News
Stay informed on publishing trends, library culture, reading tech, and the literary shifts shaping the world of modern, mindful readers.
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Is the PocketBook Q phone-sized e-reader worth waiting for? A few reasons to hold out
Phone-sized e-readers are taking over, but most force you to choose between slow, bloated Android devices or tiny tinker toys. With PocketBook announcing the pocketable PocketBook Q for €199, should you delay your autumn purchase? Here is an honest look at whether you should wait.
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The quiet Kindle price hike: Canada and the US hit hard while rivals hold back
If you live in North America, buying a Kindle just got painful. Prices climbed by up to 36% in the US and up to 52% in Canada. Yet in Europe, prices have not changes at all, and competitors hold their ground. Is this massive price hike really justified?
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OverDrive acquires Onleihe, reshaping digital libraries in Germany
Public libraries in the German-speaking world are about to look very different. OverDrive has bought Divibib to replace the old Onleihe system with its own platform.
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Public libraries are a quiet weapon against online misinformation (report)
New research from Stirling and Glasgow universities shows that public libraries are uniquely trusted to fight false facts online. The catch? Most librarians are left to do it with little more than goodwill.
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Three new ways Spotify is trying to fix audiobook discovery
Is Spotify actually a sensible place to listen to literature? With hundreds of thousands of audiobooks available, navigating them was always tricky. Now, natural conversations, smart prompts, and series trackers aim to reduce the friction.
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Multi-modal ebooks are taking over digital publishing (report)
Reading on a screen used to mean staring at flat black text. Now, AI models and interactive media are changing digital books completely. Are we ready for multi-modal reading, or was the old digital page actually enough?
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How paper books make story comprehension easier for your brain (report)
Swiping through a story on a tablet seems convenient, but it forces your brain to work much harder. Recent report shows that reading physical manga saves mental energy and improves narrative comprehension.
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Free Ink is the open e-reader project that gives you back control and privacy
Most modern e-readers lock you into one specific shop. Free Ink takes a different path, letting you drag and drop any EPUB file straight over Wi-Fi without an account.
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Boox Picco teased: the 3.97-inch micro-reader to battle phone addiction
While e-reader screens keep getting bigger, the upcoming Boox Picco goes the opposite direction. At under 4 inches, it offers a clever, distraction-free way to read on the go.
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The Booker Prize 2026 longlist is here, and it feels predictable again
The Booker Prize longlist for 2026 was announced. Thirteen books made the cut from 163 submissions. Are we supposed to be surprised by the selection? Not really.
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Amazon is forced to redesign its Kindles thanks to new EU battery rules
Due to upcoming European Union regulations, every new Kindle will soon sport a user-replaceable battery. Rather than making separate versions, Amazon is updating its global range to avoid losing European buyers.
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Report: 170,000 librarians are holding European public life together
With 67,000 public libraries across Europe, a modest workforce of 170,000 professionals now serves 75 million registered patrons. As libraries transform into tech hubs and social shelters, is it realistic to expect workers to do it all on basic budgets?
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Why the hot literati trend is the new offline status symbol
Everyone talks about the hot literari trend as if it was only about fashion. But isn’t carrying a real book simply the ultimate flex that you can afford to go offline?
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How France convinced high-school students to read real news
A massive nationwide experiment in French high schools proves that free newspaper subscriptions and teacher training significantly improve youth media literacy and civic knowledge.
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Books in translation: how Europe reads between the lines (report)
We like to pretend Europe is a rich mosaic of different languages. The data tells another story. The new report shows that English dominates our bookshops so heavily that smaller local voices are simply getting priced out.
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Is the age of reading over?
In a world full of fast digital distractions, the ability to read long texts is turning into a rare skill. The Atlantic claims the age of reading is finished, but could this decline actually give a massive advantage to the few who still read?
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A new study finds that 94% of AI-written college papers go undetected
A team from the University of Reading conducted an experiment to assess the detectability of AI-generated academic work.
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Here are the 5 winners and all 25 finalists of the 2024 National Book Awards
Barbara Kingsolver and Percival Everett have been announced the winners at the 75th National Book Awards, during a ceremony gala held on November 20, in New York.
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Amazon now displays monthly sales – what does it say about the Kindle?
Amazon now displays the number of units sold in the past month – and it’s a great way to analyze how people buy the Kindle.
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The 2024 National Book Awards finalists are announced in five categories (full list)
25 finalists of the National Book Awards 2024, have been revealed by the National Book Foundation and New York Times.
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Leaked images show the 2024 basic Kindle with 25% brighter display and a green bezel
The all-new, basic Kindle 2024 model will be released by Amazon on October 1, featuring a display with 25% brighter illumination and a dark mode.
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ALA report: public libraries see 92 percent increase in number of titles targeted for censorship
A new report by the American Library Association shows efforts to censor 4,240 unique book titles in schools and libraries.
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Nearly half of Americans didn’t read a book last year
46% of Americans were book-free in 2023, while 11% read 20 books or more.
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Review bombing is a growing problem on Goodreads
Goodreads makes little effort to deal with a practice known as review-bombing, in which a book is flooded with negative reviews, often from fake accounts.