book clubs

The Today Show resurrects book club with fantasy novel; Jonathan Franzen's debut novel turns twenty-five; query letter adivce; female protagonists gain depth; and other news.

Ayana Mathis's The Twelve Tribes of Hattie was selected by Oprah's Book Club 2.0; in the wake of controversy, Amazon has revamped its reviewing policies; Latanya McQueen shares her thoughts on the multitude of little magazines; and other news.

Melville House wonders when publishers will speak out about Amazon; New York City's Algonquin Hotel announced that when it reopens this spring after a renovation, the famed Oak Room will be gone; E. B. White answers a charge levied by the ASPCA; and more

The newly launched Findings, an online community that lets users compile and contribute excerpts from books and websites, joins a growing number of digital endeavors that place a new emphasis on sharing while reading.

For the first time, the world’s most influential reader has given her blessing to a short story collection. Oprah Winfrey—whose imprimatur virtually guarantees best-seller status—announced last Friday that the sixty-third selection for her eponymous book club is the debut Say You’re One of Them (Little, Brown, 2008) by Nigerian author and Jesuit priest Uwem Akpan.

Online book club LibraryThing announced yesterday that it will revamp its site to comply with new requirements from Amazon. The retailer, which supplies LibraryThing and countless other affiliates with valuable book data, has begun insisting that its partners’ primary pages link solely to Amazon.