What to read this week: The Light Eaters, Paranoid Gardens and I Was a Teenage Slasher

Recent releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones Stephen Graham Jones is something of an expert on slashers. The author has tackled the genre in a slew of his novels (most notably in the Indian Lake Trilogy, with its slasher-movie-obsessed main character) and has an ongoing column in Fangoria dedicated to its impact, so it’s not really a surprise to see he’s churned out another entry for the canon. But this time around, we’re getting a different perspective: the slasher’s point of view. I Was a Teenage Slasher is the fictional memoir of Tolly Driver, who in 1989 reluctantly became Lamesa, Texas’ very own Michael Meyers at the age of 17 — a transformation that’s seemingly driven by powers beyond Tolly’s control. It takes the classic slasher formula and injects a whole lot of heart. The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth was released in the spring, but it just popped onto my radar and I was immediately drawn in by both the premise and Schlanger’s easy-to-digest writing style. The Light Eaters explores the long-debated concept of plant “intelligence” through conversations with scientists and deep dives into the complex processes that underlie plants’ survival. There’s a fair amount of anthropomorphizing, but The Light Eaters provides a really fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of plants... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-07-20 13:30:12 UTC ]

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What Is Autobiography? A Conversation with Debut Memoirist Victoria Chang, by Amy Wright

Interviews Victoria Chang’s new collection, Dear Memory, expands the field of the memoir for readers to explore a full-color archive of family photos and historical documents collaged between lines of poetry and letters. It prompts us to ask, with her,... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2022-01-05 19:50:39 UTC ]
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‘Lost & Found’ Ponders Profound Grief Alongside Newfound Love

Kathryn Schulz’s memoir places the totalizing experience of loss on a continuum with the summons of romantic and even religious love. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-01-04 20:12:44 UTC ]
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Our Favorite Essays about Unconventional Writing Teachers

For those of us who want to become real writers—whatever that means—the countless resources available can feel a bit dry and uninspired, ranging from tired but true clichés to well-lauded craft books (Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir on Craft sits dustily on my shelf). Many of us find... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-31 12:00:00 UTC ]
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‘We would discuss how dislikable I was’ – what’s it like to see your life story on TV?

Telling your story in a book is hard enough. But what if it ends up on screen? Adam Kay, writer of This Is Going to Hurt, and Dolly Alderton, who penned Everything I Know About Love, relive the shocksMore cultural highlights of 2022Most people find seeing themselves on screen distinctly... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-29 14:00:23 UTC ]
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Joan Didion, American journalist and author, dies at age 87

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[ The Guardian | 2021-12-23 17:19:56 UTC ]
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For Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, memoir as resistance

Ai Weiwei’s memoir “1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows” pushes back against the Chinese government’s efforts to silence him and his poet father. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-12-20 22:31:48 UTC ]
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Goldsmiths winner Harrison moves to Serpent's Tail from Gollancz after 40 years

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-19 23:45:16 UTC ]
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Richard Antoine White once had little more than his tuba. Now, he’s a musical pioneer.

White went from the streets of Baltimore to the philharmonic. In his memoir "I'm Possible," he tells the story of how he transformed his life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-18 13:00:13 UTC ]
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The Author Behind ‘Maid’ Has a Room — and a Voice — of Her Own

Stephanie Land’s best-selling memoir inspired the popular Netflix series. She’s not done fighting for people navigating the red tape of poverty. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-12-16 10:00:03 UTC ]
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Nine Eight Books lands memoir from soul legend P P Arnold

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[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-15 22:10:47 UTC ]
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Memoir by the late journalist Sarah Hughes to be published in March 2022

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[ The Guardian | 2021-12-13 14:25:04 UTC ]
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What Happens When I Don’t Understand My Own Novel?

A student of mine was writing a memoir about being in an abusive marriage. She’d divorced her husband in middle age and returned to college, and her prose was stark and beautiful. After a few months, however, her classmates grew restless. “He was horrible,” they said. “A bullying jerk.” Still,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-13 09:51:42 UTC ]
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Mel Brooks looks back on his delightfully deranged career

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[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-10 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Little A acquires 'powerful' memoir from Polari Prize founder Burston

Little A, the literary fiction and non-fiction imprint of Amazon Publishing, has acquired a "powerful" memoir by Paul Burston, founder of the Polari Prize, the UK’s first and largest LGBTQ+ book award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-09 09:18:56 UTC ]
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Elliot & Thompson snaps up Campbell memoir

Elliot & Thompson has snapped up a memoir by writer Nancy Campbell, whose recent book Fifty Words for Snow (Elliot & Thompson) was Waterstones’ November Non-Fiction Book of the Month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 21:39:33 UTC ]
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Minnie Driver's 'dazzling' memoir goes to Manilla Press

Manilla Press has snapped up a "dazzling" memoir by actress Minnie Driver, whose credits include a breakout role in "Circle of Friends" and the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 13:00:02 UTC ]
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Religion Book Deals: Dec. 8, 2021

Atria Books is publishing a memoir by former Washington Football Team’s quarterback Robert Griffin III; Baker signed a two-book deal with debut author and speaker on race Ally Henny; Center Street is spotlighting the faith lives of George H.W. and Barbara Bush, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Seeking a world without women, Tabitha Lasley lost herself — and found a better book

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-12-07 14:00:53 UTC ]
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‘Sex Cult Nun’ is as shocking as its title. But Faith Jones’s memoir is also a vital survivor’s story.

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[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-04 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Alice Sebold’s Memoir About Her Rape Is Even More Brutal to Read Now

The uncanniness of rereading Lucky now that the man Alice Sebold identified as her rapist has been exonerated. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2021-12-04 00:50:58 UTC ]
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