According to studies by the Pew Research Center spanning 2011 to 2021, Americans read an average of 14 books per year — likely pulled up by the number of rare super-readers taking down dozens of books — but a median of just five books per year. - Vox
In his peak decade, from 1967 to 1976, Malzberg wrote at least 68 novels and seven story collections along with scores of still uncollected stories published in many magazines and anthologies. - The Nation
Board books: They’re really hard. Imagine a baby. “The baby has a note taped to them. The note says, 'I can’t read. I can’t talk. I don’t care about stories or plots, classically speaking, or characters as they’re usually defined. What do you have for me?’” - The New York Times
This book has sold approximately a hundred zillion copies (conservative estimate), but let’s just say there might not be enough fact-checking going on. - Mother Jones
The Peruvian-American author made a deep dive, interviewing nearly 250 people for her latest book. Why? "The U.S. has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico. I needed to explain who we are.” - El Pais
And that choice turned some readers' year-end summaries into screeds about their needing to read white cis male authors, which didn’t land particularly well. - The New York Times
To help us recap the highlights we're joined now by two familiar faces, Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR's "Fresh Air," and Gilbert Cruz, editor of The New York Times Book Review. - PBS News Hour
"On December 27, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that Amanda Jones’s 2022 defamation case against two local men who accused her of pushing pornography to children can continue. In a 4-2 ruling, the court found that an appeals court erred in denying Jones’s appeal based on an apparently missed deadline." - Publishers Weekly
In The Times, Jason Farago defended an artistic movement against its detractors: “If you find Monet, Renoir, Degas too pretty and popular — if you think Impressionism is the artistic equivalent of a pumpkin spice latte — I want you to taste the espresso beneath the foam.” - The New York Times
Publishing 32 books over the course of his life, he wasn’t simply prolific, as far as former presidents go. His output also displayed an extraordinary range that included historical fiction, poetry and meditations on the meaning of faith and the splendor of nature. There was even a coffee-table book on woodworking. - The New York Times
But even the most borrowed books only represent a sliver: "When you actually look at what people read in New York City, it wasn't like 20% of our audience were only reading these books. It's only 1%. There is still interest in a broad range of subject areas.” - NPR
“Publishers are investing in colorful patterned edges, metallic foil covers, reversible jackets, elaborate artwork on the endpapers, ribbon bookmarks and bonus content.” - The New York Times
That’s partially due to Spotify - but the service only pays authors when listeners finish a book, so despite the increase in listenership, it may end up devaluing the product. - The Guardian (UK)
