I’m pretty sure this is a good idea. It’s like Tor.com for politics and current affairs. Smart and well led by the looks of things. Vertical niches folks, vertical niches!!
This is a new experiment at Random House, an effort to explore whether we can hold an engaging conversation online about different books that we think may shed light on what’s going on in the world right now. The suggestions and the essays will not be limited to Random House books, or to new books, but to any title that strikes us as relevant and worthwhile.
Eoin Purcell's Blog 
A welcome development. Perhaps a sign too that publishing is starting to more fully embrace digital technology as something that will not lead to the demise of the book but in fact secure its future, allbeit on different platforms.