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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Book subscriptions from indies around the country are ideal for gifting — to yourself or someone else. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-12-07 13:00:00 UTC ]
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My introduction to contemporary poets was a trial by fire. Here’s what I learned along the way. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-12-04 14:00:00 UTC ]
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Poetry and woodland creatures, along with a dose of nostalgia and a nod to Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge books, all feature in the big search-and-find spring release from the new independent publisher Magic Cat, which brought together poet Rachel Piercey (above right) and illustrator Freya Hartas... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-03 15:11:53 UTC ]
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The former president offers familiar praise without delving deeper into their relationship. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-18 13:00:00 UTC ]
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We’ve got a star-studded stack of new books today, folks! To name a few: President Barack Obama’s memoir, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend creator and star Rachel Bloom’s musings, Julia Child’s culinary wisdom, and Steve Martin’s cartoon pigeons (???). You can get them all at your local bookstore today! *... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-17 15:30:14 UTC ]
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Foster Huntington’s follow-up to “Van Life” is a both a celebration and a cautionary tale. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-30 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Yes, it’s Kristin Scott Thomas, our most recent Mrs. Danvers and our forever Fiona. Can’t you just imagine her as the narrator of Cusk’s cool-toned autofictions? The best part is, she got the gig because she’s a fan. “Faber heard that I was a Rachel Cusk fan so I was thrilled when they asked me... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-29 15:18:37 UTC ]
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Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association members raised concerns during its annual membership meeting about the strategy behind the rollout to the ABA's Boxed Out marketing campaign. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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McConaughey’s memoir “Greenlights” is full of can-do thoughts about this thing he calls “livin.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-20 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Totnes Bookshop in south Devon is being closed in its current form by the trust that owns its lease and will reopen as a box office for local events. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-19 11:36:36 UTC ]
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Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is again putting more money toward computer science education in the region, this time with a $100,000 donation to the University of Maryland's engineering school for diversity initiatives and robotics programming. Specifically, Amazon Lab126, the... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2020-10-14 11:53:45 UTC ]
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Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is again putting more money toward computer science education in Greater Washington, this time with a $100,000 donation to the University of Maryland's engineering school for diversity initiatives and robotics programming. Specifically, Amazon Lab126, the... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2020-10-13 15:47:55 UTC ]
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Bi and lesbian books from the last two decades for fans of literary fiction, from haunting collections to atmospheric historical fiction like Miss Timmins’ School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-10-02 10:38:36 UTC ]
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Independent publisher Angry Robot has acquired a third title from Cameron Johnston, The Maleficent Seven. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-02 08:15:56 UTC ]
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Last month, the Senate Intelligence Committee published a damning bipartisan report on Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. Since then, we’ve heard more about what Russia may be up to in 2020. A week ago, Brian Murphy, a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, filed a... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-09-15 12:30:41 UTC ]
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What was the first novel? Why was it written? What need did it fill? Who wrote it? And most importantly, can you still read it today? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-09-02 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Programmed to be a dentist, Stephenson’s protagonist heads west, unleashing wry observations along the way. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-01 14:20:37 UTC ]
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Ros Anderson’s debut novel may not break new ground, but the depth of its first-person presentation is a quiet triumph. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-30 06:19:39 UTC ]
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Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes on the violence in Kenosha, his conversation with the Bucks, and being a Black man in elected office right now. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2020-08-29 20:38:21 UTC ]
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Independent publisher Angry Robot Books has extended indefinitely its open submission window for sci-fi and fantasy novels by black authors, following a positive response to the initiative. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-24 03:52:28 UTC ]
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