition?

If you are like me, you were taught to never end a sentence with a preposition. Well, times are a changing! According to Merriam-Webster, it is acceptable to end a sentence with one. They state the rationale originally came from writers who were trying to align with Latin. On this topic, where are you at?

Click image to read the NPR article

Is the ALA too Radical?

A new bill making it's way through Georgia's State Senate is looking to cut ties with the American Library Association. Why? Those who are seeking to remove certain books for the shelves of local libraries view the ALA as the biggest problem. Others see this as a "media stunt."

Click image to read The NPR article.

What is Authors Equity?

Former CEOs of Penguin Random House US and Macmillan have partnered with Nina Von Moltke, also formerly of PRH to form a new publishing compony that is not going to focus on the "traditional" business models. There will be no author advances, but authors will earn a higher percentage of profits.

Click image to read the Publisher's Weekly article

Romance Exclusive Bookshops

We all know how popular romance books have become and the increase of romance embedded into other genres. But, five years ago, there was only one bookshop in the US that exclusively sold only romance books. Now, there are becoming more popular.

Click image to read The Guardian article.

First Annual Nero Award Winners Announced

The Nero Book Awards was created as a not-for-profit organization that recognizes books in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, debut fiction, and children's books. Run by an independent, family-owned coffee house group, the awards aim to recognize the books by authors in the UK and Ireland.

Click image to check out all the Nero Award Winners

Simon & Schuster is 100

The publishing company turns 100 this year and has a plethora of activities. They just recently released a list of 100 titles that show the diversity and scope of their publishing program. If you are in New York on April 8, you won't want to miss their Author! Author! event.

Click image to see the S & S Anniversary Website.

Californian Librarian Becomes TikTok Sensation

Mychal Threets is trying to reimage the negative stereotypes that surround libraries. So, he has gone where everyone has gone - to social media. Now sharing videos of "Library Joy" and the day to day happenings at his Solano County Library has led to millions of views.

Click image to read The New York Times article

Oddest Book Title of 2023

This really is one of my favorite weird awards of the year. There was a shortlist of six finalists that was released that includes Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze by Tawny Lara. The winner was announced on December 8. There is not an actual prize associated with this honor but that doesn't seem to matter since the Award has been around since 1978!

Click image to read The Guardian article.

2023 Booker Prize Winner Announced

For the second year in a row, I successfully predicted the winning book from the short list! This year's Booker Prize goes to Paul Lynch's Prophet Song. The story itself takes place in a reimaged Ireland that is descending into tyranny.

Click image to read The Guardian article

Book Banning is Increasing Everywhere

While we know that Florida and Texas are leading the pack in book banning and censorships, the same actions are occurring at growing rates with prisons. However, limited documentation makes it hard to know exactly what it looks like in reality.

Click image to read The Guardian article.

"AI" Most Notable Word of 2023

Collins Dictionary has named AI as the most notable word of 2023. I don't think there is any question on how technology and AI has changed the the landscape of our word.

Click image to read The Guardian article

Scholastic Apologizes For Book Collection

Book Fairs were my favorite thing in school, but Scholastic is apologizing for it's controversial optional collection of "diverse books." The company will end this exclusionary policy.

Click image to read The Publishers Weekly article.

Authors Find AI Ripoffs on Amazon

How has ChatGPT impacted authors? Rory Cellan-Jones published a memoir, only to go onto Amazon to find a biography of himself 'written' by someone he had never heard of created through the use of the popular AI program.

Click image to read The Guardian article

Nobel Prize for Literature Awarded

The 2023 award goes to Norwegian author Jon Fosse “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable."

Click image to read The Guardian's article.

Author Uninvited to Speak at Luncheon

Rachel Beanland was set to speak about her new book, The House is on Fire, at a prestigious Florida luncheon. That is until she received a notice that the committee decided her book wasn't right for the event based on the political climate in the state.

Click image to read the Richmond Times Dispatch article.

Cover Artist for the 1976 Paperback Identified

Podcast host Amory Sivertson spent months researching who was behind the Cover art of the 1976 paperback cover of A Wrinkle in Time after writer Sarah Elizabeth questioned the origins. (Check out the link for the podcast i the article for more information.)

