An end of week recap
“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict — alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.”
– Dorothy Thompson
This is a post in which I summarise 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 nightstand and keep readers abreast of various book-related happenings.
CHATTERBOOKS >>
If you are planning a reading event, challenge, competition, or anything else likely to be of interest to the book blogging community and its followers, please let me know. I will happily share your news here with the fabulous array of bibliowonks who read this weekly wind up.
* Zoladdiction Returns *
Over at Fanda Classiclit, Fanda Kutubuku is preparing to host her eleventh Zoladdiction in April – an annual, month-long happening to celebrate the birthday of French novelist and critic Émile Zola” (born 2nd April 1840). She plans to reread what she describes as her “favorite book of all time,” Germinal, the 1885 novel in which the writer expresses outrage at the exploitation of the many by the few, but she also invites others to choose any one or more of his numerous short stories, essays, plays or novels for the event. To find all the important information about taking part, check out Announcing the 11th Zoladdiction in 2024! – and please be sure to use the hashtag #Zoladdiction2024 when posting related content on social media platforms.
* Week Four of Reading Wales *
Dewithon 2024 is into its fourth and final week. Thank you so much to everyone taking part – you have, as always, contributed a splendid selection of reviews and features.
The second in a series of brief posts looking at literary and other cultural goings-on in Wales is now available to read. In the spotlight this time are CWLT – a new magazine for those interested in the Welsh music scene, plus a freshly published collection of folktales from Wales by Horatio Clare. >> DEWITHON 24: Llyfrbabble (Bookbabble) #2 >>
Should you post any content whatsoever relating to Dewithon on your blogs (or elsewhere) – even if it appears long after 31st March – please be sure to let me know. The whole point of this event is to encourage people to explore the literature of Wales in their own time. Dates are a minor detail.
* Irresistible Items *
Umpteen fascinating articles appeared on my bookdar last week. I generally make a point of tweeting/x-ing (soon, perhaps tooting or bsky-ing) a few favourite finds (or adding them to my Facebook group page), but in case you missed anything, there follow a selection of interesting snippets:
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The Conversation: Five fiction books to inspire climate action – Denise Baden believes climate stories that focus on solutions are more likely to inspire positive environmental action.
BBC Wales: Witch hunts: Why were so few ‘witches’ killed in Wales? – “Britain has a long and bloody history of burning people accused of witchcraft at the stake, […] but curiously just five were killed in Wales,” says Nicola Bryan. “In his new book [Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages], author and historian Phil Carradice tries to unpack this anomaly and finds several explanations.”
LARB: Through a Grid, Darkly: On Anna Shechtman’s “The Riddles of the Sphinx” – Adrienne Raphel reviews Anna Shechtman’s The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle.
The Asian Age: Book Review | Editor’s honesty forges unlikely friendship in world of letters – “His first book, The Unquiet Woods: Ecological Change and Peasant Resistance in the Himalaya, launched [Ramachandra] Guha’s literary career,” writes Aloke Roy Chowdhury in his review of literary memoir The Cooking of Books.
JSTOR Daily: Up the Junction: A Place, A Fiction, A Film, A Condition – “In addition to a New Wave hit, Nell Dunn’s 1963 book [Up the Junction] about young women in a poor London neighbourhood inspired a Ken Loach adaption that helped shift British attitudes toward abortion,” writes Ivan Kreilkamp.
CBC: Heather O’Neill, championing The Future by Catherine Leroux, wins Canada Reads 2024 – “The dystopian novel [The Future] won in a 4-1 vote on the final day of the great Canadian book debate.”
The University Times: Why Libraries are the Best Places – Columnist Dr Becky Long “advocates for the importance of reading, regardless of when or where, for the personal growth it fosters.”
Chytomo: There Is Land Beyond Perekop – a Crimean Bildungsroman – “Many Ukrainian writers addressed the Crimean theme at different times, but it has been less present in novels, as has Ukrainian policy toward the peninsula, which resulted in its annexation,” writes Ihor Kotyk. However, “Anastasiia Levkova’s novel There is Land Beyond Perekop fills this thematic gap in Ukrainian literature,” he says, “and Crimea in this book is not just a setting, but, without exaggeration, a main character.”
The Critic: Three novelists pushing the bloat out – Some novels still dare to leave the reader’s hand unheld – without universal success, according to John Self.
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator: Exploring Identity and Advocacy: A Journey with Katia Tavitian Karageuzian – Attendees were welcomed “to a book presentation at the TCA Beshgeturian Center featuring Katia Tavitian Karageuzian, author of the memoir Forbidden Homeland,” reports Sevan Boghos-Derbedrossian.
