The Reader Review Source: A New Place for Book Lovers to Find Their Next Read
Filling a Review Gap
The Washington Post ended Book World, its weekly book review supplement, earlier this year. Alter said the closure left a gap in newspaper book coverage. He recalled that 30 years ago, 30 American newspapers ran book review sections in their Sunday editions. Today, he said, The New York Times is the only paper that still maintains a separate book review section.
What The Reader Offers
Executive editor Haley Sweetland Edwards said The Reader will focus mainly on reviews, while also publishing essays and columns about the literary world. Writers including Robert Caro, Margaret Atwood and Ann Patchett will recommend books that have received little cultural attention. Alter said the publication plans to review books expected to become bestsellers as well as deserving titles that have not attracted much notice.
Two Weekend Picks
For “Sunday Morning,” The Reader is offering two books for consideration each weekend: one fiction title and one nonfiction title. This week’s fiction pick is “Stations” by Louise Kennedy, published by Riverhead Books. The Reader describes it as a story about young friends in 1980s Ireland. The nonfiction selection is “The Sensualist: Adventures in Pure Pleasure” by Gary Shteyngart, published by Random House. The book is a collection of absurdist essays on the modern pursuit of pleasure; Shteyngart is the New York Times bestselling author of “Super Sad True Love Story.”
Formats and Retailers
“Stations” is available in hardcover, eBook and audio formats. “The Sensualist” is available in hardcover, large print trade paperback, eBook and audio formats. Both titles are listed through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org.
Key points
- The Reader is launching amid fewer newspaper book review sections.
- Its coverage will include reviews, essays, literary columns and author recommendations.
- This weekend’s picks are “Stations” by Louise Kennedy and “The Sensualist” by Gary Shteyngart.
- Both books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org.