This edition of Today In Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty.
We Have Our 2018 Word Of The Year
At least according to Collins Dictionary who has selected the word Single-use. The term refers to products which are made for one use before being disposed, and are usually made of plastic. The BBC’s Blue Planet II and public awareness of environmental issues related to single-use products are contributors to the increase use in the term.
Hundreds Of Booksellers Protest Amazon’s AbeBooks
Amazon’s secondhand books marketplace AbeBooks announced its withdrawal from sellers in certain locations including Hungary, the Czech Republic, South Korea and Russia because the “third-party payment service provider is closing at the end of the year.” Aware of how devastating this can be to many booksellers, many of them are protesting by taking a vacation from using AbeBooks: “Now, around 2.6m books from more than 460 booksellers in 26 countries are now listed as temporarily unavailable.”
Twitter User Finds Unsent Fan Letter & J.K. Rowling Responds
Twitter user @SYatigammana found a fan letter they’d written Rowling, back when they were 11, tucked in the back of their Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They may not have ever mailed it, but thanks to a Twitter post that fan letter got a response from J.K. Rowling. You’re never too old for a dream to come true–or something like that.