Literary Hub: What Virginia Woolf Got Wrong About Lady Anne Clifford – In an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance, Ramie Targoff examines the “hidden history of women writers of the English Renaissance.”
ArabLit: Why Should We Translate the Novels of Ahmed Khaled Tawfik? – Melissa Krawczyk looks back at the works of Egyptian writer Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, who, she says, was “a trailblazing contemporary author of the Arabic horror, fantasy, science fiction, and medical thriller genres.”
Guardian Australia: The magic of audiobooks? Deep down, we still long to be read to – “An ill-matched narrator can ruin an otherwise rollicking book,” warns Elizabeth Quinn. “But a good one can bring stories to life – and evoke our earliest childhood memories.”
Buenos Aires Herald: Argentine writer Magalí Etchebarne wins prestigious literary award – “Previous winners of the Ribera del Duero prize include internationally acclaimed authors like Samanta Schweblin,” says Agustín Mango.
Pop Matters: Transcending to Badass: That’s How Female Rockers Roll – “The female musicians interviewed in Katherine Yeske Taylor’s She’s a Badass have persisted against all odds and infused rock with a feminist verve,” writes Alison Ross.
The Spinoff: The ‘undoubted brilliance’ of AMMA – Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews Saraid de Silva’s AMMA, a debut novel that “jumps between Singapore, Sri Lanka, Southland, Dunedin, Hamilton and London.”
TLS: Waiting to be happy – Originally published in 1949 and recently reissued with an afterword by Elena Ferrante, the historical novel Her Side of the Story by Alba de Céspedes is a feminist classic about a woman’s struggle for independence in fascist Italy. Here, Caroline Moorehead considers what it was like to come of age “as a rebellious woman in Mussolini’s Italy.”
The Collector: 5 of the Most Important Magical Realist Writers – “Magical realism is a literary style in which an otherwise seemingly realistic narrative is infused with the fantastical, supernatural, and mythological. Here are 5 of its writers.”
The Asahi Shimbun: Foreign interest grows at ‘world’s largest’ used bookstore area – “Foreign visitors and other history-minded readers are flocking to Tokyo’s Kanda-Jinbocho area, which is considered the world’s largest used bookstore district.’”
Cultured: Min Jin Lee, Porochista Khakpour, and Other Authors Share the Women Writers Who Inspire Their Work – Sophie Lee recommends we “take a look at the paperbacks lining the bookshelves of authors currently reshaping the literary landscape.”
Spine: Beth Kephart on Designing My Life in Paper: Adventures in Ephemera – American author Beth Kephart, “not only wrote My Life in Paper: Adventures in Ephemera” – part memoir, part meditation on life’s most pressing questions – “but also designed the cover and the gorgeous end papers. Here she takes us through her process.”
European Bank for Reconstruction & Development: EBRD Literature Prize 2024: shortlist announced – The shortlist for this year’s EBRD Literature Prize has been revealed, which honours exceptional writers translated into English.
The Millions: The Virtue of Slow Writers – Lauren Alwan weighs up the pros and cons of slow writing.
BBC Wales: Global writers on Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist – Dafydd Evans reports: “Six young international writers have been shortlisted for the 2024 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize.”
Smithsonian Magazine: The Sensation Novelist Who Exposed the Plight of Victorian Women – “Wilkie Collins drew on his legal training to dramatize the inequality caused by outdated laws regarding marital and property rights,” finds Katherine Hobbs.
Humanities: It’s Dante’s Hell—We’re Just Living In It – Nick Ripatrazone on “the great Italian poet, in light of a new documentary.”
Russia Beyond: Mikhail Bulgakov’s ‘Heart of a Dog’: A short summary – A “relatively short novella,” Heart of a Dog “is considered one of the best literary works of the 20th century.” Which is down to “the author’s creative skills and an incredibly intriguing plot,” explains Alexandra Guzeva.
Tablet: Gaza in the Minds of Israelis – Benny Morris looks at “a new collection of essays, published just before October 7th, [which] captures the complexity of the current war” via the words of both Israelis and Palestinians.
TNS: Tracing the footprints of trauma – Pakistani author Safinah Danish Elahi’s second novel, The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon, “comes through as a meditation on loss, forgiveness and the path towards healing,” says reviewer Taha Kehar.
Toronto Star: An uplifting story about alcoholism and dementia? This debut novel is also profound, angry, and never boring – “If a narrative about a mother descending into alcoholic dementia sounds too downbeat,” Nancy Wigston assures us that the “Montreal writer, actress and playwright Sabrina Reeves’s book Little Crosses proves just the opposite.”
