The Most Beautiful House in the Neighborhood, by Kristina Gavran

Fiction Photo by Peter Boccia / Unsplash After renting a room in an Indian family’s house in England, the Croatian tenant becomes privy to one member’s dreams of return. “This is it!” Parvati, a young Indian woman, shows me a tiny room with scarcely space for a bed, a chest-of-drawers, and a chair. The place is so small we can barely both fit in it. The walls are covered in scruffy wallpaper, moisture has accumulated near the windows, and the curtains smell of dust. So, the room is minute, the house is neglected, the street is nondescript, and it is a long way from the city center. They told me it is known as Little Asia. It’s not ideal, but I don’t have a lot of money. I moved to England two weeks ago and urgently need a place to lay my head. Parvati is charging a reasonable rent, and I don’t need much. Also, I like her family. Her husband, Arjun, and two sons with big brown eyes greeted me excitedly when I entered the house. “I’ll take it!” I nod. Parvati claps her hands joyfully and then steps to the window and opens the curtains. “And here is the garden,” she says timidly. I peep out of the window. Before my eyes emerges a typical English backyard, only this one is entirely overgrown and unkempt. You can barely see to the fence, it is so overrun with ivy. The roof of the garden-shed has collapsed, the walls are higgledy-piggledy, and it looks as if the whole lot is about to collapse. Potted plants, rain-soaked toys,... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-06-07 20:25:08 UTC ]

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Time for Nerd Jeopardy! (A Literary Trivia Game Show)

Ryan Chapman hosts Nerd Jeopardy, the online literary game show. Tonight Ryan is joined by Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things, and Katie Whittemore, translator of Sara Mesa’s Four by Four. This week’s indie bookstore spotlight is on Magers & Quinn. Sign up for next week, May 20,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-15 15:43:54 UTC ]
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For Bookstore Owners, Reopening Holds Promise and Peril

Across the United States, booksellers are wrestling with how to safely open their stores. Some are racing ahead. Others feel it’s too risky. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-05-13 19:46:47 UTC ]
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Sheltering: Amy Jo Burns Talks Moonshine and Snake-Handling

On this episode of Sheltering, Maris Kreizman speaks with Amy Jo Burns about her new novel, Shiner. Burns talks about loosely basing a character off her grandmother, the possible legalization of moonshine, and the skill of snake-handling. Her favorite local bookstore is Labyrinth Books; please... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-12 19:00:18 UTC ]
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Letter From a Bookstore Turning Five During a Pandemic

May 2nd, 2020 Happy birthday to us. Little City Books opened May 2nd, 2015, a stunning spring day [click here for an account of that day, on this website]. It was Independent Bookstore Day. It was our city’s annual art and music festival. And it was the Kentucky Derby (I only remember that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-12 08:48:42 UTC ]
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This new database shows the reading habits of major 20th-century authors.

When Sylvia Beach, the New Jersey native who published Ulysses and opened Paris’ Shakespeare and Co. (“the most famous bookstore in the world”), died in 1962, Princeton University purchased and catalogued her papers. This trove of materials reveals, among other things, the reading preferences of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-08 19:46:30 UTC ]
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The Most Popular Books In Libraries, January–March 2020

These were the most popular books in libraries to kick off 2020. What have you read? Missed? Want to pick up from your library or bookstore next? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-05-08 10:32:36 UTC ]
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Oregon Coast Bookstore Gives Away Thousands of Books: Critical Linking, May 8, 2020

An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-05-08 10:30:26 UTC ]
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Lookout Books Partners With Indies to Provide Virtual Backgrounds

Lookout Books, a teaching press housed at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, is partnering with indies to provide students and others with virtual bookstore backgrounds to maintain confidentiality during video calls. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Kawai Strong Washburn in Conversation With Tommy Orange

DC bookstore mainstay Politics & Prose recently featured Kawai Strong Washburn, author of Sharks in the Time of Saviors, in conversation with Tommy Orange, author of There There. The two discuss virtual book events, appreciating connection more than ever, and the miracle of being transported... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-05 20:00:41 UTC ]
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Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad: The Art of the Pivot

In the best of times, businesses know to diversify their revenue. But during the pandemic, survival has sometimes meant getting into a whole new business. Co-host David Griner talks with new community editor Ko Im about how a bookstore ramped up site visits by turning itself into a travel site.... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-05-04 15:04:07 UTC ]
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A Bookstore Turned “Travel Agency”; Chewy Celebrates Very Good Pets: Friday’s First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek's daily resource for marketers. We'll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here. A Bookstore Shocked Fans and Boosted... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-05-01 10:45:39 UTC ]
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A Bookstore Just Shocked Fans and Boosted Sales 200% With Its Brilliant Quarantine Pivot

When beloved bookstore and cafe The Wild Detectives had to close alongside most Dallas businesses due to Covid-19 quarantine measures, it faced the daunting challenge of shifting its business to being online-only. So the shop owners turned to agency partner Dieste, which has created several... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-04-30 19:09:51 UTC ]
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Now you can use your favorite indie bookstore as your Zoom background.

Wish you could visit your favorite indie bookstore right now? For the next best thing (sort of), Lookout Books has partnered with a handful of beloved indie bookstores to bring you, Zoom users (as we all are now), free virtual backgrounds of their stores. The purpose of these backgrounds can be... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-29 15:24:21 UTC ]
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China Bestsellers March 2020: Bookstores Buck the Pandemic’s Paralysis

One bookstore company has offered medical workers a lifetime 20-percent discount in China, as the virus pressures normal sales. The post China Bestsellers March 2020: Bookstores Buck the Pandemic’s Paralysis appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-28 14:51:33 UTC ]
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John Grisham Returns to Camino Island, This Time in Hurricane Season

In “Camino Winds,” a bookstore owner and two other characters team up to solve a murder and the mystery behind it. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-04-28 01:32:18 UTC ]
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How Indie Bookstores Fought Their Way Back

Taking a look at how the indie boom happened in the age of multi-floor bookstore chains and Amazon’s 2-day shipping. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-04-27 10:34:51 UTC ]
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Sheltering: Emma Straub’s Book Feels Like a ‘Fantasy Novel’ Now

On this episode of Sheltering, bookstore owner and author Emma Straub speaks with Maris Kreizman about her new novel, All Adults Here. Straub talks about the support that’s poured in for her bookstore (Books Are Magic) and how best to support our local institutions right now. She also discusses... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-23 19:00:30 UTC ]
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South Carolina Bookstore Shares Story of Reopening

Fiction Addiction in Greenville, S.C., has re-opened after the state government gave permission; shoppers are limited to four at a time. "My concern was less for my own health than the health of the store," said owner Jill Hendrix. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The only thing better than books is bookstore t-shirts that support booksellers.

It’s not a particularly hopeful time for literally anyone right now (unless maybe you’re getting a $1.7 million tax break?) but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to help people whenever we can. I’m getting pretty tired of washing my clothes in the bathtub and have been sorely tempted to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 15:09:39 UTC ]
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Coronavirus: Germany Is To Follow Italy in Potential Bookstore Openings

Exemplary among many markets for its early testing and responsible distancing regulations, Germany looks will let bookstores begin reopening Monday. The post Coronavirus: Germany Is To Follow Italy in Potential Bookstore Openings appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-16 15:02:15 UTC ]
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