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 ]

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Korean American experience resonates in ‘The Prince of Mournful Thoughts’

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Bloomsbury lands Luke Cassidy's 'gritty' debut novel

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How Much Does Your Job Shape Your Identity?

“You think you’ve known someone for a long time,” a character in one of Jenny Bhatt’s short stories says of her Indian colleague shortly after he’s shot dead by a white man in a bar. “Maybe he never really took to us. Never really became one of us.” Turn by turn, each of his white […] The post... Continue reading at Electric Literature

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Retail site Bookshop announces UK board

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Mrs Hinch sweeps into second week in the top spot

Mrs Hinch's memoir This is Me (Michael Joseph) has dusted off a second week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 25,983 copies in its first full week on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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FX Taps Chefs to Redefine the American Pie for Fargo Season 4

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Former CIA director John Brennan takes on Trump, and doesn’t hold back

His memoir recounts his suspicions on Russia and has intriguing comments on Joe Biden. Continue reading at The Washington Post

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Lit Hub Daily: October 9, 2020

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Personal Space: Maggie Smith on Her Shift in Artistic Practice

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Michael Joseph buys Tyler's Walk from the Wild Edge

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Ebury bags Carraway's sex industry memoir

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The Ivy Bookshop opens up in new location in Baltimore City

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Amazon Charts: Hinch winches into the top

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Loud Black Girls panel to feature at first Streatham Literature Festival

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