An end of week recap

“Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.”
– Eugène Ionesco

For my elevenses today, I shall help myself to a stout slice of chocolate cake in recognition of my 400^th wind up for Book Jotter. WUTW #1 appeared on 14^th January 2018 and in it I shared a handful of recent reads, gleefully announced my upcoming visit to the Hay Festival and… well, that was about it, really. The first post was brief by my standards (though, like my waistline, it quickly expanded), and I certainly didn’t imagine that almost seven years on I would still be clogging your feeds with an overabundance of bookish witterings. So, please join me in a ‘cheers m’dears!’ (clink of teacups). Thank you everyone for your continued support. If you enjoy Winding Up the Week, I would be thrilled if, next time you take a break, you dunk a celebratory bickie (cookie) in your steaming hot drink of choice!

As ever, 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 publications, 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.

* Almost Overlooked *

I have two works of fiction for you this week, both previously in danger of slipping through my dodgy book-net. (1) The first is Sam K. Horton’s fantasy novel, Gorse (reviewed by Imyril of There’s Always Room For One More), an “accomplished debut,” portraying a “dark, brooding vision of wild moors,” during a period when the Keeper of the old ways, Lord Pelagius Hunt, “is losing the villagers of Mirecoombe to its preacher’s increasingly fiery faith.” The story, we are told, is “immersive and atmospheric, full of angry spirits and sweet piskies, troubled souls and fierce faiths” (not to mention, a great heroine), which led to Imyril becoming thoroughly “immersed in its dark waters.” You can read her detailed review right here. (2) In early September, Diana Blidariu of Echoes in the Pines mulled over English author Matt Haig’s latest magical realism novel, The Life Impossible, which tells the story of maths teacher Grace Winters inheriting “a dilapidated house on a Mediterranean island from a long-lost friend.” The protagonist “embarks on a one-way trip to Ibiza” with “no guidebook [or] itinerary, just curiosity” and there “delves into her [benefactor’s] mysterious life and tragic death.” The book appeared in Diana’s life “at the perfect moment,” while herself experiencing “grief [and] anxiety,” and she says it “felt like a comforting hand from the Universe” in the guise of a tale blending “self-discovery […] and a dash of magic”. What’s more, it was the “perfect summer read,” enabling her to experience the Spanish island through the eyes of another. Read her review at The Life Impossible, Matt Haig.

* Should X Be Your Ex? *

Amid the ongoing scramble to exodus Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter), many book folk are asking the question: ‘Should I stay, or should I go?’ A cacophony of indignant voices are adding to the debate, all with wildly differing opinions on whether or not users should sever their relationship with the social media platform – their reasons varying from troll infestations and use of AI to unpopular political alliances (and much else in-between) – but the question of whether to deactivate one’s account and head over (mainly, it would seem) to Bluesky is difficult, if not damn-right confusing, for those of us who have used the network for any length of time.

Recently, while link truffling, I stumbled across a couple of thought-provoking articles discussing this very quandary, which I will share with you in the hope something therein may assist you in coming to an informed decision:

The ever wise and widely-read Michael Graeme of The Rivendale Review (who abandoned X some time ago for reasons he touched on in an earlier post) has his own quirky but completely rational take on the matter in The writing life – avoiding capture, wherein he wonders what “an advanced alien civilisation, come to earth to carry out anthropological studies” would make of it all? His amusing follow-up piece, The writing life – a bit of Bluesky thinking is also well worth a gander. Meanwhile, over at The Lead (“a lean, mean site on politics, culture, and everything in between […] launched in a period of simmering discontent”), Dimi Reider explains Why I’m staying on Twitter, in a piece clarifying why he believes it makes no sense to leave X “as a form of economic boycott – or as an act of radical resistance.”

As for me, I intend to maintain a presence on X for the time being. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

* Lit Crit Blogflash *

I am going to share with you one of my favourite posts from around the blogosphere. There are so many talented writers posting high-quality book features and reviews, it was difficult to pick only this one – which was published in the last week or so:

The Universe In Verse by Maria Popova – Hermione Flavia of CravenWild panegyrizes the latest book by Bulgarian-born author, cultural critic and poet Maria Popova, describing it as “a lovely illustrated volume of poetry and science, which explores the sense of wonder in life and our experiences.” Over fifteen short essays (termed “portals”) – where every piece of prose is paired with a poem – The Universe In Verse is richly illustrated by the “slightly elusive artist” Ofra Amit, whose “vibrant, modern and slightly surreal” works are “used to great effect” to bring the imagery of each chapter alive “with the style of scientific or botanical art meeting the dream-like.” Popova’s words remind us to “seek beauty” and her “beautiful book […] would grace any bibliophile or book collector’s shelf.”

* Irresistible Items *

Umpteen fascinating articles appeared on my bookdar last week. I generally make a point of tweeting/x-ing (not to mention tooting and bsky-ing) a few favourite finds (or adding them to my Facebook group page), but in case you missed anything, there follows a selection of interesting snippets: 

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The Armenian Mirror-Spectator: The Burning Heart of the World by Nancy Kricorian to Be Published in April – “In vivid, poetic prose, Nancy Kricorian’s latest book, The Burning Heart of the World tells the story of a Beirut Armenian family before, during and after the Lebanese Civil War.” 

