When Fan Fiction and Reality Collide – I don’t really think the title of this article does it justice, because it’s tackling so much more – namely, the complex relationship between fan fiction, its subjects, and the mainstream publishers and production companies that are looking to exploit new content. Case ... more >
Louise Erdrich, Matthew Desmond Among Winners of National Book Critics Circle Awards – I have always loved Louise Erdrich’s books, because despite their often grim elements, there is a sense of gentleness and illuminated love in her writing (similar IMO to the film “Moonlight”). So I’m thrilled to see that she ... more >
Facebook amps up ‘fake news’ antidotes. Plus: fact-checkers! – It’s kind of sad when a major feature of news coverage about Facebook’s approach to the “fake news” problem is the company’s turn to human fact-checkers rather than pure tech. Although I think it’s good news that the company does not appear ... more >
This website recommends novels by making sure you can’t judge a book by its cover – This reminds me a little of DA’s First Page feature, except, of course, that recommendmeabook.com features already-published books. Click on the site and you will see the first page of the book without title or author, ... more >
Paypal’s New eBook Report: Consumers Are More Willing to Pay for eBooks Than Video Games – Nate Hoffelder’s take on a new report from Paypal that looks at international ebook and game buying patterns. Beyond the not-really-news that Amazon still leads in the sale of ebooks (surprise!), it seems that games ... more >
Facebook users live longer, study finds – Despite the way this study is being described in headlines, it’s not so much that Facebook extends your life expectancy – it’s that using Facebook to enhance sociability extends life. In other words, it’s Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone for the online world: A new study ... more >