Click image to read the TOR.com article.

Kirkus Prize Announces Finalists

Literary Trade Publication, Kirkus, has announced 18 finalists in the areas of Fiction, Nonfiction and Young Readers' Literature for the 2023 Award. Each of the three winners will receive $50,000. Check out the finalists here!

Click image to read the NPR article.

Judge Sides with Plantiffs

Federal Judge Alan D. Albridge issues a temporary injunction against Texas House Bill 900 which at it's core is a book banning measure. The announcement comes the day before the bill was to go into effect. The state is expected to appeal.

Click image to read the Publishers Weekly article.

Rating System = Censorship?

Texas house bill 900 would require book vendors and retailers to provide a "Sexual Rating" for any books that will be sold to schools, libraries and teachers. Follett is feeling the pressure.

Click image to read the Publisher's Weekly article.

If You Can Sell, Why Not Publish?

The parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, has apparently been seeking out Romance authors this year as it is considering expanding to the publishing world. There seems to be some controversy around it though.

Click image to read New York Times article.

Impact of Amazon Owning Goodreads...

... And it's not pretty. A site that was made to support book reviews and help promote books has apparently become more of hardship than a benefit. Is Goodreads really not bringing book lovers together? Is it really clunky and hard to use? Did Amazon really destroy what Goodreads was intended to do?

Click image to read Book Browse's article. (A link to Washington Post)

Texas Governor Signs HB900 - What Does It Mean?

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that will require book suppliers to assign ratings to books going to libraries, schools , and school libraries based on sex is portrayed within the book. Even amidst the opposition HB900 was signed earlier this month.

Click image to read Shelf Awareness article.

Cormac McCarthy Dies at 89

The Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Road has passed away at his home of natural causes on June 13. The American novelist leave a tremendous impact on the literary world in his almost 60 year career.

Click image to read CNN's article.

AI Created Image Used on Cover

The cover of Maas' House of Earth and Blood was apparently created by artificial intelligence. Maas and Bloomsbury say they were unaware of the creation of the stock image.

Click image to read The Guardian's article.

2023 Outstanding Achievement Awards Announced

The winners of the 5th annual Todd H Bol award were announced during Little Free Library Week (Held from May 14-21). This award recognized six Little Free Libraries for outstanding achievement. Check out the winners and learn more about the history of Little Free Libraries!

Click image to read the Publisher's Weekly article.

Sometimes, You Can't Pick Just One

The 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced on May 8, and TWO authors are walking away with the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - Hernan Diaz and Barbara Kingsolver. Prizes are awarded in three categories: Journalism, Letters & Drama, and Music.

Click image to read the NPR article.

Fatimah Asghar Wins Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

Asghar wins the award for her coming of age book, When We Were Sisters. She is the first recipient of this award which was created to honor fiction by women and non-binary writers.

Click image to read the NPR article.

One Third of Libraries in the UK Face Censorship Requests

There is a lot of debate taking place, and it is beginning to filter into the libraries and into librarians' ears. The most targeted books center around topics that involve empire, race and LGBTQ+ topics.

Click image to read the Guardian's article.

International Booker Prize 2023

The Booker Prize has released its shortlist on April 18, which is comprised of six diverse books. On first glance, Standing Heavy is screaming at me. I did predict last year's winning book successfully, so... Check on the short list that is described as "very cool and very sexy" by The Guardian.

Click image to check out Bookerprize.com.

Why Kids Aren't Falling in Love With Reading

I don't think it's a simple, single answer. It is going to be directly impacted by many factors ... access, confidence, support and yes, interest.

Click image to read the VigourTimes/The Atlantic article.

Barnes & Noble Bounces Back

Barnes & Noble's CEO, James Daunt, has a visionary, and so far successful, approach to how the 600 stores should operate. If nothing else, it is a fascinating article discussing the customer approach with comparisons to Amazon and even Staples. I for one LOVE Barnes & Noble and my other local used bookstores, I honestly only use Amazon to order books when I send a gift!

Click image to read The Guardian article.

Missouri House Republicans Want to Defund Libraries

For once, it's not about book banning, it's about the revised budget. However, when there are over a million people who rely on public libraries for internet access, educational materials and just access to books in those rural communities, the impact can be monumental.

