Book Reviews Photo by Aideal Hwa / Unsplash If reading Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg’s Robot (Penguin Classics, 2021), translated by Tomasz Mirkowicz, makes you think about Stanislaw Lem’s work, you’re not alone. Indeed, both Robot and Lem’s His Master’s Voice (published in Polish just a few years apart) take up the fascinating but insoluble problem of whether or not we’re alone in the universe. One might even call Robot surrealist science fiction and liken it to Kafka’s work, or even Lem’s Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, since the main character spends most of his time wandering around the halls of an underground shelter, unsure of his own identity and his place in the community that has formed following an apocalyptic event on the surface. His identity confusion derives from his “birth” on an assembly line under a kind of bell jar. Given instructions by a mysterious Mechanism to study the people living in the shelter, the protagonist proceeds as if he is a living machine given a modicum of free will (as explained by the Mechanism). Much of the novel focuses on the protagonist figuring out why those around him are living underground and why many of them believe that he is a physicist named Poreyra. Encountering strange “statues” that weigh several tons in one of the shelter’s rooms, he eventually moves through a mirror there into a replica of the stricken city, where time moves at a fraction of the speed experienced in the shelter.... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2021-11-10 20:14:00 UTC ]
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Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the cover for Rachel Eliza Griffiths’s novel Promise, which Danielle Evans calls “a stunning exploration of the weight and triumph of legacy” and which will be published by Random House in July. Here’s some more about the book from the publisher: The Kindred... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-23 15:00:59 UTC ]
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The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes recognize works in 12 categories, with winners to be announced at USC in person on April 21. James Ellroy will receive a lifetime achievement prize. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-02-22 15:00:07 UTC ]
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Musicians and studios put loads of time and money into special edition commemorative releases, most of which will never be experienced by listeners. From The Velvet Underground to Joni Mitchell, it seems everyone is rolling out a special edition box set these days. Just look at the last few... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-01-28 03:00:00 UTC ]
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Talking about punishing parents, backstabbing besties, and book club breakups with guest Hugh Ryan Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2023-01-24 20:00:00 UTC ]
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Adam Bessie and Peter Glanting’s debut graphic memoir 'Going Remote: A Teacher’s Journey' chronicles the impact of the pandemic on the community college where Bessie teaches and on the lives and education of his students after the suspension of in-person classes and the switch to online... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Meet mechanical dragons, security units, and wild robots in these incredible science fiction books all about robots. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-01-09 11:32:00 UTC ]
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A play based on the writer’s memoir about the death of her husband, in its first New York revival, goes small to powerful effect. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-02 23:00:05 UTC ]
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With schools and libraries under increasing political pressure, Kathy Zappitello, director of the Conneaut Public Library and the 2022 President of the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, is standing up by standing for public office. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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While other future novelists were discussing iambic pentameter and leitmotifs, Gina Chen immersed herself in computer science. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-08-25 09:00:11 UTC ]
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Norman Vincent Peale, known as the father of positive thinking, takes #2 in Religion Nonfiction with his 60-year-old mega-bestseller, ‘The Power of Positive Thinking;’ Debby Giusti debuts at #2 on our Religion Fiction bestsellers list with her new Christian romance, ‘Soldier Protector.’ Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s a tale as old as time: a Brazilian writer sets her Kindle aside for a few weeks to work on her own novel, and when she goes back to get a little reading done, finds that the device has been infested with a horde of tiny white ants. “My virtual library had become a […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-04 13:07:23 UTC ]
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This is a boom time for books about animal intelligence. It feels like every day I see a review of a book called something like Furry Mensa—the Remarkable Brains of All Those Little Guys Running Around Out There. No book in this genre is ever going to be truly bad, because animal intelligence is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-29 08:51:54 UTC ]
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A new historical fiction series for young readers highlights “the importance of standing up for what you know is right.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-07-01 04:20:49 UTC ]
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It seems like everyone (ahem) has a summer reading list for you this week—even Bill Gates. As you probably know, Gates loves to read—and he also loves to write about books on his blog, GatesNotes, where today he published a list of his recommendations for the season. But don’t expect any beach... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-06-06 17:00:32 UTC ]
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The NFL's rumored streaming service could debut in JulyDyson, the company that’s recently branched out into hair curlers, air-purifying headphones and not cars, has revealed it has an entire division secretly developing robot prototypes for household chores.The company didn't detail any of the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-05-26 11:15:21 UTC ]
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What happens when animation geeks get the greenlight to produce whatever they want? You get Netflix's Love, Death and Robots, an anthology series that's meant to remind viewers that cartoons aren't just for kids. You'd think that would be a foregone conclusion in 2022, decades after anime has... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-05-21 13:00:32 UTC ]
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He brought an earthy realism (and a new adversary or two) to the superhero characters he drew. He also championed the rights of his fellow comic book creators. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-05-05 00:42:24 UTC ]
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From creating iconic superheroes and groundbreaking storylines to fighting for creator rights, Neal Adams was a legendary comic book artist. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-05-02 13:00:02 UTC ]
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After a few years of virtual ceremonies, the 42nd Los Angeles Times Book Prizes was held in person Friday at USC, kicking off the Festival of Books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-23 04:25:08 UTC ]
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An unspoken tradition hints that going to the source is good for the story you want to write. The trouble often is that we have no idea what that source may be. Sometimes we think it is sheer research and we spend time in libraries. Often, we think it’s where the action of the proposed […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-22 09:52:32 UTC ]
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