Tag Archives: readers

Young Girls Are Much, Much Better Readers Than Boys, And Have Been For A Long Time | HuffPo

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The gap between boys’ and girls’ respective reading abilities has been getting a lot of attention lately, but the trend itself is not new.

Girls have been better readers than boys for a long, long time, according to a report released Tuesday by the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. The annual report analyzes three topics in contemporary education through the lens of up-to-date research. This year, the report looked at the effectiveness of the Common Core state standards, the relationship between student engagement and academic achievement, and the gender gap in reading.

READ MORE: Young Girls Are Much, Much Better Readers Than Boys, And Have Been For A Long Time | Huffington Post

The Top Fantasy Books To Get Any Beginner Interested In The Genre | Huffington Post

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The fantasy genre can be daunting — magic, creatures, and unpronounceable names can seem, well, a bit weird to people who haven’t read those kinds of books before. However, as millions upon millions of fans know, there’s something to be said for the escapism and sense of wonder that a fantastical novel can provide.

There’s also the question of size to consider. One glance at hefty high-fantasy series like Lord of the Rings (approximately 1,200 pages altogether) and Game of Thrones (4,228 pages and counting) can intimidate even the most avid of readers. But rest assured, not all fantasy novels are as massive and terrifying.

Whether you’re new to fantasy, or even new to reading for pleasure, there is always a point A from which to start. In this hypothetical scenario, consider “Game of Thrones” point D.

Here are some fantasy trilogies, series and standalone novels that can get you to point B (or point D, if you’re feeling ambitious). READ MORE: The Top Fantasy Books To Get Any Beginner Interested In The Genre | HuffPo

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These are my fantasy genre recommendations. There is a mix of classic, historical and romance fantasy novels listed.

  • The Hobbit & the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Ysabel and the Under Heaven series by Guy Gavriel Kay
  • Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
  • Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  • Inheritance series by N. K. Jemisin
  • The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
  • All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
  • The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  • Study Trilogy by Maria V. Snyder
  • Tairen Soul series and Weathermages of Mystral series by C.L. Wilson

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50 Great Novels About Madness | Flavorwire

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Not so much into March Madness? Well, perhaps you should look at it another way. March is the perfect month for reading books about madness — it is a transitional time, after all, possessed of both lion and lamb. Plus, you’ll have ample reading time, both outside and inside. The books herein, it should be noted, are those that deal with a kind of literary madness — obsession and absurdity and hallucination — not directly focusing on mental illness proper, whenever the two can be separated. So you won’t find The Bell Jar or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or The Yellow Wallpaper here, though those are all excellent reads. MORE: 50 Great Novels About Madness | Flavorwire.

26 Contemporary Books That Should Be Taught In High School | BuzzFeed

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We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what contemporary book should be taught in high school. Here are the brilliant results. READ MORE: 26 Contemporary Books That Should Be Taught In High School | BuzzFeed

10 Gadgets for the Bookworm in Your Life | Mashable

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Everyone knows one of them. They always have their nose stuck in a book, they don’t go anywhere without one and they are perennially asking you if you’ve read the book version of that movie that just came out. Bookworms. Book lovers. Bibliophiles.

Although book reading has historically been an analog and solitary activity, 2015 brings with it a new appreciation for digital gadgets, and the book industry isn’t exempt from the wave of tech innovation. READ MORE: 10 gadgets for the bookworm in your life | Mashable

James Patterson’s New Book Will Self-Destruct In 24 Hours | Co.Create

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I have not read any Patterson books in the last decade or so, as I’m not a fan of his collaborations with other authors to churn out titles. That being said, this is a fantastic book promotion concept. Very creative…and ‘thrilling’ idea.

James Patterson's New Book Will Self-Destruct In 24 Hours | Co.Create | creativity + culture + commerce

He’s got bazillions of fans, sold hundreds of millions of books, and has been called the best paid writer in the world. But this is probably the first time James Patterson will release a book that will actually explode.

READ MORE: James Patterson’s New Book Will Self-Destruct In 24 Hours | Co.Create | creativity + culture + commerce.

The Best Books of 2014 – The Ultimate List [Infographic] | BookBub Blog

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Of all the books published over the last 12 months, which were the very best? We wanted to get a sense of the consensus, so we aggregated 23 different Best of 2014 lists — from The Washington Post to Library Journal to Buzzfeed and more. Then we compiled rankings based on the number of times each books was listed.

Below you’ll find an infographic that highlights the top-ranked books.  (We created separate infographics for books in the romance, mystery & thriller, business, young adult, and nonfiction categories.) We hope you find some great new books on these lists — we certainly did! via The Best Books of 2014 | The Ultimate List | BookBub Blog

E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People | WIRED

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…For the nearly 8 million people in the US with some degree of vision impairment, the advent of ebooks and e-readers has been both a blessing and a burden. A blessing, because a digital library—everything from academic textbooks, to venerated classics, to romance novels—is never further away than your fingertips. A burden, because the explosion of ebooks has served as a reminder of how inaccessible technology really can be…

READ MORE: E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People | WIRED

What Book Should You Read Next? Putting Librarians And Algorithms To The Test | Co.Exist

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What Book Should You Read Next? Putting Librarians And Algorithms To The Test | Co.Exist | ideas + impact

Snips

When I received the Brooklyn Public Library’s recent email newsletter promoting a new service called BookMatch, I was both delighted and dismayed.

On the one hand, it was a great idea. All I had to do was fill out a short web form letting the librarians know a bit about what I wanted to read and what I liked to read, and one promised to write back with five personalized recommendations tailored to my interests and tastes. On the other, the fact I was so delighted was exactly what was dismaying.

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Clearly, the librarians believe that human tastes and discretion are still relevant, even as automated algorithms are influencing an increasing portion of the media we consume, whether in the form of news, books, music, or movies. But are a book expert’s personalized suggestions really better than what I might get from Amazon, a site that hasn’t employed a human editor for its home page in 14 years? It’s very possible my positive feelings about the BookMatch program are sprung from mere sentimentality.

READ MORE: What Book Should You Read Next? Putting Librarians And Algorithms To The Test | Co.Exist | ideas + impact

Comixology DRM-Free Comics | $1 for Access to 15,000 Marvel Comics | Gizmodo

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You Can Finally Download DRM-Free Comic Book Backups From Comixology | Gizmodo
The biggest digital comic book distributor in all of digital comics land, Comixology, just took a relatively unprecedented move for a platform its size. Customers will now be able to download DRM-free backups—meaning when you buy a book, you’ll finally get to own it, too.

You Can Access 15,000 Marvel Comics Right Now For a Buck | Gizmodo
As we all prepare our brains and Twitter feeds for the unstoppable flood of comics and entertainment news that will pour out of San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced some news in the quiet before the storm. Now, for 99 cents, readers can gain access to Marvel Unlimited, the publisher’s treasure trove of 15,000 issues from current series (well, at least six months old) and classic golden- and silver-age titles. You can also store up to 12 issues offline so you can read without a reliable Wi-Fi connection. As long as you have a Mac, PC, iOS, or Android device, you’re in business.