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what about some good afternoon reading?

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“trends” is the second most trending topic rn ive rlly seen everything

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Ex-Mangamura operator ordered to pay 1.7 billion yen to publishers

by Yuto Yoneda

The former operator of the now-defunct manga piracy website Mangamura has been ordered to pay approximately 1.7 billion yen ($11.01 million) in damages to three major Japanese publishers. 

The Tokyo District Court on April 18 ruled in a lawsuit filed by Kadokawa Corp., Shueisha Inc. and Shogakukan Inc. against the operator for infringing on their rights by publishing popular manga on the internet without permission.

The publishers had sought damages totaling approximately 1.9 billion yen. The court ordered the former operator to pay approximately 1.7 billion yen.

This was the largest claim ever in a lawsuit over a piracy site.

According to the complaint, from around February 2016, when the site was opened, to April 2018, when it was closed, Mangamura posted approximately 8,200 pirated copies of manga and magazines, equivalent to about 73,000 volumes, without permission.

The maximum number of monthly hits at that time was close to 100 million.

The publishers estimated that the damages totaled about 320 billion yen and sought a portion from the suspected mastermind of the site.

In a criminal case, the Fukuoka District Court in June 2021 sentenced the former operator to three years in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of 10 million yen and about 62.6 million yen in back taxes, for violating copyright law.

The Mangamura operator has served his time behind bars and has been released. 

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As a kid’s bookseller, with a major chain, I find today’s news piece in The Bookseller reporting on "a notable shift towards shorter children’s books" incredibly resonant. Because publishers are not “judging children’s reading standards realistically. Nor are the people in the higher echelons of bookselling. I think both have “been guilty of favouring the books we as already bookish adults enjoy reading, losing sight of the actual child the books are intended for”.

What’s more, I would say the resulting “pedestal” treatment of overly long, overly complex, very often fantasy or borderline fantasy books is driving young readers away. Presented with 300 pages of world building, the majority of the children I meet, will baulk. The fence is too big, too early. I don’t blame them. I can’t read these massively complex books. I have a number of books (and I don’t want to name them) that have been lauded but which I haven’t bothered to finish reading because they’re too much like hard work, and the storytelling is not strong enough to compensate. And I have read Ulysses.

Recently, and I quote, a bookseller who has worked in bookselling for over 25 years called a children’s book that has won prizes in US and UK: “Wonderful, loved every minute of it, possibly the best book I’ve read all year – but it ain’t for kids.” These books are marketed at kids, but really, they’re for adults.

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The horror, the horror...

My cartoon for this weekend’s @guardian books

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What is the Festival of Sant Jordi and when is it?

It is one of the most original celebrations in Catalonia and takes place in spring, on 23 April. It is a very popular festival that combines culture and romanticism, celebrating both World Book Day and Valentine’s Day. On this day, it is custom for couples to exchange gifts: the men receive a book and the women receive a rose. However, this has developed over time, so both men and women can receive books and roses.Book and flower stalls are set up along the streets of Barcelona. The streets fill with people walking around stalls, looking for a gift for their beloved, and for their family and friends too. You will find the latest publications, see well-known artists signing copies of their books, and of course, smell the scent of the roses.

From now on I am celebrating the Festival of Sant Jordi rather than World Book Day. It combines the best of both worlds, romance and culture.

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Merci bookstore in Paris.

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Outdoor reading season has begun.

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I know that look.

My first job with books was working the stacks at the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at NYU. The more academic subjects were often on floors with very little traffic. The building already had a reputation for suicides. On my first day on the job, I was told the patterned marble floor was designed to appear jagged and discourage jumpers from the top of the 12-story mezzanine. Shelving books on a floor where you are the only human can make you hear things. Old and dusty books give off their own mysterious vibe. When coupled with creaky pipes and the odd scurry of a rat, your mind tends to fill in the blanks with all sorts of creepy stuff...

Library of Congress

(Bernard Hoffman. 1941)

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How a Dallas bookstore is tackling book deserts and encouraging a culture of reading

by Zara Amaechi

...Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows Texas ranks in the bottom four of states for adult literacy.

Vega said the classroom doesn’t have to be where kids are introduced to books. Reading culture should start in the home — research shows that early exposure to books in a household is essential for building routines and practices that enhance lifelong cognitive skills.

But for many families, buying books is considered a luxury.

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