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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My Bookish Upbringing

EVERY YEAR, IT SEEMS, we receive a new diagnosis regarding the viability of books in the digital age: print is dead, print is back, the bookstore is dead, bookstores are back. The nostalgia for and anxiety about print is often reactive, hinting at other anxieties about feeling lonely and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-07-06 19:00:22 UTC ]
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Amazon, that upstart online bookstore, turns 25 (Photos)

Since its launch 25 years ago, Amazon's reach has extended well beyond an online bookstore. And while it may seem obvious today, at the time Jeff Bezos was working to get his idea to the masses, many investors thought it would be no match for bookstore giants like Borders and Barnes and... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-07-05 17:38:09 UTC ]
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10 Romantic Books I Got from The Ripped Bodice Bookstore

A Rioter not only got to visit the romance bookstore of her dreams, L.A.'s The Ripped Bodice, but also got a slew of recommendations from a co-owner! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-02 10:36:13 UTC ]
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Madison Bookstore Launches #BookstoresAgainstBorders Fundraiser

A Wisconsin indie has launched a fundraising campaign to benefit for RAICES, an organization that aids immigrants detained at the U.S. border. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Things to Do While You Wait for Netflix’s Sarah Dessen Adaptations

What to do while you wait for Netflix’s Sarah Dessen Adaptations: Obviously, get thee to a bookstore and read her ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-06-29 10:31:00 UTC ]
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This dying bookstore has a proposal for NYC: Just treat us like you treated Amazon

Book Culture, based in the same Queens neighborhood where Amazon wanted to set up shop, says it will be forced to close if the city or state doesn’t offer assistance. In New York City’s Long Island City neighborhood, down the road from where Amazon tried (and failed) to build a “second... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-06-26 15:56:45 UTC ]
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A Mueller Report graphic novel will be released by San Diego publisher

Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has become something of a publishing phenomenon, with several book versions of the report flying off bookstore shelves. Now a San Diego publisher is planning to release a version of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-24 19:00:00 UTC ]
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What Happens After Amazon’s Domination Is Complete? Its Bookstore Offers Clues

Popular novels, technical tomes and self-published books are pirated and sold on Amazon. That may actually be helping the company extend its grip on the book business. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-06-23 21:06:40 UTC ]
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REI shelves catalog for print magazine

No stranger to the unconventional, REI is at it again: The outdoors retailer is discontinuing its print mail-order catalog and debuting a magazine. Called Uncommon Path, the print publication will run on a quarterly basis and include stories focused on the outdoors. Kent, Washington-based REI... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-20 19:50:29 UTC ]
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Strand Bookstore landmarked over owner's objections

The building that's home to the famous Strand Bookstore in the East Village was designated a city landmark Tuesday despite warnings from the property's and store's owner that the status could... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2019-06-12 12:57:30 UTC ]
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Strand Bookstore granted landmark status over owner’s objections

The pilot killed when his helicopter of a Midtown skyscraper in rain and fog radioed that he was lost and trying to get back to the heliport but couldn't find it, an official briefed on the... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2019-06-12 11:09:48 UTC ]
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Rejecting Objections, NYC Landmarks the Strand

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to landmark 826 Broadway, the building that houses the Strand Bookstore—a decision the owner says will be costly to the store. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bauer Media to Pursue Alternatives to Traditional Newsstand Supply Chain

The publisher of the two top-selling magazines on American newsstands has initiated a process aimed at exploring alternatives outside of the traditional magazine-retail supply chain, which has become dominated by two major wholesalers following years of decline and consolidation. Bauer Media... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-06-11 20:01:50 UTC ]
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Best Practices For Authors Who Want Their Book In Bookstores

One of the most thrilling experiences an author can have is walking into a bookstore and finding their book on the shelves Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2017-07-18 13:39:29 UTC ]
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