General News from the World of Literature
I featured author David Schaeffer’s Letters from Sweden a few years ago. His new book Initiation at the Scum Pond is a story based on an actual event. This book is different from the other books Schaeffer has written in that it is a novel. Although I am not a literary critic by any means, I will have to say that this book demands one’s
Did you happen to read Wild Swans when it came out in 1991? The book was chosen by my Atlanta Book Club, and I initially balked at reading such a long one. After all, I worked and went to school and ran a household and had a husband and two children and two dogs–whew!! Lots more energy in those days. Well, I read the book,
This is the time of year when I see list after list of “best historical fiction of 2025” or “best mystery Novels of 2025” or “Notable Books of 2025.” There are so many books published every week. Before we start looking back on the year, however, there are a few books I have not mentioned in the blog and want to point out below: Remember
The Woman at the Wheel, by Penny Haw How many of you have owned a Mercedes? I bought and drove a used one for many years. I loved that car. Most of us, however, had no idea that Bertha Benz, wife of inventor Carl Benz, secretly drove her husband’s invention on a long distance test drive to prove the car (if one may call it
The 45 events of this year’s festival will take place at the Dock Street Theatre. People from around Charleston simply say The Dock Street! Having scoured the events thoroughly, and knowing how difficult it is to go to all of them, we have pointed out a few authors and their books that are of special interest to us. Tim Bouverie, author of Allies At War–November
Sometimes it pays to have a second look at the celebrity book club picks. Here are three that caught my eye: Culpability by Bruce Holsinger Ron Charles, writing in the Washington Post, says, “If you want an engaging novel sure to spark great discussion about that thorny AI future, this is it,” Well, who doesn’t want to discuss AI? I know I do! I especially
Booker Prize longlist July 29, 20259:00 AM ET Andrew Limbong The Booker Prize is a prestigious award given to fiction written in English and published in the U.K. and Ireland. The winner receives £50,000 (about $66,000). The winner will be announced on Nov. 10 at a livestreamed ceremony in London. Here’s the full list:
I must say that I really like David Brooks. I watch him faithfully on the PBS Newshour. Today, I read his column in the New York Times and wanted to share it with my blog readers. Click on the below site: www.nytimes.com › literature-books-novelists What exactly is he saying? Does he always think things were better in the ‘good ole days’? Focusing in on Brooks’ disappointment
The Art Spy by Michelle Young I cannot say enough about this book by Michelle Young about Rose Valland. I have tried to link an interview with Young, but my computer will not cooperate. If you have a chance, pull up one of her interviews and listen to Young talk about her book. She has done a tremendous amount of research on Valland, a French
Remember the book The Maid? In that book, Nita Prose introduces us to Molly Gray, a young woman who loves to clean but doesn’t have typical social skills. The term ‘neurodivergent’ seems to cover an array of symptoms that she has. In other words, Molly’s brain simply works differently from that of the majority of folks. So how does one deal with a person like
