Nook vs. Kindle: who will win the epic price war?
In today’s news, Carolyn Kellogg proves why fiction isn’t dead, NPR suggests novels to inspire/console recent grads, and e-readers launch a price war (in which consumers win).
- In the Jacket Copy post “Fiction is dead. Again?” Carolyn Kellogg takes The Observer‘s Lee Siegel to task over his claims that fiction is no longer relevant. Kellogg writes, “It’s hard to figure out which is more problematic: how poorly Siegel’s argument is made, or how many things he gets wrong in the process,” and she proceeds to refute Siegel’s claims one by one. It’s a refreshing reminder of how fiction does affect our lives, and Kellogg concludes, “Fiction lives! It lives!”
- NPR’s latest installment of the “Three Books” series is dedicated to recent grads stressing about life, success, eternal greatness, and so on. “Three Degrees of Failure for the Recent Graduates” by Lizzie Skurnick highlights three books to make graduates feel better about themselves. The books, including William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, Susan Coll’s Beach Week, and Mary McCarthy’s The Group, serve to remind 22-year-old perfectionists that “some graduates just crash and burn.” And life goes on.
- If you’ve been staying off the e-reader bandwagon due to price, the latest price war might make you reconsider. Earlier this week, Barnes & Noble reduced the price of their reader, the Nook, to $199. Just a few hours later, Amazon announced a Kindle price cut from $259 to $189. With the iPad threatening e-reader sales, don’t be surprised if prices drop even further. Check out ShelfLife for more details.
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