From Madeleine Kaye– Frances: Your post inspired me to search reviews of “The Sentence”, and both the NY Times and the Washington Post gave it such raves that I’m suggesting it for our local book club. It also reminded me of one of the most intriguing “pandemic” books I’ve read in years: “The Dog Stars” by Peter Heller. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune gives this description: In
Several writers had popularized the phrase ‘dark and stormy night’ before this Dickens-era author used it to begin his popular novel. Your challenge is to name the author and the book that contains what many have described as the ‘worst sentence in the English language.’ It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by
There are several possible definitions for the term “pandemic novel.” First of all, such a novel could be a fictionalized story about a pandemic. I’m not sure who would read it. Secondly, the term could refer to a novel whose fame has spread like a pandemic. NO–stay clear of negative connotations when promoting a novel. So, then, a pandemic novel is a novel that is
Readers select books in a bookstore by the Xinglong lake in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: China News Service/Wang Lei) Located in Tianfu New District, the “underwater bookstore” has a glass curtain wall that extends into the water on one side of the bookstore, allowing readers to see water plants and fish in the lake. (from Shelf Awareness, November 2, 2021/Issue
The question of whether or not something is fact or fiction sounds as if it would be an easy one to answer. Just so you know, the objective ‘the student will distinquish fact from fiction’ is in the language arts curriculum from kindergarten through twelth grade. It isn’t always easy, however, to tell what is a fact and what is made up. That conflict is
The two books I am highlighting in this post were both published in October of 2021. While they cover two different time periods–Renaissance Europe and Revolutionary America–the authors have painstakingly researched and intriguingly presented information that some of us may not have known. The first book is by a prize-winning author who is also a professor at the University of South Carolina. Woody Holton teaches
Today I was priviledged to hear a talk from Jonathan Haupt, director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, South Carolina. Haupt was a speaker for the ongoing Our World series held on Kiawah Island. In addition to being a polished speaker, Haupt also had interesting information about Conroy and how he became a writer. I know that my next trip to Beaufort will
While living in Sandy Springs, a suburban area adjacent to Atlanta, GA, we experienced excitement throughout our neighborhood when Trader Joe’s moved into a space, right up the street, that had previously been occupied by Kiddie City. I don’t remember the exact year the store opened, but spreading neighborhood events via e-mail was not yet popular so we heard about the new store at garden
Beautiful Country, Qian Julie Wang This book is the memoir of an undocumented immigrant who grew up in New York City. Julie Wang went from a childhood of poverty and fear to graduate Yale Law School and Swarthmore College. She is currently a civil rights litigator. Critics praise her book for its poignancy and liveliness. Another memoir-type book is The Boys by the Howard brothers.
I’m just wondering how many of you enjoy listening to books rather than reading them? Some people don’t think that ‘listening’ to a book really counts as having ‘read’ the book. Critics of audiobooks feel as if listening to a book is somehow akin to cheating or perhaps reading the Cliff Notes. The publishing business surely doesn’t think that way. Along with Amazon, they have
