What We're Reading – April 2019

Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado I've absolutely loved this collection of short stories, which floats between the weird and the queer, passing horror, black comedy and feminism along the way. Doubles and others are especially important: a wife enters her wife’s dream when they are apart; a girlfriend fades until her girlfriend accidentally falls through her in bed. Most noticeably, in the magnificent story ‘Especially Heinous’, detectives Stabler and Benson from Law & Order: SVU meet Abler and Henson, who always get to the crime scene first but do nothing about the beautiful murdered girls whose deaths fuel most episodes of Law & Order: SVU. Machado’s stories are direct, fast-paced, and funny, yet there’s always a slow-moving malevolence to them, a hidden seriousness, a careful confusion, and a sense of meaning that’s just out of reach for the characters. I can’t wait for her second book – a memoir – to be published later this year. Swithun Cooper, Research and Information Manager   Ordinary People, by Diana Evans Just shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize. Ordinary People is the story of two couples in the second flush of marriage, wondering about where their lives together are going and what compromises they’ll have to make along the way. It’s also a love-letter to London, and to the music of John Legend. I’m enjoying Diana Evans’ lyrical writing style and in depth exploration of her characters inner lives, their frustrations and complex... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2019-04-11 08:49:28 UTC ]

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Tony Lyons on Publishing 'Disloyal'

As 500,000 copies of Michael Cohen's memoir head to stores and other outlets, Skyhorse publisher Tony Lyons said the book is likely to be the bestselling title in the indie publisher's history. He also sees its publication as part of his approach to being what he calls "a free speech publisher." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The World’s First Novel Is Older Than You Think

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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Elena Ferrante Returns With ‘The Lying Life of Adults’

In her first novel in five years, the author of “My Brilliant Friend” revisits old themes. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-09-01 09:00:11 UTC ]
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C.I.A. Uncensors Memoir of F.B.I. Agent Who Protested Torture of Terrorists

Nine years after the C.I.A. blacked out parts of Ali Soufan’s book, the agency has finally allowed a more complete version of his story to be published. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-08-29 16:58:43 UTC ]
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7 Takeaways From ‘Melania and Me,’ by the First Lady’s Former Friend

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was part of the Trumps’ inner circle — until she wasn’t. Her memoir is a cautionary tale. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-08-28 21:34:51 UTC ]
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Yan Lianke, author of Three Brothers, on Chinese Life, Law, and Literature

Hosts Kate, Eric, and Medaya are joined by renowned Chinese writer Yan Lianke, whose latest book is the memoir Three Brothers, about his childhood growing up during the Cultural Revolution. Calling in from Beijing, Yan discusses his life as a writer, being banned and censored in his own country... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-08-28 20:55:54 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: August 31, 2020

Glennon Doyle’s memoir ‘Untamed,’ which had its best print sales since its pub week in March, is the #3 book in the country. Plus ‘Live in Love’ by Lauren Akins, wife of country singer Thomas Rhett, is #8 in the country, and seminal L.A. punk band Bad Religion gives fans permission to ‘Do What... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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August paperback releases: 14 books to read now

Erin Morgenstern’s “The Starless Sea” and Jill Biden’s memoir are among the top picks. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-26 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The Festival Five with Author and Translator David Bellos, by The Editors of WLT

Interviews Get to know the participants of the upcoming 2020 Neustadt Festival in this series of short interviews. First up: David Bellos! David Bellos is a professor of French and comparative literature as well as director of the Program in Translation... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-08-25 20:30:39 UTC ]
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Nora Waln: Quaker journalist whose memoir tried to understand the Nazis

The American journalist witnessed the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. Her nuanced approach offers clues about reporting a polarised society. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2020-08-25 15:02:35 UTC ]
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7 Books About Being Young and Messy in New York

My memoir is not unique. But only in the sense that my story unfolds with New York City as the backdrop, where so many other stories have unfolded and will continue to unfold long after I’m gone. That’s the beauty of this multilayered city: it unravels you, and no one’s unraveling is alike. Yes,... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-08-25 11:00:12 UTC ]
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Picador picks up new novel from Ridgway

Picador has picked up the first novel in eight years from award-winning Irish author Keith Ridgway. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-24 11:52:26 UTC ]
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Windmill pre-empts naturalist's 'powerful' memoir in 24 hours

Windmill has signed Sally Huband's non-fiction debut, the story of a woman who combs Shetland beaches to find her place, in a 24-hour pre-empt. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-21 02:26:55 UTC ]
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Leaving It All Behind: A Conversation with Makenna Goodman

Makenna Goodman on leaving New York publishing behind for the farms of Vermont, and why publishing her first novel was traumatic. Continue reading at The Paris Review

[ The Paris Review | 2020-08-20 17:18:24 UTC ]
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Cover Reveal: NEGATIVE SPACE by Lilly Dancyger

Check out the cover for NEGATIVE SPACES, a new memoir from Lilly Dancyger, editor of BURN IT DOWN: WOMEN WRITING ABOUT ANGER. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-08-18 10:37:00 UTC ]
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A Road Trip With One of the 20th Century’s Greatest Writers

“Borges and Me,” a memoir by Jay Parini, recounts a young poet’s travels with Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentine master. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-08-18 09:00:07 UTC ]
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Sceptre pre-empts musician Mikel Jollett's memoir

Sceptre has pre-empted Hollywood Park by musician and writer Mikel Jollett, frontman of indie band The Airborne Toxic Event. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-16 14:59:29 UTC ]
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Trump won't leave office peacefully, his former lawyer Cohen claims in upcoming book

Michael Cohen's memoir about U.S. President Donald Trump will be released Sept. 8 by Skyhorse Publishing, which confirmed the news on Thursday. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2020-08-14 12:29:48 UTC ]
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Trump’s war on mail-in voting and the postal service

Yesterday, a pair of TV interviews crystallized just how the Trump administration is threatening the integrity of the election. On CNBC, Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, cast “voting rights” as part of a “liberal-left wish list,” adding, “That’s not our game.” On Fox Business, Trump... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-08-14 12:26:12 UTC ]
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Jean Giorno: Fighting the Battle of Gay Liberation in a Homophobic World

“I don’t know what it means!” Andy Warhol bleats, in John Giorno’s Great Demon Kings: A Memoir of Poetry, Sex, Art, Death, and Enlightenment (out now from Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Warhol’s ditzy refrain is a mantra for the perpetually bemused, at once tragicomic and tongue-in-cheek. He says... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-14 08:48:26 UTC ]
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