Latest news with #readingcommunity
Telegraph
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Marginalia can sometimes add great value to a book
I recently bought a history of 19th-century France from a reputable second-hand books site, where its condition was described as 'very good'. When it arrived, I was dismayed to find it scrawled all over with underlinings, asterisks and marginal comments. Fortunately, most of the annotations were in pencil and some busy work with an eraser got rid of the worst of them. Afterwards, I wondered why I had found these harmless marginalia so upsetting, and concluded that it was probably because I spent my childhood reading library books. Now, writing in library books is pure vandalism – 'blood relative to that large-scale, public form of marginalia we call graffiti', as Kevin Jackson pointed out in his wonderful book Invisible Forms. But when it comes to annotating your own books, bibliophiles across the ages, from medieval monks to social-media book-fanciers, are all in favour: 'I consider as lovers of books those out all the margins with annotations of many kinds,' wrote the Renaissance philosopher Erasmus. Half a millennium later, a growing community of BookTokkers and Bookstagrammers are taking Erasmus at his word, posting images of books embellished with pastel highlighting and marginal drawings of flowers and kittens, wantonly smeared with lipstick kisses, or neatly stuffed with colour-coded tabs (romance and romantasy are favourite genres for this treatment). For the novice marginalist, there are even helpful essays on how to get started: 'Think of it as connecting with either the author, the text, or even to yourself.' For the author Ann Patchett, annotating her own text proved an unexpected way to connect with her readers. As she explained in her introduction to the annotated edition of Bel Canto, she was initially asked to annotate a copy of her 2023 novel Tom Lake as part of an auction to support an independent bookshop. As she worked, she 'saw patterns in the book I'd scarcely been aware of... it helped me clarify the way I write'. And so the idea formed to publish an annotated edition of Bel Canto. Patchett is only the latest in a succession of authors whose marginalia serve to enrich rather than deface the texts they appear on. Ezra Pound's pithy scrawls on T S Eliot's The Waste Land ('Perhaps be damned') are familiar from the facsimile edition. But the most prolific and brilliant of all marginalists (according to Jackson) was Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who is credited with introducing the word 'marginalia' to the English language in 1832. To lend your books to Coleridge was to have them returned, as his friend Charles Lamb wrote, 'enriched with annotations, tripling their value'. We can trace a direct line of descent from Coleridge's marginalia to the social-media annotators who painstakingly embellish a copy of a friend's favourite novel as a gift. But the ancestry of those cute marginal kittens extends even further back, to around 1420, when a scribe from the Netherlands left a manuscript on his desk overnight. A spreading stain, a Latin curse (Confundatur pessimus cattus qui minxit super librum istum in nocte...) and a furious marginal drawing of two accusing fingers pointing at a shifty-looking cat have ensured for the manuscript (now held at the Historiches Archiv in Cologne) a global fame and affection beyond the wildest dreams of an angry scribe pointing the marginal finger at a miscreant feline.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Children's authors to attend Staffordshire Young Teen Fiction Awards
Two popular children's authors are set to join young readers from across Staffordshire for an annual book Terry and Christopher Edge will attend the Staffordshire Young Teen Fiction Awards on 1 July at the RAF Museum in County Council said the event, now in its 20th year, was a "huge celebration of teen fiction" which hoped to encourage young people to enjoy reading aged 11-14 who attend school in the county have been voting for their favourite book from a shortlist of eight titles. Shortlisted books for this year's awards include Lie or Die by A. J. Clack, A Mind Full of Murder by Derek Landy and The Things We Leave Behind by Clare Hayley Coles, cabinet member for communities and culture, said thousands of young readers and library staff looked forward to the event each said getting to meet their favourite authors could be "inspirational" for pupils."It's all about encouraging a love of books and reading," she added."Young people tell us that taking part makes them feel part of a wider reading community that goes beyond the school book club." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
New York Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Summer Reading Challenges Aren't Just for Kids
Last June, a merry band of book lovers marched down Clement Street, a shopping district in San Francisco. Accompanied by a high school drum corps, they carried flags and chanted 'Books! Books! Books!' Summer had begun and it was time to get reading. The parade marked the opening of an adults-only summer reading challenge held by Green Apple Books, a San Francisco bookstore founded in 1967, and Friends & Neighbors, a nearby community art space. Valerie Luu and Eric Lam, who started Friends & Neighbors in 2023, proposed the idea to the Green Apple store manager Eileen McCormick as an extension of their space's mission to foster connection — and as a way to bring 'sportslike enthusiasm' to reading. Participants competed to read the most hours over the course of three months. They could also aim for bonus categories, such as reading books from 10 different genres, or complete a 30-hour mini challenge. By summer's end, 521 reading logs and mini challenges were returned, accounting for over 18,000 hours read. And to the top readers went the spoils, including a hand-knit trophy and gift cards to nearby businesses. For decades, summer reading programs have helped keep children engaged while school's out. But in the last several years, more and more bookstores and literary organizations have expanded their challenges to adults, tapping into a passion for reading, a desire for community and a taste for nostalgia (and pizza). Some challenges focus on the number of books finished or minutes read; others use bingo cards to help participants diversify their reading habits with thematic (read a translated book) and situational (read outdoors) prompts. Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., piloted an adult summer reading challenge two years ago after hearing from many customers who were jealous of their kids' contest, which they've run since 2013. After its success, the bookstore shifted to an all-ages, bingo-style challenge last year: More than 2,700 people finished, around 1,400 of whom were adults. Powell's is one of many independent bookstores around the country that have opened things up to grown-ups, said Bry Hoeg, who manages the store's City of Books location. 'If they weren't doing it already, they started within the last year.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Book festival SLAMMED as 'new Fyre Fest' after authors and attendees lose out on hundreds of dollars
A new book festival is joining the likes of the failed Glasgow Willy Wonka experience, controversial Eras Tour event, and the infamous Fyre Fest after romance authors lost money and attendees complained bitterly all over social media. A Million Lives Book Festival, a romantic fantasy book convention held at the Baltimore Convention Center over the weekend is getting slammed online for not delivering what it promised - it has since been nicknamed 'A Million Little Lies.' The festival was marketed as a convention for readers of 'romantasy,' which is one of the most popular genres on BookTok, where book lovers talk about their favorite books on TikTok. West Virginia-based author Grace Willows organized the event through her company Archer Management. It was described as 'the perfect event to make more bookish friends,' including a 'vendor hall, panels, a content creation room, fandom cosplay meet ups, a cosplay competition and a ball.' Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $250. According to Archer Management, the company is 'here to host events to help build the bookish community' and supports 'traditionally and independently published authors.' Grace's biography explains that books are her 'therapy' and have helped her meet 'so many amazing people in the bookish community.' She 'started this company' to share her love of reading 'with others and make them affordable so that anyone can attend.' However, after the event, attendees flocked to social media to complain bitterly. Many of the authors said that while they were promised up to 1,000 attendees, there were very few people (according to Reddit, about 50 to 60), and they still had to pay for their own tables to sell books. 'I barely made enough to cover my f***ing parking for two days,' author Kait Disney-Leugers, who took a day off of work to participate, claimed in a TikTok, before saying that A Million Lives 'felt like the Fyre Fest of book festivals.' Kait has since made a video about the website created to help authors who were at the event raise money to financially recover. Other TikToks, including the viral video shared by author Stephanie Combs, showcased no signage, no amenities, including the promised 'content creation room,' and a barely decorated room where the ball was supposed to be. Instead, women in lavish ball gowns looked downtrodden in a mostly empty conference room. A content creator with the username Azthia Bookwyrm shared a video of what she nicknamed the 'A Million Let Downs Book Festival,' showcasing the vendor hall devoid of guests and $10 wine in plastic cups at the at the empty fantasy ball. 'Those poor introverts finally decided to leave their houses, and this is what happens. They're never leaving their houses again,' one commenter quipped. One attendee on Reddit explained that they enjoyed meeting the authors and networking. However, they had to walk for miles to attend all of the events. When it came to the ball, they said 'the cleaning company came 15 minutes beforehand and couldn't be bothered to set up correctly.' They also explained that the music went wrong because 'the DJ was hospitalized beforehand and couldn't find a replacement,' which is why a Bluetooth speaker was used instead, which they found unacceptable for $250 VIP tickets, along with a $600 hotel, as well as $70 parking. 'Yikes. This sounds like a bookish Fyre Festival,' one commenter responded. Another confirmed, 'I was one of the signing authors there. And yes, most (if not all) you're hearing is true.' Fantasy, mystery, and romance author Hope Davis created a viral Instagram thread about her experience, writing that 'authors were charged a $150 table fee and told at some point 500-600 tickets were sold. Only about 50 people showed up.' Other TikToks, including the viral video shared by author Stephanie Combs, showcased no signage, no amenities, and a barely decorated room where the ball was supposed to be @stephdevourerofbooks When you gotta laugh so you don't cry. 😂😭 a million lives or a million lies? 😬🫣 I was an attending author…at least we looked fantastic. @Valerie Rivers @Author Sarah Zane🏳️🌈 #baltimore #amillionlivesbookfestival #amillionlies #bookball ♬ origineel geluid - Tik Toker Hope also said that there were no promised swag bags, no decorations at the ball, and no official schedule of the panels. 'I took a huge loss on the weekend but at least I sold SOMETHING. I sent most of the 100 books I ordered for this event but I can't imagine what some authors are going through right now trying to ship books back or return them because they can't take them with them,' she said. Grace later took to TikTok to apologize and promised a refund to people who asked for their money back. 'I do understand that the ball tonight was not up to standards. There were a lot of issues getting set up, and it was not set up well,' she said in the video. Grace then turned off comments.
