Some news about books and ebooks from around the web:
- The Jammie Thomas-Rasset file-sharing retrial reached closing arguments last week in Minneapolis. Last time, we learned that Sony wanted $150,000 per pirated song. Then Thomas-Rasset broke down on the stand and claimed the record companies were trying to extort money from her. This week, the jury found Thomas-Rasset liable and ordered her to pay $80,000 per song, for a total of nearly $2M for 24 crappy songs. Ouch. The other big file-sharing case, the one against Joel Tenenbaum in Massachusetts, is becoming a circus. Meanwhile, research has come out disputing the Big Media argument. that piracy is a disincentive to creation. And here are some myths about piracy debunked.
- Clearly having been inspired by our Literary Beach Books series, NPR is holding a poll to determine the best beach books of all time. They define “beach books” as: “When you read one, your surroundings recede, time bends and you’re transported, mesmerized, enthralled. These are page turners to be sure, but that doesn’t mean they’re brainless.” The results should be interesting. NPR also has Nancy Pearl, the librarian behind Book Lust, weighing in with her best books of the summer.
- Kindlers beware: the first major DRM headache has surfaced. As long as there is ubiquitous DRM on ebooks, this won’t be the last headache, either. Also, Amazon very well might raise ebook prices, though they could also feasibly lower them. And, Farhad Manjoo on the design drawbacks of the Kindle for newspapers.
- Quick takes: here’s a handy-looking customizer program for your Sony PRS-505 (via TeleRead); Ray Bradbury is anti-ebook and pro-library; Marisha Pessl’s adventure novel recos; Google Books has added a bunch of new features; here’s an interesting piece on how we read; and a Booksquare post on digital comfort reads.
- Random of the week: Sharks hunt like serial killers. Plus, if you’re ever making an impassioned speech from the middle of a road in a movie, consider looking to your right every once in a while.
