Book Marks: Genres, Singapore Libraries, Ian Fleming's Productivity Hack

"Genre is a confining madness; it says nothing about how writers write or readers read, and everything about how publishers, retailers and commentators would like them to," writes Alex Clark in The Guardian. "This is not to criticise the many talented personnel in those areas, who valiantly swim against the labels their industry has alighted on to shift units as quickly and smoothly as possible."

The title of the article asks whether literary genres should be abolished, but I don't think it's necessary. And Clark's example of "a boiled egg" for lunch and something "complicated" and "unfamiliar" at dinner time strikes a chord with those whose lunchtime go-to on some days might be a kopitiam breakfast set of half-boiled eggs with kaya toast. "These are not perceived as contradictions, but as perfectly reasonable options available to those of us lucky enough to have them," he writes.

Let genres stay. If publishers or agents can't find a suitable pigeonhole for the next possible hit, be certain that new ones will be invented.

Okay, moving on...

• Libraries across the United States and the United Kingdom are closing down, but those in Singapore seem to be adapting to changes in the reading and literary landscape. In Channel News Asia, Singapore's National Library Board reported that "as of August, 78 per cent of Singapore residents visited NLB’s libraries and archives and accessed its content in the preceding year, up from 61.7 per cent in 2022, and 72.5 per cent in 2019 pre-COVID-19.
• "Innovators and business professionals are constantly bombarded with stimuli that fragment their attention. The proliferation of digital devices and social media means that distractions are not just external but also reside in our pockets, making concentrated work a significant challenge." A solution? Ian Fleming's "Rule of Forced Boredom": putting himself in a distraction-free environment where he could either write or do zilch. But to write a book in two weeks?
• "While many people know the city for its military base, Paju [in South Korea] is also home to the nation’s elaborate book publishing hub — officially known as Paju Publishing Culture, Information and National Industrial Park but commonly referred to as Paju Book City. Around 900 book-related businesses, including printing presses, distribution companies and design studios, line the streets, and signs reading 'Paju Book City' are everywhere." Not sure why this idea isn't as widespread as it should be, but one supposes that political will and leadership play a role.
• "If Prophet Song is a dystopia, then, like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale, it's one whose events are already happening around the world. ... The recent rioting in Dublin, and the shock and disbelief that greeted it, give the novel an uncomfortable extra timeliness." In The Guardian, Justine Jordan believes the winner of the 2023 Booker Prize is – or should be – waking western societies up to the forces threatening their sociopolitical fabric.
• In the wake of a shark attack, Mike Coots took up photography and shark conservation. His book, Shark: Portraits, is part of those efforts. "His book is a way to hopefully get the masses to look at sharks in a different light; not as murderous creatures stalking humans, but as an incredibly beautiful example of evolution. The book is years in the making. Thousands of photos taken over nearly a decade culled down to 200."
• "...Reylo fanfiction is no longer something you can just find on sites like AO3. In fact, several Reylo authors have made the jump from fanfiction to traditional publishing in recent years, transforming their fics into original works you can find at your local bookstore." The romantical shipping of Star Wars characters Rey and Kylo Ren goes mainstream with Reylo-inspired fiction and audiences are lovin' it.
• "Every generation decries the fall of civilization and the lack of young kids reading," Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan tells Rolling Stone. "You can find quotes from the ancient Greeks talking about how the world is doomed because of ’these kids today.’ Personally, I think kids are our best reason to be hopeful, and I think they will keep reading as long as we give them stories they love." YA authors including Riordan defend the genre as movie adaptations of YA works flounder.