Readers are in demand on dating sites, with one focused entirely on bringing book-lovers together. But is our taste in literature truly a good indication of compatibility? Read more
Author: GR
A bestselling L.A. novelist was struggling to depict a female adventurer. So she became one
Shipstead swam with humpback whales, learned to scuba dive and went spearfishing with chef José Andrés. Her newfound bravery (or rather her tolerance of fear) exposed her to “risk-takers who have the skills to survive and thrive in really harsh environments,” often lone-wolf types. She studied them up close, even had affairs with a few — including one she wrote about for the New York Times. Read more
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Google Doodle honors Japanese American author Hisaye Yamamoto
The acclaimed short story writer chronicled racism, sexual harassment and immigrant disconnect in the years after World War II. Read more
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Coming Soon – Digital Collectible Books?
One advantage we always thought physical books had over their digital counterparts is that physical books are collectible. There is no way you could collect a book composed of ephemeral electronic impulses, a copy of which everyone on earth could have on their computer. Where is the substance? Where is the rarity? So much for common wisdom. Our perceptions were stunned a few weeks ago when a digital artwork sold for an astonishing $69.3 million at Christie’s. Seriously. There is nothing on canvas, no physical painting. What the buyer got was a digital file, the same (almost) as every other one you can copy off the internet for free. Welcome to the world of NFTs. Read more
92-year-old grandfather becomes bestselling poet
Gordon McCulloch’s 101 Poems becomes a hit on Amazon after his granddaughter asked her followers to take a look at the book. A self-published poetry anthology by a 92-year-old Scottish grandfather was outselling Amanda Gorman and Rupi Kaur on Amazon in the UK last week, after his granddaughter appealed to readers for reviews. Read more
Why Len Deighton’s spy stories are set to thrill a new generation
Spies, treachery and dangerous secrets, all liberally seasoned with dry wit: these were the moreish ingredients that made international hits of Len Deighton’s stylish 1960s thrillers, set in the grey world of post-colonial, postwar British intelligence. His sardonic working-class hero, played on screen by Michael Caine in the The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin and Billion Dollar Brain, set the template for a succession of deadpan, worldly-wise leading men. Now a fresh generation have the chance to sample Deighton’s wares as Penguin republishes many of his books, starting this month with those three, early bestselling titles. Read more
Fred Jordan, Publisher of Taboo-Breaking Books, Dies at 95
At Grove Press, he and Barney Rosset challenged censors as they popularized D.H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and others. Read more
The Forgotten Genius of Leo Perutz
Borges listed him among the great mystery writers of the age; Robert Musil claimed he had invented his own genre; Italo Calvino, Graham Greene, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ian Fleming counted theselves as fans — and yet Leo Perutz has been almost entirely forgotten within the English-speaking world. Read more
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Writers Orgs Form #DisneyMustPay Joint Task Force
Half a dozen professional writers’ organizations have joined with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in forming a joint task to press the Walt Disney Company to ensure it pays all royalties owed to authors. The task force, #DisneyMust Pay, contends that Disney is putting the onus on authors to prove they are owed money, rather than working with authors and author groups to proactively pay authors royalties that are due. Read more
These writers have come together to raise money for Indian COVID relief.
As India’s horrific COVID surge intensifies, a group of authors from around the world (led by the narrative nonfiction writer Sonia Faleiro) have come together to support the essential work of Mission Oxygen India, an organization dedicated to helping hospitals across the country get immediate access to direly-needed oxygen concentrators. Read more
