I recently finished Min Jin Lee’s sprawling, multi-generational family epic, Pachinko. I loved this book. Lee’s evocative prose brought to life a time and place I knew little about. Not only was it an engaging story with characters about whom I cared deeply, but it was one of those books that illuminated bigger truths—about war and the legacy of colonialism—with such power and subtly that it seemed to sink into my very bones....
But, my friends, we are not here to discuss these modern day shenanigans, however entertaining they may be. We are here first and foremost to discuss England in the early 20th century and the romantic life of Mr. E.M. Forster, celebrated author from nearly a hundred years ago. Forster was open about being gay with his friends, but because being gay was a capital punishment in England until 1967*, he was of course not out publicly....
Unsurprisingly, ebooks saw a surge in popularity this year, but that continues a trend of increasing ebook checkouts. The most common ebook checkout of the libraries surveyed was The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, followed by The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. The most popular nonfiction title was Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, and the most popular kids’ book was Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End by Jeff Kinney....
People across the US were disappointed to hear that Neil Gaiman’s current book signing tour will be his last. Hearts were broken, babies cried, and Gaimanites made offerings to the literary gods in hopes that he will one day change his mind. Extreme reactions, I know. But if you’ve been to one of his events, you understand what all the fuss is about. He’s just as good as speaker as he is a writer – maybe even better....
Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there are two kinds of wizards in the late Victorian world: those who can cast spells and those, like her, who can break them. Her gift is considered a crime. Nevertheless, Elsie uses her rogue spellbreaking to help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood. But when wizards start getting murdered, Elsie is compelled to uncover the truth....
Tor and TorDotCom Publishing have been cornerstones of speculative novella publishing over the past few years, with both established writers publishing novella series — such as Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series — as well as authors debuting with a novella. “A 40,000 word book in many other genres would simply be a novel, and we’re starting to see that blurriness bleed over more into SFF publishing,” Chen said. “Genre stalwarts marking Hugo ballots will be eyeing word counts, but there are also plenty of readers who will look at what they’re holding in their hands and simply think ‘book....
Well, we have! Now that we are a month out of the giving season, it’s time to sit back, relax and complain. We put together some of the books that did not fit us, were not our taste, or were just plain bad. It’s a cautionary tale to consider, hey, maybe you shouldn’t give that book as a gift. Here are the worst books we’ve gotten as gifts: Makeup For Tweens When I was in early high school, a friend’s mom gave me a book about doing makeup....
At every book signing event that I have attended, I take note of the author’s pen. I remember my delight at seeing novelist and essayist Cynthia Ozick using the Paper Mate Expresso black ink pen with a porous point tip: a satisfying discovery since I had been using that particular pen at the time. Many of the writers seen through the years have been fond of the felt tip black ink medium point of various manufacturers....
That’s right. Not just any new adaptation of The Color Purple. The majestic, musical, queer af version that actually has more of the heart of Alice Walker’s amazing book than the 1985 movie did, no matter what the quality of the cast and cinematography. I grew up watching The Color Purple. I won’t say the movie isn’t good. It’s a quality film featuring some high-quality acting, even if it didn’t win any of its 11 Oscar nominations....
– First off, an explanation of Gatz. It’s an eight hour word-for-word theatrical presentation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. As a piece, it’s hard to fit neatly into a medium. It’s not technically an adaptation, as nothing is “adapted,” the book is presented and read in full. You could call it a play–there are actors, sets, costumes, staging, etc., but what is being presented was not written to be a play, but, of course, prose....
via GIPHY I’ve been thinking a lot about the emotional weight of time, and how weighty moments can feel slower than the ones we Twitter away, so to speak. Every day since March has passed in nearly the same way: the mornings feel somewhat normal, the late morning and early afternoon pass quickly, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. doesn’t exist. And then 8:00 p.m. until midnight or so is just how will I ever figure out what to do with myself until I fall asleep?...
Grieving the death of her mother and an outcast at school, thirteen-year-old Mei finds solace in cooking and computer games. When her friend’s grandmother falls ill, Mei seeks out her father, a doctor, for help, and discovers the hospital is overcrowded. As the virus spreads, Mei finds herself alone in a locked-down city trying to find a way to help.Weaving in the tastes and sounds of the historic city, Wuhan’s comforting and distinctive cuisine comes to life as the reader follows 13-year-old Mei who, through her love for cooking, makes a difference in her community....
Names that often come up when this sort of thing is discussed are Colson Whitehead, Silvia Moreno Garcia, and Lauren Groff. All of these people write work that is difficult to categorize, where one book is different from the next from the next. All of them seem capable of doing anything and doing it well. There are times when your favorite author has written a book but the summary doesn’t grab you....
Owning Books is Not a Substitute for Intelligence or Personality A quick search on Twitter yields all sorts of things that are “not a personality”: crossfit, hating pineapple on pizza, owning houseplants. I’ll stop there lest any of us feel too attacked. Merely owning books and displaying them in the public parts of your living space isn’t equivalent to cultivating reading tastes, interests, and opinions. If you’re keeping a copy of Ulysses on your shelf despite having never read it (this is wild conjecture not at all based on my own reality), think about why....
Disability stories are no exception. Certainly, there’s a major gap in the market for these books, but over the last couple of years, more and more disabled writers have had their voices published and shared. We’ve even seen disability represented more centrally on YA book covers. We’re not gone from the days of inspiration porn, and it’s hard to ignore that one of the most promoted, shared, and celebrated books for young people in recent years was written by a non-disabled person with “be kind” as the key takeaway (it’s Wonder, if you’re wondering)....
The book has a lot of variety in terms of setting, genre, and plot, as well as diversity of characters’ and authors’ identities. Characters differ and change in their attitudes towards their own disabilities. In the beginning of “Plus One” by Karuna Riazi, the protagonist views her mental illness as an intrusive guest as she goes on the Hajj. “The Day the Dragon Came” by Marieke Nijkamp depicts a moving friendship between a cisgender girl with a physical disability and an able-bodied, transgender boy....
Hello mystery fans! This is the time of year where I would normally do a roundup of my favorite books of the second half of 2020—following the first half of 2020 favorite list I did. But I just can’t. I keep sitting down to do it. Or trying to start a list on my phone. Thinking about it while walking the goat and I keep circling back to the fact that I didn’t read anywhere near as many books as I usually do this year....
October is queer history month, and in a time where queer books are being banned left and right simply for being about queer people, queer stories are more important than ever. Just like Black people and Latine individuals, queer people have always lived in conservative areas. Atlanta is historically the equivalent of Mecca for Southern Queers. Country queers carve out a space for ourselves and build a culture much the way city queers do....
From where I’m sitting, either is acceptable. But there sure is a lot of ink spilled trying to tell you what to read during the languid summer months. Just about every magazine, newspaper, blog, your mom, etc., puts out a “summer reads list.” But I can never tell what exactly makes a book a summer read, precisely. Stephen King thinks you’re a pretentious fool for reading “serious” novels during the summer....
I’ve been thinking a lot about the TIME 100 Best YA Books of All Time list, which works to both update their previously messy list, while also noting the ways YA has changed dramatically since 2016. The list, created in collaboration with YA authors Kacen Callender, Jenny Han, Adam Silvera, Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon, was developed by three TIME staffers, along with a number of the publication’s team members....