The Japan Times: Beloved bookstore in quake-hit Ishikawa reopens at temporary site – The reopened Iroha Bookstore, which has a 75-year history, is lined with picture books taken from the original store and manga related to the prefecture.
Faber: Faber Members’ Memories of Favourite Childhood Books – “Members submitted the children’s books that made a lasting impression on them and [explained] why.”
Scroll.in: Winners of the 2024 Women AutHer Awards announced in four categories – Winners in four categories of the 2024 Women AutHer Awards, presented by The Times of India, were revealed on 17th March.
Esquire: Is It A Betrayal To Publish Dead Writers’ Books? – Alex Belth goes “inside the ethically thorny world of posthumous publishing.”
Jan Michalski Foundation: Exhibition Simenon From 16 March to 29 September 2024 – Simenon, an exhibition devoted to the Belgian writer Georges Simenon, is now open to the general public at the Jan Michalski Foundation (described on the website as “a place entirely dedicated to writing and literature, where a writers’ residence, a library, an auditorium and an exhibition hall coexist”) at the foot of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland.
TNR: The Workplace Novel Comes to the Big Box Store – “Adelle Waldman’s Help Wanted makes the case for retail warehouse work as a subject worthy of serious fiction,” says Jess Bergman.
Brisbane Times: Don’t let the name fool you, there’s something for everyone at this ‘writers’ festival – The Brisbane Writers Festival returns from 30th May to 2nd June, bringing the likes of Mirandi Riwoe, Bryan Brown, Anna McGahan and an “intellectual all-you-can-eat” to the city, reports Courtney Kruk.
The Deep Dive: The Mysterious Little Free Library In The Middle of Nowhere – “What is inside? Who curates it? Why does it have a charter number but no further information?” wonders former public librarian Kelly Jensen.
Reactor: Five Very Good Dogs in Horror Fiction – “If you find yourself trapped in a horror novel, let’s hope you’re lucky enough to have a loyal canine companion by your side!” says Lorna Wallace.
McSweeney’s: Famous Works of Irish Literature as Limericks – Amanda Lehr adapts celebrated works of Irish literature into limericks.
BBC Culture: Harry Potter: Is Miriam Margolyes right that adult fans should ‘grow up’? – “For some Harry Potter fans the fantasy lives on into adulthood,” says Yasmin Rufo. Was actress Miriam Margolyes (aka Professor Pomona Sprout in the Potter films), right to say they should “grow up” and get “over it”?
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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 is an excellent description on Urban Dictionary.
Categories: Winding Up the Week
So many good links – I was drawn to the consideration of slow writing and the pros and cons. Didn’t know it took Salinger 10 years to complete Catcher in the Rye. I feel that the longer it takes the more things will cling to the work because ideas come to you through the business of living – Although in the end much might be removed through editing. Maybe this is why I am increasingly drawn to the novella in the hope that it will be quicker to write something shorter. But that’s not always the case either. Some short stories can take years to find their best form. Thanks, Paula!
I know a few famous works were produced in a matter of days – Muriel Spark’s The Prime Miss Jean Brodie was written in no time if memory serves – but I think, in the main, most authors take years rather than days (or even months) to complete their books. Who knows, those rushed masterpieces could have been even better had the writers spent more time perfecting them. That’s my theory, anyhow! 😏 Actually, I enjoy reading a good novella, which isn’t really surprising when you think that Orwell’s Animal Farm, Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (to name but three from a very long list) all fell into that category. It would be no shame to join their ranks, Maria! 😀👍
Did you know it took E.B. White 25 years to finish his essay “Once More to the Lake”?
I didn’t, Jeanne. Wow!
Thanks! Such good examples. I think it’s a fine form to read and try to write. On Muriel Spark I heard that her writing method was the equivalent of turning on the tap. That rarely works for me but I like the idea. Am sure a lot of forethought went into it though until she was ready. I end up with multiple conflicting drafts sometimes and then the only way to go is to reimagine it using all I have learned in that messy process. So then it might seem to flow…but even then I am always cutting things out in the edit and hoping their shadows remain.
My first stop will be how women wrote the renaissance. I love that period but when I studied it female writers were in very short supply – it would be great to learn some new names to explore! Many thanks as always Paula 🙂
Thank you, MB. That book does look rather interesting. Hope you discover some new female renaissance writers. 😊
Thanks for another bumper crop, Paula. I really *must* try to get started on reading Zola!!!!
