An end of week recap
I will continue to update Book Jotter as frequently as possible in the coming weeks but will be unable to commit the time necessary to be as fully involved with the book blogging community as I would like. Please forgive me if I miss a comment or fail to react to one of your posts – I will certainly do my best to keep up with all that happens. With luck, things will return to normal.
As always, this is a weekly post in which I summarize books read, reviewed and currently on my TBR shelf. In addition to a variety of literary titbits, I look ahead to forthcoming features, see what’s on the night-stand and keep readers abreast of various book-related happenings.
CHATTERBOOKS >>
* Lit Crit Blogflash *
The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau – Helen at She Reads Novels describes Bilyeau’s latest historical novel as “an exciting, thrilling tale of espionage, art, [and] religious persecution”.
“I loved Mr. Darcy far more than any of my own husbands.” (Rumer Godden) – Over at Madame Bibi Lophile Recommends, Madame B shares her thoughts on two Rumer Godden novels: Kingfishers Catch Fire (1953) and China Court: The Hours of a Country House (1961).
The Springs of Affection by Maeve Brennan – Jacqui is a “latecomer to the Irish short-story writer” but enjoyed Brennan’s 1996 short story collection. In her review at JacquiWine’s Journal she describes it as “a terrific collection of stories with much to recommend it”.
Olivia by (Olivia) Dorothy Strachey (1949) – Ali Hope is “surprised that this delicate little novella isn’t better known.” In her critique at Heavenali she defines it as “a subtle classic of lesbian literature.”
Nonfiction Classic: A “Young Writer’s Book” on the Natural World – Even when first reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, Rennie from What’s Nonfiction “knew [she] would be reading [it again] many times.”
* Irresistible Items *
Umpteen fascinating articles appeared on my bookdar last week. I generally make a point of tweeting my favourite finds (or adding them to our Facebook group page), but in case you missed anything, here are a handful of interesting snippets:
****************************
The Guardian: There’s more to this bad fiction than bad sex – between the lines is privilege – “Only a famous white man could get away with publishing a book as dreadful as Katerina, James Frey’s Bad Sex Award winner”, says Sian Cain.
Radio Times: 15 books you need to read before they become TV series and movies in 2019 – Flora Carr reveals some of the biggest book adaptions coming in 2019.
The New York Times: A British Christmas: Some Translation Required – US food writer Ruth Reichl has an amusingly difficult time understanding the ‘English’ in Nina Sitbbe’s Christmas book.
Mental Floss: Mundal, Norway is Home to More Books Than People – Mundal is known as ‘The Norwegian Book Town’ because it has more books than residents.
The Week: 25 best book buys for Christmas 2018 – “Literary giants mingle with new talent and former presidents and first ladies in this year’s hottest new releases”.
The Paris Review: Reading While Nursing – Leslie Jamison on a year of reading with her newborn pressed against her chest.
The Norwegian American: Christmas book flood – Elizabeth Bourne has found an “Icelandic tradition worth importing”.
The Morning News: Announcing the 2019 Tournament of Books – TMN has announced the shortlist, judges and commentators for its 15th annual literary competition.
The New Yorker: The Contested Legacy of Atticus Finch – Does the inspiration behind a literary hero merit celebration or condemnation?
Literary Hub: Here are the Biggest Nonfiction Bestsellers of the Last 100 Years – Emily Temple pulls together the biggest non-fiction bestsellers (and the books we remember instead) of the past one hundred years.
JSTOR Daily: Jane Austen’s Subtly Subversive Linguistics – “Why are Jane Austen books still so beloved?” asks Chi Luu. “A linguist argues it has more to do with Austen’s masterful use of language than with plot.”
Metropolis: Japanese Historical Novels – David McElhinney seeks out the best of Japan’s historical fiction.
Electric Literature: 10 Moments That Shook the Literary World in 2018 – “Plagiarism, prizes, deaths, and dick soap marked the longest year in recent history”.
****************************
FINALLY >>
If there is something you would particularly like to see on Winding Up the Week or if you have any suggestions, questions or comments for Book Jotter in general, please drop me a line or comment below. I would be delighted to hear from you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I wish you a week bountiful in books and rich in reading.
NB In this feature, ‘winding up’ refers to the act of concluding something and should not be confused with the British expression: ‘wind-up’ – an age-old pastime of ‘winding-up’ friends and family by teasing or playing pranks on them. If you would like to know more about this expression, there’s an excellent description on Urban Dictionary.