Because I realised I didn’t know anything about what was happening in the world of books back home, I started the Brit Lit Blog in 2016 and then the Brit Lit Podcast in 2017. And I was, inevitably, drawn to the buzzy books: novels like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and The Lido by Libby Page (known in the UK as Mornings with Rosemary) were all over my Twitter feed....
When you struggle with anxiety, it can be easily to practice avoidance. I have never read up on anxiety for fear of stressing myself out worse, and I therefore exist in a state of semi-blissful* ignorance (*debatable). I’ve recently discovered that graphic nonfiction can be a powerful aid in coping with mental disorders. We’ve touched on this about depression before, but I wanted to highlight graphic nonfiction about anxiety. While depression and anxiety can affect the same person, they don’t always....
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “It’s not that hard! There’s a ton of them out there, just join one! Or make your own!” It’s not that I haven’t tried. I have. Several times, actually. At work, at church, with friends. All of them either never actually got off the ground or petered out after a certain amount of time. I even went so far as checking out the pick for Book Riot Insider’s Q1 Group Read, which I myself voted on, from the library....
Certain types of stories are no longer plausible in today’s minutely documented world. Identity theft still happens, but a dramatic form of identity theft is possible in books that take place long before the internet. People can completely reinvent themselves, making up fictitious personae or stealing dead people’s identities. It’s always fascinating to wonder how long they’ll get away with it. The Devil in the White City, a nonfiction book that often reads like a novel, combines the stories of infamous serial killer H....
Well, maybe. Lately, I’ve been thinking that this idea, this “quit every book you don’t love!” attitude, lacks some subtlety. Maybe there’s a grey area, some murky space in the middle, where we can chuck books we’re not into without any qualms and also read books that are not anything super special without feeling like it’s a waste of time. Because here’s the thing: sometimes I enjoy reading books that are just meh....
Thus reads Part A(3) of the Comics Code Authority, created in 1954. This section survived the Code’s 1971 revision with an extra sentence added: “If any of these is depicted committing an illegal act, it must be declared as an exceptional case and that the culprit pay the legal price.” In other words, for a good chunk of comics history, comic books could only depict the police as nice, moral folks worthy of respect....
The estate explains that maps were an “integral part of Tolkien’s world-building” and that he drew them as he wrote his novels. The maps included range from broad maps of the world to ones with a more narrow focus, like the Shire. — Smithsonian Magazine (@SmithsonianMag) March 19, 2022 Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
Sometimes I cringe when looking at organizations that highlight diverse books or empowering books for children because often, when a book with Jewish characters is featured, it’s about the Holocaust. This is true even with Jewish book awards. (This was written about extensively in The New York Times last summer). While I absolutely believe that well-done Holocaust novels and narratives are necessary — more than 60% of Millennials and Gen Z have no idea 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust — there is so much more to Jews and Judaism....
The study and report were executed in a partnership between the New York Library Association, Urban Librarians Unite, and St John’s University. On the Urban Librarians Unite website, they introduce the report writing, “Almost every library worker has a story about one event at work that left them shaken. Sometimes it’s an abusive patron, sometimes it’s workplace bullying, and sometimes it’s that haunting feeling left behind when a patron needed more help than you could provide....
Kiernan Shipka has been forging her own path with a combination of adaptations and movies that are YA-adjacent but not based on books. While most of us got to know her as Sally Draper on the decidedly not YA Mad Men, she has since voiced Jinora on Legend of Korra and appeared in The Blackcoat’s Daughter and a TV movie called Fan Girl (no relation to the Rainbow Rowell book) before going on to be Sabrina Spellman on the new Netflix adaptation The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina....
Like most legends, it’s an interesting story. But is it true? Well, Killing Time certainly exists, and there are certainly multiple versions of it. The original features lines like “Kirk sighed and reached out to cover the Vulcan’s hand with his own. Men like Spock weren’t standard issue” and “Something stirred inside him…something ancient, something familiar.” While that does sound suspiciously like every fanfic I’ve ever stayed up late reading, were these lines really meant as a dog whistle to the author’s fellow slash fans?...
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
Floor Pillow Your reading nook doesn’t have to be an actual space; just having a designated spot to read can help you (or your kids) look forward to digging into a book. For something portable and easy to store away, try these floor pillows for a comfy and colorful option! Task Floor Lamp Set the scene for coziness by switching your overhead light off and turning on a floor light to set the atmosphere....
Because Tolkien’s work is also copyrighted, the vivid watercolors, the intricate pencil drawings, and the copiously-planned maps cannot be reprinted here. However, I can share some tidbits I learned along the way. Because I’m not a Tolkien expert, some of this might already be old news. However, if you’re an admirer from afar like me, this might all be new news to you. Handwriting The exhibit includes autograph letters. These are handwritten to and from Tolkien....
From New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire comes Seasonal Fears, the companion novel to Middlegame.Melanie has a destiny, though it isn’t the one everyone assumes it to be. She’s delicate; she’s dying. Now is the winter of her soul. Harry doesn’t want to believe in destiny, because that means accepting the loss of the one person who brings summer to his world. They must forge a new, dangerous path if they hope to share a life together....
A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley (Riverrun) June, 1957. One afternoon, in the backwater town of Sutton, a young black farmer by the name of Tucker Caliban matter-of-factly throws salt on his field, shoots his horse and livestock, sets fire to his house and departs the southern state. And thereafter, the entire African American population leave with him. A rediscovered classic of African American literature which earned the writer comparisons to James Baldwin and William Faulkner, this is a powerful novel that weaves intricate themes like racism, systemized oppression and identity together....
The bills come in the wake of an Executive Order signed by former President Donald Trump last September which called for major reforms in teaching and training “divisive concepts” like race and sex. Though the order was overturned by President Biden in January, states have taken to pushing this legislation through. State-level orders such as these uphold white supremacist thinking and restrict student and educator rights granted under the First Amendment....
We all know The Baby-Sitters Club. We’re familiar with Fear Street and similar ’90s teen horror. There’s Sweet Valley High, Redwall, various series by Mercedes Lackey and Tamora Pierce, and, as highlighted in an earlier post, even more lesser-known nostalgic children’s book series. This roundup won’t cover those titles, but instead will dig even deeper into the trenches of your locked memory boxes. The majority are from the ’90s, though a few of these begin in the very late ’80s....
My issues are incredibly minor compared to people with vision impairment. But these issues are also pesky and common. Here are a few (entirely non-medical and possibly obvious) suggestions for other dry eye sufferers who spend a good chunk of time reading: 1) Embrace audiobooks. This should be obvious, but I’ve never been a big audiobook listener, partly because I like being able to make note of significant quotes as I read....
Full disclosure: this Pass/Fail is going to be somewhat third hand; I’ve been poking around to see if I could get my hands on some of the original Warrior Nun: Areala comics from 1994 (the character first appeared in Ninja High School #38—yes, Ninja High School, and yes, there were at least 38 of them—in 1987). I found it, but the cheapest copy was $60 and I love you guys but I’m not paying $60 for a single issue of a comic with extremely questionable art (my autocorrect thinks her name is Warrior Nun Areola and I…cannot disagree), so to the internet for synopsis we go, sorry....
