The novels people choose to read in public might differ from what they decide to indulge themselves with in private, at least according to The Guardian, reporting on a survey done for the Costa Book Awards. 85% of those surveyed admitted to having an author they turn to for sheer gratification, but whom they might not admit to reading in pubic. The survey contends that while something appropriately literary might be placed proudly on the […]
When it comes to the arts, I often think that people divide into two cultural camps. For instance, in the late 1960s, you either liked the Beatles or you were a follower of the Rolling Stones. For me, it was always the allure of the anti-establishment ethos of Londoners Mick and Keith, rather than John and Paul from Liverpool. The same sort of split existed between readers of early European comics: You were either a […]
In a piece that will send cultural alarm bells ringing through library systems everywhere, The Washington Post’s Lisa Rein writes that “in the effort to stay relevant in an age in which reference materials and novels can be found on the Internet and Oprah’s Book Club helps set standards of popularity, libraries are not the cultural repositories they once were.” That’s not the hook of the piece. The hook is more topical and, in this […]
Today in January Magazine, contributing editor Cherie Thiessen looks at Small Acts of Sex and Electricity by Lisa Haines. According to Thiessen, the author of In My Sister’s Country has “perfected the art of the sentence fragment. The result mirrors the thoughts and actions of a woman who is living moment-by-moment, without the incentive to get to the end of her thoughts, let alone to the consequences of her actions.” You can read the review […]
“How will we remember 2006? As the year Kiran Desai won the Booker, or the year that David Mitchell didn’t?” Stuart Kelly asked in The Scotsman on Sunday. “For the return of Thomas Pynchon or Hannibal Lecter? Given there are so many awards, prizes, commendations, best-ofs and authorial accolades, I’ve set up a few of my own.” Whether or not you agree with Kelly that we should devote some time to “oblivion, obloquy and the […]
Of the thousands of books January Magazine’s writers and editors reviewed throughout 2006, here are the ones that really stood out in our minds. To get straight to the heart of the type of books you enjoy most, look here for our choices in fiction, here for crime fiction, here for our selections in art & culture, here for non-fiction and here for our choices in books for children.
What do novelists Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith have in common? Other than that they were both reared in Scotland (though Smith was actually born in what was then Rhodesia), they’ve both now been inducted into the Order of the British Empire. Rankin was awarded the OBE, a British order of chivalry, in Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee Birthday Honors List back in June 2002, while Smith was just been made a CBE (Commander rank, […]
With a new year just around the corner, book lovers have much to anticipate. Not the least of this is the release of the final book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Though the actual publication date of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has not yet been announced, Britain’s Royal Mail isn’t taking any chances. According to the Associated Press: Britain’s mail service is conferring with retailers and renting out hundreds of extra trucks […]
As exhibitors start looking forward to the 20th annual Tehran International Book Fair, the announcement of a relocation for the event is causing some exhibiting publishers concern. Traditionally the book fair has been held at Tehran’s permanent fairgrounds, where the event commanded 80,000 square meters. According to Iran News, the new venue, Azadi Stadium, “apparently does not have such an open space to set up pavilions and passageways, he said pointing out that if tents […]
January Magazine contributing editor Edward Champion delivers a great episode of his Bat Segundo show. This time his subject is Simon Winchester, as the author flogs his latest, A Crack In the Edge of the World, a book that got Publishers Weekly all misty. PW said Winchester’s “compelling narrative,” was “a magnificent testament to the power of planet Earth and the efforts of humankind to understand her.” Sweet. According to Champion, subjects discussed in the […]
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