Click image to read the PBS article.

Harry Potter TV Series Adaption

Less then 12 years after the final movie hit the big screen, Warner Brothers and HBO Max announce a new Harry Potter adaption is in the works. Over an anticipated 10 year period, the best selling franchise will be adapted into a TV series with JK Rowling as an executive director. With its entirely new cast, the series is set to hit the small screen in the 2025/2026 season.

Click image to read The Deadline article.

2023 National Book Critics Circle Awards Presented

NBCC held it's first in-person ceremony since the pandemic on March 23. Eight genre awards were presented and two there were two inaugural awards presented at the New York ceremony

Click image to read the NBCC press release.

Reading Wars Rage On

What is the best way to teach children to read? We learn to talk by

listening and mimicking, but reading it's the same. The battle between

parents, educators and politicians rages on. As an educator,

I have my own opinions and as a parent of a

child who struggled to read in elementary school,

I have my own opinions. I have lots of opinions.

Click image to read Washington Post: Opinion article.

Hello Beautiful is Making History

Ann Napolitano's new novel as been selected as the 100th book selection in one of the most influential book clubs - Oprah's. It was chosen in part

for it's relatable message.

Click image to read the CBS News article.

Nobel Laureate Kenzeburo Oe

Has Died

Oe passed away at the age of 88 in Japan. He was known for his "darkly poetic novels."

Click image to read Associated Press article.

Roald Dahl's Books Will Remain Unchanged in the US

It was recently announced that Roald Dahl's books will be "edited" in the UK. This includes the removal of such was as "fat", "crazy" and "mad. At this time, there are no plans for similar edits in the US.

Click image to read the Publisher's Weekly article.

Three New Florida Laws Set to Impact Schools

In Duval County Schools more than a million books are now subject for review for race, gender and sexuality content by certified media specialists.

Click image to read ABC News article.

Bookstore Sales Increased in 2022

2022 showed a 6% sales increase at bookstores over 2021. Last year also shows a bookstore sales increase over 2019 which was the last 'normal' year before the pandemic.

Click image to read the Publisher's Weekly article.

New Twilight Books Just Announced!

It's been a while since Edward and Bella have hit the bookshop shelves. And the last time was from Edward's POV. Stephanie Meyer has announced that she is working on two new books based in the Twilight world.

Click image to read The InStyle article.

Has a HarperCollins agreement been reached?

An announcement was released on February 9 stating that tentative agreement has been reached between HarperCollins and the employee union. This comes in the of other financial difficulties for the publisher.

Click image to read the Publisher's Weekly article.

Making Waves and Breaking Records

Prince Harry's Memoir sold over 1.4 million "units" on its January 10th release date. This is the highest first day sales of any nonfiction book ever published by Penguin Random House.

Click image to read The Publisher's Weekly article.

Romance Books Continuing to Rising in Popularity

Romance novels are bigger than they have been in 10 years, and every year sees continued growth. Why? Well, when the world sees itself with wars, pandemics, and uncertainty, I guess a little Happily Ever After sounds pretty good.

Click image to read the Guardian article.

Apple Books Launches AI Narration

Listen to audiobooks? Well apparently Apple launched a n text-to-speech AI system to narrate books claiming that it makes audiobooks more "accessible" by "bringing the cost down."

Click image to read The Verge article.

One Library in Two Countries

Haskell Free Library and Opera House was built over 100 years ago and finds the US-Canada border running right through it. Want to read books in Quebec and Vermont without having to go outside? Add this to your must visit list!

Click image to read the Al Jazeera article

Goodreads Choice Awards 2022

After more than 5.7 millions votes were cast, the winners have been announced! The Final Gambit, Hidden Pictures, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Heartstopper are just some of the winning titles!

Click image to see all winners from Goodreads

New York Times Most Notable Books of the Year

The editors of the New York Times have released their 100 most notable titles of 2022. The list includes fiction, poetry and nonfiction.

Click image to review the full list.

Science Fiction Author Passes Away

The author or more than 50 books and a co-founder of San Diego's Comic-Con International passed away on November 19, 2022 in a Seattle area hospital. His final book, The Unfinished Land, was published last year.

