Today, Sunday, August 11, Post and Courier writer Adam Parker wrote a column in which he had book reviewers for the paper name their most outstanding book (so far) of 2024. Several of the books named are familiar ones, such as Salmon Rushdie’s Knife and Percival Everett’s James. Two reviewers, however, talked about ones less familiar, ones that I had not read about or considered
This from a good friend from Altanta– Here is our club book list for 2024-25. We don’t have a name but we referto ourselves as “Bookies.” James, Percival Everett Read in conjunction with Huckleberry Finn. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story, James McBride The North Woods: a Novel, Daniel Mason The Bee Sting, Paul Murray Land of Milk and Honey, C. Pam Zhang The Prophet
I just finished watching the new documentary about Adolf Hitler entitled Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial. World War II seems to be of great interest to people my age for some reason. I never tire of seeing clips of those brave guys wading onto the beaches in France. Luckily, we got to visit Normandy about 15 years ago. It truly felt like hallowed
If you watch The PBS Newhour, you may have noticed that they have added a feature entitled CANVAS in which they look into current cultural matters. On June 6 of this year, they featured new books for summer. I enjoyed hearing what Ann Patchett had to say. The man on the segment, however, was a little far out for me!! Hope you enjoy watching. ww.pbs.org ›
If you wrote a book, would you give the title a subtitle? According to mental floss, June 24, 2024, publishers would sometimes give a book a subtitle if they thought the title alone would not entice a reader to read the book. The subtitle gave a little more information or made the book sound more exciting. This quiz is to text several things on your
Husbands, by Holly Gramazio, is really a fantasy. I mean, how can someone open their attic door and always find a new husband up there each time? Think “Bewitched” with lots of Darrens. And why would somone read this book? Well, Washington Post reviewer Elizabeth Hand, April 5, 2024, writes “There’s something delightfully addictive about Holly Granmazio’s fiction debut…a bottomless champagne flute of a novel
Politics aside, I was touched by something Nikki Haley is quoted as saying about her father, among other heartfelt tributes to him. “My parents were more American than anyone I knew.” So, what does it mean to be American? Who IS an American? Real Americans is the title of a new book by Rachel Khong. Her story is one of Chinese Americans, three generations of
We have recently read a lot about James, the alternative narrative of the enslaved character in Huckleberry Finn. That novel and many others are set, in part, on the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is certainly, in many ways, a defining natural feature of the United States. It either borders or runs through ten states. Remember trying to learn how to spell Mississippi. I still
This summer, instead of reading ‘beach books’, you might want to get ready to meet and listen to some of the already-announced authors who will be at the Charleston Literary Festival. The festival announced a few of the ‘stars’ today, and I am including the ones whose books I want to read. Some of these books have already been mentioned on the blog. I’ve got
Before I introduce you to the new book that Craig Foster wrote, I want to talk about a video he made. “My Octopus Teacher”, documentary film Oscar winner of 2021, is an incredible story that takes place in the depths of the ocean off the coast of South Africa. It is here that Foster meets an octopus one day while diving. He keeps company with
