Interviews Weina Dai Randel burst onto the literary scene a number of years ago with her duology about Empress Wu Zetian, China’s first woman leader. After winning the prestigious Rita Award in 2017 and seeing her novels translated into seven languages, she is back now with a new historical novel set in 1940s Shanghai. Keeping with her love of strong women characters, her new book, The Last Rose of Shanghai, centers on a nightclub owner named Aiyi Shao who falls for a Jewish refugee who had recently escaped Nazi Germany. Through their love of jazz, they develop a forbidden bond set during one of Shanghai’s most volatile and exciting eras. Randel is the first Chinese American author to write about Shanghai Jewish refugees, although there have been dozens of memoirs, narratives, and novels about this phenomenon from Jewish authors. We recently spoke over Zoom about what made Shanghai so special and why it matters now, along with the reasons Jews escaped to Shanghai during World War II and how Chinese and Jewish traditions are so similar. Susan Blumberg-Kason: It seems that the popularity of 1930s and ’40s Shanghai rose both in China and the US about twenty-five years ago. Can you talk about the appeal of this time and why it’s so special, both to people in the US and China? Weina Dai Randel: I think many aspects of Old Shanghai appeal to us today. From the late 1920s to the early 1940s, the period of Old Shanghai was a symbol of... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2022-01-20 14:33:49 UTC ]
Celebrate Pride Month and queer voices by reading these three captivating audiobook memoirs written and narrated by queer women. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-22 10:36:19 UTC ]
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After spending the week getting destroyed by Gen Z on TikTok, here’s some good news for millennials: every 90s kid’s favorite portmanteau-titled book series is finally(?) getting a film adaptation. For the unacquainted(/Irish), the Animorphs were a scrappy gang of teens who, according to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-18 18:44:19 UTC ]
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Have you ever dropped a thermometer and watched its ball of mercury break into a scatter of glistening droplets? That’s my mind right now. The table next to my bed is anchoring a tottering tower of books I have begun and then abandoned, not out of displeasure but because… well, I actually... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-17 08:48:33 UTC ]
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Who better to write books than the book experts? Check out some excellent picture books written by librarians for their tiniest patrons. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-15 10:31:00 UTC ]
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Julia Whelan audiobooks are some of the best listens out there. This guide will help you find your perfect audiobook by the award-winning performer. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-12 10:38:10 UTC ]
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Husband and wife duo Polly Samson and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd have teamed up to work on the audiobook of Samson's novel A Theatre for Dreamers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-11 22:58:40 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Audio is bringing together wellbeing experts, including fitness author Chloe Madeley and performance coach Sara Milne Rowe, in a new audio anthology, The Here and Now. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-09 10:56:54 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Host Michele Cobb speaks with narrator Julia Whelan, one of AudioFile’s 2020 Golden Voices,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-08 09:15:30 UTC ]
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If your local bookstore is all sold out of its books on anti-racism, good. Finally. Backorder them for yourself. But in the meantime, the audiobook version of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the 2016 National Book Award... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-04 14:34:08 UTC ]
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The audiobook of STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi is currently available for free on Spotify. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-04 12:58:03 UTC ]
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Publishers are increasingly seeking out audio talent that reflects the race and experience of the books’ authors and characters. But what constitutes a black, Latino or Asian voice? Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-06-03 12:00:12 UTC ]
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While many readers have understandably found refuge from pandemic anxiety with thick biographies and door-stopping classics, others have had trouble focusing for long periods. With work laptops constantly open and homeschooled children orbiting, the solution to our short attention spans might be... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-02 08:48:22 UTC ]
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Today's news marks the next step in Beat Technologies' drive to create bespoke D2C audiobook and ebook platforms for marquee-level publishers. The post Norway’s Beat Technology Signs a Denmark Trio for an Audiobook Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-29 13:48:10 UTC ]
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Get listening to Kevin R. Free audiobook performances with this guide to for where to start. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-29 10:34:44 UTC ]
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Everyone peaked too early. You remember. The beginning of lockdown, when suddenly half of your friends were FaceTiming you about Tiger King, or downloading a language app, and so many people ordered yoga mats online that they took an estimated six weeks to be delivered. Now the yoga mat... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-05-22 15:30:00 UTC ]
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The National Literacy Trust has partnered with cosmetics company Lancôme to launch an audiobook club for young women. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-18 13:24:10 UTC ]
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It’s a long-standing joke in lockdown now – among those of us quarantined, self-isolating, or lucky enough to keep working from home – that we don’t know which day it is. Or even which week. And did I shower this morning, or was it yesterday? Our immediate surroundings have been so similar for... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-05-15 14:46:20 UTC ]
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Francophone African books are still very often published by French imprints, which can make them hard to get at home. But there is a growing push for changeWhen Cameroonian author Daniel Alain Nsegbe first saw his debut novel for sale in his home city of Douala, the price was so high “you would... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-05-14 09:59:14 UTC ]
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I am not going to write about the illness; the headaches, the pain in my lungs and chest, the loss of smell (wine has still not yet been consumed), the breathlessness, the trip to A&E… Yep a seven long week Covid drama and if I had to use an emoji to illustrate the whole sodding experience,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-11 08:59:32 UTC ]
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Once upon a time, round about the start of the year, there was a settled order in the audiobook recording world. A relatively small number of voice artists had at-home recording setups – often a booth, built in a spare room or the garden shed, which gave the experienced narrator greater... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-10 19:59:08 UTC ]
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