Click image to read more from GeekWire!

2022 National Book Awards Announced

New York City's financial district was the location of the November 16 awards ceremony hosted by Padma Lakshmi. Winners include Tahir and Keene. With a background of HarperCollins Union Workers holding a demonstration.

Click image to read the Publishers Weekly article.

BOTM Announces 2022 Book of the Year

Book of the Month, the popular book subscription company, announces the results of their members voting. Finalists for the honor included A Flicker in the Dark, The Love Hypothesis, and Black Cake.

Click image to discover the BOTM Book of the Year!

The Poison Book Project

A database of Toxic Texts, led a Leeds Librarian to discover a book made with arsenic. My Own Garden: The Young Gardener's Yearbook was published in 1855.

Click image to read the BBC article.

American Booksellers Association Announces First Ambassador

Celeste Ng as been named as the very first ambassador for the organization and will represent the Indie Bookstore ambassador program. The program is being created to promote Indie bookstores year round.

Click image to read the Publisher Weekly's article.

2022 Booker Prize Announced

The books that made the Short List seemed to make this a difficult decision; however, the 2022 Booker Prize winner was announced on October 17.

Click image to read the BookerPrize.com article.

Longest Single Volume Book on Sale

Well, actually all 50 copies of this particular book have already been sold. ONEPIECE is not really a book that you can read, but one that should be on display in a muesum. This is one picutre you will definitely want to see. Like Manga?

Click image to read the Guardian article.

Banned Book Week 2022

The annual week long event sponsored by the American Library Association Runs from Sept. 18-24!

Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.

Click image to read the Publishers Weekly's article.

Not All Best Sellers Are Made Equal

Carolyn Atkinson explores the UK Best Seller List,

and being on the list can come at a large expense.

Click image to read the BBC News article.

Barnes and Noble Controversy

Barnes and Noble has hit the news with rumors that it is limiting Middle Grades and YA hardback debut books

Click image to read more!

Satanic Verses Author Attacked

Salman Rushdie has been taken off ventalitor and begins slow road to recovery after being attacked and stabbed while on stage in New York. Days later, additional threats against authors like JK Rowling are being investigated.

Click here to read The Washington Post article on Salman Rushdie

Click here to read The Guardian article on JK Rowling

Stephen King Testifies in Publishing Trial

The trial has begun between the government and Penguin Random House, in an attempt to block PHR from acquiring Simon and Schuster. It is expected to take about three weeks to see the trial through. The Department of Justice called King to the stand as a star witness.

Click image to read more!

Residents Vote to Defund

A small town library in Michigan is at risk of closing their doors for good afte rthe community voted to defund the library rather than allow certain LGBTQ+ books remain on the shelved.

Click image to read The Guardian article.

HarperCollins Strike?

They hit the picket line on July 20. How long is it going to last and what are the the possible impacts on publication and shipping of books?

Click image to read the latest from Publisher's Weekly.

As Movie Hits Theaters, Drama Finds Owens

Are you going to see it? I just saw it! My thoughts? Check them out here! Apparently, there is some real life drama surrounding author Delia Owens and her husband surrounding their time in Africa. Is this just one of those publicity things to up the interest and focus attention on the release of the movie or is she really involved in a murder? Click to watch the movie trailer.

Click image to read The Atlantic article.

Reality TV Goes Bookish Style

If you like American Idol and you love books, you will probably love America's Next Great Author. Aspiring authors get to make a one minute pitch of their story idea. Six finalists will be selected, and they will participate in a month long writing retreat under Big Brother type conditions. I'm hooked already.

Click image to read The Publisher's Weekly article.

LGBTQ Books Sales Increase in US

LGBTQ fiction sales up by 39% from January through May 28, compared to the same period in 2021.

Click image to read The Publisher's Weekly article.

Audiobook Sales Revenue Up

For the 10th straight year, Audiobook sales continue to climb.

Click image to read The Publisher's Weekly article

The Winner Has Been Announced!

Ruth Ozeki has won the honor with her book, The Book of Form and Emptiness.

Click image to read The Guardian article.

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