Month: April 2019

Unpublished Work by A Clockwork Orange Author Discovered

April 28, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

A Clockwork Orange was a seminal work. Published in 1962 and written by Anthony Burgess, the novel was as philosophical as it was entertaining. Categorized as “dystopian satirical black comedy,” the author himself described the book as being “too didactic to be artistic.” Even so, Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film adaptation of the American version of the book became an instant classic, as did the work that had inspired it. Wikipedia informs us that, in 2005, […]

Harsh Words from Great Writers

April 27, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

Are you right in the middle of writing the great [insert the name of your country here] novel? Like William Zinsser (On Writing Well) says (and — spoiler alert! — this is one of the bits of great advice we find in a recent Thought Catalog piece), “If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do.” But if you disregard Zinsser’s advice, you’ll find a bunch more […]

First Antiracist Bookfest Begins Saturday

April 24, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

The first ever Antiracist Bookfest kicks off this Saturday, April 27th at American University in Washington, DC. From the Web site: The #Antiracist Bookfest is the first and only book festival that brings together, showcases, and celebrates the nation’s leading antiracist writers and helps to prepare the writers of tomorrow. This year’s festival primarily features authors of anti-Black racism and its intersections. Panels are topically organized with two authors and a moderator, followed by book […]

This Just In… Elfistra the Sorceress (The Wand Chronicles) by Michael Ross

April 24, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

2087. North West England. On a forest hunting trip there appears a column of white light. A portal has been opened between Earth and the Elvish dimension of Laniakeea. We explore the relationships between the humans and Elves as they learn to trust each other and then follow them, both at home and to other, dark, and magical dimensions. Ultimately, the protection of the most powerful wand in all the cosmos, Elvina, is of paramount […]

Want to Be A Better Friend? Read A Book!

April 23, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

Want to be nicer, kinder and more empathetic? There’s a shortcut: be a reader. A study at London’s Kingston’s University noted that, despite the solitary nature of reading, being an avid reader leads to stronger and more positive people skills. From Peace Quarters: One might think that those who prefer to watch television would display more sociable behavior. It would make sense. Because of the massive influx of books out there, it’s more likely that […]

How Will Tech Giants Shape San Francisco’s Future?

April 15, 2019 J. Kingston Pierce 1

(Editor’s note: This review comes from Ben Terrall, a writer based in San Francisco, California, whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Bay View, In These Times, CounterPunch, and Noir City. Terrall last wrote for January Magazine about How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, by Jason Stanley.) In recent years a plethora of books have been published about the rise of Silicon Valley’s giant technology companies. Some […]

100 Top Novels

April 8, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

Looking for something to read? The Times of London puts together a list of “100 21st-century novels to love” which, while it includes a lot of terrific reading, also sports some fairly significant holes. For 2019, they go out of their way not to be inclusive by, in the words of the Times’ literary editor Andrew Holgate, casting “the net as wide as possible, we have limited ourselves to one book per writer, and we […]

Feeling Down? Read.

April 3, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

At a time when many of us are discovering the price we’ve had to pay for constant electronic connection, as a culture we are also rediscovering the slow reward brought on by reading a book. Some mental health experts even have a name for it: Bibliotherapy. Because it turns out that, along with everything else it does, reading a book is good for what ails you. From Stylist: Reading a book is one of life’s […]

Winter is… Here?

April 2, 2019 Linda L. Richards 0

The final season of Game of Thrones, the HBO series based on the 1991 novel of the same name by George R. Martin, begins April 14th. The first promo video for the season can be seen below. Haven’t followed the series but want to see what all the fuss is about? VOX today offers an essential episodes guide “if you want to understand the plot.” Looking for a simple “essential episodes” guide to Game of […]