Thank you, Kaggsy. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn you had devoured Zola’s complete works in their entirety by this time next week. You’re one of the most prolific readers I have come across. I regularly stand gaping in awe! 😮
The last week of March already–I hope I can get my second Dewithon read posted this week. I joined in for Zoladdiction for the first time last year–now to look for a book for this time. Thanks for all the lovely links this week. I almost clicked on the 5 good dogs, but paused when I read horror fiction 🙂 Meows and woofs to the meows and woofs 🙂
p.s. winding up corgi is lovely.
Thank you, Mallika. 😊👍
Incidentally, the wind up doggie in this week’s picture is a Welsh Corgi, since I thought it apt for the final week of Dewithon. I believe the name of the breed derives from the Welsh words cor and ci (mutating to gi), so when put together mean ‘dwarf dog’. 🐾
Ah, I knew Corgis are Welsh but didn’t know the etymology. They are such adorable creatures 🙂
I’m definitely going to read more Owen Sheers Paula, so I’ll be sure to link up, even if I don’t get to it next week.
No worries, Cathy. You’ve had a pretty hectic month. 😊👍
I like the Guardian article about audiobooks and agree they can be magical with the right narrator. Interesting that most people enjoyed listening to stories as children, whereas many adults don’t get on with audiobooks at all.
It’s a good point! Speaking for myself alone, I used to only listen to audio tapes as a child (a) in the car (b) while going to sleep. I don’t drive and I don’t want any noise any more while going to sleep, so there isn’t really a life ‘slot’ to fit audiobooks into.
I can see, why it doesn’t fit into everyone’s schedule. I tend to listen to audiobooks when commuting, doing housework, grocery shopping, running, before bed, etc. So I get through quite a few audiobooks. Maybe, it’s a question of habit.
I’m afraid I’m one of those adults, although I don’t know why because I love listening to podcasts and plays on Radio 4. 🤷♀️
I especially enjoyed the piece about eco-criticism that gives readers ideas about what to do, the article about Harry Potter (seems like another adult pooh-poohing the idea that anyone should read children’s books), and the famous works of literature as limericks.
While I admire Miriam Margolyes as an actress and voice artist, I don’t agree with her in this instance. Why shouldn’t adults read and continue to love children’s books? I was an adult when I came to the Harry Potter books and I’m certainly not ashamed to say that I still watch the films every so often!🧙🪄🧹
An interesting selection, as usual! I find that the most incredible thing about Margolyes’s argument is that she is talking about HP as though it is some Peter the Rabbit or Teletubbies stuff. Yes, HP is magic, but there is nothing childish about the last HP books at least that deal with death and violence, though the heroes are adolescents. There are hundreds of thousands of books that are adult fantasy and some do have older teens as the main characters, too. Why HP should be different, especially since it is both a classic and created a specific all-encompassing world similar to The Lord of the Rings & Star Wars?
Thank you, Diana. 😊 I suppose we should remember that Miriam Margolyes is a pretty outrageous character – and, to be fair, very funny at times. I tend to think she is invited on to these chat shows because everyone expects her to say something that will shock or annoy certain viewers. She’s a self-confessed show-off and I sometimes wonder if she truly believes everything she says. I know she is a huge fan of Charles Dickens and would undoubtedly be apoplectic with rage if anyone suggested she ‘get over’ her obsession with him. In any case, you are absolutely correct about the Harry Potter books – they do indeed get darker as they progress and have much to say about the human condition, which becomes more obvious as the reader matures.
Thanks for the link to posthumous publishing – a nice add-on to the week I’ve had with Until August.
Thank you, Brona. I’m delighted the link was of interest to you. 😊👍
That Brisbane Writers Festival article is so true, I personally wish they would change the name because even my book club think it’s about writing when in fact some of the author interviews are jolly good fun!
Aha, the very person I was seeking! I just wanted to thank you for the super Dewithon post – not to mention your kind words. I was really touched. 🤗
All heartfelt and true, Paula 💐 Happy Dewithon24 countdown!
Aww, Gretchen! You’ve done it again in your Scratch the Blogging Itch post. I don’t know what to say, other than the feeling is mutual. I had a horrible suspicion you were leaving us when I started reading. I’m so pleased you’re going to continue. It wouldn’t be the same here without you. 🌹🪻🌺
Cannot get rid of me, Paula! Although I will be slacking off a bit until the next inspiration strikes ⚡ Thank you for your lovely words too, it’s nice to have a literary friendship on the other side of the world. 📚📓📙
Seeing the corgi in your picture at the top reminded me that I had an encounter with one in Spain last week. In my best Spanish, I produced: “Is he a corgi? Just like the Queen of England!” Sheesh!
That seems pretty good to me – and it surely gave rise to a far more interesting conversation than you might otherwise have had. 😂
From eco-reading to Irish limericks: what fun. Thanks, Paula!
Thank you, Marcie! 😀