Book News & Features

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National Book Critics Circle Board Members Resign Over Racism Allegations

4:25pm June 15, 2020

by Petra Mayer

The National Book Critics Circle, which represents hundreds of critics across the country, has been roiled by a dispute over an anti-racism statement that has led several board members to resign.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump depart the White House on May 27.

'The Art Of Her Deal' Aims To Show Melania Trump As An Influential Collaborator

3:15pm June 14, 2020

by Annalisa Quinn

The flattening effect of political discourse, insipidity of the first lady role and her own remoteness have led us to either forget she has an inner life — or to imagine her as an elegant prisoner.

J.K. Rowling signs copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. Many fans say they feel alienated and hurt by her recent comments.

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Opinion: Harry Potter's Magic Fades When His Creator Tweets

1:10pm June 10, 2020

by Mallory Yu

Author J.K. Rowling has been criticized after a series of tweets that many read as transphobic. Rowling's insistence that "sex is real" and immutable has saddened her trans and genderqueer fans.

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For June, 3 Romances Where Sisterhood Is The Secret Ingredient

7:00am June 10, 2020

by Maya Rodale

Obviously, the the romantic relationship is at the center of any romance novel — but this month, we're bringing you three books where relationships between female friends are almost as important.

Author L.L. McKinney started the #PublishingPaidMe hashtag so authors could publicize racial disparities in book advances.

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#PublishingPaidMe: Authors Share Their Advances To Expose Racial Disparities

10:56am June 09, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

Author L.L. McKinney created the #PublishingPaidMe hashtag, where black and white authors are comparing their book advances. "You can now use this to fight for what you are worth," she says.

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Literary Agents See An Uptick In Writers Submitting Pandemic Stories

7:26am June 09, 2020

Because of COVID-19 lockdowns it appears more people are finding time to write. Literary agents are seeing more stories related to pandemics and viruses being submitted for them to review.

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Your Bookshelf May Be Part Of The Problem

8:50am June 06, 2020

by Juan Vidal

Anti-racist reading lists are making the rounds right now — and they can be useful if people do the work of reading. But critic Juan Vidal suggests you look closer to home, to your own bookshelf.

Several publishers have filed a lawsuit against the Internet Archive alleging copyright infringement.

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Publishers Sue Internet Archive For 'Mass Copyright Infringement'

3:24pm June 03, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The lawsuit filed this week in federal court alleges that the organization, which lends books online for free, amounts to a "piracy site" that has been eluding copyright law for years.

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Say 'Hello, Neighbor' To This Charming Picture Book About Mister Rogers

7:00am May 30, 2020

by Juanita Giles

Our kids' books columnist reports that amidst the messes and fights that result from kids in lockdown, Matthew Cordell's gentle new picture book biography of Mister Rogers has the power to soothe.

Writer and activist Larry Kramer, here in 1989, was an unapologetically loud and irrepressible voice in the fight against AIDS.

Larry Kramer, Pioneering AIDS Activist And Writer, Dies At 84

5:44pm May 27, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

Kramer was a writer with an Oscar-nominated screenplay when his friends started dying mysteriously — galvanizing him to found the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and later ACT UP, to combat AIDS.

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