A Personal Catalogue of the World’s Most Storied Bookstores

Two decades ago, I wrote my very first novel while working at The Community Bookstore, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. That job enabled me to complete my book, not just because of the flexible hours, but because the other staffers were all aspiring writers, and many of our regulars were famous writers, and […] Continue reading at 'Literrary Hub'

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-12 09:50:45 UTC ]

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Two Novels, Two Global Catastrophes, Two Decades Apart

My first novel bombed spectacularly. This was about 20 years ago. Everything went wrong. First my editor quit after which my publishing house kinda-sorta forgot I existed. Orphaned was the word they used. Since nobody gave a damn, I at least got to choose my own book cover. The photograph I... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-27 08:49:54 UTC ]
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Literature on Lockdown 3: #CultureConnectsUs

Many lives are radically different right now. But birthdays, anniversaries, and public holidays come and go as before. The pink supermoon would have appeared whether we’d watched it from our windows or outdoors among a crowd of strangers. This week, Earth Day, Shakespeare’s birthday, and World... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2020-04-24 14:34:13 UTC ]
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Support Indie Bookstores Without Leaving Your Home

For the past six years, Independent Bookstore Day—billed as a “one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country”—has taken place on the last Saturday of April. (That’s tomorrow!) It’s usually a fun, light-hearted, occasionally raucous spring day where book lovers go... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-04-24 11:00:00 UTC ]
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As Bookshop Booms, Questions Arise

The independent bookstore e-commerce site Bookshop.org has seen a 2,000% increase in sales in the last month and has become a lifeline for many stores that have been temporarily closed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet despite its apparent success, the site has skeptics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten Memoirs to Keep You Company in Isolation: A Reading List

Recently, I threw out the first 60 pages of the novel I am currently working on. I had been determined to challenge myself by writing in the third person—I had spent the last ten years working on my first novel in the first person and I thought I was ready for something new and difficult. […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-21 08:48:34 UTC ]
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Opportunity knocks: how lockdown is opening doors for new creative talent

Aspiring writers and directors now have a rare chance to impress producers and publishers with time on their handsCameras have stopped rolling, book launches are postponed and actors are all “resting”. It looks as if nothing is moving in the world of entertainment and storytelling, yet from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-04-18 13:05:09 UTC ]
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Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and T Kira Madden on Craft, Candles, and Character

T Kira Mahealani Madden is the author of the memoir Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls. She is still an amateur magician. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is the author of Harmless Like You—the winner of The Authors’ Club First Novel Award and a Betty Trask Award. Her short work has appeared in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-16 08:48:38 UTC ]
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Independent Bookstore Day to Host Virtual Party

Independent Bookstore Day has been rescheduled for August 29 from its original date next week. In lieu of postponing the event entirely, organizers are hosting what they call a virtual party, and are working with stores on promotions to run all next week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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First #Merky Books novel makes Desmond Elliott Prize longlist

The first novel to be published by Stormzy’s new imprint #Merky Books, That Reminds Me by poet and podcaster Derek Owusu, has been longlisted for the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for debuts. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-06 14:35:00 UTC ]
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Julia Alvarez discusses her radically different novel, 'Afterlife' (and defends 'American Dirt')

Julia Alvarez's "Afterlife" is her first novel for adults in 15 years. She talks about loss, fragmentation and "American Dirt." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-02 22:24:09 UTC ]
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Here are 10 new books to look forward to this week.

Supporting your favorite small, independent bookstore during this strange stretch is important, but what’s more important: stopping the spread of COVID-19. So, dear reader, please stay home, get excited for these brand-new books, and buy a gift card from your local indie in preparation for the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 14:00:25 UTC ]
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Set in a Notorious Prison, a Novel Probes Iran’s Torturers and Their Victims

“Then the Fish Swallowed Him,” the first novel in English by the Iranian-born Amir Ahmadi Arian, makes for unnerving reading. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-03-24 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Clare Pooley | 'It is a book about the importance of community in a world where we are more connected than ever but more lonely than ever'

The sought-after first novel by former blogger Clare Pooley exposes the need for connection in the age of social media Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-20 07:25:26 UTC ]
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Curbside Pickup. Bicycle Deliveries. Virtual Book Discussions. Amid Virus, Bookstores Get Creative.

“We’re going to operate like a pizza takeout place,” one independent bookstore owner said. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-03-18 03:53:05 UTC ]
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A Stirring Family Saga Tells a Taboo History of Vietnam

“The Mountains Sing,” the first novel in English by the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Phan Que Mai, imagines her country’s traumatic 20th century through the stories of three generations of women. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-03-17 09:00:13 UTC ]
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Independent Bookstore Day Has Been Postponed

Independent Bookstore Day, which was scheduled for April 25, has been postponed. The American Booksellers Association, which manages the promotion, said the event would be rescheduled. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Five years after Henning Mankell’s death, his gritty first novel makes a welcome appearance

Mankell’s 1972 book, “The Rock Blaster,” now available in English, explores the struggles of a working-class man. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-05 17:00:00 UTC ]
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Julia Alvarez and the Female Book of Job

The National Medal of Arts recipient reflects on the immigration crisis in Afterlife, her first novel for adults in almost 15 years. The post Julia Alvarez and the Female Book of Job appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2020-02-20 11:00:47 UTC ]
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Beyond Jokha al-Harthi: Women Writers from the Gulf

When Jokha al-Harthi and Marilyn Booth won the Man Booker International Prize last year, for Booth’s translation of Sayyidat al-Qamr (Celestial Bodies), many hurried to note that al-Harthi was the “first Omani woman writer” to have a book in English translation.While true, this may give the... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2020-02-19 10:26:57 UTC ]
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10 new books to get you through the week.

Every week, the TBR pile grows a little bit more. It’s getting precarious. It’s taking up your whole nightstand. It’s threatening to crush you in your sleep. Well, what are you waiting for? Get cracking. What are you reading this week?   FICTION Brandon Taylor, Real Life (Riverhead) Brandon... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-18 16:20:28 UTC ]
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