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We attended the ALA Conference this year and had a blast connecting with librarians and publishers. Here are some of our key takeaways.
In case you missed it, last week The New York Times released its list of the Best 100 Books of the 21st Century. So, we thought we'd compare how BookBrowse did at featuring these books over the past 25 years, and have included a helpful table for you to see the full breakdown.
Since last October, the international and American literary landscapes have been deeply affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. One of the major ways this has manifested is in authors pushing governments and organizations to take action on behalf of Palestinians in the region, who face continuing violence and starvation. Below, we give a brief, non-exhaustive overview of how the situation in Gaza has been at the forefront of many events in the book world during the past eight months.
What are your favorite book club books of all time?
In our most recent survey, we asked subscribers to tell us what their overall top three book club books were. More than 800 responded, and we've compiled their answers to calculate the current top ten books for book club discussion.
What author owns a bookstore near you? We may think of writers as people who live behind their words, out of reach of society, but many are deeply involved in their local reading scenes, and bookstores are one of the best spaces for them to connect with their audiences. Authors who own and operate these spaces have an opportunity to provide services to readers that reflect their own sensibilities and priorities, and some of the most exciting, community-focused and unique independent bookstores are author-owned.
So the next time you’re planning a day trip or vacation, check out the list below and plan accordingly! And if you can’t get to one of these stores at the moment but would still love a signed copy of your favorite novel by the likes of Louise Erdrich or Ann Patchett, note that many of them offer online ordering for delivery, along with email lists and other ways to interact with and support them from afar.
Book banning has seen a sharp rise across the United States, and many of the titles targeted depict LGBTQ+ people and their experiences. Books banned during the 2023-2024 school year reached a record high, with over 4,000 instances of banning in the first half alone, more than in the whole previous year. Many of the works that are regularly challenged or banned have the potential to empower young people of marginalized identities; to cause readers to question or challenge norms around gender, sexuality, and racial inequality; and to add underrepresented aspects of experience, history, and creative expression to the larger reading culture.
Bookstores, publications, and organizations have responded to book bans by attempting to make banned and challenged material more visible and widely available. This Pride month, we bring you a list of books by queer and transgender authors that have been banned and challenged by schools or libraries in recent years. While these books are all at least somewhat geared toward young people, they hold appeal for a wide-ranging audience of adolescents and adults, regardless of gender or sexuality.
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