Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines on politics, culture, media, and other topics. Today, we’ve got stories about who owns the public library, tips and insights for overcoming reading decline, and much more.
What are public libraries for anyway?
Earlier this year, I wrote about how public libraries were redefining YA books, moving them to adult sections of the collection and depriving teens of literature and the public spaces designated for them. 404 media adds to this discussion An article this week explores how public libraries are becoming targets not through direct state-level legislation like their school library counterparts, but through policies and demands to move books for young readers into the library’s adult sections.
I don’t think public libraries are excluding adults or being developed specifically for children, even though more and more YA books are placed in adult collections. I think actually the opposite is happening: they are becoming exclusive spaces for adults, as more and more books, programs, and even physical spaces for young people are being moved, removed, and stigmatized as “inappropriate.” It is the champions of “parental rights” who are presenting their perspective on who is allowed to participate in democracy and who is not, and this is particularly Them.
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In conversations I’ve had with high school students, they’ve named the public library as one of two places they can be in public, 1. without having to buy something and 2. without being deemed inconvenient or unwelcoming. They were teenagers from Illinois; I suspect that in states like South Carolina – which is referenced in both my article and the 404 – this is not the response they would be giving high schoolers.
Do you find yourself in a reading slump? Here are 5 ways to get your book enjoyment back
It’s been a minute since I looked at the Upworthy website, but this really is a great primer Why books decline and where/how you can get back the habit of reading. All of the reasons listed for why reading can be challenging are understandable – stress/anxiety, fatigue, life changes, reading as a major component of one’s work day, etc. – but sometimes it can be easy to forget that there are many reasons, internal and external, that we fall into. I’ve always been of the mindset that if I can’t bring myself to read, it’s a sign that I don’t need to. desire and interest in reading always comes back.
My favorite tip on this list: reframing the meaning of your TBR. I recently saw someone compare TBR to a menu instead of a homework assignment, and I really like that metaphor. It’s a choice you get to choose from, rather than something you’re stuck with (like someone who doesn’t have a TBR even has that option!).
Quirky vocab book takes off on TikTok 40+ years after publication
Thank you, a humor columnist, for forgetting the title of a book you read in elementary school. Salt Lake Tribune He (naturally) turned to his TikTok followers for help. Neither he—nor anyone else—could have expected this 41 year old vocabulary book, heavy word bookwill become a viral sensation. The book then reached the Amazon bestseller charts and the publisher reported that they had gone back to print it five times. Very good!
Although I love the story of finding a forgotten book and the surprising increase in interest it has seen, my favorite part of this story is that it reconnected the columnist with former classmates and the retired teacher who read the book to her so many years ago.
Now we are cooking with heat
Anthony Bourdain wasn’t trying to change restaurant culture when he wrote the viral essay that became the basis for his best-selling first memoir. kitchen secretBut he changed it. This week, to mark Bourdain’s 70th birthday, Rebecca and Jeff roll up their sleeves to re-read the book that revolutionized food writing and reshaped the way we think about food and travel.
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