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"


Picture power

Far too many times, I’ve been in a bookshop or a school and heard adults persuade a child away from a picture book and encouraged them to read ‘something more appropriate’. There’s a huge notion in this country that picture books are for younger children and a step into ‘proper reading’. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-13 08:06:26 UTC ]
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Pan Mac snaps up ex-lawyer Murphy's debut in two-book deal

Pan Macmillan has snapped up two books from debut author and former family lawyer Nora Murphy. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-12 17:22:46 UTC ]
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A Summary and Analysis of Ray Bradbury’s ‘A Sound of Thunder’

‘A Sound of Thunder’ is one of the best-known short stories by the American writer Ray Bradbury (1920-2012). A time-travel story about how changing the past could bring about momentous and catastrophic changes to the future, ‘A Sound of Thunder’ is often taught and studied in schools and remains... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-09-11 14:00:31 UTC ]
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Wildfire signs memoir from It's A Sin inspiration Nalder

Wildfire has acquired Love from the Pink Palace: Memories of Love, Loss and Cabaret Through the AIDS Crisis, a memoir by Jill Nalder, the real-life inspiration behind the character Jill from Channel 4's "It’s a Sin".  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-09 20:53:00 UTC ]
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Ex-Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham to release White House book

Grisham, also a former top aide to Melania Trump, to publish memoir containing ‘surprising new scandals’ in October The former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, also a former top aide to former first lady Melania Trump, will release a memoir in October. Related: ‘Bring it’:... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-09-09 19:11:26 UTC ]
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Primary schools to receive Knights Of Black British anthology

Every primary school in England is to receive a free copy of Happy Here (Knights Of), a new anthology by 20 Black British writers and illustrators, as part of an initiative to improve teaching practices and improve representation in children's literature and publishing.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-08 17:52:35 UTC ]
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Review: Larry Elder complained we'd never reviewed his books. So we did, like it or not

David Ulin read four of the recall candidate's books, from the jeremiad "Showdown" to the memoir "A Lot Like Me," and found not a writer but a brand. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-09-08 13:00:05 UTC ]
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Why O. Henry is so much more than those short stories you had to read in school

A new collection, ‘O. Henry: 100 Stories,’ demonstrates the allure of this masterful story writer Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-08 13:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Three Girls from Bronzeville’ is a story about growing up on Chicago’s South Side — and so much more

Dawn Turner’s memoir gives a tutorial of urban decay, White privilege, poor city planning and the influence of fads and digital advances on Black urban teenagers. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Lambert joins Bookshop board

Sophie Lambert has been appointed to Bookshop.org's advisory board, as the company continues to grow and embarks on future development plans. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-08 04:20:35 UTC ]
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Review: Joy Williams' first novel in decades is an astonishing end-times parable

From the acclaimed author of novels and short stories, 'Harrow' is a magnificent, moving story about people picking up the pieces of apocalypse. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-09-07 13:00:01 UTC ]
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Hayley Mills became a Disney darling at 12. Her new memoir recalls how it went from there.

In ‘Forever Young,’ the 75-year-old actress opens up about life before and after ‘The Parent Trap’ Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Emma Gannon | 'I really want to us to fight back against the algorithm of life'

Five years ago, when in her late twenties, Emma Gannon released her first book: Ctrl Alt Delete: How I Grew Up Online. It’s a funny and thoughtful memoir which charts her formative experiences on the internet as a Millennial woman born in the same year as the World Wide Web. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-03 14:05:09 UTC ]
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A memoir that finds dignity in troubled people and places

Shawna Kay Rodenberg recounts her childhood in a religious sect and in rural Kentucky. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Lessons to Learn From the Kate Clanchy Memoir Fiasco

Why did author Kate Clanchy get an opportunity to rewrite a memoir others called out as racist and ableist? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-09-03 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of September 6, 2021

A memoir from Congressman Jamie Raskin goes to Harper, Penguin signs Coll’s last Afghanistan book, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Between Grief and Fighting for Survival with Kat Chow

At Ploughshares, Kat Chow discusses Seeing Ghosts, her memoir that examines grief and sorrow through the lens of three generations of her Chinese-American family. “I’ve always been drawn to writing about the body—our physical selves and how they reflect our inner lives—and how our bodies are an... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-09-02 20:30:39 UTC ]
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10 of the Best Novels and Short Stories about the First World War

The story of the First World War has been told in fiction, film, and television many times since the Great War began in 1914. Previously, we gathered together some of the best poems about the First World War, but what about the novels and short stories that have been written? […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-09-02 14:00:03 UTC ]
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How 'Parent Trap''s Hayley Mills survived kid stardom, bulimia and losing her Disney money

Hayley Mills, star of 'Pollyanna' and 'The Parent Trap,' is now 75 and has written a memoir about her life as a child actor under Walt Disney's watchful eye. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-09-02 13:00:20 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Locast's local TV streaming service loses legal protections

Locast, a company that claimed to improve access to local TV stations for people who can’t get the signal via traditional means, has been dealt a blow by a New York Court. It lost a courtroom battle with CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, which said the company was violating copyright. Deadline reports the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-09-02 11:15:37 UTC ]
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