Book Reviews Sonia Nimr / Source: TAMER Institute for Community Education This whirlwind adventure begins with protagonist Qamar’s birth and follows her life along the titular wondrous journeys around the Mediterranean. Less novel than novella, Sonia Nimr’s Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands (Interlink Books, 2020), first published in Arabic in 2013, sees its heroine become a slave, a pirate, a bookseller, and more, but like Qamar, it never stays in one place for long. In fact, the book reads more like a compilation of short stories because, as readers, we never really get to settle into one story and its characters before we are whisked off to the next one. While Wondrous Journeys doesn’t deliver much in the way of character development, it will satisfy readers with an appetite for folktales and travel, particularly younger readers who are more interested in excitement than exposition. The descriptions of the various settings were rich, and I wish that we had spent longer in some places, such as Qamar’s time in the palace or her time with Rajna and Fatima, to better appreciate the many landscapes and secondary characters. The story lingers in some locales longer than others, and those were the times when I found myself most immersed in Qamar’s escapades. Wondrous Journeys will satisfy readers with an appetite for folktales and travel, particularly younger readers who are more interested in excitement than exposition. If... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-12-07 20:34:56 UTC ]
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The Literary Consultancy is partnering with Ellah P Wakatama, editor-at-large at Canongate, to launch the TLC Scholarship. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-19 14:43:29 UTC ]
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After the huge success of This Hostel Life, which grew out of a chance meeting about asylum seeker accommodation, Skein Press has its sights set high Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-17 03:35:09 UTC ]
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Limited promotion and marketing budgets reinforce false ideas about how well diverse books and writers will sell. This leads to a negative cycle for black, Asian and minority ethnic writers. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2020-07-15 09:57:53 UTC ]
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Artists including writer Nina George and singer Björk have called for the European Council to provide extra funding for Europe's cultural sector following the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-15 03:48:46 UTC ]
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The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) is calling for a £20m support package from the Scottish government for writers and other creatives. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-14 18:18:06 UTC ]
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It’s been quite a year for Colson Whitehead! First, he won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (again) and then he received the Orwell Prize for political fiction. And now the Library of Congress is honoring him with their lifetime achievement prize. (Previous recipients include Toni Morrison, Denis... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-14 15:56:24 UTC ]
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I May Destroy You skewers the weirdness of fandom and captures just how terrifying the publishing industry can beMichaela Coel’s critically acclaimed new TV series I May Destroy You (BBC One), the journey of a young woman uncovering and trying to deal with sexual trauma, is a show that I fall... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-11 07:00:06 UTC ]
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Rather than a straightforward memoir, the actor has delivered a baffling but mesmerizing novel about a fictionalized version of himself. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-08 15:01:20 UTC ]
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Novelist H.G. Carrillo, like many authors before him, assumed a fabricated identity. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-06 15:23:46 UTC ]
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Octopus imprint Cassell has scored a journey into the world of quizzing by actor Shaun Williamson. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-02 16:28:56 UTC ]
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Fang Fang describes battling censorship and misinformation about the virus in her Chinese city. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-02 07:54:00 UTC ]
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S&S is to publish an illustrated gift book by nature writer and conservationist Simon Barnes next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-28 12:04:41 UTC ]
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“I’m done with shame,” says Lacy Crawford, the author of the memoir “Notes on a Silencing.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-06-27 09:00:22 UTC ]
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Writers of colour are denied a level playing field and often have to publicise books themselves because the industry does not understand how to reach non-white middle-class audiences, novelist Dorothy Koomson has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-25 16:53:15 UTC ]
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The London Library has announced the 40 participants of its early career writing development programme, as the library plans its reopening for 6th July. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-25 01:17:13 UTC ]
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PW asked a sampling of agents and editors about the challenge of publishing books keyed to headline news and the future audience for titles addressing racism. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Six authors have formed Writers Against Racial Injustice, raising $55,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative in three weeks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Women's Prize Trust is launching Discoveries, a writers’ development programme offering aspiring female writers of all ages and backgrounds "encouragement and support" at the beginning of their creative journeys. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-18 07:15:38 UTC ]
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Publishers have responded to the Black Writers’ Guild’s open letter, welcoming their suggestions and agreeing they have work to do Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-16 13:02:41 UTC ]
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More than 100 authors join new body calling for the industry to address deep-seated inequalities in output and personnelMore than 100 writers including Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo, Benjamin Zephaniah and Malorie Blackman have called on all major publishing houses in the UK to introduce... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-06-15 17:08:57 UTC ]
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