Around the Web: Gendering Books, Authors on Reviews, Book Blobs, and Canada at Frankfurt Book Fair

Hello dear readers, and welcome back to Around the Web! This week, we’re sharing some thoughts on gendering books, a piece on how reviews can affect authors, a look at the “book blob” cover trend, and an article on Canada being the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

“Boy Books” and “Girl Books”

As the holidays approach, you’re likely to start seeing book recommendation lists for kids, some of which might say certain books are “for boys” or “for girls.” This is needless gendering, says blogger Janssen Bradshaw, who argues that it’s time to stop labelling books as “boy books” or “girl books” in this Brightly article.

How Goodreads Reviews Affect Authors

Author Jessica Goodman shares how negative Goodreads reviews started affecting her writing and editing process in this Bustle article, reminding us that not all criticism is helpful or meant for the creator of the work being critiqued.

The Book Blob

Have you noticed images of “amorphous daubs of warm, bright color, intersecting with one another to form different hues” on bookshelves in recent years? If you have, this is what PrintMag is calling the Book Blob, one of the latest trends in book covers.

Canada at Frankfurt

After the pandemic put book fairs on hold, Canada finally experienced the spotlight as the Frankfurt Book Fair’s Guest of Honour. The Globe and Mail outlines the challenges of bringing CanLit to Frankfurt and discusses defining Canada’s literary reputation as Canadian publishers seek international recognition and sales.