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 ]
ViacomCBS agreed to sell the 96-year-old company in a deal that potentially creates a megapublisher. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-11-25 17:08:27 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House acquires Simon and Schuster, creating the largest megapublisher in the United States. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-11-25 15:00:18 UTC ]
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For book lovers, the announcement may feel like background noise, but the ramifications are huge. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-25 12:57:10 UTC ]
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A round up of independent bookstore subscription services and care packages created to help these indies survive the pandemic. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-11-23 11:39:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Nosy Crow and Pan Macmillan have been named winners of the FutureBooks Awards: Best of Lockdown, after the week-long virtual conference which culminated in the awards ceremony. The pair won alongside Bath-based bookshop Mr B’s Emporium, the Cheltenham Literature Festival, and academic... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-20 02:37:06 UTC ]
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Achins Book Shop and Coffee Shop, thought to be the UK's most remote book retailer, has been sold to new owners six years after appearing on the market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-18 05:13:31 UTC ]
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New retail website Bookshop.org has been hailed as a “game-changer” by Booksellers Association m.d. Meryl Halls while its founder has said more features are on the way. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-17 09:40:54 UTC ]
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Graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero is launching a social media campaign calling for artists to support bookshops with a drawing of their favourite store. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-17 06:10:11 UTC ]
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Saying that private equity firms had dropped out of the bidding, the 'New York Times' reported this morning that the country's first and second largest trade publishers—Penguin Random House and HarperCollins, respectively—were now the favorites to acquire Simon & Schuster, the country's... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Ah, tradition! Just as Shakespeare wrote King Lear in quarantine, in this quarantine, rich people are buying copies of King Lear for $10,000,000. While independent bookstores are struggling during COVID—according to the American Booksellers Association, more than one independent bookstore has... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-09 17:44:18 UTC ]
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Bath bookshop Toppings & Company is to move to a listed Georgian building, and will begin expansion building works next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-08 18:39:07 UTC ]
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Independent bookstores are hurting as shoppers stay online. Pick up one of our staff picks to support bookstores throughout the U.S. Whether you’re diving into an engrossing period drama, reading up on the history of protests or pandemics, or escaping into a fantastical world, chances are you’ve... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-11-06 16:00:54 UTC ]
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As I wrote back in March, the enforced closing of bookshop doors is a terrible story for the editor of The Bookseller to report: it’s a gut-punch, and if you were on social media last Saturday at around 6.30 p.m.—when the Prime Minister announced the decision to shut non-essential retail in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 23:57:12 UTC ]
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A new annual initiative celebrating the best of bookselling in the UK and Ireland sees 29 Bookshop Heroes hailed for their efforts in reaching readers with books—and beyond. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 23:21:06 UTC ]
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Some of our inaugural Bookshop Heroes — the best individual booksellers in the UK and Ireland — share the skills that are key to running a bookshop. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 16:20:56 UTC ]
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Author Holly Bourne has launched a campaign to support bookshops during lockdown, involving more than 300 writers so far. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 06:38:02 UTC ]
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Fairlight Books is ordering a second print run of its c.e.o. Louise Boland's travelogue, Bookshop Tours of Britain. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-03 02:57:21 UTC ]
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Kate McQuaid, currently publicity director at William Heinemann, Windmill and #Merky Books (Penguin Random House UK), is joining independent Rough Trade Books as its first publicist. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-02 23:47:34 UTC ]
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New online retailer Bookshop.org secured sales of around £65,000 in its first day, making £16,000 for indies. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-02 12:21:42 UTC ]
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Indie bookshop owners and managers are gearing up for a second lockdown with optimism, though some are divided over the viability of click and collect services. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-02 12:15:49 UTC ]
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