In the age of Corbyn, is the time right for another Road to Wigan Pier?

It’s no surprise that the Left Book Club is being relaunched now, with the imprimatur of the Labour leader and Ken Livingstone. It began in the anxious 1930s, a decade that has all too many parallels with the current oneAiming to “set the agenda for a new age of political debate”, the Left Book Club was re-launched this week at a meeting at the Conway Hall in London. The Left Book Club last published a book in 1948. Jeremy Corbyn had yet to be born. Nevertheless the Labour leader has generously endorsed the revival as “a terrific and timely idea” that will give “intellectual ballast to the wave of political change sweeping Britain and beyond, encouraging informed and compassionate debate”. He added that he had a large collection of Left Book Club titles, some bought new by his parents and others that he acquired second hand. I speculate that the memory of these books in their plain red or orange covers – their flash upon his inward eye – must have provided Corbyn with a rare pleasurable moment in the past few weeks: the thought of them on his shelves having same kind of heart-filling effect that the daffodils had on Wordsworth.My own collection isn’t so large. In fact, it runs to just one book, Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier, and I didn’t inherit it. I bought it 20 or 30 years ago because I liked the idea of having such a fine book in its cheap and original form – seeing the words and photographs as its first readers must have seen them. Published in 1937, the year after... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TV ad leaders say Nielsen measurement alternatives not ready for prime time

Measurement solutions from iSpot.TV and Samba TV, among others, are buzzy at this year’s upfronts, but won't see much action. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2022-05-26 14:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #nielsen #measurement solutions #prime time #samba tv


In these gloomy, divisive times, does anyone care about books? I do.

Books emphasize interiority, encourage empathy, require thought and are meant to foster rational argument -- things we all need. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-25 16:39:13 UTC ]
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It's time for Alberta's United Conservative Party to focus on uniting following leadership review

One of the first steps of healing the divisions within the United Conservative Party is to welcome MLAs Todd Loewen and Drew Barnes back into the fold, says Michael Solberg. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-05-25 10:00:00 UTC ]
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In ‘This Time Tomorrow,’ a 40-year-old gets to be 16 again

Emma Straub's novel follows a woman who can revisit the past and reshape the future. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-20 11:00:35 UTC ]
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Writing for Readers of All Ages: Spotlight on Emunah La-Paz

With a romance series, a memoir, and a picture book, the versatile author leverages social media to grow her fan base and interact with readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s Time to Destigmatize Talking Openly About What’s Going On Down There

When I started reading Chloe Caldwell’s new book, The Red Zone, a memoir about identity, love, health, and pain, all told through the lens of her relationship to her period, I didn’t think I had period hang-ups of my own to work through. I do have pudendal neuralgia, a nerve pain condition that... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-05-12 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Keanon Lowe stopped a school shooting. The timing was ‘a miracle.’

Keanon Lowe left the NFL to coach high school sports, a series of fateful decisions that would change his life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-12 11:00:17 UTC ]
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Bud Smith on the Quintessential “Road Trip” Novel

Okay here we go. I’m about to get in my car and drive 14 hours. Rae has picked out twenty albums for us to listen to. All this driving is because my debut novel Teenager is coming out. I have to drive around America a little bit and read it to some nice people. Fittingly, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-05-10 08:52:01 UTC ]
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Some of the Most Influential Asian American Literature of All Time

Get to know some of the most influential Asian American literature of all time, including Dictee. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-05-06 10:33:00 UTC ]
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We Are in a Golden Age of Historical Fiction for People of Color

“The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.” I’ve always found these words by E.L. Doctorow a compelling argument for the unique power of fiction to enliven the past. Yet when thinking about the lives of people of color in America, you can’t count on... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-29 08:49:53 UTC ]
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3 great new audiobooks for your walk, commute or chill-out time

This month’s picks: ‘Mecca,' by Susan Straight, ‘Funny Farm,’ by Laurie Zaleski and SJ Bennett’s ‘All the Queen’s Men’ Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-25 11:00:29 UTC ]
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L.A. Times Book Festival: Janelle Monáe feels like she's living her 'second Earth life'

Janelle Monáe was joined by Times columnist Erika D. Smith to discuss her book 'The Memory Librarian' on Saturday at the L.A. Times Book Festival. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-24 17:01:01 UTC ]
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Rep. Adam Schiff, Véronique Tadjo and Paul Auster among winners of the L.A. Times Book Prizes

After a few years of virtual ceremonies, the 42nd Los Angeles Times Book Prizes was held in person Friday at USC, kicking off the Festival of Books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-23 04:25:08 UTC ]
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Neo-Romanticism fell out of fashion. It’s time for another look.

"Theatres of Melancholy," by Patrick Mauriès, presents an alternative history of modern art which makes the case for the importance of a loosely aligned group of painters termed the Neo-Romantics. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-19 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Very Short Stories to Devour in Record Time

Very short stories–also known as flash fiction, micro fiction, drabbles, and the like–are a delightful form of fiction. Start with these. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-04-19 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Place History: How an L.A. bookshop became the house bar of a literary golden age

L.A. transplant Stanley Rose's short-lived 1930s bookstore and boozy backroom became a literary haven for Chandler, Fante, Faulkner, West and many more. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-14 13:00:44 UTC ]
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Henry Patterson, author of The Eagle Has Landed, dies aged 92

The bestselling novelist wrote 85 books, mostly thrillers and spy stories, using the pseudonym Jack HigginsHenry Patterson, the bestselling novelist who wrote the The Eagle Has Landed, has died aged 92.The writer died at his home in Jersey surrounded by his family, his publisher HarperCollins... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-04-09 20:18:44 UTC ]
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The Best Short Stories of All Time

If you're in search of more of the best short stories of all time, start with this list to build your to-read list! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-04-05 10:32:00 UTC ]
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At age 64, debut novelist Bonnie Garmus makes the case for experience

Garmus’s novel “Lessons in Chemistry” delivers an assured voice, an indelible heroine and relatable love stories Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-05 10:00:30 UTC ]
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I like unusual books. Here’s what I’d read — if I had time.

If I could, I’d delve into undeservedly forgotten novels, works of intellectual history and biography -- and so much more Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-30 16:51:25 UTC ]
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