Lockdown in Literature, by The Editors of WLT

Lockdown in Literature, by The Editors of WLT Lit Lists [email protected] Mon, 03/20/2023 - 14:39 Photo by Jens Maes / Unsplash There has been plenty of handwringing among some over whether it’s too soon to write pandemic literature, but these five books answer that question with a firm no. Each is set in the lockdown days while being about so much more than the pandemic. Louise Erdrich The Sentence Harper, 2021 Louise Erdrich’s most recent novel begins on All Souls’ Day 2019 and ends on All Souls’ Day 2020. Set in Minneapolis, the characters are connected by the independent bookstore where some of them work, which is haunted by the store’s most annoying customer. It’s the early days of the pandemic, and the community is soon grieving George Floyd’s murder in a country that “crept along beneath a pall of sorrow.”     Catherine Ryan Howard 56 Days Blackstone, 2021 In this crime drama from Ireland, Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket line in Dublin and begin dating just as Covid-19 reaches Ireland. They soon move in together, and their isolation provides the setting for a mystery.         Elizabeth Strout Lucy by the Sea Random House, 2022 Lucy Barton leaves New York City and joins her ex-husband, William, in lockdown in Maine in Pulitzer Prize–winner Elizabeth Strout’s most recent novel. Strout has written earlier novels featuring Lucy Barton, and various other characters that come and go across the... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2023-03-20 19:39:01 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Lockdown in Literature, by The Editors of WLT"


Random House, Crown Made Separate Groups in PRH US Reorg

The highlight of a new operating structure for Penguin Random House is the creation of separate Random House and Crown adult publishing groups. No replacement has been named for departing PRH US CEO Madeline McIntosh. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Exclusive cover reveal: See the cover for Ed Park’s Same Bed Different Dreams.

Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the cover for Ed Park’s long awaited second novel Same Bed Different Dreams, which will be published by Random House this fall. Here’s a bit about the novel from the publisher: March, 1919. Far-flung Korean patriots establish the Korean Provisional Government to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-24 15:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Cover reveal: See the cover for Rachel Eliza Griffiths’s Promise.

Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the cover for Rachel Eliza Griffiths’s novel Promise, which Danielle Evans calls “a stunning exploration of the weight and triumph of legacy” and which will be published by Random House in July. Here’s some more about the book from the publisher: The Kindred... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-23 15:00:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Remembering an American Writer: Anthony Walton on James Alan McPherson’s Essays and Legacy

James Alan McPherson is famous as the first Black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction; a new book aims to bring fresh attention to his masterful nonfiction. The volume’s editor, poet and writer Anthony Walton, joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss On Becoming an... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-16 09:55:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this


British independent publishers thrive despite Brexit and Covid pandemic

Small press of the year award shortlists 48 presses that are ‘reaping the rewards from inspirational publishing’, says British book awards chair of judgesSmall presses across the UK and Ireland have had a “year of exceptional sales and profit growth in the face of Brexit and escalating running... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-15 09:17:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A new Highland Park bookstore is funded by publishers — but as indie as it gets

When publishers Rare Bird and Unnamed Press moved into Highland Park, North Figueroa Bookshop soon followed, putting down roots in a bookstore-starved neighbohood. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-02-14 14:00:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


7 Long-Awaited Follow Ups to Beloved Books

The last few months have been an exciting time in the world of publishing, not only for the litany of debut novel and short story collection releases, but also for the publication of two long gestating, highly anticipated projects by Cormac McCarthy and Katherine Dunn. The 89-year old’s first... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-02-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


An Author’s Thank You to Gina Centrello

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra looks back at nearly a quarter century working with the retired Random House editor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Random House Prepares to Rebuild

Two CEOs have stepped down. A storied executive has retired. And a big legal loss isn't entirely in the rearview. This year, the U.S. book market's biggest publisher is planning some major structural changes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Random House Audio Acquires Playaway Products

Penguin Random House Audio has acquired Playaway Products, a producer of physical audio players and tablets preloaded with content. Launched in 2005 and based in Solon, Ohio, the company offers 36,000 titles and works with some 40,000 libraries and institutions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Stranger Things' Choose Your Own Adventure Coming in April

The Duffer Brothers, creators of the Netflix hit 'Stranger Things,' were big fans of the Choose Your Own Adventure middle grade series and a tie-in based on the fourth season of the show is coming from Random House in April. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Madeline McIntosh to Step Down as CEO of PRH US

About three weeks after Gina Centrello retired as president and publisher of the Random House Publishing Group, McIntosh announced that she will step down as CEO of Penguin Random House in the very near future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Dan Kois on Youthful Nostalgia and Rediscovering the Craft of Fiction

I assume that at some point I must’ve told Dan Kois what to do. During the years he worked for me at the grand old Bull’s Head Bookshop on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus somewhere in the late ‘90s. I must’ve said, at least once, “Shelve. Show that customer to the cookbooks. Shut up.” If so, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-17 09:54:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this


WATCH: Will Alexander Reads from His New Poetry Collection, Divine Blue Light

Greenlight Bookstore welcomes Will Alexander, finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, to introduce Divine Blue Light, his new collection of poems from the intersection between surrealism and afro-futurism, where Césaire meets Sun Ra. Will Alexander’s poems constitute an alternative... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-12 09:52:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Gina Centrello Retires from Random House

Centrello, head of the Random House Publishing Group (“Little Random”) since 2003, has retired. In her memo to employees, PRH CEO Madeline McIntosh said she will take her time in developing a plan to find Centrello's successor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Deals: Week of January 9, 2023

Random House buys a memoir from Ketanji Brown Jackson, Katee Robert sells the first three in a series to Berkley, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A new indie bookstore named for Octavia Butler is opening in the author’s hometown.

Here’s a piece of good literary news to start the year: a new independent bookstore named after the legendary Octavia E. Butler is opening in Pasadena, California, where the late Sci-Fi icon was born and raised. I took the leap and quit my job to open my very own bookstore. Octavia’s Bookshelf... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-03 17:31:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The best sci-fi movies, books and shows to consume over the holidays

If you need a break from the hustle and cheer of the holidays, there’s nothing better than the ultimate escapist genre: sci-fi. This year has been a good one for those who like their entertainment off-planet or otherwise removed from our reality. We finally got a Predator sequel that isn’t... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-12-26 14:15:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle Steps Down

The chief executive of the largest publisher in the U.S., Penguin Random House, has stepped down. Markus Dohle oversaw the attempted acquisition of Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-09 14:47:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Have we fallen out of love with celebrity memoirs?

The year’s autobiography big-hitters haven’t sold as well as expected, with buyers disenchanted by pricing and lack of feelgood topicsFrom actors and musicians to athletes and presenters, there are no shortage of celebrity memoirs on bookshop shelves. This year has seen new books published by a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-12-09 10:52:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this