NPR: It was ‘great relief’ for Haruki Murakami to finish his latest novel – In the first interview about his new book The City and its Uncertain Walls, the celebrated author also talks with Andrew Limbong about his age and finding beauty in isolation.

Lux: Speak Against Censorship: Fighting the Far Right in India – Sarah Thankam Mathews talks to Raghu Karnad about “the Hindu nationalist right and the trial of Arundhati Roy.”

A Narrative of Their Own: ‘The Road to the City’ – In her latest essay exploring “20th century women writers and their relevance to contemporary culture,” Kate Jones discusses Natalia Ginzburg and “her astonishing novels on Italian life.”

Reactor: On Selecting the Top Ten Genre Books of the First Quarter of the Century – Jo Walton asks: “What criteria do you use to pick a Top Ten? Where do you start, and what do you cut? It’s not easy…”

World Literature Today: Joseph Conrad’s Childhood and Russia’s War on Ukraine – “Despite Berdichev, Ukraine, being Joseph Conrad’s ancestral home, and despite the fact he is arguably the most globally famous writer born on Ukrainian soil, few of its residents seem to know much about him. Oliver Raw investigated by visiting northern Ukraine, now in the throes of Russia’s invasion.”

CUP Blog: Lilit Žekulin Thwaites on Translating Crossing Waters by Luisa Etxenike – Lilit Žekulin Thwaites, “an award-winning Australian literary translator” and Luisa Etxenike, “an acclaimed author from the Basque Country […] recently collaborated on an English translation of Etxenike’s novel,” Crossing Waters.

The Common Reader: Can fiction improve you? – Henry Oliver takes issue with writer and AI researcher Gwern Branwen’s recent comment about fiction “not [being of] benefit” other than for memorizing “a lot of trivia about things that people made up.”

Edinburgh University Press: An Interview with David Rando, author of On Fiction and Being a Good Animal – Instead of making readers into better people, what if fiction could help us to become better animals? David Rando talks about his latest book, On Fiction and Being a Good Animal.

Tove Jansson: The Summer Book film – teaser trailer and first reviews – “The first teaser trailer and early reviews of Charlie MacDowell’s feature film adaptation of Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book are out. The film, starring 8-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close as the grandmother and debuting actress Emily Matthews as her grandchild Sophia, is praised as a delicate reflection of the cycle of life and death.”

The Paris Review: “Multiple Worlds Vying to Exist”: Philip K. Dick and Palestine – Jonathan Lethem examines closely Philip K. Dick’s 1964 science fiction novel, Martian Time-Slip, about a human colony on Mars – drawing particular attention to the chapter wherein two of his characters discuss travelling “to a zone called New Israel—specifically, to a Martian settlement called Camp Ben-Gurion.”

Air Mail: The Dorothy Parker Tapes – “A biographer of the great 20th-century wit goes in search of 12 hours’ worth of lost recordings made by Gloria Vanderbilt’s husband Wyatt Cooper”.

ABC News: Australian author Richard Flanagan wins $97,000 Baillie Gifford Prize but declines prize money – Richard Flanagan has won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction with his book Question 7, but he’s declined to accept the prize money until its sponsors agree to divest from fossil fuels. 

The Guardian: ‘She gave me the chance that became my life’: Jeanette Winterson on her first editor, Philippa Brewster – “The pioneering feminist editor and publisher died in October. The Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit author looks back on the close friendship they shared.”

Harper’s Magazine: The Painted Protest – “Art, which had previously been a way to produce discursive polyphony, aligned itself with the dominant social-justice discourses of the day, with works dressed up as protest and contextualized according to decolonial or queer theory, driven by a singular focus on identity,” says writer Dean Kissick in his excoriating piece on the way “politics [has] destroyed contemporary art.”

TLS: Keeping score – Devoney Looser on Georgia Cloepfil’s memoir, The Striker and the Clock: On Being in the Game, which she describes as a “professional footballer’s literary debt to Virginia Woolf.”

AnOther: The White Pube’s Debut Novel Explores the Plight of the Struggling Artist – “The duo behind The White Pube, Zarina Muhammad and Gabrielle de la Puente, discuss the key influences and themes behind their novel Poor Artists, and the role absurdity and humour can have in art criticism.”

JSTOR Daily: Jura: George Orwell’s Scottish Hideaway – Rob Crossan invites you to “discover the austere island retreat where Big Brother was born.”

Toronto.com: Giller Prize 2024: Anne Michaels wins Canada’s top literary prize for ‘Held’ – “Anne Michaels has won the 2024 Giller Prize for her novel Held, a multi-generational saga that follows a family over the course of more than a century.”

LARB: How Does the Writer Say Etcetera? – “Sumana Roy ponders the linguistic and aesthetic significance of etceterization.’”

