#book-reviews
#book-reviews

Carlos Lozada Thinks You Should Care About Political Memoirs

Examining books by political figures reveals insights into Washington and its politicians. [ more ]

The Atlantic

3 weeks ago

Feminism, Womanhood, and Celebrity

Sophie Gilbert explores how women are depicted in pop culture and challenges societal norms

Melissa Febos's book 'Girlhood' is recommended by Sophie as a revealing exploration of womanhood and girlhood in pop culture [ more ]

www.theguardian.com

The best recent translated fiction review roundup

The Penguin Book of French Short Stories (volumes 1 and 2), edited by Patrick McGuinness (Penguin Classics, 30 each) It's hard to imagine a better introduction to French literature than this glorious two-volume bran tub of short fiction, featuring 84 authors over almost 900 pages, running from the 15th century (Philippe de Laon, Marguerite de Navarre) to the day before yesterday (Marie NDiaye, Virginie Despentes).

Literary Hub

1 month ago

30 New Books Critics Think You Should Read Right Now

Thirty NBCC finalists make a great reading list

Books explore identity, family history, resilience [ more ]

Slate Magazine

She Was the Most Feared Woman in Publishing. What Happened?

Kakutani wielded immense influence as a book critic for The New York Times without the presence of modern book review platforms like Goodreads and BookTok.

She approached book reviewing as a consumer guide, providing honest evaluations and not hesitating to give both positive and scathing reviews. [ more ]

San Francisco Bay Times

Top of Your Stack 1.25.24 - San Francisco Bay Times

Joan Gelfand's book Outside Voices tells the story of her journey as an artist and explores themes of identity, sexuality, and spirituality.

Ashley Herring Blake's book Iris Kelly Doesn't Date follows the romance writer Iris as she navigates her feelings and relationships after a one-night-stand. [ more ]

The New York Review of Books

3 months ago

Everyone, Together | Leanne Shapton

The art newsletter is being sent from Berlin, where the author witnessed protests and observed the city's diverse architecture.

The January 18 issue of the newsletter features artwork by artists such as Hugo Guinness and Yann Kebbi. [ more ]

Substack

3 months ago

On Reviewing Books

The author has two recent publications - a short story in The Southern Review and a book review in the New York Times.

The author finds book reviews to be challenging due to the need to cater to two different audiences and accurately represent the author's work. [ more ]

www.vox.com

5 months ago

All of this year's National Book Award finalists, reviewed by Vox

The National Book Foundation has announced the winners of the 2023 National Book Awards across different categories.

'Blackouts' by Justin Torres is the winner in the fiction category, praised for its blending of history and fiction.

The Vox staff reviews all 25 nominees and winners, offering insights into their themes and strengths. [ more ]

the Guardian

'God forbid that a dog should die': when Goodreads reviews go bad

Goodreads drama extends beyond book reviews.

Significance of Goodreads in the literary world remains uncertain. [ more ]

www.theguardian.com

God forbid that a dog should die': when Goodreads reviews go bad

Goodreads users faced a dramatic incident involving fake reviews by an author.

The significance of Goodreads in the literary world is perplexing. [ more ]

uxdesign.cc

Can UX design solve review bombing?

Review bombing campaigns make it difficult to trust star ratings on platforms like Goodreads.

Goodreads is investing in improvements to detect violations of community and review guidelines. [ more ]

The Marginalian

Inspiration

Virginia Woolf on the Courage to Create Rather Than Cater and the Remedy for Self-Doubt

"The most regretful people on earth," Mary Oliver wrote as she distilled a lifetime of wisdom on creativity, "are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time."

Nytimes

Poems in Practice and in Theory

Elisa Gabbert, the Book Review's On Poetry columnist, visits the podcast this week to discuss writing about poetry and her own forthcoming collection of poems, her fourth, "Normal Distance."

the Guardian

Mick Herron: 'I'm interested in incompetence, things going wrong'

ick Herron, 58, is the author of 19 books, most recently Bad Actors, the eighth novel in his Jackson Lamb series about a group of demoted MI5 agents.

Chicago Tribune

Chicago

CPS librarian who's spoken out against library cuts said she expects to lose her job

Just two years ago, the American Library Association honored Chicago Public Schools librarian Nora Wiltse with an award for her "courageous efforts" to raise awareness about the effects of district cuts to library and school media positions.

www.npr.org