The Past Is Messy and Repeats Itself: The Trap of Fairytale Victory Endings in Historical Fiction

This essay isn’t about World War II. But like any historical fiction writer publishing in 2023, it’s impossible to ignore the recent wave of WWII novels that fill bookstore shelves at the moment. As someone who reads and enjoys many of these books but has no desire to write one, I have a theory about […] Continue reading at 'Literrary Hub'

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-17 08:45:05 UTC ]

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Sharon Kay Penman, Whose Novels Plumbed Britain’s Past, Dies at 75

The author of best-selling books set in medieval England and Wales, she insisted that historical fiction had an obligation to the facts. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-01-29 22:25:25 UTC ]
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Take a look at China’s first 3D-printed concrete bookstore.

Some fun news (thank goodness!): China’s first 3D-printed bookstore has just been built in Shanghai and is scheduled to open to the public at the end of January. With a floor area of thirty square meters, it can accommodate fifteen readers at a time. The bookstore is in Wisdom Bay Innovation... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-28 16:35:33 UTC ]
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If you love books and also love, you can rent this bookstore for a COVID-friendly date night.

Given that we’re all justifiably afraid about the breath of others right now, it’s a weird time to be dating. While the warmer months at least offered the possibility of outdoor meetings, now it’s winter and, like all other things, dating has become an exercise in futility and endless Zoom... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-28 15:42:07 UTC ]
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Historical fiction 'giant' Sharon Penman dies, aged 75

Tributes have been paid to US author Sharon Penman, a “giant” of historical fiction, who has passed away at the age of 75. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-28 04:51:02 UTC ]
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Embracing Imperfection: On Writing in a Second Language

More than twenty years ago, walking into a foreign bookstore in Tokyo, the first thing I noted was a slightly musty yet soothing scent. It came from the paper used for these books and magazines, which had been shipped from overseas—the paper either thicker or thinner, and certainly rougher, than... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-27 09:48:22 UTC ]
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A Bookseller’s Awkward Run-in With Lou Reed

How one bookseller found herself idiotsplaining a certain bookstore bathroom predicament to the legendary musician Lou Reed. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-01-25 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Writing a Saudi American Novel When No One Has Done It Before

Before I spotted Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia on the shelves of a Borders bookstore near my Pennsylvania college, I had never seen a book about a Saudi woman before. Princess, according to its book jacket, which featured a fully veiled woman in high heels, was... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-25 09:48:19 UTC ]
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This new indie bookstore categorizes books by emotion.

It’s rare to see Raven Leilani’s Luster next to Doctor De Soto, William Steig’s children’s book about a mouse that performs dental surgery—but this is par for the course at Oh Hello Again, Seattle’s newest bookshop. Oh Hello Again, rather than shelving books by genre and author, categorizes... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-22 16:19:24 UTC ]
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After protest Powell’s won’t shelve right wing performance artist Andy Ngo’s conspiracy fanfic.

Notorious fake journalist and target of deadly vegan milkshakes Andy Ngo has a new book coming out called “something something Antifa is under your bed” or some shit; after a small protest yesterday at Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon (where Ngo is from), the store—which is one of the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-12 15:29:06 UTC ]
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Read Harder: A Historical Fiction With a POC or LGBTQ+ Protagonist

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[ Book Riot | 2021-01-11 11:31:00 UTC ]
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7 Contemporary Novels About the Victorian Era

It’s a truism that historical fiction reveals more about its own age it than the one it portrays. We can’t escape or even perceive our own biases, the reasoning goes, so we end up helplessly projecting them onto a past where they don’t belong. But the past is not a museum, and contemporary... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-01-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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15 Of The Best Historical Fiction Series

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[ Book Riot | 2020-12-18 11:38:00 UTC ]
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AAP’s 2020 Freedom to Publish Award: Bangladesh’s Jagriti Publishing House

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-12-17 19:19:51 UTC ]
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A Year in Reading: Farooq Ahmed

When I was young my parents enrolled me in a speed-reading course, which was held in what felt like the basement of a used bookstore on a former main street in a town just west of Kansas City. The post A Year in Reading: Farooq Ahmed appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2020-12-16 16:00:11 UTC ]
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8 Intergenerational Family Sagas to Dig into This Winter

These eight brilliant novels of historical fiction featuring intergenerational family sagas tell sweeping and epic tales, including Disoriental by Négar Djavadi, translated by Tina A. Kover. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-12-16 11:39:00 UTC ]
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Denver Indie Bookstore Launches BookBar Press with Debut Release

Independent Denver bookstore BookBar has launched its new publishing division, BookBar Press, with the publication of an anthology of micro-plays written by area playwrights. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstore Is Now the Largest Black-Owned Bookstore in the U.S.

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Why I Bought a Bookstore at 29

My local bookstore is long, narrow, and outlined in wooden bookshelves. It’s wedged in an old Victorian building that sits across from the Salish Sea, where orcas, seals, and otters are frequently sighted. It smells like paper and salt water, and holds some 3,000 titles that reveal to tourists... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-07 09:49:19 UTC ]
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NYC radical bookstore Bluestockings is back—and they need your help.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-03 16:23:15 UTC ]
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12 new books to get from your local bookstore today.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-24 12:39:52 UTC ]
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