Spotify Unveils Audiobook Program for Premium Members
On November 8th, Spotify USA debuted a new audiobook program for their premium subscribers. Paid members now can listen to up to 15 hours of audiobooks for no additional cost every month. They also have the option to add ten-hour listening increments for an additional...
Barbara Kingsolver Wins United Kingdom’s Women’s Prize for Fiction
American novelist Barbara Kingsolver has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction for the second time in her career and is the first recipient to do so. Her 2022 release, Demon Copperhead, follows the story of a boy born to a single mother in the Appalachia Mountains....
The Book Censorship and the Rising “Parents Rights” Bill
On March 30th, federal judge Robert Pitman ruled that Llano County’s library board likely infringed on the constitutional rights of readers in the community. The lawsuit was filed by local library patrons against the county judge and commissioners for removing books...
Barnes & Noble Rolls Out New Membership Plan, Eliminates Educator Discount
On February 17th, Barnes and Noble announced an overhaul of their yearly membership program, eliminating their old $25 membership program in exchange for a two-tier membership and rewards program. With the old membership – a program that had been a part of the...
ACT UP Urges S&S CEO Not to Distribute AIDS Denialist’s Book
On March 20, ACT UP, a coalition of HIV/AIDS advocates, organizations, and public health experts, sent a letter to Jonathan Karp, CEO of Simon & Schuster, urging him to reconsider the book deal with AIDS denialist, Rebecca Culshaw. They wrote, “In the midst of...
Brooklyn Public Library: Books Unbanned Initiative
Across the United States, book banning has increased, with 2022 set to outdo 2021 in the number of challenged and banned books. This challenge is nothing new. In fact, books that offer commentary on societal issues, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Maus, I Know Why...