Shelf Awareness for Readers for Friday, October 5, 2018
From My Shelf
The Writer's Life
Reading with... Ben Fountain
photo: Thorne Anderson |
Book Candy
The Magic and Mystery of Literary Maps
"Wizards, Moomins and pirates." The Guardian explored "the magic and mystery of literary maps."
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In anticipation of Halloween, Merriam-Webster showcased "8 words for the necromantic in your life
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"Tim Gunn is my writing teacher." At Electric Lit, Hilarie Ashton explained the Project Runway star's role in "getting me through my dissertation."
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JSTOR Daily explored "why Europe's oldest intact book was found in a saint's coffin."
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Bookshelf featured Sedbergh's Book Shelter, created by "bibliophiles in the community, which claims to have the most books for sale per head of population anywhere in England."
Great Reads
Rediscover: The Virgin Suicides
In 1993, Jeffrey Eugenides released his debut novel, The Virgin Suicides, to widespread critical acclaim. Set in Grosse Pointe, Mich., during the 1970s, The Virgin Suicides is told via the first-person voices of teenage boys fascinated by the local Lisbon family. The Lisbons have five girls, ages 13 to 17, with a homemaker mother and Catholic father who is also the high school math teacher. When the youngest Lisbon girl commits suicide, their father becomes increasingly overbearing with his remaining daughters. Eventually the girls are all withdrawn from school and forced to stay home, becoming even more mysterious to the watching boys.
In 1999, Sofia Coppola directed an adaptation of The Virgin Suicides starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett. It was Sofia Coppola's directorial debut. Eugenides has since written Middlesex (2002), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; The Marriage Plot (2011); and Fresh Complaint (2017), a short story collection. On October 2, Picador will publish a 25th-anniversary edition of The Virgin Suicides with a new introduction by Emma Cline ($17, 9781250303547). --Tobias Mutter
Book Review
Fiction
Virgil Wander
by Leif Enger
Discover: Leif Enger's third novel is the warmhearted story of how some inhabitants of a depressed small town recover their zest for life.
Refuge
by Merilyn Simonds
Discover: In this richly layered story, a visitor claiming to be kin forces an elderly woman to confront uncomfortable truths about the tragedies of her past.
Mystery & Thriller
Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit
by Amy Stewart
Discover: Constance Kopp takes on petty criminals and local politicians in Amy Stewart's witty, insightful fourth mystery.
Depth of Winter
by Craig Johnson
Discover: Sheriff Walt Longmire travels to Mexico to save his daughter from a ruthless, deadly drug lord.
Three Little Lies
by Laura Marshall
Discover: The truth about one reckless New Year's Eve party comes out after a woman goes missing a decade later.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Rosewater
by Tade Thompson
Discover: Rosewater, a speculative novel set in Nigeria, is a thrilling twist on the alien invasion narrative, perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and N.K. Jemisin.
Biography & Memoir
All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir
by Nicole Chung
Discover: This is a Korean American woman's moving memoir of her experience as a transracial adoptee and her reconnection with her birth family.
My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love
by Dessa
Discover: Rapper Dessa delivers a philosophical essay collection about science, music and heartbreak.
Social Science
American Apartheid: The Native American Struggle for Self-Determination and Inclusion
by Stephanie Woodard
Discover: The challenges facing Native Americans in the U.S. are presented by a journalist who knows them well.
Nature & Environment
This Is the Way the World Ends: How Droughts and Die-Offs, Heat Waves and Hurricanes Are Converging on America
by Jeff Nesbit
Discover: This passionate book written by a former White House communications officer explains the broad scope of climate change and offers proposals for solving it.
Children's & Young Adult
24 Hours in Nowhere
by Dusti Bowling
Discover: In this funny, moving novel, four teens explore an abandoned gold mine in order to placate their town's resident bully, making discoveries about the past--and themselves--along the way.
The Dreamer
by Il Sung Na
Discover: The Dreamer knows when pigs fly: when they get a little help from their (animal) friends.
The Storm Runner
by J.C. Cervantes
Discover: Thirteen-year-old Zane Obispo discovers he's the chosen one--to release the murderous and vengeful Mayan god of death, that is.
--- SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL OFFERINGS ---
Brodie (An Until Her Novella)by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Dear Reader, As an author, it's sometimes difficult to write the demise of a couple especially since I'm in the business of giving out happily ever afters. In Until Willow, I watched Brodie lose the woman he loved due to his own negligence, and even though I knew he messed up, I truly believed that he wasn't a bad guy and that he deserved to find love again. And he didn’t make the same mistakes when falling in love with Reese. Aurora Rose Reynolds 1001darknights.com/authors/collection-eleven/aurora-rose-reynolds-brodie |
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The Challenger (Phantom Stallion #6)by Terri Farley
Dear Reader, Filmmaker and friend Ashley Avis says, "Storytelling carries great power in educating people about what is really happening in our natural world." I totally agree! Storytelling and STEM are natural companions. On the cover of THE CHALLENGER, you'll see a crouched cougar and a young stallion in danger. The scene is rooted in truth. Because I love wild horses, it's not always easy to love their predators. But I do. In THE CHALLENGER, ranch girl Samantha Forster is torn between wanting to protect both the wild horses she loves and the orphaned cougar stalking them. My books are fact-based. Samantha's encounter with a fictional cougar grew from talking with a friend whose daughter survived a cougar attack. I write to bring my readers adventure, empowerment, empathy and the fun of riding the range with best friends. Come and ride along! Terri Farley |
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