What We're Reading – October 2019

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine EvaristoSince studying Lara as a student, I have been a fan of Bernardine Evaristo’s work, and am delighted to see her win the Booker Prize this year. Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives of twelve black characters with different backgrounds and experiences, most of whom identify as female, living in London. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them through my reading and seeing how their lives are linked or overlap in different ways. What I found particularly interesting about this book is how each character responds in their own way to the universal questions of self and identity, particularly the tensions between personal, public and political gender discourse and the effect it has on the relationships the characters have with others. This feels like a very important book, and a must-read if you’re interested in what’s happening in UK fiction today.Rachel Stevens, Director LiteratureCommon People - An Anthology of Working-class Writers (ed Kit de Waal). An exceptional collection of essays, poems, memoir and short stories celebrating working-class life, culture and literature. There are many highlights, but I especially recommend Lisa McInnery’s essay ‘Working Class: An Escape Manual’, which considers how working-class writers and artists are co-opted into other identities when they achieve success. Debut author Adam Sharp’s ‘Play’, a memoir of his relationship with a substance-addicted father, is poignant and deftly handled - he’s a writer to... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2019-10-30 09:49:28 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "What We're Reading – October 2019"


At Least Don’t Look Up…Tries?

Also, remembering Sidney Poitier and discussing Lost & Found: A Memoir with author Kathryn Schulz. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2022-01-12 10:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Memoir of a Young Girl’s Survival Amid Mounting Horrors

In “Mala’s Cat,” Mala Kacenberg describes her time hiding out in the forest during World War II after losing her family. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-01-12 10:00:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Usborne triumphs in seven-way auction for middle-grade debut by Linton

Usborne has triumphed in a seven-way auction for a middle-grade story by debut author G M Linton celebrating family, friendship and being proud of who you are and your heritage. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-12 02:12:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Parenting while Black was hard enough for Taylor Harris. Then something went wrong

Taylor Harris discusses 'This Boy We Made,' her memoir on seeking answers about her son, the anxieties of Black parenting and her evolving faith Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-11 14:00:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Is There a Silver Lining to Loss? This Memoir Shows Its Shimmer.

In “Lost & Found,” Kathryn Schulz explores the confluence of death, love and hope. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-01-11 10:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jami Attenberg’s Memoir Is a Portrait of the Artist as a Born Writer

In “I Came All This Way to Meet You,” the novelist reveals how far she’s traveled — and how many obstacles she’s cleared — to get where she is now. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-01-11 10:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jami Attenberg on Building a Writing Life

At the Guardian, Jami Attenberg, author of the recent memoir I Came All This Way to Meet You, reflects on how a key moment of rejection allowed her to carve out her own path as a writer. “I’m old enough to realise that there is one more important part to carving out your creative life: … The... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2022-01-10 21:30:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How love, death and ampersands changed Kathryn Schulz's life

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and author of the memoir "Lost and Found" unpacks the meaning and importance of joy and grief — and conjuctions. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-10 14:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Messay: An Introduction

A messay is a combination of memoir and essay. But something beautiful happens when you smash these words together. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-01-10 11:38:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Canbury Press lands first memoir by Uyghur survivor of China’s 're-education' camps

Canbury Press has landed the first memoir by a Uyghur survivor of China’s "re-education" camps. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-10 06:03:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A murder of books

There is an interesting moment during the staging of Philip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-08 06:09:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Indie bookshop numbers rise for fifth consecutive year, BA figures show

The number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has grown for the fifth consecutive year despite challenges brought by the pandemic, the Booksellers Association says. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-07 22:34:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Carl Bernstein’s Eulogy for the Newspaper Business

Bernstein’s memoir “Chasing History” is a personal and affectionate look at the past, when journalism was thriving. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-01-07 20:51:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Skyhorse picks up Mailer anthology, as Random House passes

Norman Mailer's long-term US publisher Random House has declined to publish an anthology of his writing, with indie Skyhorse Publishing picking up the book instead, though the late author's son stressed his father has not been "cancelled". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-06 02:12:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


Jessica Chastain has optioned Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers for TV.

Deadline has reported that Jessica Chastain, through her cutely named production company Freckle Films, has beaten out several others to the TV rights to Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers. The School for Good Mothers, published this week by Simon & Schuster, is Chan’s debut novel;... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-05 16:49:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘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 ]
More news stories like this


The Books Briefing: 5 Short Stories to Read This Weekend

Exploring the diversity of The Atlantic’s original fiction: Your weekly guide to the best in books Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2021-12-31 15:24:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this


10 of the Best O. Henry Short Stories Everyone Should Read

The stories of the US short-story writer O. Henry, real name William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), are characterised by their irony and by their surprise endings, which became something of a signature of a good O. Henry short story. However, another word that is often used to describe O. Henry’s... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-12-31 15:00:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this