I think I speak for everyone when I say this week has been A Lot. Living in the era of the never-ending news cycle can be overwhelming at the best of times, and this, my friends, sure doesn’t feel like the best of times. So, I tried my best to keep the bad news short and sweet and right off the top of our roundup this week, and made sure to outweigh any negative news with some good and inspiring stuff.

COVID-19 continues to cause event cancellations around the world. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which had originally been postponed a few months, has now officially been cancelled for 2020.

Big events and conventions aren’t the only ones being hit with the effects of COVID-19. As people start to self-quarantine and practice social distancing, indie bookstores are seeing a dramatic decline in business.

It’s not all bad news though! Booksellers in Beijing have teamed up with a food delivery service app to bring books to those who can’t, or don’t want to leave their house.

More good news, especially for those of us in the digital publishing world, the 20% tax on eBooks and digital newspapers and journals in the UK will be scrapped this year.

After canvassing her readers for ideas, author Sybil Wettasinghe was awarded the Guinness World Record for most alternate endings in a book with 1250!

Lady Gaga’s organization will be publishing an anthology of stories about kindness and I have to say, the timing on this could not be better.

If you’re looking to be inspired, Juliana Narváez Gutierrez (14) and Leonardo Mete (15) have won the First Page student writing challenge. You can read their entries in the article and spoiler alert: they’re very good.

Speaking of prizes, the National Book Critics Circle have announced their 2020 winners.

After the walkout at Hachette Book Group convinced the publisher to drop Woody Allen’s memoir, some are hopeful that this is the beginning of a positive change in publishing.

Another inspiring article, this one about a mobile library that serves refugee camps in Greece which I found to be incredibly moving.

And finally, my favourite piece of the week: Roxanne Gay’s love letter to her Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. Have a great weekend everyone.

Staff Reads and Recommendations:
Laura Granger, Author Engagement Specialist

“This sequel was one of my favorite romance reads of 2020 so far! Canadian author KA Tucker returns to the world of Calla and Jonah with the follow up to The Simple Wild. Set in Alaska, Wild at Heart follows Torontonian Calla as she tries to adapt to her new world of cold weather and wildlife. Tucker is a great writer, and I loved hearing about Calla’s journey as she forged her own path in her new home, along with a new cast of entertaining side characters (plus Zeke, a fainting goat!) And to be honest, I can never get enough of Jonah. 5/5 Yetis”