In just a few days, the number of major metropolitan newspapers offering a stand alone book review section will be reduced from four to three. Publishers Weekly has revealed that this Sunday, July 27, will be the last date the Los Angeles Times will publish book reviews in a separate section, leaving only the New York Times, Washington Post, and our own Chicago Tribune . According to a Times executive, book reviews now will be included in the newspaper's "Calendar" section.
Yeah, I'd think to look there if I wanted to read a critical literary analysis of Ethan Canin's latest novel.
The Los Angeles Times is owned by the Tribune Company, and the news out of that city has to make Chicago area readers wonder how long this town will be able to support a separate newspaper section devoted solely to book reviews. Editors of the Chicago Tribune have been candid about the possibility of change to the "Books" section. For weeks, they have been inviting readers to share their thoughts and opinions on its strengths and weaknesses.
Will this really do any good? Has the decision to cut "Books" already been made? If this week's PW announcement is any indication, it's only a matter of time.
Does this mean we've become a nation of philistines who don't revere the written word enough to warrant our newspapers' devotion of a few meager inches of column space to coverage of the book industry? Not necessarily. As political pundit James Carville famously said, "it's the economy, stupid!" and the fact of the matter is that book review sections do not attract sufficient advertising dollars to support their production. The national chain bookstores are relying more and more on Internet marketing to attract buyers, and regional and local independent booksellers can't afford the ad rates.
So, where will avid readers be able to go to find book reviews? Tooting our own horn here, there are a number of resources available in the Readers Services department, from magazines such as Bookmarks and ForeWord to online databases such as the American Library Association's Booklist. And a Readers Services or Reference librarian will always be able to help you find the reviews you want.
But our library materials notwithstanding, for the sake of all the readers here in Chicago, I can only hope we don't go the way of our left-coast brethren. Though it's a far cry from what it could or should be, the Trib's "Books" section is still a reliable resource. If it, too, goes bye-bye, I will sorely miss one of my weekend rituals, sitting on the sofa with a second cup of tea and a couple of cats, and finding out what's new, what's good, what's hot, what's not in the wonderful world of books.
CH
Have you ever had the experience of reading a book and finding that it unexpectedly has a direct connection to your own life? This happened to me a few weeks ago. I had checked out a book based primarily on the cover (it's the cutest sad dog) and because the title, 