The Wall Street Journal: ‘The Best of All Possible Worlds’ Review: Leibniz Lives Again – “The polymathic philosopher saw divine intention in the minute structure of reality. Voltaire painted him as a cockeyed optimist.” Jeffrey Collins assesses Michael Kempe’s biography of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Life of Leibniz in Seven Pivotal Days.

The Guardian: Sylvia Plath’s Tomato Soup Cake review – a writer’s place is not in the kitchen – Rachel Cooke finds Sylvia Plath’s Tomato Soup Cake: A Compendium of Classic Authors’ Favourite Recipes is “a fun but often unpalatable collection of recipes by authors including Robert Graves, Norman Mailer and Beryl Bainbridge,” which “should come with a trigger warning.”

Kleine Zeitung: Peter Handke: “I would have become a star lawyer, but in a bad way” – Austrian “Nobel Prize winner Peter Handke on the Graz award, John Lennon and the cardboard dust on his glasses that decided everything.”

Los Angeles Times: When Joan and Eve were pals: ‘Didion & Babitz’ explores the unlikely bond between two seminal L.A. writers – Lili Anolik scrutinises the elusive and mysterious Joan Didion through the diary-like letters and observations of Eve Babitz in a new biography, Didion and Babitz.

News India: ‘The Magnificent Ruins’ is an inviting novel of family dysfunction – Ron Charles reviews Nayantara Roy’s “engrossing debut novel” The Magnificent Ruins, in which a “family drama plays out against the background of a city gripped by the threat of upheaval.”

BBC Media Centre: BBC releases new pictures for Miss Austen, starring Keeley Hawes – “The four-part drama will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2025, marking 250 years since Jane Austen’s birth.”

Kyodo News: Shuntaro Tanikawa, noted poet and translator of “Peanuts,” dies at 92 – Shuntaro Tanikawa, who pioneered modern Japanese poetry, poignant but conversational in its divergence from haiku and other traditions, has died.

Varsity: St John’s writer-in-residence Vona Groarke on Cambridge’s ‘vibrant literary culture’ – “Joe Short speaks to the Irish poet about the value of ‘doing’ and the importance of mentorship.”

Brittle Paper: In Defense of Madness: My Reflections on Uche Okonkwo’s A Kind of Madness – “Uche Okonkwo’s A Kind of Madness is a debut that shows us how madness might be more universal than we think,” writes Ainehi Edoro in her review of this new Nigerian short story collection.

Arts Hub: 12 underrated books in 2024 by PoC you need to read – Thuy On suggests a “dozen books by Australian PoC writers to read and to gift.”

Independent: Best historical fiction books of 2024, from Robert Harris to Colm Tóibín – “Transport yourself back to a bygone era with Katie Rosseinsky’s guide to the best historical fiction releases of the year.”

The Conversation: An 83-year-old short story by Borges portends a bleak future for the internet – Jorge Luis Borges imagined an endless library that contained every possible permutation of letters in his 1941 short story The Library of Babel. The truth is out there, but it’s embedded among a multitude of lies and gibberish, according to Roger J. Kreuz.

Canada’s National Observer: Margaret Atwood talks about U.S. election at Calgary forum – “Margaret Atwood has been called prescient,” says Lauren Krugel – “but the renowned Canadian author says her predictive powers failed her ahead of [the] U.S. election, which delivered Donald Trump another White House win.”

The Spectator: Books of the Year I – “Contributors include: Jonathan Sumption, Antony Beevor, A.N. Wilson, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Sam Leith, Frances Wilson, Clare Mulley and Julie Burchill.”

Senses of Cinema: Her, To a Great Extent, Shared: On Marguerite Duras’s My Cinema – Hannah Bonner writes about the 2023 edition of Marguerite Duras’s My Cinema, translated by Daniella Shreir.

Read Castle: The 2024 Cercador Prize goes to The Book of All Loves – Blending fiction and essay, poetry and philosophy, Agustín Fernández Mallo’s The Book of All Loves, translated by Thomas Bunstead, is the winner of the 2024 Cercador Prize.

The Art Newspaper: November Book Bag: from fashion ‘outlaws’ to interviews with the auto-destructive artist Gustav Metzger – Gareth Harris with “a round-up of the latest art publications.”

Asian Review of Books: “First Love” by Rio Shimamoto – A “young woman kills her father” and her “legal defence team must comb through the past and present, exploring her platonic, sexual, and romantic relationships to find a motive for murder,” says Mahika Dhar in her review of Rio Shimamoto’s mystery novel, First Love.

Boston Review: The Parenting Panic – “Contrary to both far right and mainstream center-left, there’s no epidemic of chosen childlessness.” Aaron Bady examines four recent books about the myths surrounding preferred childlessness.

Columbia Journalism Review: Trump Threatens New York Times, Penguin Random House over Critical Coverage – Lachlan Cartwright reports: “Legal letter follows complaints aimed at CBS News, the Washington Post, and the Daily Beast.” 

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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

Tags: Bluesky, Eugène Ionesco, Jodi Picoult, Maria Popova, Matt Haig, Michael Kempe, Nancy Kricorian, Philip K. Dick, Sam K. Horton, Twitter, X