General News from the World of Literature
It’s amazing what one can find by being a member of Facebook–lost friends, recipes, and sometimes a worthy bit of info. The information below is based entirely on an article that appeared on my Facebook feed from a group entitled English Literature. But first, take a look at the picture below to guess what the article is about…. So, what did you think? A girl
Almost everyone has heard of Harriett Tubman. Unable to read and only five feet tall, Tubman escaped from slavery and founded the Underground Railroad. She paved the way for hundreds of enslaved Africans to escape to the North. She was undoubtely a true American hero, and her picture is proposed to appear on the $20 bill. Right now, Andrew Jackson is on the twenty. (I
Many of you know that I grew up in East Tennessee, very close to Dayton, the site of The Scopes Trial, nicknamed the ‘Monkey Trial’. I must admit, however, that I still know very little about the issues around the trial except that it involved teaching evolution. I went inside the courthouse once. I have never seen any of the many movies based on the
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
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 ›
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
These following two books are very different from one another and will probably appeal to different readers. It’s always good to have a choice, isn’t it? The Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor, is a book by Ronald Drabkin about real life double agent Frederick Rutland. Rutland was a “James Bond-type” figure who had been a highly decorated
Three books of interest that will be adapted to TV in the future. Trust, Hernan Diaz I haven’t read this book, but it won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. Kate Winslet will star in the tale of a financier couple, told in four parts, and their immersion into wealth and power. The movie will air on HBO Max–release date TBA. A Gentleman in Moscow,
David Schaeffer, a retired attorney who moved here from Atlanta, is a Kiawah Island resident with a hit book! Schaeffer has written several books, actually, about hiking and mountain climbing. The new book, Letters from Sweeden, is a different kind of book with a very interesting background. Remember when people used to write letters? I do. My mother saved letters that I wrote to her
FICTION WINNER Blackouts, Justin Torres NONFICTION WINNER The Rediscovery of America, Ned Blackhawk Books of interest that were finalists in the selection process: Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwane Adjei-Brenyah (mentioned in an earlier blog post, this book is a type of “hunger games” meets the private prison system.) The End of Drum-Time, Hanna Pylvainen This author sets her fictional story in 1851 Scandinavia and tells,with exquisite
